The Secret Adversary
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $3.99
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
Set in 1919, young couple Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley form a partnership, hiring themselves out as ''young adventurers''. Their first case, however, is more of an adventure than they expect - working to find documents that, if they were known to the general public, would fuel a communist revolution in Britain.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Reader Larkin is an excellent choice to narrate this delightful classic from mystery maven Christie. It is 1919, the Great War is over, and the roaring '20s are just on the horizon in London. Tommy Breseford and Prudence "Tuppence" Cowley are young and optimistic, but they are also broke and out of work which is a problem for the lifestyles they wish to live. On a lark they form a company, the Young Adventurers Ltd., hoping to earn money from odd jobs, anything that will pay. Little do they know that their entrepreneurial romp will lead them down a dangerous, twisted path of secrets, kidnappings, and murder. Christie, through her protagonists, perfectly conveys the buoyant, frivolous times of the early 1920s. Larkin's performance captures that sense of carefree enthusiasm for life before the crash. Her reading is champagne bubbly and engaging throughout the book, especially in the cheeky back-and-forth banter between Tommy and Tuppence. This is a jaunty, jolly good listen.
Customer Reviews
A mystery thriller and full of intrigue
A mystery thriller and full of intrigue...Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley go through such adventures as being kidnapped, false messages, An anonymous fugitive, murder,international terrorism and all because of a long lost girl carrying a vital draft treaty to the United States after World War One. First, Tommy follows a strange man and ends up being kidnapped! Tuppence, thinking Tommy was dead was asked to work as a house maid for a suspicious woman. After struggles, Tommy escapes just in time to find Tuppences' boss dead! Murdered! They eventually find the girl (working as a house maid for Tuppence's boss too) and the papers only to find that the person that they had confided in the most was Mr. Brown! The Criminal Mastermind behing international affairs! The book never lets you down, you may never be able to put the book down! I gave it 4 stars. So I highly recommend this book.
Well worth reading
The Secret Adversary introduces Agatha Christie's characters of Tommy and Tuppence, an out of work young man and woman who decide to become "adventurers" out of a lack of anything better to do. They quite accidentally get sucked into an international mystery that reaches to the highest levels of British government.
This story takes place shortly after WWI, and there are a few obscure terms -- even to my British coworker -- but they don't hinder the enjoyment of the story. It is interesting to see attitudes and philosophies of early 20th English perspective.
It's Agatha Christie, one of the best-selling authors of the 20th century, so you can expect good work. The characters are well-written, the story is quite gripping, and the ending is satisfying (if a tad predictable). This made me want to read more Christie and more Tommy & Tuppence.
A little hint if you want it: Pay attention to the telegrams.
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