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A review by callum_mclaughlin
Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie
5.0
Tommy and Tuppence are fast on their way to becoming my favourite Agatha Christie characters. Yes, perhaps even more so than Poirot and Marple. The dynamic between them is brilliant and utterly charming; the dialogue some of the snappiest and all around best I've encountered.
I loved the whole structure and concept of this book. It's technically a series of short stories, with each one largely focussing on its own case as the sleuths seek to build a reputation for their new agency, whilst honing their skills. The stories are, however, joined very nicely by a couple of threads that run throughout and tie them all together at the end. Some are sinister, some are downright fun, but all are as clever and well thought-out as you'd expect from the Queen of Mystery.
Christie's playful side is also in full force here, with lots of good natured parodying of classic crime. Indeed, Tommy and Tuppence are avid crime readers themselves, and with each case, they choose a famous detective (even Poirot!) to try and emulate, drawing on their styles of detection to try and solve the mystery at hand, and to see which techniques might work for them. This intertextuality is so well handled, and is testament to Christie's obvious love for and knowledge of the genre in which she was writing. It brought a whole other level of enjoyment to the reading experience for me, and it's sure to please fellow lovers of the genre.
I loved the whole structure and concept of this book. It's technically a series of short stories, with each one largely focussing on its own case as the sleuths seek to build a reputation for their new agency, whilst honing their skills. The stories are, however, joined very nicely by a couple of threads that run throughout and tie them all together at the end. Some are sinister, some are downright fun, but all are as clever and well thought-out as you'd expect from the Queen of Mystery.
Christie's playful side is also in full force here, with lots of good natured parodying of classic crime. Indeed, Tommy and Tuppence are avid crime readers themselves, and with each case, they choose a famous detective (even Poirot!) to try and emulate, drawing on their styles of detection to try and solve the mystery at hand, and to see which techniques might work for them. This intertextuality is so well handled, and is testament to Christie's obvious love for and knowledge of the genre in which she was writing. It brought a whole other level of enjoyment to the reading experience for me, and it's sure to please fellow lovers of the genre.