Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - The Secret Adversary

Rating: 5/5 stars

The first in the Tommy and Tuppence series introduces adventuring pair Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley. When the two form a “joint venture” to solve mysteries, they become drawn into a mysterious and dangerous conspiracy orchestrated by an unknown criminal mastermind who calls himself Mr. Brown.

One of my peculiar quirks is that when I’m reading the works of an author who is new to me, I generally prefer to read ALL of them and to read them in publication order. I break this rule frequently for contemporary authors when I want to read their latest and buzziest, but for well-entrenched novelists like Christie, I try to hold firm. This meant that my second Christie read ever had to be the second Christie book ever—that is, The Secret Adversary. I hadn’t heard of it before and honestly wasn’t particularly excited to get to it, but I held fast to my own personal rule, and am SO GLAD that I did.

I don’t say this lightly, but The Secret Adversary has instantly become one of my all-time favorite novels. I loved it from the first chapter—the characters, the plot, the witty dialogue, the lightning-fast pace, and the brilliantly unspooled mystery all come together to make a singularly excellent read, and I could not get enough. I have no idea why it isn’t Christie’s most beloved novel, but if that means that all the big-name bestsellers are as good as this one I DEFINITELY have some treats coming my way.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: mysteries; witty and engaging characters; fast-paced plots.

CW: Abduction/confinement; death.

Content Warnings

caterina's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Entertaining, quick read, and I figured out the secret adversary early on, but Christie did have me doubting myself for a second! I was pretty annoyed with the very negative portrayal of labor rights movements in the book (ah, truly the worst thing that could happen is a labor strike!). Slow and steady Tommy and quick and passionate Tuppence were a bit of a fun pairing, so I might read more of their books!

Content Warnings

anna_mayes's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Secret Adversary

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Never tell all you know-not even to the person you know best.”

Is it great? No, but I was thoroughly entertained by Agatha Christie’s second book. I love Tommy and Tuppence. They’re inexperienced, but their determination is admirable. Tommy and Tuppence balance each other out well. Tuppence has a whimsical way about her and is rather smart. Tommy is a realist and is unexpectedly clever when he needs to be. In typical Agatha Christie fashion, I thought I knew who the culprit was, but I was completely wrong. She does an excellent job of leading you in a certain direction, but also drops tiny clues as to who the real villain is. You think you know whodunnit, but in one final twist, Christie pulls back the curtain and reveals everything. As Tommy and Tuppence explain how they solved the mystery, little details are brought up from earlier chapters and it all makes sense. I thought The Secret Adversary was delightful and I will definitely be reading more Tommy and Tuppence mysteries!

If you love a classic whodunnit or have wanted to start reading Agatha Christie, then this is a great place to start!

CW: Kidnapping

Content Warnings

silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Book 2 in my complete Agatha Christie read through!

I know I read this one in my teens, and I hazily remembered parts of the twist/reveal, but kept second guessing myself, so in a way I was still surprised. Even if I'd remembered the ending perfectly, I think I still would have enjoyed revisiting this one, and all the fun character interactions. Tommy and Tuppence are some of my favorite Agatha Christie characters!

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