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The Secret Adversary (Illustrated) Kindle Edition

by Agatha Christie (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 12,220 ratings
Tommy and Tuppence Beresford are the protagonists of a series of novels and short stories by Agatha Christie, and mark the few ventures that Christie made into espionage tales rather than the whodunits she's known for. The Secret Adversary introduces Tommy and Tuppence who feature in three other Christie novels and one collection of short stories; the five Tommy and Tuppence books span Agatha Christie's writing career.

Thomas Beresford and Prudence "Tuppence" Cowley started out as friends in post-World War I Britain. Jobless and penniless, they place an ad in the paper marketing themselves as adventurers, leading to an encounter that starts their career as spies for an unnamed British intelligence agency.

Interestingly, the dedications of two Tommy and Tuppence books (The Secret Adversary and By the Pricking of My Thumbs) are the only times Christie ever dedicated a book directly to her readers.

The Tommy and Tuppence books are:

The Secret Adversary (1922).

Partners in Crime (short story collection) (1929).

N or M? (1941).

By the Pricking of My Thumbs (1968).

Postern of Fate (1973).

Upon publication of the first book edition it was reviewed by The Times Literary Supplement in its edition of 26 January, 1922, which described it as "a whirl of thrilling adventures". The critic for The New York Times Book Review (11 June 1922) was also impressed: "It is safe to assert that unless the reader peers into the last chapter or so of the tale, he will not know who this secret adversary is until the author chooses to reveal him." The review gave something of a backhanded compliment when it said that Christie "gives a sense of plausibility to the most preposterous situations and developments."

Robert Barnard described the novel as "The first and best (no extravagant compliment this) of the Tommy and Tuppence stories. It tells how the dauntless pair foils a plot to foment labour unrest and red revolution in Britain, masterminded by the man behind the Bolshevists. Good reactionary fun, if you're in that mood".

Some additional blurbs regarding the book, and used by The Bodley Head for advertising subsequent print runs, are as follows:

"It's an excellent yarn and the reader will find it as impossible as we did to put it aside until the mystery has been fathomed." — Daily Chronicle.

"We promise our readers an exciting story of adventure, full of hairbreadth escapes, and many disappointments if they try to guess the riddle before the author is ready to give them the clue. An excellent story." — Saturday Review.

"The atmosphere of the book is admirable and the story will be read with avidity by all. Undoubtedly the book is a success." — East Anglian Daily Times.

"A book of thrilling adventure. Sensational adventures which make thrilling and gripping reading. Mrs Christie has certainly succeeded in writing a story not only entertaining, but ingenious and amazingly clever." — Irish Independent.

Like its predecessor, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Secret Adversary was first published as a serialization in The Times weekly edition (aka The Weekly Times) as a complete and unabridged text in seventeen installments from 12 August (Issue 2328) to 2 December 1921 (Issue 2343). Christie was paid £50 for the serialization rights (£1,545 in 2003 currency).

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  1. Book 1 of 5
    Tommy and Tuppence Mysteries
  2. Print length
    152 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    July 17, 2014
  5. File size
    1.4 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00LXES0WC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (July 17, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 17, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.4 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 152 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 12,220 ratings

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
12,220 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book excellently written and entertaining, with engaging twists and turns that keep them guessing until the end. They appreciate the witty conversations and remarkable talent for entertaining books with wit, while also praising the delightful characters and how it entertains in Agatha Christie's timeless style. The pacing receives mixed reactions, with some finding it well-paced while others say it starts slow.

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702 customers mention "Readability"605 positive97 negative

Customers find the book excellently written and entertaining, with one customer describing it as a page turner.

"...Her writing is filled with purely British references, typical British spellings, and slang that seemed easily defined through context...." Read more

"...It's fun to read these capers. It's less about the language and more about the approach to solving a crime...." Read more

"...Brown who is pure evil and you’ve got lots of adventure and hi-jinks for entertainment! Tommy and Tuppance are loads of fun and quite brave...." Read more

"...Christie's writing style shows promise, and her talent for crafting intrigue is already evident...." Read more

446 customers mention "Suspenseful"413 positive33 negative

Customers find the book suspenseful, appreciating its twists and turns and adventure-filled plot, with one customer noting it's refreshing to read a real mystery.

