<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A fun ride through history's dark moments
Review: After all, this novel was about an important document that would turn history on its head. In the days of great ocean liners, a secret document was sent to America for safekeeping aboard the Lusitania. The ship sank, but not before the man who kept this document gave it away to someone. Fast forward to Tommy and Tuppence who were both almost jobless and had no rich boyfriend/girlfriend to turn to. Tuppence had the idea to turn themselves into an adventuring couple and sent an ad to the news. What follows is a rigmarole of mistaken identity, blatant lies and international intrigue.'The secret adversary' effectively introduces Tommy and Tuppence as the power couple of the detective world. The Queen's narrative is as lively as the characters itself, and you'll find yourself reading this to the wee hours of them morning.
Rating: 
Summary: Whimsical Adventure With Charming Characters
Review: Although best known for her tightly plotted murder mysteries, Agatha Christie occasionally turned her hand to the purely outrageous adventure--and in this area THE SECRET ADVERSARY, a tale of two amateurs pitted against a master criminal--is one of her most successful works. Much of the book's charm arises from its period feel. Written in the 1920s, it effectively captures the "anything goes" quality of the era through both its outlandish story and its leading characters: Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley, two "bright young things" who find themselves without jobs in the wake of World War I and who casually advertise their services as "young adventurers." The absurdity of the story, which concerns a kidnapped American survivor of the ill-fated Lusitania in possession of important dipolmatic papers, combines with the lighthearted personalities of Tommy and Tuppence in a very enjoyable way, and although some may dismiss it as too lightweight an effort to rank among Christie's finest, most will find it very amusing and extremely charming in an purely escapist way. On a purely personal note, THE SECRET ADVERSARY was the first Christie novel I ever read. As I recall, I was about twelve years old, I thought it was tremendous good fun, and even these many years later I still occasionally return to it for the innocent charm of its witty characters as they romp through 1920s London on their ridiculous, funny, and extremely entertaining spree. It is nonsense of course, but no less enjoyable for it. Lots of fun!
Rating:
Summary: Another brilliant one
Review: Christie's variety can often astound those who first come across her. Whether it be a tense, well plotted detective story, a sharp psycholgical thriller with twists at every turn, an adventure, a spy story, a tale of international intrgue, she never fails to dissappoint. This time she turns her hand to an incredibly exciting adventure story, introducing two heroes who are even more enjoyable to read about than Poirot or Marple. (Perosnally, of all her detective, T&T are my favourites. I wish she'd done more books with them in.) The story begins incredibly well, aboard the sinking Lusitania. A secret document is passed to a young girl, who escapes the floundering ship. Years later, someone wants that document badly, and is even prepared to kill for it...as it contains secrets which could bring down Britain. Enter Tommy and Tuppence on the trail, and thus begins an incredibly entertaining tale of intrgue, adventure, and death. Lots of action, lots of suspense, murder and mystery added in for extra spice. I have to say, i did guess the identity of the culprit (mind you, it was almost the only Agatha Christie book in which i did.) But that is not a bad thing. When, in some cases, you guess the culprit correctly, it can bring the reader an intense sense of satisfaction, knowing that, just this once, Christie didn't manage to outwit you completely. (After all, these books are challenges to the reader to work out "whodunnit" before the detective.) Tommy and Tuppence are incredibly likeable, and i was immensely pleased to discover that she had written more (if few) books about them. This one is a refreshing must for all Christie fans. (Mind you, if you are a Christie fan, i need not tell you that. Doubtless you plan to read them all anyway. As you should.)
Rating:
Summary: Fun read, less mystery
Review: I am a devoted fan of Agatha Christie and usually rate all her books "5-stars". In this case however, I would give it "4-stars" because while the characters of Tommy and Tuppence are really well drawn and it's great fun to read about them, the book is more shakily plotted than many of Dame Agatha's other books. I spotted the master criminal almost immediately and normally never do that. Also the basic plot line was thin at best and never really hung together in any coherent way. I got the feeling that Christie enjoyed creating and writing about Tommy and Tuppence so much that the mystery became almost secondary in this case. But the characters are so entertaining to read about that it's impossible to not enjoy the book! If ypu enjoy reading about post-WW1 England and the struggles of young people who find themselves suddenly at a loss to get by, all done in a most light-hearted, fun manner, then you need look no further!
Rating:
Summary: Agatha Christie fools us again!
Review: The Secret Adversary introduces Tommy and Tuppence Beresford to the world. Young and rather foolish, Tommy and Tuppence offer themselves as paid adventurers to the general public. "No unreasonable offer refused," their ad claims. When someone actually takes Tuppence up on the advertisement, the duo find themselves in the midst of a mystery. A man known only as Mr. Brown is seeking a top-secret document that could destroy Great Britain, a document last held by a young girl who survived the sinking of the Lusitania. It is up to Tommy and Tuppence to recover the document and discover the identity of Mr. Brown. The Secret Adversary will keep you guessing to the end, and after you think you've solved the mystery, Agatha Christie plays her trump card and you will find your theories incorrect. If you like books by P.G. Wodehouse or the Lord Peter Whimsey series, you will enjoy Tommy and Tuppence's dialogue. If you love spy stories, you will enjoy the plot of this book. I highly recommend The Secret Adversary to anyone who loves Agatha Christie and to anyone who loves adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Even at such an early date, Christie complexity come through
Review: The Secret Adversary is a very entertaining read seventy-nine years after it's first publication. Sure there are some things that are dated but I like to think of that as adding to the authenticity. And yes, by the time everything is sorted out at the end, it's pretty easy for the reader to say that the clues were all out there in plain sight. But as you read, Dame Agatha does a nice job of keeping you guessing. (This is due in part to her spliting up Tommy and Tuppence for the better part of the novel. The reader learns what each of them learn but they don't always have the chance to communicate with each other.) I enjoyed the political espionage aspects of the book as well as being able to see the evolving romance. The Russian Revolution is a very real thing for these characters as is the post-war readjustment. I haven't read any other books in the Beresford series but I really like the mix of spunk and pragmatism in these two. They have a youth and spirit and are a nice contrast to Marple and Poirot. I'll keep reading all three series but the Beresfords may get a bit of priority.
Rating:
Summary: Another great book by Ms. Christie!!
Review: Though not exactly a mystery, Agatha Christie's The Secret Adversary is yet another wonderful and exciting adventure starring Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, probably the most lovable of Christie's detectives. The answer to this mystery/adventure may not be too difficult to guess at, but it's the fun-loving, humourous characters one falls in love with. If only Agatha Christie had written more books staring the Beresfords.
<< 1 >>
| 
