The Secret Adversary

I haven't read any Christie books in quite a while, and I've never read a Tommy & Tuppence adventure, but now that I've read this one I'm hooked again. This collection has a different, but wonderful, flavor from her other collections. This book is full of wit and dry British humor, while still being dramatic and suspenseful. It's perfect for people like me who like mystery and action mixed in with a little meaningful comic relief. Whether you're a Christie fan or a new reader, this is a must.

"The Secret Adversary is Classic Agatha Christie. She introduced Tommy and Tuppence Beresford to the world in this book, and spiced up the mystery genre with them. As usual with a Christie work a fun, fast paced read once the story gets going after she intoduces the characters to the reader. A fun addition to the mystery lover's Kindle bookshelf.

Agatha is the best. This is typical of the good old reading of mystery books, The language and expressions used are awesome and they keep you thinking hard. I would recommend this book to all my old contemporaries

Writers are prone to eavesdropping. It's one of the ways we come up with our characters and plots.

Agatha Christie allegedly was inspired to write this book after eavesdropping on a conversation in a café. The name of a woman being discussed sparked creation of a character central to the novel, the second she wrote and the first to feature Tommy and Tuppence.

Though I was successful in unmasking the illusive Mr. Brown before the conclusion, Christie did manage to deceive me a few times on other elements and suspects. The characters are a bit light, the plot more quirky than realistic and the use of contemporary slang definitely dates the narrative. Still it's a quick and entertaining read and there are worse diversions.

The book is easy and fun to read. Mr. Brown is an interesting character. The ending was somewhat unexpected though knowing Agatha Christie's other work, I did not expect anything less. Overall, the book is well done in the usual Agatha Christie style.

This is the first Agatha Christie book which I have read and I could not be more pleased with it. She is a fascinating story teller who delivers a plot with many unexpected twists and turns. This book is clean, captivating, and hard to put down due to the gripping storyline.

Agatha is the best. This is typical of the good old reading of mystery books, The language and expressions used are awesome and they keep you thinking hard. I would recommend this book to all my old contemporaries

Writers are prone to eavesdropping. It's one of the ways we come up with our characters and plots.

Agatha Christie allegedly was inspired to write this book after eavesdropping on a conversation in a café. The name of a woman being discussed sparked creation of a character central to the novel, the second she wrote and the first to feature Tommy and Tuppence.

Though I was successful in unmasking the illusive Mr. Brown before the conclusion, Christie did manage to deceive me a few times on other elements and suspects. The characters are a bit light, the plot more quirky than realistic and the use of contemporary slang definitely dates the narrative. Still it's a quick and entertaining read and there are worse diversions.

The book is easy and fun to read. Mr. Brown is an interesting character. The ending was somewhat unexpected though knowing Agatha Christie's other work, I did not expect anything less. Overall, the book is well done in the usual Agatha Christie style.

This is the first Agatha Christie book which I have read and I could not be more pleased with it. She is a fascinating story teller who delivers a plot with many unexpected twists and turns. This book is clean, captivating, and hard to put down due to the gripping storyline.

Like all of Agatha Christie's books, I find Secret Adversary a refreshing read. The plot is not as simple as it seems and the characters all have uniquely charming personalities. I found myself entertained through every page.

What happened to the proofreaders here? I should ask for my money back. You must have used a machine or somebody with a tenuous grip on English. There were so many words misspelled that it was hard to follow. The story itself was, not surprisingly, excellent and I really wanted to see the outcome but it was rather a torment. Whoever is responsible for the release of these ebooks should take a second look at their proofreaders. They are sleeping on the job.

Pat Greenwood

This was the first Agatha Christie book I read and It was fascinating. Although I had a suspicion about who the real Mr Brown was, I would attribute it to having been subjected to countless detective movies and TV series.

I have read a lot of Agatha Christie's mysteries, but this was a new one to me. The story is entertaining, as always.

I found this easy to read on the Kindle Touch. The up or down swipe easily took me to a different chapter. I didn't test the table of contents, but I rarely use those when I read a novel. The spacing was great. Well done!

This was the first of the Tommy and Tuppence books. It's pretty weak. It reads like a Hardy Boys book, full of adventure, danger, and oodles of implausibility. The characters do things rational people wouldn't do. I dunno, it was sort of cute in a way, but I expect something better plotted and written from Christie than I do from the pseudo Franklin W. Dixon. It probably deserves more than 2 stars, but it was so amateurishly done that I'm downgrading it.

