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The Secret Adversary (1922)

by Agatha Christie

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Tommy and Tuppence (1)

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4,3971412,621 (3.61)192
Classic Literature. Fiction. Mystery. HTML:

Just after World War I, Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley are desperately short of money. With a shortage of job opportunities, they form a partnership, hiring themselves out as "young adventurers, willing to do anything, go anywhere." In their first dangerous assignment, they must use all their ingenuity to save not only their own lives but also the life of a mysterious girl.

The girl in the photograph has been missing for five years. Neither her body nor the secret documents she was carrying have ever been found. Now postwar England's economic recovery depends on finding her and getting the papers back. But the two young Brits working undercover for the ministry, Tommy and Tuppence, know only that her name was Jane Finn and the only photo of her is in the hands of her rich American cousin. They don't yet know about a mysterious and ruthless man called "Mr. Brown" or the beautiful but sinister older woman who knows all about Jane Finnâ??and therefore must die.… (more)

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English (134)  Spanish (3)  Danish (1)  Dutch (1)  Finnish (1)  French (1)  All languages (141)
Showing 1-5 of 134 (next | show all)
Very good. Tommy and Tuppance Mystery a classic Agatha Christie book with good plot twists and characters ( )
  debf56 | Feb 22, 2024 |
This was my first dive into the world of Agatha Christie. Knowing she's hailed as one of the greatest writers ever, I dove into this classic mystery with an open mind.

Overall, I found it pretty enjoyable. While it didn't exactly blow me away, I understand why Agatha Christie is revered after 100 years of this book's publication. (Albeit this was her 2nd published book in 1922.)

I managed to suss out the culprit halfway through, but the story still held my attention with its twists and turns.
There were moments when the prose felt slightly exaggerated, almost cartoonish, and I couldn't help but chuckle at the characters' strokes of luck. Nevertheless, these quirks added to the charm of the tale, making it a delightful and brisk read.

Btw, Tommy and Tuppence are the cutest (non-couple) couple! ( )
  selsha | Feb 10, 2024 |
This is Agatha Christie's second book, the first of her Tommy and Tuppence series. The two lead characters are old childhood friends who briefly saw each other during the Great War. As they reunite in London, they are in their 20s, unemployed, and desperate. They decide to start a Young Adventurers Limited company to take on gallant jobs, and quickly find themselves embroiled in a spy caper involving a missing American woman who survived the sinking of the Lusitania and may have been carrying valuable international documents.

The plot is twisty-turny and thoroughly engaging. Tuppence, in particular, is a fascinating character, very much a flapper though that term is never used--she's described as "plucky" more than once and survives by her wits and impulses. Of course, it's still a book of its time, and Christie relies on caricatures to fill in her cast. There are so many named characters that I became lost at times. I thought I'd guessed the big bad guy, then was made to doubt that, and then aha! I was right after all. I do appreciate that kind of plotting. ( )
  ladycato | Feb 7, 2024 |
I really love the Poirot mysteries, so I had high hopes for this one. Tommy and Tuppence are fun characters, and I loved their relationship with one another. Nadia May's narration was excellent as usual. But the dullness of the mystery and the glacial pace of the plot was too much of a slog. I got about a third of the way through it, set it aside, and haven't been able to make myself pick it up again.

DNF at 39%

Audiobook, free from the Audio Plus catalog ( )
  Doodlebug34 | Jan 7, 2024 |
Not my favorite Christie book, but ok. Both Tommy and Tuppence got on my nerves after a while. ( )
  hobbitprincess | Dec 21, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 134 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (14 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Christie, Agathaprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Dellaporta, PenelopeNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
GrĂĽnau, Werner vonÜbersetzersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Judge, PhoebeNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
May, NadiaNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Siikarla, EvaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Steck, JohannesNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Epigraph
[None]
Dedication
To all those who lead
monotonous lives
in the hope that they may experience
at second hand
the delights and dangers of
adventure
First words
It was 2 p.m. on the afternoon of May 7, 1915. (Prologue)
"Tommy, old thing!" (Chapter I)
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
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Wikipedia in English (1)

Classic Literature. Fiction. Mystery. HTML:

Just after World War I, Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley are desperately short of money. With a shortage of job opportunities, they form a partnership, hiring themselves out as "young adventurers, willing to do anything, go anywhere." In their first dangerous assignment, they must use all their ingenuity to save not only their own lives but also the life of a mysterious girl.

The girl in the photograph has been missing for five years. Neither her body nor the secret documents she was carrying have ever been found. Now postwar England's economic recovery depends on finding her and getting the papers back. But the two young Brits working undercover for the ministry, Tommy and Tuppence, know only that her name was Jane Finn and the only photo of her is in the hands of her rich American cousin. They don't yet know about a mysterious and ruthless man called "Mr. Brown" or the beautiful but sinister older woman who knows all about Jane Finnâ??and therefore must die.

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Book description
Tommy Beresford and Prudence 'Tuppence' Cowley are young, in love… and flat broke. Just after Great War, there are few jobs available and the couple are desperately short of money. Restless for excitement, they decide to embark on a daring business scheme: Young Adventurers Ltd.—"willing to do anything, go anywhere." Hiring themselves out proves to be a smart move for the couple. In their first assignment for the mysterious Mr. Whittingtont, all Tuppence has to do in their first job is take an all-expense paid trip to Paris and pose as an American named Jane Finn. But with the assignment comes a bribe to keep quiet, a threat to her life, and the disappearance of her new employer. Now their newest job are playing detective.

Where is the real Jane Finn? The mere mention of her name produces a very strange reaction all over London. So strange, in fact, that they decided to find this mysterious missing lady. She has been missing for five years. And neither her body nor the secret documents she was carrying have ever been found. Now post-war England's economic recovery depends on finding her and getting the papers back. But he two young working undercover for the British ministry know only that her name and the only photo of her is in the hands of her rich American cousin. It isn’t long before they find themselves plunged into more danger than they ever could have imagined—a danger that could put an abrupt end to their business… and their lives.
Haiku summary
Tommy and Tuppence
A criminal mastermind
Who is Mr Brown?
(passion4reading)

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Tantor Media

2 editions of this book were published by Tantor Media.

Editions: 1400102693, 1400109213

 

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