"...: descriptions not too flowery offer a picture, but not overpowering the drama, and dialogue adds to the tone, illustrating well the era and..." Read more

"...Featuring a delightful young couple who need jobs and want money!..." Read more

"...The plot is fast-paced and entertaining, with plenty of twists to keep readers engaged...." Read more

"...I liked this book a lot. I loved the way the mystery was paced...." Read more

189 customers mention "Character development"159 positive30 negative

Customers enjoy the characters in the book, finding them delightful and mysterious, with one customer noting how they illustrate the era and personalities well.

"...the drama, and dialogue adds to the tone, illustrating well the era and personalities...." Read more

"...Tommy and Tuppance are loads of fun and quite brave. Very enjoyable romp in early 1920s England!" Read more

"...I loved the characters, and every time I thought I had the identity of Mr. Brown figured out, something would happen to make me doubt myself...." Read more

"...They're so young in this story -- "Their united ages certainly would not have totaled forty-five."..." Read more

102 customers mention "Mystery novelist"95 positive7 negative

Customers enjoy this mystery novel, describing it as a sweet little detective story and one of the greatest authors in the genre.

"...Christie's writing style shows promise, and her talent for crafting intrigue is already evident...." Read more

"...And that's the best kind of mystery novel. This is listed as an Illustrated edition...." Read more

"...Undoubtedly, Agatha Christie is the greatest mystery writer the world has ever known...." Read more

"...That information makes the quality of the story more understandable...." Read more

82 customers mention "Agatha christian mystery"79 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy this Agatha Christie mystery, describing it as a classic that entertains in her timeless style and serves as a fun introduction to her work.

"...her entire bibliography, this early work provides an interesting contrast to her debut and hints at her efforts to develop her own style...." Read more

"‘The Secret Adversary’ is one of my favorite Agatha Christie novels. We are introduced to Tommy and Tuppence, 2 of her lesser known detectives...." Read more

"...of Tommy and Tuppence (pre-Partners in Crime) is a nice example of early Christie...." Read more

"Vintage Agatha Christie. She kept me guessing until the end as to the true identity of the notorious "Mr. Brown"...." Read more

72 customers mention "Mystery content"64 positive8 negative

Customers enjoy the mystery content of the book, which keeps readers guessing with surprises around every corner and maintains suspense until the end.

"...years ago, and the language reflects that fact, it’s still a pretty good mystery. A quick read that also works well as an audible book...." Read more

"...The solution is pretty good for early Christie, and one of the clues is clever enough that I remembered it when I'd forgotten that this first volume..." Read more

"...being demoted from service, out of money, no jobs, but a great sense of their abilities. Overheard by strangers, Tuppence is offered a job...." Read more

"...dubious and diabolical foe, and a surprising twist at the end, good for any mystery. It is also free, which is obviously a major plus." Read more

62 customers mention "Humor"48 positive14 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor, describing it as witty and lighthearted, with one customer noting its nice balance of mystery and humor.

"...So realistically humourous characters with witty conversations...." Read more

"...A humorous, fast paced, and suspenseful mystery that makes me thankful Christie continued the series." Read more

"...about them or even had any idea Christie wrote a series with this very funny and comical couple...." Read more

"...fans alike, her writing style is somewhat undeveloped and cliche in parts. Particularly for Christie fans this lack of polish will be most evident...." Read more

122 customers mention "Pacing"84 positive38 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it well-paced and a fast read, while others note that it starts slow.

