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The Secret Adversary
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The Secret Adversary
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The Secret Adversary
Audiobook7 hours

The Secret Adversary

Written by Agatha Christie

Narrated by Hugh Fraser

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

Tommy and Tuppence, two young people short of money and restless for excitement, embark on a daring business scheme – Young Adventurers Ltd.

Their advertisement says they are ‘willing to do anything, go anywhere’. But their first assignment, for the sinister Mr Whittington, plunges them into more danger than they ever imagined…

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateSep 12, 2006
ISBN9780007249220
Author

Agatha Christie

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.

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Reviews for The Secret Adversary

Rating: 3.6361768797533403 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

973 ratings64 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I’m a big Agatha Christie fan and really like the Tommy and Tuppence books. Hugh Fraser reads it brilliantly. When I am looking for an Agatha to listen to, I type in his name in the hope that he has narrated it! Great story. Excellent narrator.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    T&T are by far my favorite crime fighting duo, but this audiobook just falls short. However, all kudos to Hugh Fraser - he was absolutely amazing.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was fantastic. This mystery was strong and had me guessing with all the twists and turns and drama. I didn't see it coming. Well written, fast paced and humorous. The characters - wow. I LOVED Tommy and Tuppence. Tommy is down to earth, logical and calm. Tuppence is headstrong, quickwitted and severe. I loved how practical and honest Tuppence is - and she has such a sense of adventure. Afterall their inital partnership is thus named The Young Adventurers, Ltd - ‘Two young adventurers for hire. Willing to do anything, go anywhere. Pay must be good. No unreasonable offer refused.’Christie, Agatha. The Complete Tommy & Tuppence Collection (Tommy & Tuppence Mysteries) . William Morrow Paperbacks. Kindle Edition. The banter between them is adorable. They've known each other since childhood and are great friends and it's clear in every interaction that they have a long history and feel comfortable around one another. Tuppence may be strong willed and imaginative but Tommy is no push over - he's more than willing to call Tuppence out on her crap. “There wouldn’t be the least difference if you were caught!” “Perhaps not. But I shouldn’t be caught. I’m so clever.” “Modesty always was your besetting sin,” remarked Tommy.Christie, Agatha. The Complete Tommy & Tuppence Collection (Tommy & Tuppence Mysteries) . William Morrow Paperbacks. Kindle Edition. Together they make one hell of a team. And I don't think I've read any other book set in this time where the female character is so badass. I mean she tackles a guy. “Just a word with your pretty friend here.” He stretched out an unsteady hand, and clutched Jane by the shoulder. Tuppence heard other footsteps behind. She did not pause to ascertain whether they were friends or foes. Lowering her head, she repeated a manœuvre of childish days, and butted their aggressor full in the capacious middle. The success of these unsportsmanlike tactics was immediate. The man sat down abruptly on the pavement. Tuppence and Jane took to their heels.Christie, Agatha. The Complete Tommy & Tuppence Collection (Tommy & Tuppence Mysteries) . William Morrow Paperbacks. Kindle Edition. I mean sure I've read heroines outsmarting people. Thinking for themselves. Being proactive when faced with danger. But I think it's a first to read one who's willing to physically take on an attacker in such a manner. Belting someone over the head with a candlestick yes. Rugby tackling no. And it was freaking awesome! The romance is very abrupt and somewhat disjointed but the friendship between them is really special and makes it easier to ignore. The other characters were interesting but my favourite was Albert. Especially how he's taken in by the idea of spies and criminals and whatnot. It was adorable to read Tuppence buying threepenny detective novels to make sure she had more cliches ready for him. Plus when Tommy and Albert commando crawl unnecessarily to undertake surveillance. It was awesome. Overall a solid read. 4.5 stars, rounded to 5.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The first book in Christie's lesser-known series, featuring Tommy and Tuppence. Tommy is slow-moving and thoughtful, while Tuppence is impetuous and bubbly. Naturally, it's a match made in heaven, or at least it is by the end of this book. This book is more of a suspense/spy thriller than a traditional Christie mystery. Set in the period between the world wars, Tommy and Tuppence try to find a mysterious missing American girl who survived the sinking of the Lusitania and then disappeared, with some vital state-secret papers in her possession. Everyone's on the lookout for Jane Finn, from British intelligence to her rich American cousin to the Bolshevik bad guys who need the papers to foment a revolution in England. Some of the plot's a bit improbable but Tommy and Tuppence are enjoyable enough characters to make it worth overlooking. I'm looking forward to the next in the series if I can find it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Liked this a LOT more than Affair at Styles
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Great War has ended and Tommy Beresford and Prudence 'Tuppence' Cowley are broke. Wanting excitement they decide to form the 'Young Adventureres Ltd' - will do anything and go anywhere as their slogan. Before long they find themselves embroiled in an adventure, a deadly adventure. But who can they trust.
    An enjoyable story, a good start to the series.
    First published in 1922
