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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
The only reason I can't give this 5 stars is that I figured out who the villain was really early, but like most Christie books this one was enjoyable and an easy listen on a road trip.
I've just read this again. I know that Tommy and Tuppence are not as well known or loved as Poirot and Miss Marple, but the first book of the series is so fun too bad it's not true for all the rest of it.
Here, we have Tommy Beresford and Tuppence (Prudence) Cowley as young adults just after the war (WWI), they have been demobed and don't have any money, jobs are rare and all they have is their friendship and a lot of enthusiasm. While they are having tea, they overhear the name of someone and later on while interviewing for a post Tuppence use that name instead of her own... and she stirs a hornets' nest. After her little adventure, her and Tommy decide to form a little detective agency called "The Young Adventurers", they are immediately (or there about) engaged by the secret, secret service when they are to find out about Jane Finn (the name overheard) and papers she was carrying when she disappeared. And then it goes a little crazy.
I am not going to deny that the story doesn't make too much sense if analyzed too much, but what I remember from my first read is how fun Tommy and Tuppence are. I especially love Tuppence in this one because she is full of life and she's the equal to Tommy... later on, I feel like this last part was lost and that made the series go flat. What I also liked in this reread is that I fell into the same red herrings and didn't remember much of the ending (who the bad guy is, is pretty easy to guess... Um, Mr. Brown! No, okay, if you haven't read this, this is not a spoiler, I promise).
I wouldn't recommend this as a mystery, more as an adventure book. It's a young adult book before young adult books were a genre. If you have an idea about Agatha Christie through her other series then you might be a little disappointed, but I think this is well worth the read (though I am biased about this author), I wont lie though the last two of the series [b:By the Pricking of My Thumbs|594134|By the Pricking of My Thumbs (Tommy and Tuppence, #4)|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388799953l/594134._SY75_.jpg|580854] and [b:Postern of Fate|102311|Postern of Fate (Tommy and Tuppence, #5)|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1295679581l/102311._SY75_.jpg|6564882] are not up to par, but I really like The Secret Adversary and wish we had more of the very young adventurers instead of them growing older.
Here, we have Tommy Beresford and Tuppence (Prudence) Cowley as young adults just after the war (WWI), they have been demobed and don't have any money, jobs are rare and all they have is their friendship and a lot of enthusiasm. While they are having tea, they overhear the name of someone and later on while interviewing for a post Tuppence use that name instead of her own... and she stirs a hornets' nest. After her little adventure, her and Tommy decide to form a little detective agency called "The Young Adventurers", they are immediately (or there about) engaged by the secret, secret service when they are to find out about Jane Finn (the name overheard) and papers she was carrying when she disappeared. And then it goes a little crazy.
I am not going to deny that the story doesn't make too much sense if analyzed too much, but what I remember from my first read is how fun Tommy and Tuppence are. I especially love Tuppence in this one because she is full of life and she's the equal to Tommy... later on, I feel like this last part was lost and that made the series go flat. What I also liked in this reread is that I fell into the same red herrings and didn't remember much of the ending (who the bad guy is, is pretty easy to guess... Um, Mr. Brown! No, okay, if you haven't read this, this is not a spoiler, I promise).
I wouldn't recommend this as a mystery, more as an adventure book. It's a young adult book before young adult books were a genre. If you have an idea about Agatha Christie through her other series then you might be a little disappointed, but I think this is well worth the read (though I am biased about this author), I wont lie though the last two of the series [b:By the Pricking of My Thumbs|594134|By the Pricking of My Thumbs (Tommy and Tuppence, #4)|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388799953l/594134._SY75_.jpg|580854] and [b:Postern of Fate|102311|Postern of Fate (Tommy and Tuppence, #5)|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1295679581l/102311._SY75_.jpg|6564882] are not up to par, but I really like The Secret Adversary and wish we had more of the very young adventurers instead of them growing older.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
good old Agatha bigotry and conservative politics...our stupid protagonists make terrible decision after another to put a stop to the evil plan of *ghasp* a labor strike!! how dare those working class miscreants want better conditions...
Thomas and Tuppence are such idiots and so annoying I was kinda hoping they would be killed
mystery wise, it was so obvious who the bad guy is from the moment he was introduced to the story and from then it was just infuriating watching the characters ignore all his red flags and go on trusting him and missing all the evidence
Thomas and Tuppence are such idiots and so annoying I was kinda hoping they would be killed
mystery wise, it was so obvious who the bad guy is from the moment he was introduced to the story and from then it was just infuriating watching the characters ignore all his red flags and go on trusting him and missing all the evidence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Classism
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
While I liked the mystery, I had worked out the mystery of Mr. Brown's true identity half way through the book. I did find Tuppence and Tommy to be very annoying character, all their pip pip and cheerio got on my nerves.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Para la época en la que fue escrito, me parece muy bueno, en especial porque fue el segundo libro de Agatha y sus éxitos fueron otros libros, no este. Sin embargo, si fuese un libro de este año, sería un cliché.
Entretenido pero no me encantó.
Entretenido pero no me encantó.
I've been on many Agatha Christie benders this year. Her books are perfect weekend-binges and succinct lessons in strategy, cleverness, and above all else, plot. Because of her dedication to the mystery, Christie is occasionally criticized about her characters, and that's where The Secret Adversary stands out. This book is the introduction to my favorite of Christie's detectives, Tommy + Tuppence, and I dare anyone to find more balance in as many words.