"...The action started at the beginning of the story and did not even slow till the very end...." Read more

"...to be quite different from the usual Christie novel: it was gay and sunny and fancy-free, and although I was somewhat taken aback by it at first, I..." Read more

"...prints out the Kindle version of the book, which--frankly--is ugly as Hell...." Read more

"...A quick read that also works well as an audible book...." Read more

This Kindle edition is DEFECTIVE
1 out of 5 stars
This Kindle edition is DEFECTIVE
This is not Agatha Christie's text. It appears that someone ran a non-English language translation back through Google Translate or other translation software. The idiom, diction, and grammar are badly mangled. For example: "IT changed into 2 p.M. At the afternoon of May 7, 1915. The Lusitania have been struck by way of torpedoes in succession and became sinking unexpectedly,"
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Kathleen C.
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Secret Adversary earns 5/5 Amateur Sleuths...A True Classic!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Have you ever actually read one of Agatha Christie’s books? Now that I think about it...no. I am a dedicated fan of all the big and little screen productions and the iconic actors who portray Christie’s various detectives (Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford), but I’ve not read the original stories. I recently enjoyed a 2015 adaptation of Christie’s second novel “The Secret Adversary,” which introduced Tommy and Tuppence Beresford; the mini movie was set in post WW-Two, and the couple are married with a ten-year-old son. I was intrigued to contrast the mini movie to the original novel (published in 1922). The book opens in 1915 on the sinking Lusitania, well before WW-Two, and her soon-to-be detective couple aren’t even engaged. So, let’s see what Agatha originally had in mind for the reunited friends Tommy Beresford and Prudence “Tuppence” Cowley.

    The Original: It’s 1919, post WW-One and many are out of work; our two friends, recently reunited, are desperate to obtain financial support, but they don’t have any relatives to leave it to them and neither want to marry for it, so they’ll have to make it themselves: “Tommy, let’s be adventurers.” Their joint venture with The Young Adventurers, Ltd. would be “Willing to do anything, go anywhere. Pay must be good. No reasonable offer refused.” But, nowhere in their business statement does it mention all the trouble in which they will find themselves entangled: an odd proposition, a mysterious Jane Finn, British intelligence, and missing documents.

    Comparison: Well, one post-war era is much like another, except the enemy might have a different name and the tools to rely on are less sophisticated, but the characters are in their twenties, much younger than portrayed in the adaptations. However, I enjoyed the youthfulness and somewhat overzealous manner that precipitated extra trouble. The original tale was very enjoyable.

    Classic Writing: Christie’s work was written for readers in the 1920s, yet it translates well for any era. Her writing is filled with purely British references, typical British spellings, and slang that seemed easily defined through context. Although her second book, it is still an example of what made Christie an icon in literature: descriptions not too flowery offer a picture, but not overpowering the drama, and dialogue adds to the tone, illustrating well the era and personalities. This pair of detectives is unique in her writing in that she ages them throughout the four novels and countless shorts. From their twenties to middle age to senior citizens, I think I just might try another story...I’m hooked on the originals.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • James J. Cudney IV (Jay)
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good T&T missing, liked these characters, but a different kind of Christie
    Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I am hosting an Agatha Christie Readathon on my blog in April 2018 where we are reading one of her books each week. The first book up, The Secret Adversary, is the initial entry in the Tommy & Tuppence cozy mystery series she's written. Although I've read a bunch of her novels, I hadn't read anything in this particular series, so I was glad that one of them won the poll to choose our books that I had set up earlier this year.

    In this caper, Tommy and Tuppence, ~22 year old somewhat poor residents of London around 1920, are bored enough to form a partnership where they will agree to do anything legal to obtain a salary. Tuppence wants to marry rich. Tommy doesn't care. You kinda know they have to end up together, right? A mysterious man overhears their conversation and asks them for help in finding Jane Finn who disappeared when the Lusitania sank nearly five years earlier. She was given a very important government paper by a pseudo-spy who died in the tragedy, but Jane seems to have lost her memory. No one can find her, but there are several ne'er-to-do-wells and government spies searching for her. Though WW1 is over now, if anyone finds out what was written in the papers, it might just ignite another battle. Tommy & Tuppence take the case, but soon find themselves baffled by all the different stories they hear. When they separate to get more done, each is kidnapped and nearly killed for knowing nothing but really knowing something. Then Jane's American cousin helps with the search and leads are finally flooding in around them. Now the little sleuthing pair are on their own and unable to determine who's telling the truth. Think you can? I actually solved this one.

