The Secret Adversary (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading)

By Agatha Christie and Clea Simon

Two bright young characters of the Jazz Age start out looking for adventure and wind up saving England in Agatha Christie’sThe Secret Adversary. Childhood friends Tommy Beresford and Prudence “Tuppence” Crowley have hit hard times. It’s 1920, and the Great War is blessedly over. But the peace has left staid old England in upheaval and the young veteran and the pretty former nurse flat broke.  In the free spirit of the age, the two advertise themselves as “Young Adventurers,” hoping for enjoyable as well as profitable employment. Their first client, a British Army Intelligence officer, promises both when he hires them to find a missing woman, and the charming duo are soon involved in a case of international intrigue, mistaken identities, and, ultimately, romance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Release date: Sep 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781411428256

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

IN AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE SECRET ADVERSARY, TWO BRIGHT YOUNG Jazz Age things start out looking for adventure and wind up saving England. As Christie’s frothy second novel opens, childhood friends Tommy Beresford and Prudence Tuppence Crowley have hit hard times. It’s 1920, and the Great War is blessedly over. But the peace has left staid old England in upheaval and the young veteran and the pretty former nurse flat broke. In the free spirit of the age, the two advertise themselves as Young Adventurers, hoping for enjoyable as well as profitable employment. Their first client, a British Army Intelligence officer, promises both when he hires them to find a missing woman, and the charming duo—Christie’s second series detectives—are soon involved in a case of international intrigue, mistaken identities, and, ultimately, romance.

These days, Tommy and Tuppence are less well known than such Christie detectives as Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple. But the smart young couple, who went on to age and solve crimes through four more books, were groundbreakers. Nine years before Dorothy L. Sayers matched Lord Peter Wimsey up with Harriet Vane, twelve years before Dashiell Hammett would introduce Nick and Nora Charles, and a good fourteen years before Richard Lockridge ushered in Mr. and Mrs. North, Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence set the standard for detecting couples. In The Secret Adversary, which launched the team, Christie used her own youthful social set as a reference, possibly modeling the smart young detectives on her own first marriage. Today, Christie is remembered as the queen of crime fiction, the author of 184 works of detective fiction and thirteen plays. But in 1922, when The Secret Adversary was published, the former Agatha Miller and her dashing young husband, Lieutenant Archibald Christie, were simply another pair of struggling London newlyweds, living right up to the limit of their means.

The young author wasn’t used to serious economizing. Born on September 15, 1890, to an aristocratic American father, Frederick Alvah Miller, and his English wife, Clarissa Clara Boechmer, Agatha Miller was raised as a member of the transatlantic upper class. Educated at home at the family residence, Ashfield, in the English resort town of Torquay, Agatha was the youngest of three Miller children. The early death of their beloved father in 1901 left the family in reduced circumstances, but young Agatha completed her education and developed a lifelong love of travel, attending finishing and music schools in Paris and, in 1910, traveling with her mother, who had been in ill health, to Cairo. Agatha had her coming out in Egypt, where the social season was considerably cheaper than its London equivalent, but otherwise her early life was one of relative luxury.

A noted beauty, Agatha was extremely social and entertained more than one proposal of marriage. But the Great War—World War I—changed the lives of young England. The pretty socialite became a Volunteer Aid Detachment nurse and in a small private ceremony married the handsome Lieutenant Archibald Christie. Both these decisions would greatly influence her later career. The former experience gave the budding writer training in poisons, which would remain her favorite means of dispatching victims. The latter would bring great heartache as Archie Christie’s affections strayed, and in 1927 the couple divorced. In 1930, the author married a younger archaeologist, Max Mallowen, and the two traveled and worked together throughout the Middle East, with Christie reliably delivering a Christie for Christmas for decades. In 1956, the author became a Commander of the British Empire and, in 1967 Mallowen was knighted, making Christie Lady Agatha. In 1971, Christie was named a Dame of the British Empire. When Dame Agatha died on January 12, 1976, her books had sold more than four hundred million copies worldwide and her play The Mousetrap was having its 9,612th performance in London’s West End, where it remains in production today.

The lighthearted tone of The Secret Adversary prefigures much of Christie’s greatness, as well as her personal tragedies. With the economy in decline and thousands released from wartime duties, England in the early 1920s was facing hard times. In her autobiography, Christie recalls the flood of door-to-door salesmen who popped up after the war. Although she admired the pluck and courage of these salesmen, largely young veterans desperate to support themselves, and saw in them the qualities that would make a good hero for her novels, she also recognized just how tough many were finding postwar life.

To some degree, Christie too would soon feel the pinch. Archie had been both lucky and smart, and even before he had left the Flying Corps had landed a job that supported the young couple in a flat in London. But Christie’s mother, Clara, had found her income reduced as investments fell through, and the family considered the possibility of selling Ashfield. Christie adored her childhood home, but sending money to her mother didn’t seem feasible; in her autobiography Christie notes, we needed every penny we had to live on.¹ But then Archie suggested she write another book. It might make a lot of money,² she recalls him saying. Although Christie had already started this second novel, the family’s financial straits prompted her to finish and deliver it to John Lane, who had published her first mystery, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, and who had requested the rights to Christie’s next five novels, a clause the novice author had blithely signed. Archie’s predictions weren’t exactly right, but Christie did get fifty pounds for the serialization rights to The Secret Adversary, twice what she had received for The Mysterious Affair at Styles. She also earned favorable reviews and even some royalties—and Ashfield was saved.

