The Secret Adversary - Agatha Christie

Title: The Secret Adversary

Author: Agatha Christie

Genre: mystery

Format: PDF

Published: 1922

This was my first Agatha Christie book from the Tommy and Tuppence series. I’ve read most of the Miss Marple and Poirot series, but somehow I didn’t know about Tommy and Tuppence. It is one of her earliest books, published in 1922. The plot is set in 1919 in Britain. Young couple, two friends from childhood, Tommy Beresford and Prudence “Tuppence” Cowley formed “The Young Adventurers, Ltd.” to earn some money. Their first case, to find Jane Finn, young lady last seen on a sinking boat with top secret papers given to her by an unknown man. Also, there is Mr. Brown, a mysterious identity, who is believed that is responsible for Jane Finn missing and international espionage, a mysterious person who wants that papers so badly. But who is Mr. Brown?

I must say it not one of my favorite books. First of all, there was no murder, there was a missing person. I needed the murder. I needed “whodunit”. I needed Agatha Christie’s crime. Also I couldn’t believe how naïve these two people were. There were moments when I thought that this was a book for children. Tommy and Tuppence were “two old beans” at the age of 45 together, cute and funny, but I couldn’t connect with them solving crimes. This book is fun entertainment, but far away from mystery. This couple is far away from Miss Marple and Hercules Poirot. I am a very big fan of Agatha Christie, but I cannot rate this book higher than 3. It was very easy for me to figure out who Jane Finn was, and who Mr.Brown was.  The mystery didn’t thrill me at all.

There were also some romantic moments in the story.  They were fine for that period of time. Agatha Christie tried to create something different from her very famous AC style. Nice try for a romantic suspense. Sorry, but I prefer good old classic “whodunit”. Nobody can replace the great detective Poirot.

My opinion: 3 / 5