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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
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
Christie's married sleuths, Tommy and Tuppence, are vastly charming in their first novel. As for setting, this book lacks the 1930s art deco aesthetic that her Poirot novels bring, but its depiction of the immediate aftermath of World War I makes the plot feel urgent, as if massive social change is lurking behind every corner that Tommy and Tuppence turn. The two young detectives possess a youthfulness and vivacity unmatched by either Poirot or Miss Marple and the reader gets to watch them fall in love throughout the course of the novel, as they solve an abduction. This is not Christie's typical murder mystery but instead focuses on espionage and kidnapping. It was a delightfully thrilling read from beginning to end.
Now THAT's more like it, the questionable commentary on Communism and Socialism aside (this is why I will always prefer Christie's murder mysteries to her political thrillers).
Besides the genuinely tense and clever plot (again, nonsensical ideas about how only a dastardly Bolshevik plot would convince the good men and women of the United Kingdom to rise up and overthrow the Tories aside), I absolutely LOVED the chemistry and banter between Tommy and Tuppence in this. Can't wait to read more of their adventures.
PS: We also get to meet Albert for the first time (here he's essentially Baby Albert(TM)) and there's a brief mention of Inspector Japp.
PPS: I wouldn't mind seeing more of Julius Hersheimer (he was a lot of fun) but I suspect he doesn't appear in future novels. Booooo.
Besides the genuinely tense and clever plot (again, nonsensical ideas about how only a dastardly Bolshevik plot would convince the good men and women of the United Kingdom to rise up and overthrow the Tories aside), I absolutely LOVED the chemistry and banter between Tommy and Tuppence in this. Can't wait to read more of their adventures.
PS: We also get to meet Albert for the first time (here he's essentially Baby Albert(TM)) and there's a brief mention of Inspector Japp.
PPS: I wouldn't mind seeing more of Julius Hersheimer (he was a lot of fun) but I suspect he doesn't appear in future novels. Booooo.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
I was about to write that I guessed the mystery halfway through, but you never should underappreciate Agatha Christie. I loved the twist. However, I could not connect with the characters at all and did not care about their love lives. I would love to see more badass moments from the main female character, but as always, due to the old days, I guess writers could not develop more character into the female lead.
A fun escapist adventure with lots of great twists and turns
Love Agatha Christie mysteries but not a fan of her thrillers. Tommy and Tuppence are fun characters but the plot just didn't hold my interest. The threat posed by the missing treaty was vague and unexplained, and the idea of "Mr. Brown" somehow single-handedly manipulating world politics for some non-specific goal of "supreme power for himself" was just silly. Also pretty sure highly trained intelligence officers are not in the habit of giving top-priority assignments to random strangers who post ads in the newspaper. I couldn't swallow the premise, so I couldn't make it through the story.
Not the most Christiesque twist, but an entertaining read nonetheless.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed this book. After reading [b:Midwinter Murder: Fireside Mysteries from the Queen of Crime|54966697|Midwinter Murder Fireside Mysteries from the Queen of Crime|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597572036l/54966697._SY75_.jpg|75734974] which has a short story featuring Tommy and Tuppence I knew I had to read more featuring them. I am really glad that I did as this book didn't disappoint.