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Diverting entertainment, especially when read aloud as this recorded version was. However unbelievable two amateur, bright young things are as government agents, nevertheless, Dame Agatha pulls it off. Definitely NOT a murder mystery. Yes, there is a murder, but it occurs late in the novel and the identity of the perp is never really a mystery. Plus, the story isn't about the victim's murder; it's about a secret treaty that has disappeared. One, if it should fall into the wrong hands, could spell disaster for England's fragile democracy post-WW I when the economy was tottering and labor unrest was being stirred up by agents of communism.Christie manages to conceal, better -- swath -- her Evil Mastermind behind his forgettability in spite of his power to reduce his "gang" to quivering blobs of fear at the mention of his name. Yet, once again ignorance proves to operate in bliss as Tommy and Tuppence undertake a Joint Venture to become sleuths who will do any job, providing the money's right.Why His Majesty's government should choose to put its trust into such a pair of tyros is unfathomable. But it does. In spite of many warnings of the dangerous nature of their work and the deviousness of their adversary, the pair plunge in, fully expecting their own success where, they've been told, many professionals of great experience have failed. Determination and blissful ignorance united with a capacity for improvisation seems to be the magic formula because succeed they do.Plenty of well drawn characters to cloud the solution with misleading action, plenty of mistakes to prolong the outcome, and plenty of light humor to dispel impatience with the eventual resolution. Surprisingly, as read aloud, the book has aged well because it suggests in this reader's mind a radio play. Read it for the fun of it. Do you really need another reason to pick up any book?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Miss Prudence Cowley, known as Tuppence to her friends, and Thomas Beresford, known as Tommy, have been friends since childhood. It is just after the end of the Great War. They run into each other and take time to get caught up, finding that they are both currently looking for work and finances are on the slim side.Tuppence comes up with the idea of forming their own service, The Young Adventurers Ltd. They will take on any job and be willing to go anywhere. Before they can put an ad in the “Times,” Tuppence is approached with an offer to locate a girl named Jane Finn. Their conversation had been overheard by a man sitting nearby.Tommy and Tuppence find themselves involved in an espionage case. It seems Jane Finn has some secret papers that certain parties want. The problem is no one knows what Jane Finn looks like or where she might be.There are some instances that involve close calls for both lead characters. Other characters give such impressions that you are not sure if they are good or bad or even whose side they are on.This is the first of the Tommy and Tuppence series written by Agatha Christie. It isn’t anywhere the length of the Poirot or Marple series, but it is an enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A chance encounter on the London Underground sees childhood friends Thomas 'Tommy' Beresford and Prudence 'Tuppence' Cowley set up in business together, Young Adventurers Ltd, since times are hard after the First World War and they both find themselves broke and unemployed. Quite optimistically they announce that they will take on anything that pays well, but they could not have dreamt of finding themselves in the middle of an international espionage drama.I can't say that I thought much of the plot or the characterisations, owing to the similarities with threepenny detective novels that Albert loves so much or one of the spy movies that Tuppence refers to at some point. It is crammed full with hair-raising coincidences, the characters are portrayed with rather broad brush strokes and you can spot the villain from a mile away; the language, too, appears quite dated now, which I've never noticed to this degree with other Agatha Christie novels or short stories. It does, however, stand up as a reflection of the general public mood at the time, and I believe later espionage novels in the Tommy & Tuppence series are more successful.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    After watching a PBS special about Agatha Christie, I resolved to start reading Christie’s books in order. I had already read The Mysterious Affair at Styles, so I jumped into The Secret Adversary. This is a series that features Tommy and Tuppence, two young adventurers looking for a livelihood after World War I. The majority of the book features dialogue, and I prefer more description of the setting and characters. Tommy seems slow-witted and easily confused, while Tuppence forges ahead with speed and determination. I am not sure that this series warrants another journey. Remember, this is after the war and money and jobs are scarce, but Tommy and Tuppence stay at the Ritz and dine lavishly. Yes, they are receiving wages, but if you do not know if you will have another job in the future, why splurge on fancy food.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    After a chance encounter outside an Underground station, two old friends — Tommy Beresford and Prudence "Tuppence" Cowley — decide to make the most of their unemployed status by going into business as "The Young Adventurers." No sooner do they do so then a case falls into Tuppence's lap, as she is approached by a stranger to go on a mission. The two soon find themselves battling a group of sinister conspirators led by a master criminal, who are seeking wartime documents that threaten the very foundations of the country itself. Yet the conspirators have not reckoned with the plucky determination and dogged persistence of the Young Adventurers, who with a little assistance work to locate the documents before it is too late.While I was long familiar with Agatha Christie's mystery novels, until I picked up this book I was unaware of her works outside of her Miss Marple & Hercule Poirot series of stories. This made discovering her Tommy and Tuppence series a real pleasure. While Christie's attempt at an espionage novel isn't quite as good as her famous mysteries (her stab at politics in it is simplistic and crude), her main characters are delightful and the plot is never less than entertaining. It's unfortunate that she never persisted further with espionage novels than she did, as had she done so she might have become as dominant a figure in it as she was in the mystery genre.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A lot of running around to track down a traitor.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    If one was feeling jocular, one might say jolly good book. This is one of Christie's earlier works. Although there are serious moments, even those are revealed in a jocular manner. One gets the impression the author is laughing at her readers through out this book. Clues are tossed about like josh sticks.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Secret Adversary (1922) (Tommy & Tuppence #1) by Agatha Christie. The first and the best of the Tommy & Tuppence stories, this book features a truly secret adversary in the form of Mr. Brown. Throughout the tale our young, intrepid heroes must overcome a heinous cadre of evil doers in order to protect England, and the common worker, from the horrors of Labour unrest and red communism. And there is a nifty opening act set aboard the doomed Lusitania.There are Bolshevists and American Millionaires (as we know all Americans are) toting guns and threatening to use them. Spies seem to lurk in every shadow and a top secret document is at the center of all the intrigue.Tommy andTuppence themselves are a reflection of the young adult of the time, but a bit more footloose than normal. Back from the Great War they are bored and restless and looking for adventure.Man do they find it.A nice bit of escapist mystery telling with a bang-up ending that will have you wondering til the final pages. If you haven’t read this part of Christie’s oeuvre it is time to do so.