#BookReview–>Tommy and Tuppence #1- The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

Tommy, an ex-army man now in search of a job and Tuppence an ex-V.A.D also now in search of a job that pays loads of money have been friends since childhood but drifted as they grew up and went their own ways. Now they are together again and while talking of money or more specifically lack of it, Tuppence comes up with a plan to be sort of detectives who will solve crimes and mysteries, go places in disguises and charge money in return.


‘Tommy, let’s be adventurers!’


There adventures start when a man follows Tuppence and asks her to meet him the next day regarding an offer he has for them. Soon Tommy and Tuppence find themselves amidst mysterious people with grave secrets and a missing girl, whom everyone is looking for. The mysterious and missing girl is named Jane Finn and she is supposed to be in possession of very important Government secret documents that if revealed or fall into the wrong hands can cause havoc and even WAR!


As Tuppence and Tommy search for this missing girl, they become aware of a very dangerous organization that is headed by the mysterious Mr. Brown, who has never been seen but has influence everywhere. A man most feared and who it seems knows everything and is quick to punish people, is after the secret documents and hell bent on causing chaos and war in England.


“Who is he? We do not know. He is always spoken of by the unassuming title of ‘Mr. Brown’.
But one thing is certain, he is the master criminal of his age…He has spies everywhere.”


He is so unassuming that no one notices him and often after the deed is done that people notice that he has been there in the guise of a non entity like a servant or a clerk. But he has one idiosyncrasy. His name is always mentioned.


Together with Jane’s cousin, Julius Hersheimmer, Sir James Peel Edgerton and Mr. Carter, its a race against time to find the missing girl who has not been found since the last five years and also to retrieve and destroy the documents before they fall in the wrong hands.


But can Tommy and Tuppence succeed where the top players failed and find the girl along with the documents?
Where was Jane Finn and what had she done with the papers?
Why hadn’t she come forward and handed the documents to the Government as planned?
Is she dead?
Was the girl in league with the enemies? Or had she, in turn, been shadowed and either tricked or forced into handing over the documents?
Who is the mysterious Mr. Brown?
Can they trust anyone when it seems that the spies are everywhere?


The Secret Adversaryis the first Tommy and Tuppence adventure and I thoroughly loved the duo who is adventurous, impulsive, courageous and great as a team. Agatha Christie gives to us a pair who will entertain us, make us laugh and also thrill us with their detective skills and pure adventure!


The characterization is admirably done to paint the picture of characters as per their role in the story. Tommy is painted as a level headed, cautious and devoid of imagination but with dog like determination. Tuppence is somewhat childish, very pert, outspoken, impulsive and very courageous with complete faith in her intuitions. The mysterious Mr. Brown is sketchy, very clever maybe the most clever man in all of England, shrewd and very ruthless. Julius is an American with pots of gold with his American drawl, eye catching good looks and an easy manner that makes one feel at ease with him. Sir James is enigmatic, mysterious with a twinkle in his eyes and eyes that see everything. Mr. Carter is a man with a tired face but razor sharp brain behind his aloof mannerisms. Albert is totally cute and an avid fan of detective novels.


The situations and scenarios are vivid and create an instant picture in our minds, be it the scene on the Lusitania or the mysterious death of Mrs Vandemeyer.


A very exciting adventure and a mystery which will thrill and chill you. Do not miss reading this great book. I fell in love with Tommy and Tuppence and strongly recommend that you also join them in their adventures filled with action, danger and intrigue.


I give The Secret Adversarya 4.5 out of 5 and urge all to read this awesome book by the “Queen of Crime”. Come join the ‘Young Adventurers Limited’ as they follow international spies and try to recover secrets worth killing for!! 🙂