Cover image for Secret Adversary, The

The Secret Adversary

Author Agatha Christie
Categories Mystery / Detective, Fiction, Audiobook
Language English
Published 1922
Notes

Set in 1919, young couple Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley form a partnership, hiring themselves out as ''young adventurers''. Their first case, however, is more of an adventure than they expect - working to find documents that, if they were known to the general public, would fuel a communist revolution in Britain.

Approx. 73,373 words.

Excerpt

boy. But I can assure you that that sort of thing might touch the heart of an elderly spinster, and she might adopt you, and then there would be no need for you to be a young adventurer at all."

"I don't want to be adopted."

"I forgot you had a prejudice against it. I was only ragging you! The papers are full up to the brim with that type of thing. Now listen--how's this? 'Two young adventurers for hire. Willing to do anything, go anywhere. Pay must be good.' (We might as well make that clear from the start.) Then we might add: 'No reasonable offer refused'--like flats and furniture."

"I should think any offer we get in answer to that would be a pretty UNreasonable one!"

"Tommy! You're a genius! That's ever so much more chic. 'No unreasonable offer refused--if pay is good.' How's that?"

"I shouldn't mention pay again. It looks rather eager."

"It couldn't look as eager as I feel! But perhaps you are right. Now I'll read it straight through. 'Two young adventurers for h

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2008.03.27
Amitabh

Memorable evocation of a bygone era. Two down-and-out boy-and-girl youths try their hand at some detection during the intrigue-filled Post-WWI period in this delightful caper. Even when matters get more serious it seems more fun than actual danger. Sets the tone for many more boy-girl sleuth stories in books and films that followed. The 80s film version of the book is amateurish and avoidable.

2007.08.12
David Lyons

I enjoyed the book. A little different than the typical Agatha Christie but I found it difficult to put it down. I would recommend it to mystery lovers. I would like to see more Agatha Christie available in this form.

2006.07.27
Deb

Awesome book, a classic! The first book I've read in a long time that was truley hard to put down. Definately a suggested reading!

2005.10.08
MDG

Having never read an Agatha Christie before, I wasn't certain of what to expect. However, I was extremely impressed! This is the first mystery I've read where the culprit wasn't completely obvious until the VERY end (as opposed to halfway through, or worse). The only negative would be that due to the age of the book itself, one ocassionally came across words no longer in the traditional vernacular. That said, it wasn't a major distraction.