The story that served to ease the family’s budget was also very much of the times. England in the 1920s was in political turmoil. The stratified society Christie had been raised in had been utterly disrupted by the war. Classes that had mingled in the trenches were now reluctant to resume their former roles, and the repercussions of the Russian Revolution were galvanizing workers and labor parties throughout the world. Such vast changes were doubtless frightening to anyone who had any investment in the old regime. In The Secret Adversary, which critic and Christie aficionado Robert Barnard calls good reactionary fun,³ they serve as the spur to action.

Recognizing that the setup was very different from that of her first classic whodunit, Christie called The Secret Adversary a spy book, a thriller, not a detective story,⁴ since it involved an international conspiracy rather than the simple solving of a crime. It would be the first of several such thrillers she would write in the tumultuous 1920s, including 1924’s The Man in the Brown Suit. To root this first thriller in the real world, Christie used the drama of the recent past. In her prologue to The Secret Adversary, Christie revisits the 1915 sinking of the Lusitania, and in her vivid re-imagining of the scene a British Intelligence officer passes along sensitive documents to a self-possessed young woman on the grounds that she will merit a place on the lifeboats—and thus survive to pass along vital information. When that young woman, Jane Finn, remains missing five years later, Tommy and Tuppence have their first case.

But that intelligence officer isn’t the only one seeking Jane. Soon a wealthy American shows up, claiming Jane as a long-lost cousin, and an inspector from Scotland Yard is also on her trail. While tracking down other survivors of the Lusitania, Tommy overhears a plot involving a general strike that could lead to a British revolution. This fictional threat, which presaged the actual General Strike of 1926, sets Tommy and Tuppence off on solo quests that put both at great personal risk. Along the way, they follow false trails and find out how easily identity—and even nationality—can be disguised. A fake case of amnesia, and a brave young woman’s years-long masquerade, help bring the case to a satisfactory conclusion, clearing the way for Tommy and Tuppence to turn their attentions on each other.

These particular plot twists would be remembered by many people several years later. On the evening of December 3, 1926, Christie—like Jane Finn—went missing. Archie had asked for a divorce, explaining that he had fallen in love with another woman, Nancy Neele. Faced with the collapse of her marriage, Christie had driven off, and her car was later found by the side of the road. The car’s lights were on, and Christie’s fur coat and overnight bag were still in the car, which was near a lake. Fearing foul play, her family started a search, and by then Christie was such a celebrity that the press jumped on it as well. The lake was dredged, and bloodhounds called in to no avail. For eleven days, Christie was missing. During this same period, one Mrs. Teresa Neele of Capetown had checked herself into an elegant Harrogate spa. Although Mrs. Neele kept to herself, explaining that she was a bereaved mother from South Africa, a chambermaid noticed her resemblance to the pictures of the noted author that were running in all the papers. Finally, a reporter confronted the supposed mourner, and Christie was unmasked. At the time, she claimed amnesia, saying she could remember nothing of the past eleven days. But the press, perhaps looking to continue the story with a bit of scandal, noted the similarity between Christie’s tale and the plot of her second book. Although the author long denied that the disappearance had been anything but an accident, it certainly did serve to frighten her family—and drag the hated name of Neele into the public spotlight. Christie herself never strayed from her original story and, in fact, does not mention the incident in her autobiography. Years after Christie’s death, the daughter of Christie’s sister-in-law and friend Nan Watts revealed that the escapade had indeed been planned—plotted out by the mistress of mysteries for maximum impact. However, the full truth remains one of the author’s most lasting mysteries.

Still, such scandal and sadness were far in the future when The Secret Adversary was written, and despite the global implications of its international plot, this lovely book never gets heavy. Indeed, critics have likened its offhand and slangy style more to P. G. Wodehouse than to Arthur Conan Doyle, and its lighthearted tone tiptoes on the line between social satire and honest fun. Tommy, old thing, says Tuppence in her first line, greeting her friend. Tuppence, old bean! he replies, setting the tone for this Jazz Age couple.

