Saturday, October 16, 2010

The Secret Adversary

The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
Berkley Books, 1922
232 pages
Mystery; Tommy and Tuppence
4.5/5 stars

Source: Library

Summary: An exciting story following a pair of adventurers known as Tommy and Tuppence.  They work to stop a Bolshevik plot that could bring down the British government.

Thoughts: I wasn't sure what to expect (okay I had the thought that I'd be getting a good mystery because it's from Agatha Christie) but this was not quite that.  Tommy and Tuppence are quite young (early 20s) and speak in what seems a very affected style but may actually be true for the time period.  I find their words a little weird but mostly endearing.  They were FUN characters and I think I like them more than Miss Marple and certainly more than Poirot.

The plot was fast-moving, much to Tuppence's preference.  They are looking for a way to make a bit of money and end up entangled in a plot seemingly plotted by the Bolsheviks (I'm not entirely clear on that point).  They meet a variety of characters in a confusing but fun plot.  It definitely leans a bit more to the thriller side.

As to the ultimate mastermind, the so-called Mr Brown, there are two main candidates and I of course picked the wrong one because I liked him in his other guise so much.  The ending is quite satisfactory though.

Overall: A welcome change from the usual Christie! I will definitely be reading the other T&T books sooner rather than later.

Cover: Not my cover, which is super boring, but I really like this picture!  The black could stand out if surrounded by light colored books and it looks like a man is dashing around which fits the story.

1 comment:

  1. So this is her novel without Poirot or Miss Marple? This is interesting! I see there's much to know about Christie's novels. I would like to read this one, I'm curious abut Tommy and Tuppence. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

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