And though she uses stereotypes to quickly delineate her characters, somehow they aren't flat. Christie is much wittier than I remembered, and shows off her knack for humor especially in Tuppence's dialogue. It is, in short, rather more than they expected. And suddenly they land in an international intrigue involving a stolen treaty that could start a war, a missing woman, an American millionaire, and a bland, elusive criminal mastermind. The two friends hit upon a scheme that is sure to pay off, advertising themselves as adventurers willing to undertake any task for appropriate pecuniary remuneration. World War I is over and Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley find themselves out of work and with no prospects. It's the suspense, the fun characters, and (let's be honest) the exhilaration of giving oneself up to a less-than-highbrow novel that did it. I generally dislike Christie's political thrillers ( Passenger to Frankfurt is a case in point didn't even finish it)-so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed The Secret Adversary. I tend to prefer cozy mysteries all the big, vague political conspiracies in mystery fiction fall a bit flat. I've never liked the Tommy and Tuppence books as much as the Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries.
The beloved characters' debut offers a light-hearted romp that also recaptures the spirit of its age, as postwar England hovered on the brink of monumental change. With stolid Tommy and lively Tuppence, Christie created a pair of fan favorites to whom she returned throughout her career the fun-loving duo appear in three other novels and a collection of short stories, and their exploits have been adapted for stage and screen. Witty banter highlights their tale of adventure, courage, and suspense, populated by a colorful cast ranging from an American millionaire and a British Intelligence agent to a ring of Bolshevist conspirators headed by a criminal mastermind.Īgatha Christie published The Secret Adversary in 1922 after the success of her very first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which introduced Hercule Poirot. The childhood chums, newly reunited in London during the lean years after the Great War, are immediately swept up in a series of thrilling escapades as they search for a secret treaty in the hands of a survivor of the shipwrecked Lusitania. With that bold declaration, Thomas "Tommy" Beresford and Prudence "Tuppence" Cowley launch their career as sleuths.
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