Indeed, while some of the slang might sound dated, in the relationship between Tommy and Tuppence we see a surprisingly contemporary match, and it should come as no surprise that Christie herself was quite fond of them. Tuppence is no flapper, though there is a reference to short skirts and smoking. She is, however, determined to be independent and self-supporting, and Tommy understands. From the start, the impoverished friends tacitly accept that they are to be equals when they agree to pay for their own tea (and mind the tea comes in separate teapots, Tuppence warns the server), and that partnership continues throughout the series. Although their later adventures bow a bit more to social conventions—Tuppence masquerades as Tommy’s secretary in 1929’s Partners in Crime, a collection of stories that makes up the second book in the series—here they discard gender roles as outdated in the new and modern England. Contemporary readers may be surprised by how blithely, in this fresh first outing, the two face danger as a team. Tommy may trail a Russian spy, but it is Tuppence who wrestles a gun from a suspect and places herself in danger when she believes that Tommy has been taken captive. Although a light flirtation runs throughout the book, Tommy and Tuppence relate first and foremost as colleagues. Her quick wit sparks his more stolid take, and his steady demeanor balances her more impetuous actions, but neither takes the lead. When they do agree, ultimately, to marry, it is on their own terms.

Marriage is called all sorts of things, says Tuppence, a haven, and a refuge, and a crowning glory, and a state of bondage, and lots more. But do you know what I think it is?

What?

A sport!

And a damned good sport, too, says Tommy, concluding their first adventure, and launching one of Christie’s more endearing teams into the world.

Clea Simon is the author of three nonfiction books and the Theda Krakow mysteries. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

PROLOGUE

IT WAS 2 PM ON THE AFTERNOON OF MAY 7, 1915. THE LUSITANIA HAD been struck by two torpedoes in succession and was sinking rapidly, while the boats were being launched with all possible speed. The women and children were being lined up awaiting their turn. Some still clung desperately to husbands and fathers; others clutched their children closely to their breasts. One girl stood alone, slightly apart from the rest. She was quite young, not more than eighteen. She did not seem afraid, and her grave, steadfast eyes looked straight ahead.

I beg your pardon.

A man’s voice beside her made her start and turn. She had noticed the speaker more than once amongst the first-class passengers. There had been a hint of mystery about him which had appealed to her imagination. He spoke to no one. If anyone spoke to him he was quick to rebuff the overture. Also he had a nervous way of looking over his shoulder with a swift, suspicious glance.

She noticed now that he was greatly agitated. There were beads of perspiration on his brow. He was evidently in a state of overmastering fear. And yet he did not strike her as the kind of man who would be afraid to meet death!

Yes? Her grave eyes met his inquiringly.

He stood looking at her with a kind of desperate irresolution.

It must be! he muttered to himself. Yes—it is the only way. Then aloud he said abruptly: You are an American?

Yes.

A patriotic one?

The girl flushed.

I guess you’ve no right to ask such a thing! Of course I am!

Don’t be offended. You wouldn’t be if you knew how much there was at stake. But I’ve got to trust someone—and it must be a woman.

Why?

Because of ‘women and children first.’ He looked round and lowered his voice. "I’m carrying papers—vitally important papers. They may make all the difference to the Allies in the war. You understand? These papers have got to be saved! They’ve more chance with you than with me. Will you take them?"

The girl held out her hand.

Wait—I must warn you. There may be a risk—if I’ve been followed. I don’t think I have, but one never knows. If so, there will be danger. Have you the nerve to go through with it?

The girl smiled.

I’ll go through with it all right. And I’m real proud to be chosen! What am I to do with them afterwards?

"Watch the newspapers! I’ll advertise in the personal column of the Times, beginning ‘Shipmate.’ At the end of three days if there’s nothing—well, you’ll know I’m down and out. Then take the packet to the American Embassy, and deliver it into the Ambassador’s own hands. Is that clear?"

Quite clear.

Then be ready—I’m going to say goodbye. He took her hand in his. Goodbye. Good luck to you, he said in a louder tone.

Her hand closed on the oilskin packet that had lain in his palm.

The Lusitania settled with a more decided list to starboard. In answer to a quick command, the girl went forward to take her place in the boat.

CHAPTER ONE

THE YOUNG ADVENTURERS, LTD.

TOMMY, OLD THING!

Tuppence, old bean!

The two young people greeted each other affectionately, and momentarily blocked the Dover Street Tube exit in doing so. The adjective old was misleading. Their united ages would certainly not have totalled forty-five.

Not seen you for simply centuries, continued the young man. Where are you off to? Come and chew a bun with me. We’re getting a bit unpopular here—blocking the gangway as it were. Let’s get out of it.

The girl assenting, they started walking down Dover Street towards Piccadilly.

Now then, said Tommy, where shall we go?

The very faint anxiety which underlay his tone did not escape the astute ears of Miss Prudence Cowley, known to her intimate friends for some mysterious reason as Tuppence. She pounced at once.

Tommy, you’re stony!

Not a bit of it, declared Tommy unconvincingly. Rolling in cash.

You always were a shocking liar, said Tuppence severely, though you did once persuade Sister Greenbank that the doctor had ordered you beer as a tonic, but forgotten to write it on the chart. Do you remember?

Tommy chuckled.

I should think I did! Wasn’t the old cat in a rage when she found out? Not that she was a bad sort really, old Mother Greenbank! Good old hospital—demobbed like everything else, I suppose?

Tuppence sighed.

Yes. You too?

Tommy nodded.

Two months ago.

Gratuity? hinted Tuppence.

Spent.

Oh, Tommy!

