After having struggled to adjust to the Poirots and eventually getting into the first Marple novel, I was somewhat dubious about Christie's second published novel, The Secret Adversary. I've never dabbled into the world of Tommy and Tuppence before, shunning them as younger detective wannabes. Turns out that is exactly what they are and that is exactly why I am able to relate to them. I was subconsciously prejudiced as I wished to be seen as faithful to Christie's biggest characters, when in reality T&T predates Miss Marple, so it is I that is the fool here and basically I wish I had delved into their story sooner.
This novel was surprisingly easy to read. It was fast paced, just a tad far fetched, but full of adventure- and after all, I am an adventurer. I think it helped that, despite the fact these characters are younger than I am in the written sense, not the published sense, they were also looking for purpose. The story starts out with our two faithful companions, meeting for lunch after a brief period of not seeing each other. They've been friends since childhood and the war is a not so distant memory to them, so the country is still recovering and there is no place for these two kids despite the skills they were forced to pick up during those dark days.
They discuss money. Tuppence is from a family who has money but is too stubborn to go home and ask for it, and Tommy has no one left to ask and is very much a simple man who is forced to take everything as it comes. Regardless, they are in need of it but are unable to find any jobs, so ever the optimist, Tuppence half jokes about setting up a sort of PI business for the two of them where they pick up jobs for a decent sum to adventure among secrets and things people dont wish to talk about. It's a joke with potential, and things take a turn when she is approached by a man who was listening in on their chat and offers her a sum of money to pose as a missing woman in order to get her hands dirty. Tuppence agrees and uses her quick wit to get an advance which she spends with Tommy immediately. When she returns the next day to start the secret job she finds the whole place has packed up and vanished overnight. It is then that the real adventure starts as Tuppence is like a dog with a bone and refuses to let it go.
With Tommy's help they get into the thick of it regarding the missing woman that Tuppence was due to impersonate and discover the reason why. It is a matter of Britain's integrity and the prevention of yet another war, she was carrying government secrets, a wartime weapon which would have helped the country when the war was on, but would destroy it now it is over.
T&T get into trouble a lot. They get hurt a lot and I feel like they told far too many people for an undercover operation. There was a few times it got very bleak and both parties thought the other was dead. But ultimately, this adventure was the making of these two. It was also, at its core, a love story, as when the danger passed, but also during it, T&T realised they loved each other and always had and so the book ends with rather an unusual proposal of marriage.
This was the sort of story that made me a bit aggy every time someone interrupted my reading. Unfortunately, the windows of opportunity where I am able to read are small and usually between customers at work, so it meant I got interrupted a lot and also dragged the book across 3 days due to customer intake. I couldn't get enough of this novel though. While it was a bit far fetched, as most Christie narratives are in the modern era, it was still rather exciting. I felt like I was one of the gang. It was masterful and I enjoyed their adventure far more than I had with Poirot. T&T never claimed they knew what they were doing or that they were massively clever. They stumbled their way through to a result and found their purpose quite by accident. This was more than just a mystery novel, this was a coming of age story, a love story, an action story. This was inspirational. It was great and is ultimately my new favourite Christie novel to date.
I really liked how the two characters were balanced. Tuppence with her do now think later attitude and pluckiness went so well with Tommy's calm and slow demeanour. While it's written he isn't capable of intelligent thoughts, he quietly proves everyone wrong and is loyal to a fault. He is the calm to Tuppence's storm and it just works. I was routing for them and I am glad they go on further adventures.
I'm a bit sad that T&T aren't as successful in the media as Poirot and Marple. We are in dire need of young sleuths, look at all the recent adaptations who are casting people 30+! T&T is ideal for the murder mystery revival which is sweeping through my generation, I'm aware there was a BBC adaptation but I remember it was slated. We need fresh blood, we need to be faithful yet modern. I need the BBC to hire me as I have some wonderful ideas and I also know how to save Doctor Who, I would be an asset to this country's TV shows.
Overall then, I'm giving The Secret Adversary an 8/10. I adored it. It was cute, it was cosy, it was the fire I lacked with the last book. This one made sense to me, and it helped that the characters were slightly less self obsessed and to be honest Tuppence 100% has ADHD and I see myself in her which made it easier. At the end of the day, people love what they can relate to or that shocks them, in this instance it was the former and that is why I say if you're struggling to get into the world of Christie, shun the old biddies and start with Tommy and Tuppence. It will make the transition easier as you'll then grow with the characters and through that can then appreciate her other works more. Trust me, I am a professional.
See ya next week in my literary corner of the internet for George Orwell's 1984.
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