This wasn't one of those typical drawing room mysteries, where baffling stuff happens and then all the suspects are gathered at the end for a discourse of the case and a fingering of the killer, usually accompanied by some hints that the rest of the suspects have skeletons in their closets. Nope, it's more of a spy thriller, but think spy thriller written for adolescent boys, except without all the gratuitous blood shed and with spunky young women.

I dunno, the more I think of it, the more I wonder how Christie got to be so famous. I love Poirot videos, but as much for the art deco settings as the stories, such as they are.

Her style in this book is more exuberant than in her later books. As usual the plot twists and turns like an unplanned country road. Tommy and Tuppence make a great pair of slueths in this, their first adventur.

I've loved Poirot, but not Miss Marple.

I never tried a Tuppence and Tommy story, but free for the Kindle? Sign me up!

Well, the short answer is that it was better than I expected.

Like some others, I missed the plot twist, so I appreciated that. I found Tommy and Tuppence more likable and interesting. They explain the post-war troubles pretty well.

I don't think the Bolshevik threat plays too well anymore, but I'm sure it was quite timely back then and worked better.

If you like mysteries, give it a shot. Hopefully, we get more free Christie over the next few years.

I grew up reading Agatha Christie novels and love them -- not so with Secret Adversary. Had I read this as an introduction to Christie's work, it would have been the last one I read. The characters are shallow, the story line is thin, and the resolution to the plot has too many holes for a Christie novel. Nevertheless, it's not a bad story; it just doesn't measure up to her Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot tales.

This book is great. It has tons of adventure along with twists and turns you don't see coming. The main characters are witty and personable, people you wish you knew. It's a wonderful short read that will leave you satisfied.

Vintage Agatha Christie. She kept me guessing until the end as to the true identity of the notorious "Mr. Brown". I thoroughly enjoyed her twists and misdirections, and the innocence, courage and determination of the heroes, Tommy and Tuppence.
This book also reminded me of how much simpler life was in the 1920's, and perhaps how much more genteel!

As with books I enjoy, I probably will read it again when some time has elapsed, and I'm sure I will enjoy it again!

Even though this story features the intrepid duo Tommy and tuppence instead of the usual Hercule poirot or Ms. Marple , it is still a classic Agatha Christie mystery. It's full of twists and turns and you don't know who the culprit is till the final pages.

This the first of the Tommy and Tuppence stories. While it was well written, I did not find it as good as some of the Miss Marple or Poirot mysteries. I was, however, quite surprised by the reveal of the villain at the end. This was a free Kindle book and I'm not disappointed that I took the time to read it. That said, I'm not sure I'd pay more than a few dollars for it either.

I have always found Agatha Christie's mysteries completely absorbing, challenging and entertaining. There is no other mystery writer that can equal her for a truly rich and well developed plot with just enough "red herrings" to satisfy anyway of the mystery genre enthusiasts. A-plus in every way!

I have always found Agatha Christie's mysteries completely absorbing, challenging and entertaining. There is no other mystery writer that can equal her for a truly rich and well developed plot with just enough "red herrings" to satisfy anyway of the mystery genre enthusiasts. A-plus in every way!

I was very disappointed with this book. It must have been one of her first of this series. I had a hard time finishing it. Simplistic plot, and I could not bring myself to like the two main characters. I will have to try another in the Tommy and Tuppence series and see if it is any better.
I love everything else she writes.

Always have been an Agatha Christie fan and was anxious to read one of her stories with which I was not familiar. Must say that I was surprised and a little disappointed when I realized that I knew who the villain was early in the book. Not one of her best but not bad.

This is a very good book. Very well written. The first I have read of Agatha Christie, but it won't be the last! I thought I had figured it out, but then she threw me off. This may be an older book, but it's definitely worth reading!

For anyone who wants a lighthearted read then this might be enjoyable. The mystery in the story was really good. It was actually a lot better than the characters who were portrayed . To me they were flat & 1 dimensional, except for Mr. Brown. I generally love anything by Agatha Christie but this just doesn't measure up. The only reason it got 3 stars is because the story line is good.

While I'm pretty much a fan of Ms. Christie's stories, this one--as so many--has significant flaws. The story starts extremely well, as do most of them, but around the middle begins to drag because of over-writing and apparently low attention to quality and style. The ending comes back pretty strongly, but the reader should not have to plod through the poor quality scenes to get there. I'd give her an A on idea and plot presentation, but at best a C on consistency of style and writing quality.

I don't feel like the main characters are as likable as other characters in Agatha Christie's books. They're OK, but their dialogue seems a little unreal. This was a decent read for while I was on vacation, but I thought the bad guy was a little too easy to guess.

Mysteries are usually good books because of the ingenuity of the authors. This book is somewhat mundane in the sense that the plot is not particularly intricate and the heroes are not particularly brilliant. The ending seemed somewhat contrived.