No, old thing, not in riotous dissipation. No such luck! The cost of living—ordinary plain, or garden living nowadays is, I assure you, if you do not know——

My dear child, interrupted Tuppence, "there is nothing I do not know about the cost of living. Here we are at Lyons’, and we will each of us pay for our own. That’s that!" And Tuppence led the way upstairs.

The place was full, and they wandered about looking for a table, catching odds and ends of conversation as they did so.

"And—do you know, she sat down and cried when I told her she couldn’t have the flat after all. It was simply a bargain, my dear! Just like the one Mabel Lewis brought from Paris——"

Funny scraps one does overhear, murmured Tommy. I passed two Johnnies in the street today talking about someone called Jane Finn. Did you ever hear such a name?

But at that moment two elderly ladies rose and collected parcels, and Tuppence deftly ensconced herself in one of the vacant seats.

Tommy ordered tea and buns. Tuppence ordered tea and buttered toast.

And mind the tea comes in separate teapots, she added severely.

Tommy sat down opposite her. His bared head revealed a shock of exquisitely slicked-back red hair. His face was pleasantly ugly—nondescript, yet unmistakably the face of a gentleman and a sportsman. His brown suit was well cut, but perilously near the end of its tether.

They were an essentially modern-looking couple as they sat there. Tuppence had no claim to beauty, but there was character and charm in the elfin lines of her little face, with its determined chin and large, wide-apart grey eyes that looked mistily out from under straight, black brows. She wore a small bright green toque over her black bobbed hair, and her extremely short and rather shabby skirt revealed a pair of uncommonly dainty ankles. Her appearance presented a valiant attempt at smartness.

The tea came at last, and Tuppence, rousing herself from a fit of meditation, poured it out.

Now then, said Tommy, taking a large bite of bun, let’s get up-to-date. Remember, I haven’t seen you since that time in hospital in 1916.

Very well. Tuppence helped herself liberally to buttered toast. Abridged biography of Miss Prudence Cowley, fifth daughter of Archdeacon Cowley of Little Missendell, Suffolk. Miss Cowley left the delights (and drudgeries) of her home life early in the war and came up to London, where she entered an officers’ hospital. First month: Washed up six hundred and forty-eight plates every day. Second month: Promoted to drying aforesaid plates. Third month: Promoted to peeling potatoes. Fourth month: Promoted to cutting bread and butter. Fifth month: Promoted one floor up to duties of wardmaid with mop and pail. Sixth month: Promoted to waiting at table. Seventh month: Pleasing appearance and nice manners so striking that am promoted to waiting on the Sisters! Eighth month: Slight check in career. Sister Bond ate Sister Westhaven’s egg! Grand row! Wardmaid clearly to blame! Inattention in such important matters cannot be too highly censured. Mop and pail again! How are the mighty fallen! Ninth month: Promoted to sweeping out wards, where I found a friend of my childhood in Lieutenant Thomas Beresford (bow, Tommy!), whom I had not seen for five long years. The meeting was affecting! Tenth month: Reproved by matron for visiting the pictures in company with one of the patients, namely: the aforementioned Lieutenant Thomas Beresford. Eleventh and twelfth months: Parlourmaid duties resumed with entire success. At the end of the year left hospital in a blaze of glory. After that, the talented Miss Cowley drove successively a trade delivery van, a motor-lorry and a general. The last was the pleasantest. He was quite a young general!

What blighter was that? inquired Tommy. "Perfectly sickening the way those brass hats drove from the War Office to the Savoy, and from the Savoy to the War Office!"

I’ve forgotten his name now, confessed Tuppence. To resume, that was in a way the apex of my career. I next entered a Government office. We had several very enjoyable tea parties. I had intended to become a land girl, a postwoman, and a bus conductress by way of rounding off my career—but the Armistice intervened! I clung to the office with the true limpet touch for many long months, but, alas, I was combed out at last. Since then I’ve been looking for a job. Now then—your turn.

There’s not so much promotion in mine, said Tommy regretfully, and a great deal less variety. I went out to France again, as you know. Then they sent me to Mesopotamia, and I got wounded for the second time, and went into hospital out there. Then I got stuck in Egypt till the Armistice happened, kicked my heels there some time longer, and, as I told you, finally got demobbed. And, for ten long, weary months I’ve been job hunting! There aren’t any jobs! And, if there were, they wouldn’t give ’em to me. What good am I? What do I know about business? Nothing.

Tuppence nodded gloomily.

What about the colonies? she suggested.

Tommy shook his head.

I shouldn’t like the colonies—and I’m perfectly certain they wouldn’t like me!

Rich relations?

Again Tommy shook his head.

Oh, Tommy, not even a great-aunt?

I’ve got an old uncle who’s more or less rolling, but he’s no good.

Why not?

Wanted to adopt me once. I refused.

I think I remember hearing about it, said Tuppence slowly. You refused because of your mother——

Tommy flushed.

Yes, it would have been a bit rough on the mater. As you know, I was all she had. Old boy hated her—wanted to get me away from her. Just a bit of spite.

