They were young, newly emerged from World War I (or, as it was known then, "the Great War"), unemployed, and looking for some kind of work - romantic, mildly dangerous work perhaps; adventurous, to be sure. In fact, Tommy Beresford and Prudence "Tuppence" Crowley decided to name their new company, "The Young Adventurers, Ltd." What they got, however, was something decidedly more dangerous, in "The Secret Adversary," by Agatha Christie, the first of her novels to feature Tommy and Tuppence. It's the subject of this week's review on our Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to it here.
"The Secret Adversary" is Christie in thriller mode. It was one of her first books, published in 1922, at a time when many popular mysteries fell into the thriller category. But, like almost all Christies, there's a large element of traditional puzzle mystery involved, as Tommy and Tuppence are drawn into an international intrigue, complete with an arch-villain, which proves dangerous, challenging and exciting. Both the thriller and the puzzle aspects of the book are quite well-done, with the kind of exuberance Christie could bring to her best books. Tommy and Tuppence may not be as widely read or popular as the books featuring Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, but they are no less enjoyable and tremendous fun to read. It's a great book to take to the beach for that last summer fling.
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