This is the first of Christie's Tommy and Tuppence mysteries. There was a little too much "jolly good show" and calling each other "old bean" for my taste. I prefer Miss Marple and Hercule. It is very clearly post-WWI.

I cannot tell as I have not read the book but knew you wanted a review. I have so many other books that I am trying to get read on my kindle. But since I have read tommy and Tuppence mysteries, I think I will be equally pleased

The Secret Adversary introduces Agatha Christie's characters of Tommy and Tuppence, an out of work young man and woman who decide to become "adventurers" out of a lack of anything better to do. They quite accidentally get sucked into an international mystery that reaches to the highest levels of British government.

This story takes place shortly after WWI, and there are a few obscure terms -- even to my British coworker -- but they don't hinder the enjoyment of the story. It is interesting to see attitudes and philosophies of early 20th English perspective.

It's Agatha Christie, one of the best-selling authors of the 20th century, so you can expect good work. The characters are well-written, the story is quite gripping, and the ending is satisfying (if a tad predictable). This made me want to read more Christie and more Tommy & Tuppence.

A little hint if you want it: Pay attention to the telegrams.

In 1915, as the Lusitiana sinks, a British spy gives a girl his secret papers, since she is a woman with a better chance of getting into a lifeboat. She is to get them to the American Embassy at all costs.
Flash forward to the end of WW1. No one knows where the girl is. The papers were never delivered.
Enter Tommy and Tuppence, a likeable, charismatic young 'couple' - they're mainly just friends - who decide to become mercenaries for money. Unwittingly, they stumble upon a enemy spy who wants these papers- but thankfully, they discover he's up to no good and decide to help an agent recover the papers.
But they have no idea what they're getting into. A deadly game of espionage, torpedoes, amnesiacs, and , of course, poison... READ THE BOOK! It's clean- the word d@ nm is used once -
and it's not graphic. As a teenage girl, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Aboslutely great. I am a great admirer of Agatha Christie and she did not let me down with Tommy and Tuppence... It was predictable a few times, but most of the times thats how it gets you to keep reading... But dont get me wrong, most of the time she will leave your jaw open... Highly recomended...

I quick read starring Tommy and Tuppence. It takes place after The Great War, a former soldier and nurse who were childhood friends are currently unemployed. They decide to become Adventurers and put an add in the paper. That is where all the action begins. They race to find a missing girl and stay steps ahead of the international criminal "Mr. Brown".

While this introduces Tommy and Tuppence, a fun likeable couple, I found the story plot rather weak and unrealistic. Sadly this detracts from the novel. Not a traditional murder mystery, this is more of a simplistic spy novel.

Enjoyable, quick read, though rather dated and the central premise - the search for a document that, in the wrong hands, would end civilization in post-WWI England, rather silly. (The agent who hands it off to a young lady in the first chapter could have avoided the whole problem by ripping it up!!) An early Agatha Christie featuring lesser-known sleuthing couple Tommy and Tuppence.

I must be the only human on the planet who has not read a lot of Agatha Christie. This was a fun read for me. The characters are endearing and the dialogue is funny and fast paced. I highly recommend it as easy entertainment.

Very suspense filled book! Great storyline As well As great characters! Agatha Christie was a superb writer of mystery stories and kept you from knowing how it ends until the actual end of the book!!!

As a mystery it was good, but it was an early book and Christie had not developed her style, the rhythm that became so reliable with later books. As always, there are interesting facts which reflect her training. Enjoyable.

Absurd but so doggedly intent on entertaining that it seems almost cruel to give up reading the book. Of course, Agatha Christie herself viewed most of her novels with an amused disregard, and The Secret Adversary is a prime example of why. But hey, who can really complain when the book costs only 80 cents?

I had no idea that Agatha Christie had an evil twin that wrote spy novels. The only other explanation is she was talking drugs (she WAS an R.N.). This book was the absolute worst drivel I've read in years. If you have 2 brain cells that touch, don't waste your time!

I got what I wanted, a Period Piece reflecting one aspect of Brit Life/Attitudes 'between-the-wars'.
But the 'cute' behavior of this pair of over-privileged 20-somethings reminded me of Dorothy Parker's [writing under the Pen-Name "Constant Reader"] ending to her review of one of the 'Pooh' series:
"At this point, Tonstant Weader just trowed up!"

The little ditty in chapter 23 is missing from the free version. I've noticed this on other free books sourced from Project Gutenberg (e.g. the Hound of the Baskervilles) - if the PG version uses a different font for some of the text, it gets omitted from the the store version. You can download the complete text for free from [...]