Your mother’s dead, isn’t she? said Tuppence gently.

Tommy nodded.

Tuppence’s large grey eyes looked misty.

You’re a good sort, Tommy. I always knew it.

Rot! said Tommy hastily. Well, that’s my position. I’m just about desperate.

So am I! I’ve hung out as long as I could. I’ve touted round. I’ve answered advertisements. I’ve tried every mortal blessed thing. I’ve screwed and saved and pinched! But it’s no good. I shall have to go home!

Reviews for The Secret Adversary (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading)

[luminous4path · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Liked this a LOT more than Affair at Styles

[vesper1931 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Great War has ended and Tommy Beresford and Prudence 'Tuppence' Cowley are broke. Wanting excitement they decide to form the 'Young Adventureres Ltd' - will do anything and go anywhere as their slogan. Before long they find themselves embroiled in an adventure, a deadly adventure. But who can they trust.
An enjoyable story, a good start to the series.
First published in 1922

[limelite_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Diverting entertainment, especially when read aloud as this recorded version was. However unbelievable two amateur, bright young things are as government agents, nevertheless, Dame Agatha pulls it off. Definitely NOT a murder mystery. Yes, there is a murder, but it occurs late in the novel and the identity of the perp is never really a mystery. Plus, the story isn't about the victim's murder; it's about a secret treaty that has disappeared. One, if it should fall into the wrong hands, could spell disaster for England's fragile democracy post-WW I when the economy was tottering and labor unrest was being stirred up by agents of communism.Christie manages to conceal, better -- swath -- her Evil Mastermind behind his forgettability in spite of his power to reduce his "gang" to quivering blobs of fear at the mention of his name. Yet, once again ignorance proves to operate in bliss as Tommy and Tuppence undertake a Joint Venture to become sleuths who will do any job, providing the money's right.Why His Majesty's government should choose to put its trust into such a pair of tyros is unfathomable. But it does. In spite of many warnings of the dangerous nature of their work and the deviousness of their adversary, the pair plunge in, fully expecting their own success where, they've been told, many professionals of great experience have failed. Determination and blissful ignorance united with a capacity for improvisation seems to be the magic formula because succeed they do.Plenty of well drawn characters to cloud the solution with misleading action, plenty of mistakes to prolong the outcome, and plenty of light humor to dispel impatience with the eventual resolution. Surprisingly, as read aloud, the book has aged well because it suggests in this reader's mind a radio play. Read it for the fun of it. Do you really need another reason to pick up any book?

[chazzifrazz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Miss Prudence Cowley, known as Tuppence to her friends, and Thomas Beresford, known as Tommy, have been friends since childhood. It is just after the end of the Great War. They run into each other and take time to get caught up, finding that they are both currently looking for work and finances are on the slim side.Tuppence comes up with the idea of forming their own service, The Young Adventurers Ltd. They will take on any job and be willing to go anywhere. Before they can put an ad in the “Times,” Tuppence is approached with an offer to locate a girl named Jane Finn. Their conversation had been overheard by a man sitting nearby.Tommy and Tuppence find themselves involved in an espionage case. It seems Jane Finn has some secret papers that certain parties want. The problem is no one knows what Jane Finn looks like or where she might be.There are some instances that involve close calls for both lead characters. Other characters give such impressions that you are not sure if they are good or bad or even whose side they are on.This is the first of the Tommy and Tuppence series written by Agatha Christie. It isn’t anywhere the length of the Poirot or Marple series, but it is an enjoyable read.

[passion4reading_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A chance encounter on the London Underground sees childhood friends Thomas 'Tommy' Beresford and Prudence 'Tuppence' Cowley set up in business together, Young Adventurers Ltd, since times are hard after the First World War and they both find themselves broke and unemployed. Quite optimistically they announce that they will take on anything that pays well, but they could not have dreamt of finding themselves in the middle of an international espionage drama.I can't say that I thought much of the plot or the characterisations, owing to the similarities with threepenny detective novels that Albert loves so much or one of the spy movies that Tuppence refers to at some point. It is crammed full with hair-raising coincidences, the characters are portrayed with rather broad brush strokes and you can spot the villain from a mile away; the language, too, appears quite dated now, which I've never noticed to this degree with other Agatha Christie novels or short stories. It does, however, stand up as a reflection of the general public mood at the time, and I believe later espionage novels in the Tommy & Tuppence series are more successful.

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

After watching a PBS special about Agatha Christie, I resolved to start reading Christie’s books in order. I had already read The Mysterious Affair at Styles, so I jumped into The Secret Adversary. This is a series that features Tommy and Tuppence, two young adventurers looking for a livelihood after World War I. The majority of the book features dialogue, and I prefer more description of the setting and characters. Tommy seems slow-witted and easily confused, while Tuppence forges ahead with speed and determination. I am not sure that this series warrants another journey. Remember, this is after the war and money and jobs are scarce, but Tommy and Tuppence stay at the Ritz and dine lavishly. Yes, they are receiving wages, but if you do not know if you will have another job in the future, why splurge on fancy food.