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Synopsis: 'In the Prologue, a man quietly gives important papers to a young American woman, as she is more likely to survive the sinking RMS Lusitania in May 1915.In 1919 London, demobilised soldier Tommy Beresford meets war volunteer Prudence "Tuppence" Cowley. They are both out of work and money. They form "The Young Adventurers, Ltd". Mr Whittington follows Tuppence to offer her work. She uses the alias "Jane Finn", which shocks Whittington. He gives her £50 and then disappears. Curious, they advertise for information regarding Jane Finn.The advertisement yields two replies. The first is from Mr Carter, whom Tommy recognises as a British intelligence leader from his war service; he tells them of Jane Finn aboard the Lusitania when it sank. She received a secret treaty to deliver to the American embassy in London. She survived but no trace has since been found of her or the treaty, the publication of which now would compromise the British government. They agree to work for him, despite his warnings of the dangerous Mr Brown. The second reply is from Julius Hersheimmer, an American multimillionaire and first cousin of Jane Finn, staying at the Ritz Hotel. Intent on finding her, he has already contacted Scotland Yard; Inspector Brown took his only photo of Jane, before a real inspector contacted him. They join forces with Julius, too.'Review: This is the first of the Tommy and Tuppence mysteries and it's a good one.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The intrepid young Tommy and his childhood friend known as Tuppence embark on a dangerous journey to find a missing young woman, and trace some important documents. They become involved in a mostly political gang, headed by the unknown and ruthless 'Mr Brown'.... This was Agatha Christie's second published novel, and a thriller more than a mystery. I guessed Mr Brown's identity before I was half-way through, though at first I assumed it was a standard Christie red herring. This made the story all the more tense, although - having finished - I realise it's all somewhat unrealistic. Much of the political discussion went rather over my head, too. However, the main characters are fairly well-rounded, some of the conversation amusing, and the whole an exciting story which I could hardly put down in the final chapters. Recommended if you like light crime fiction from the 1920s.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Considering she is THE bestselling author (only surpassed in copies sold by William Shakespeare and the Bible), it shouldn't be surprising that I have only scratched the surface in reading the work of Agatha Christie. And yet, I found myself a little surprised to stumble upon the adventures of Tommy and Tuppence in her second novel, The Secret Adversary. The pair of adventurers were featured in four novels and a bunch of short stories but they are overshadowed by Christie's mainstays Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Perhaps it was because they felt so different from Christie's other works, but I found myself really drawn into the story and had a lot of fun with this novel.The Secret Adversary is set (mostly) in London shortly after the conclusion of World War One. It begins with a conversation between two friends, Tommy and Prudence (who goes by Tuppence) as they bemoan their lack of fortunes and try to come up with ways to secure themselves financially. On a whim, they decide to take out an advertisement in the paper and hire themselves out as Young Adventurers "willing to do anything, go anywhere." Before the ad has even run, Tuppence is surprised to find herself approached by a strange man who overheard the pair and wants to hire them but who then inexplicably gets angry and fleas when she gives him a false name, Jane Finn. The next day they take out another advertisement regarding Jane Finn and they are quickly flung into a mystery adventure that threatens to topple the British government.The main conflict in the book revolves around post-war political machinations. Specifically, a group of 'Bolshevists' are working a plot to overthrow the current government and seize power. This multinational plot hinges on the existence of an unknown treaty kept safe by a missing young woman named Jane Finn. Tommy and Tuppence are hired to find Jane Finn and recover the treaty before the enemy can use the treaty to expose and topple the government. Not being a strong history buff, I had a hard time deciding just exactly what this treaty could contain that would do all it claimed possible but I set that aside and just let the MacGuffin serve its purpose in giving our heroes and villains something to search for.The plot maneuvered itself around England, thrusting our young adventurers into one problem after another. The threads of the story grew more and more intricate as new locations and characters made their appearance. Christie did an excellent job dropping clues and foreshadowing to help the reader root for the heroes and try to predict the mysterious mastermind behind the struggle. I found myself changing my guesses a couple of times before the solution finally became clear. Even at the very end, the author threw in a couple of twists and turns late in the story to try and lead the reader down one path or another. Sometimes I find misdirection like this annoying. In this book, I felt like they were very well done and felt like a natural progression of events rather than like the author was trying to hide something from us (even though she was, which is the case with any mystery).I had a lot of fun with the main adventure plot but I felt like the real draw of the story was the characters, particularly the interactions between Tommy and Tuppence. At first, they felt a little stereotypical to me (and some aspects of that remains if looked at from a high level) but I enjoyed the way they were fleshed out throughout the story. Their behaviors and motivations were great and felt really well defined. This lead to a great progression of plot where the course of action felt like the logical and natural course for the characters to follow. I especially loved the dialog. The quick witted banter of Tuppence was delightful and the back-and-forth, particularly between she and Tommy, was great fun.On the whole, I really enjoyed this book. The characters felt fresh and fun. The writing was solid and flowed well. The pacing was good at keeping the action going while still slowing down enough for logical exposition and moments of insight to let the reader delve into the mystery themselves. The plot was laid out logically with just enough information withheld to keep the solution at bay while also revealing enough to let the reader feel wise and informed. Reading this makes me want to seek out more adventures of Tommy and Tuppence. Fortunately, there are more to be found.****4 out of 5 stars