    Christie is remarkable when it comes to creating suspense, intrigue, and drama in her books. Although the story started off a tad peculiar to me, I slowly became fascinated by how different things were nearly 100 years ago. Between the phrases used to describe people, the quick allegiance people swore to one another, and the methods for doing research, it was outstanding. Sometimes I laughed at their silly tactics, others I thought they made no sense. But it was a different time and place, and under those contexts, it actually made perfect sense.

    Tommy & Tuppence themselves are also weird. They speak in terms of puzzles, but seem to understand one another. They wish for things they don't need but join forces in a venture that initially makes no sense. I was worried... even thought... did I make a mistake giving this book a chance? But I knew how much people adored them, so I pushed forward and by about 20% in, the book takes on a much more standard mystery and suspense tone.

    The ending was very well written. The plot is thorough but leaves a lot to the imagination. Do we really ever find out what's written in the government documents? Do we know exactly who kidnapped each of the sleuths? Do we know whether every character was purely good or evil? Not really... there is a bit of vagueness going on, but it doesn't hurt the story. Readers will more than likely fall in love with the duo, get caught up in determining which is the true bad guy, and grow puzzled in trying to decide which information to trust and which information is just a red herring.

    It's fun to read these capers. It's less about the language and more about the approach to solving a crime. So sit back and relax... let the author dazzle you with her story... and let go of the normal constructs you expect in a mystery novel. I'm going with 4 stars on this one, as I'd more than recommend it, but there were some things I felt could have been handled better. That said... I look forward to reading more in the Tommy & Tuppence series, but that will have to wait. Next week's book is from the Hercule Poirot collection. Join us if you can!
    30 people found this helpful
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  • Beverley
    5.0 out of 5 stars vintage Christie! delightful!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Yes - it’s a story that takes place over a hundred years ago in England and historically it refers to political intrigue beyond my education - but never mind all that. Featuring a delightful young couple who need jobs and want money! They advertise themselves as being willing to take on just about any sort of unusual job and are quickly thrown into political intrigue which threatens the stability of England. Throw in a brash young and very rich American, a beautiful girl with amnesia and a mysterious Mr Brown who is pure evil and you’ve got lots of adventure and hi-jinks for entertainment! Tommy and Tuppance are loads of fun and quite brave. Very enjoyable romp in early 1920s England!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Sheila M
    3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting to See Christie's Style Develop
    Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    THE SECRET ADVERSARY is Agatha Christie's second novel, introducing her detective duo Tommy and Tuppence. Set after World War I, it follows their attempts to solve a mystery involving a missing woman and a secret treaty. The plot is fast-paced and entertaining, with plenty of twists to keep readers engaged. However, the characters lack depth, and some plot points stretch credibility. Christie's writing style shows promise, and her talent for crafting intrigue is already evident. While not a standout, it's an enjoyable read for early 20th-century mystery fiction fans. This is the second book in my journey through Christie's works, and it's very different from her first Poirot book. As part of my project to read her entire bibliography, this early work provides an interesting contrast to her debut and hints at her efforts to develop her own style. I give this book 3.5 stars.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • liang
    5.0 out of 5 stars Très bon livre
    Reviewed in France on May 11, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    C'est un très bon bouquin ayant des scénarios très intéressants. Je suis très content.
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  • Jimena tejeda
    5.0 out of 5 stars The best book I've ever read.
    Reviewed in Mexico on March 21, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    The best book Agatha Christie's book that I've ever read!! You Definitely need to buy it. I have the kindle version which is great because it's cheaper than the others. I liked so much that I already bought the second part of this book "partners in crime".
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  • Squeak
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another good who done it
    Reviewed in Australia on June 20, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    A good read for those who love Agatha Christie and a new adventure for those who haven’t yet experienced her books
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  • Cliente Amazon
    4.0 out of 5 stars A typical good Agatha Cristie's book.
    Reviewed in Brazil on January 1, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    A typical good Agatha Cristie's book. Easy to read and to enjoy. An interesting story, made of clever and bright ideas.
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  • Buster
    4.0 out of 5 stars piacevole
    Reviewed in Italy on August 6, 2021
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    Piacevole lettura, in inglese
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