[macdad-236140 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After a chance encounter outside an Underground station, two old friends — Tommy Beresford and Prudence "Tuppence" Cowley — decide to make the most of their unemployed status by going into business as "The Young Adventurers." No sooner do they do so then a case falls into Tuppence's lap, as she is approached by a stranger to go on a mission. The two soon find themselves battling a group of sinister conspirators led by a master criminal, who are seeking wartime documents that threaten the very foundations of the country itself. Yet the conspirators have not reckoned with the plucky determination and dogged persistence of the Young Adventurers, who with a little assistance work to locate the documents before it is too late.While I was long familiar with Agatha Christie's mystery novels, until I picked up this book I was unaware of her works outside of her Miss Marple & Hercule Poirot series of stories. This made discovering her Tommy and Tuppence series a real pleasure. While Christie's attempt at an espionage novel isn't quite as good as her famous mysteries (her stab at politics in it is simplistic and crude), her main characters are delightful and the plot is never less than entertaining. It's unfortunate that she never persisted further with espionage novels than she did, as had she done so she might have become as dominant a figure in it as she was in the mystery genre.

[addunn3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A lot of running around to track down a traitor.

[deaconbernie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If one was feeling jocular, one might say jolly good book. This is one of Christie's earlier works. Although there are serious moments, even those are revealed in a jocular manner. One gets the impression the author is laughing at her readers through out this book. Clues are tossed about like josh sticks.

[tomdonaghey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Secret Adversary (1922) (Tommy & Tuppence #1) by Agatha Christie. The first and the best of the Tommy & Tuppence stories, this book features a truly secret adversary in the form of Mr. Brown. Throughout the tale our young, intrepid heroes must overcome a heinous cadre of evil doers in order to protect England, and the common worker, from the horrors of Labour unrest and red communism. And there is a nifty opening act set aboard the doomed Lusitania.There are Bolshevists and American Millionaires (as we know all Americans are) toting guns and threatening to use them. Spies seem to lurk in every shadow and a top secret document is at the center of all the intrigue.Tommy andTuppence themselves are a reflection of the young adult of the time, but a bit more footloose than normal. Back from the Great War they are bored and restless and looking for adventure.Man do they find it.A nice bit of escapist mystery telling with a bang-up ending that will have you wondering til the final pages. If you haven’t read this part of Christie’s oeuvre it is time to do so.

[drled_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Synopsis: 'In the Prologue, a man quietly gives important papers to a young American woman, as she is more likely to survive the sinking RMS Lusitania in May 1915.In 1919 London, demobilised soldier Tommy Beresford meets war volunteer Prudence "Tuppence" Cowley. They are both out of work and money. They form "The Young Adventurers, Ltd". Mr Whittington follows Tuppence to offer her work. She uses the alias "Jane Finn", which shocks Whittington. He gives her £50 and then disappears. Curious, they advertise for information regarding Jane Finn.The advertisement yields two replies. The first is from Mr Carter, whom Tommy recognises as a British intelligence leader from his war service; he tells them of Jane Finn aboard the Lusitania when it sank. She received a secret treaty to deliver to the American embassy in London. She survived but no trace has since been found of her or the treaty, the publication of which now would compromise the British government. They agree to work for him, despite his warnings of the dangerous Mr Brown. The second reply is from Julius Hersheimmer, an American multimillionaire and first cousin of Jane Finn, staying at the Ritz Hotel. Intent on finding her, he has already contacted Scotland Yard; Inspector Brown took his only photo of Jane, before a real inspector contacted him. They join forces with Julius, too.'Review: This is the first of the Tommy and Tuppence mysteries and it's a good one.

[sueincyprus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The intrepid young Tommy and his childhood friend known as Tuppence embark on a dangerous journey to find a missing young woman, and trace some important documents. They become involved in a mostly political gang, headed by the unknown and ruthless 'Mr Brown'.... This was Agatha Christie's second published novel, and a thriller more than a mystery. I guessed Mr Brown's identity before I was half-way through, though at first I assumed it was a standard Christie red herring. This made the story all the more tense, although - having finished - I realise it's all somewhat unrealistic. Much of the political discussion went rather over my head, too. However, the main characters are fairly well-rounded, some of the conversation amusing, and the whole an exciting story which I could hardly put down in the final chapters. Recommended if you like light crime fiction from the 1920s.