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Secret Adversary is cleverly written, with a lot of suspense, but it drags on if you have early figured out whothe mysterious Mr. Brown actually is. It also offers a fairy tale ending with little to suggest a sequel.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My first Agatha Christie book, and what a proper introduction it was!Thoroughly enjoyed this book. A definite page turner with characters to easily love.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    More of a spy thriller than a traditional cozy whodunit from Christie, this is the first of the short Tommy and Tuppence series and deals with efforts to recover some diplomatic papers that were lost during WWI and which could cause all sorts of problems for England if they fall into the wrong hands in 1919 (when the story takes place). Not a bad effort, but a major table-setting plot point pushes suspension of disbelief to its limits, and the main red herring here was so obvious that it almost served as an anti-herring. Unless one was willing to believe that the person involved was beyond stupid, which I was not inclined to do.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was the first Agatha Christie novel featuring Tommy and Tuppence as sleuths (of only four such, plus a collection of short stories). This was her second ever novel, published in 1922, and is redolent of the atmosphere of the time. To the modern reader, Tommy and Tuppence sound like 1920s stereotypes with their hyper-enthusiastic dialogue. The social mores feel only just post-Great War, with Tuppence being at the forefront of a generation of more assertive women, having done front line nursing during the war (I must record one comment on Tuppence's dress which is hilarious by modern standards, "her extremely short and rather shabby skirt revealed a pair of uncommonly dainty ankles"). The plot concerns some top secret diplomatic papers supposedly passed onto a survivor of the Lusitania by a secret agent who drowned in the sinking of the torpedoed ship, and the attempt by the authorities and others to locate them now the war is over to avoid unpleasant consequences. The hostiles attempting to seize the papers are a mixture of a mysterious "Mr Brown", Germans and Russian Bolsheviks, the latter of whom are allegedly using the British Labour Party in order to foment revolution in Britain (shades of the infamous forged "Zinoviev letter" published by the Daily Mail on the eve of the 1924 general election, which was held - though not necessarily accurately - to be the main reason why that election saw the defeat of the first minority Labour government). The way this hangs together is not convincing, but the novel is the usual page turner, with red herrings along the way as to the identity of "Mr Brown" (which I didn't find plausible). Not one of Christie's stronger novels.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie - both Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot but had never read her Tommy and Tuppence series.Even though this series is set back in the earlier part of the 20th century, it was still entertaining and the characters were totally what you expect from Dame Agatha Christie. I am glad that I finally started this classic series and look forward to getting to know these characters as well as Christie's others.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    my copy, only a few years old, is falling apart from use
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I came close to giving this 4 stars but there are a few things that let me down in the plot. First, the identity of Mr. Brown was obvious from the moment he appears (or maybe it was just that way for me) despite repeated attempts to cast another character for the part. Second, the thrust of the plot is very much a product of its time and seems slightly trivial roughly a century later. Still, it was enjoyable and Agatha Christie here shows all the early signs of what she, at the time, was yet to be... the Queen of Mystery!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    When I was a teenager, I just read whichever Agatha Christie novels I stumbled across, at home or at the library. At first I didn't know that The Secret Adversary, even existed... and then I couldn't find it. (And then I went to university and stopped reading Christie, because there were so many other things to read.)The Secret Adversary is an espionage thriller rather than a murder mystery. It required more suspension of disbelief I remember any of Christie's murder mysteries needing - I'm sure that a real underworld organisation of that ilk would be much more ruthless, and that amateurs investigating would need to be a bit less naive if they were to survive relatively unscathed.I also thought the prose was a bit less - polished. Which would make sense, since this is also one of Christie's earliest novels, and presumably she grew as a writing during the following 50 years.However Tommy and Tuppence are delightfully enthusiastic and they were the reason I kept picking the book back up again."Have you anything to say before you are put to death as a spy?" "Simply lots of things," replied Tommy with the same urbanity as before. "Do you deny that you were listening at the door?" "I I do not. I must really apologise - but your conversation was so interesting that it overcame my scruples."
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Rip roaring good yarn!! The master at work, Dame Agatha had me going until the end. I thought I had it all figured out but she got me again.Excellent WWI setting and historical action!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This is the first “Tommy and Tuppence” book written by Christie. My mind wandered too much to really get the gist of the plot. I do know that multiple people went missing at various points throughout the book. Christie's books really vary for me, and it seems audio may not be the way to go (I listened to this one). I know some people love Tommy and Tuppence, but I'm thinking I won't try anymore with these characters. I will likely only read one or two more books by Christie (any that are already on my tbr), but then leave it at that. There have only been a couple by her that really stood out for me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Jane Finn, a young woman surviving the sinking of the Lusitania, disappears while holding onto an important document which was slipped to her as she was leaving the ship.

    Tommy & Tuppence form the "Young Adventurers Ltd." and take on the dangerous job of finding the missing Jane Finn & the document before it is used by the government's "Secret Adversary" to create another European war.

    Very suspenseful with many Red Herrings, naivete, & romance.....
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Not so much of a “Whodunit?” this, but more of a “Who is he?” The “he” being an elusive criminal mastermind known by name as Mr Brown but known in person by almost none. I guessed who he was early on in the story!This is also a “Where is she?” as another main plot is the search for a young lady who possesses some important papers. Mr Brown needs these papers, while “The Young Adventures” aim to thwart him.The two main characters are likeable and gel well together. I like Tuppence’s dialogue. She and Tommy are a pair of 22-year-olds yet much of the time they come across as young teenagers. In fact the book on the whole strikes me as a children’s book for adults, if such a thing is possible.The first three-quarters of the book appealed to me more than the last quarter. Somehow he seemed to lose some of the upbeat pace and become anti-climactic. Still, it was a good read nonetheless.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found this Nadia May narration much enhanced my enjoyment of this first Tommy and Tuppence book. Also, my admiration for Christie's writing is greater with this reread as she managed to keep me guessing even though I thought I remembered the solution. Her red herrings were so plausible I kept second-guessing myself thinking I had mis-remembered it!