[theokester · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Considering she is THE bestselling author (only surpassed in copies sold by William Shakespeare and the Bible), it shouldn't be surprising that I have only scratched the surface in reading the work of Agatha Christie. And yet, I found myself a little surprised to stumble upon the adventures of Tommy and Tuppence in her second novel, The Secret Adversary. The pair of adventurers were featured in four novels and a bunch of short stories but they are overshadowed by Christie's mainstays Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Perhaps it was because they felt so different from Christie's other works, but I found myself really drawn into the story and had a lot of fun with this novel.The Secret Adversary is set (mostly) in London shortly after the conclusion of World War One. It begins with a conversation between two friends, Tommy and Prudence (who goes by Tuppence) as they bemoan their lack of fortunes and try to come up with ways to secure themselves financially. On a whim, they decide to take out an advertisement in the paper and hire themselves out as Young Adventurers "willing to do anything, go anywhere." Before the ad has even run, Tuppence is surprised to find herself approached by a strange man who overheard the pair and wants to hire them but who then inexplicably gets angry and fleas when she gives him a false name, Jane Finn. The next day they take out another advertisement regarding Jane Finn and they are quickly flung into a mystery adventure that threatens to topple the British government.The main conflict in the book revolves around post-war political machinations. Specifically, a group of 'Bolshevists' are working a plot to overthrow the current government and seize power. This multinational plot hinges on the existence of an unknown treaty kept safe by a missing young woman named Jane Finn. Tommy and Tuppence are hired to find Jane Finn and recover the treaty before the enemy can use the treaty to expose and topple the government. Not being a strong history buff, I had a hard time deciding just exactly what this treaty could contain that would do all it claimed possible but I set that aside and just let the MacGuffin serve its purpose in giving our heroes and villains something to search for.The plot maneuvered itself around England, thrusting our young adventurers into one problem after another. The threads of the story grew more and more intricate as new locations and characters made their appearance. Christie did an excellent job dropping clues and foreshadowing to help the reader root for the heroes and try to predict the mysterious mastermind behind the struggle. I found myself changing my guesses a couple of times before the solution finally became clear. Even at the very end, the author threw in a couple of twists and turns late in the story to try and lead the reader down one path or another. Sometimes I find misdirection like this annoying. In this book, I felt like they were very well done and felt like a natural progression of events rather than like the author was trying to hide something from us (even though she was, which is the case with any mystery).I had a lot of fun with the main adventure plot but I felt like the real draw of the story was the characters, particularly the interactions between Tommy and Tuppence. At first, they felt a little stereotypical to me (and some aspects of that remains if looked at from a high level) but I enjoyed the way they were fleshed out throughout the story. Their behaviors and motivations were great and felt really well defined. This lead to a great progression of plot where the course of action felt like the logical and natural course for the characters to follow. I especially loved the dialog. The quick witted banter of Tuppence was delightful and the back-and-forth, particularly between she and Tommy, was great fun.On the whole, I really enjoyed this book. The characters felt fresh and fun. The writing was solid and flowed well. The pacing was good at keeping the action going while still slowing down enough for logical exposition and moments of insight to let the reader delve into the mystery themselves. The plot was laid out logically with just enough information withheld to keep the solution at bay while also revealing enough to let the reader feel wise and informed. Reading this makes me want to seek out more adventures of Tommy and Tuppence. Fortunately, there are more to be found.****4 out of 5 stars

[m.belljackson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Secret Adversary is cleverly written, with a lot of suspense, but it drags on if you have early figured out whothe mysterious Mr. Brown actually is. It also offers a fairy tale ending with little to suggest a sequel.

[thursbest · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My first Agatha Christie book, and what a proper introduction it was!Thoroughly enjoyed this book. A definite page turner with characters to easily love.

[jimgysin_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

More of a spy thriller than a traditional cozy whodunit from Christie, this is the first of the short Tommy and Tuppence series and deals with efforts to recover some diplomatic papers that were lost during WWI and which could cause all sorts of problems for England if they fall into the wrong hands in 1919 (when the story takes place). Not a bad effort, but a major table-setting plot point pushes suspension of disbelief to its limits, and the main red herring here was so obvious that it almost served as an anti-herring. Unless one was willing to believe that the person involved was beyond stupid, which I was not inclined to do.

[john257hopper · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was the first Agatha Christie novel featuring Tommy and Tuppence as sleuths (of only four such, plus a collection of short stories). This was her second ever novel, published in 1922, and is redolent of the atmosphere of the time. To the modern reader, Tommy and Tuppence sound like 1920s stereotypes with their hyper-enthusiastic dialogue. The social mores feel only just post-Great War, with Tuppence being at the forefront of a generation of more assertive women, having done front line nursing during the war (I must record one comment on Tuppence's dress which is hilarious by modern standards, "her extremely short and rather shabby skirt revealed a pair of uncommonly dainty ankles"). The plot concerns some top secret diplomatic papers supposedly passed onto a survivor of the Lusitania by a secret agent who drowned in the sinking of the torpedoed ship, and the attempt by the authorities and others to locate them now the war is over to avoid unpleasant consequences. The hostiles attempting to seize the papers are a mixture of a mysterious "Mr Brown", Germans and Russian Bolsheviks, the latter of whom are allegedly using the British Labour Party in order to foment revolution in Britain (shades of the infamous forged "Zinoviev letter" published by the Daily Mail on the eve of the 1924 general election, which was held - though not necessarily accurately - to be the main reason why that election saw the defeat of the first minority Labour government). The way this hangs together is not convincing, but the novel is the usual page turner, with red herrings along the way as to the identity of "Mr Brown" (which I didn't find plausible). Not one of Christie's stronger novels.

[cyderry · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie - both Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot but had never read her Tommy and Tuppence series.Even though this series is set back in the earlier part of the 20th century, it was still entertaining and the characters were totally what you expect from Dame Agatha Christie. I am glad that I finally started this classic series and look forward to getting to know these characters as well as Christie's others.

[katcoviello · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

my copy, only a few years old, is falling apart from use

[folandjr-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I came close to giving this 4 stars but there are a few things that let me down in the plot. First, the identity of Mr. Brown was obvious from the moment he appears (or maybe it was just that way for me) despite repeated attempts to cast another character for the part. Second, the thrust of the plot is very much a product of its time and seems slightly trivial roughly a century later. Still, it was enjoyable and Agatha Christie here shows all the early signs of what she, at the time, was yet to be... the Queen of Mystery!

[herenya_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When I was a teenager, I just read whichever Agatha Christie novels I stumbled across, at home or at the library. At first I didn't know that The Secret Adversary, even existed... and then I couldn't find it. (And then I went to university and stopped reading Christie, because there were so many other things to read.)The Secret Adversary is an espionage thriller rather than a murder mystery. It required more suspension of disbelief I remember any of Christie's murder mysteries needing - I'm sure that a real underworld organisation of that ilk would be much more ruthless, and that amateurs investigating would need to be a bit less naive if they were to survive relatively unscathed.I also thought the prose was a bit less - polished. Which would make sense, since this is also one of Christie's earliest novels, and presumably she grew as a writing during the following 50 years.However Tommy and Tuppence are delightfully enthusiastic and they were the reason I kept picking the book back up again."Have you anything to say before you are put to death as a spy?" "Simply lots of things," replied Tommy with the same urbanity as before. "Do you deny that you were listening at the door?" "I I do not. I must really apologise - but your conversation was so interesting that it overcame my scruples."

[hredwards · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rip roaring good yarn!! The master at work, Dame Agatha had me going until the end. I thought I had it all figured out but she got me again.Excellent WWI setting and historical action!

[librarycin · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is the first “Tommy and Tuppence” book written by Christie. My mind wandered too much to really get the gist of the plot. I do know that multiple people went missing at various points throughout the book. Christie's books really vary for me, and it seems audio may not be the way to go (I listened to this one). I know some people love Tommy and Tuppence, but I'm thinking I won't try anymore with these characters. I will likely only read one or two more books by Christie (any that are already on my tbr), but then leave it at that. There have only been a couple by her that really stood out for me.

[auntie0nanuuq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jane Finn, a young woman surviving the sinking of the Lusitania, disappears while holding onto an important document which was slipped to her as she was leaving the ship.

Tommy & Tuppence form the "Young Adventurers Ltd." and take on the dangerous job of finding the missing Jane Finn & the document before it is used by the government's "Secret Adversary" to create another European war.

Very suspenseful with many Red Herrings, naivete, & romance.....

[philsyphe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not so much of a “Whodunit?” this, but more of a “Who is he?” The “he” being an elusive criminal mastermind known by name as Mr Brown but known in person by almost none. I guessed who he was early on in the story!This is also a “Where is she?” as another main plot is the search for a young lady who possesses some important papers. Mr Brown needs these papers, while “The Young Adventures” aim to thwart him.The two main characters are likeable and gel well together. I like Tuppence’s dialogue. She and Tommy are a pair of 22-year-olds yet much of the time they come across as young teenagers. In fact the book on the whole strikes me as a children’s book for adults, if such a thing is possible.The first three-quarters of the book appealed to me more than the last quarter. Somehow he seemed to lose some of the upbeat pace and become anti-climactic. Still, it was a good read nonetheless.

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found this Nadia May narration much enhanced my enjoyment of this first Tommy and Tuppence book. Also, my admiration for Christie's writing is greater with this reread as she managed to keep me guessing even though I thought I remembered the solution. Her red herrings were so plausible I kept second-guessing myself thinking I had mis-remembered it!

[bellafoxx · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is different from my usual Agatha Christie fare, I've read plenty of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple but none of the Tommy and Tuppence which are more spy novels than detective stories. After the war when London had more people than jobs two old friend meet by chance and form a company “Young Adventurers Ltd.” ‘willing to do anything, go anywhere’, and it lands them in all sorts of trouble.

The action is fast paced with plenty of twists, if you decide to read this remember it was written in 1922 and the expressions and settings are from that time period so some things may seem weird to you. I enjoyed it, the same style that Miss Christie had for mysteries works well with political intrigue.

[leandrod-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A little bit too complicated for poor old me, but the Tuppence protagonist is a dear.

[olegalca · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Book #2 of Agatha Christie's mysteries is completed. I like Tommy and Tuppence and I think it's a shame that they don't appear in more of her books. That said, the plot of this one is so ludicrous, I couldn't stop laughing... but I guess in 1922 it was what passed as literature for the masses.

[fliss88_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The author's second novel and my second Agatha Christie book. Simple characters and story, but still had a clever twist.