N or M? (Tommy and Tuppence Mysteries)

Book Description

The last words of a murdered government agent lead Tommy and Tuppence Beresford to the Sans Souci Hotel, where they're greeted by hostile guests, a mysterious hotelier, and reports of a missing girl. When Tommy himself vanishes, Tuppence has reason to fear that checking out of the Sans Souci comes at a perilous price.

Mystery's #1 bestselling author

A murdered government agent, a cryptic message, a mysterious hotelier, and a missing girl. Leave it to Agatha Christie's most delightful crime-solving duo-Tommy and Tuppence Beresford-to crack the case.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant.......2006-07-11

This book just goes to show who the master of mystery books is: Agatha Christie!

The book kept me guessing all the way until the very end. Think you know who the culprit is? Think again. The mystery itself was wonderfully written, with just the right amount of intrigue and menace. The lovely seaside setting combined with the pall of WWII hanging over everyone's heads made for a very interesting backdrop for the book.

This book is an excellent combination of mystery and WWII espionage.

N or M Review.......2006-02-17

Viciously evil sinister German spies terrorize Britain during WWII. Meanwhile Tuppence and Tommy Beresford investigate and solve a mystery about German spies N and M. I would recommend N or M because it has a complex mystery, suspense and interesting characters.
The N or M mystery is very complex because usually in a mystery you are looking for one criminal, but in this you are looking for two. On top of that, there weren't 2 or 3 candidates, there were 10 or 15 suspects. Also these criminals were not normal criminals. They were very determined because they supported the Nazis. One other thing was the criminals looked like normal everyday people . They were good at fooling people like when Mrs. Sprot kidnapped Betty and she pretended she was a mom. Also they studied English to make it look like they were English, not German.
N or M has a lot of suspense. For example Mrs. Sprot's daughter Betty was being kidnapped by a mysterious Polish woman. They were near a big cliff and a roaring ocean. You don't know if the Polish woman is armed. Another suspenseful part is when Tommy is at Commander Haydock's house. It is suspenseful because Tommy finds a secret compartment with the telegraph in it and realizes Haydock is a spy. One other suspenseful part is when Tuppence talks to Commander Haydock. It is suspenseful because Haydock was interrogating Tuppence. You don't know if Tuppence will get rescued in time and Commander Haydock has a gun.
N or M has many interesting characters like Mrs. Sprot because she is brave. Also you don't know what will happen. She was very good at fooling people. She was smart enough to kidnap a kid. Also Commander Haydock is interesting too because he is a spy so you don't know what he will do next. He is also brave to be a spy because he could get in serious trouble for spying. One other interesting character is Tuppence because she has an amazing mind. Also she is brave for messing with the criminals. Also she is enduring because she doesn't stop when the mystery is hard.
N or M is a heart pounding mysterious things and interesting chapters and a unusual setting. I would recommend this book.

A Bynum

So, Mummy, just what DID you and Daddy do during the war?.......2004-05-08

Tommy and Tuppence Beresford (SECRET ADVERSARY and PARTNERS IN CRIME) are now a middle aged couple who have two grown children, twins Deborah and Derek. It is the opening days of WWII, England is bracing for the Blitz and all citizens are anxious to "do their bit". Unfortunately while the twins are away on military assignments, the older Beresfords are deemed to be too old for active service. They are urged to take up service at home, like knitting. Ultimately though Tommy's old contacts pay off - for him at least - he is offered a desk job in a restricted area, Tuppence must remain at home, with the hated knitting.

It is later revealed that the desk job is a ruse and Tommy is needed for an undercover assignment. Tuppence is one step ahead as usual and arrives on the scene before Tommy. Together the two work to ferret out a spy ring on the English coast. As always with these two there are deceptions, kidnappings and last minute rescues before the triumphant conclusion.

It is nice to see what old friends have been up to in the intervening years and good to see that they haven't lost a step. Christie does an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere of the time, the tension as the war builds and the anxious waiting to hear news of loved ones in peril.

There are a couple of problems though for long time fans of this series. Judging from the publication dates of the earlier novels, 1922 and 1929, Tommy and Tuppence are in their early 40s and the twins are 11 years old during this one. Even going by the slighly different time frame listed in this novel the twins cannot be more than teenagers and Tommy would still be very young to be retired.

The plot is, as usual for Christie, clever and designed to keep the reader guessing until the end. The final chapter is, in keeping with the rest of the series, a nice, sentimental touch.

Great setting, good plot.......2002-10-02

This is the 39th book Agatha Christie wrote. She published it in 1941, in the mid of World War II. It is said that she wrote this story while London was suffering under the German air attacks. Agatha never wanted to leave London during these attacks, because she felt too involved. The novel is one of two which the author worked on simultaneously during World War II while she stayed alone in London. She alternated writing 'Body in the Library' and 'N or M?' to keep herself "fresh at task."

Although not being a big fan of Tommy and Tuppence Beresford I must admit that this story was quite special. This book is one of the few Agatha Christie wrote that have a historical background. It has certainly a nice atmosphere to it. First I was a bit put-off by the amazingly unrealistic espionage rubbish often seen in this kind of books, but discovered to my surprise that some -not all- subplots would not have been miscast in an average Poirot adventure. It was quite refreshing to see that Agatha had put this story in an almost realistic setting: the struggle against collaborators that tried to prepare a German attack on the coast of England.

Not the best of her works, but certainly very close.

Enjoyable Spy Thriller.......2002-02-11

When one thinks of Agatha Christie, one usually thinks of novels in which a sharp-minded detective--such as Hercule Poirot or Jane Marple--unravels a tightly plotted puzzle from the comfortable safety of an arm chair. But Christie sometimes defies this concept of her work with a spy-thriller, and N OR M?, set during the early days of World War II, is among her best efforts in that direction.

The novel re-introduces husband and wife Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, characters Christie originally created for the much earlier spy-thriller THE SECRET ADVERSARY--and they are among her most immediately likable protagonists: quick witted, snappy, and unwilling to sit in an armchair when they can be up and doing things. Although they have been long out of the espionage game, when rumors indicate that one of Hitler's most trusted agents has arrived in England. they are sent to a small coastal boarding house in an effort to unmask the spy who might be hiding among the apparently innocent residents.

Book Description

Tommy and Tuppence Beresford adopt the methods and manners of every major literary detective from Hercule Poirot to Sherlock Holmes to piece together an increasingly complex series of delightfully different-and deadly-misdeeds.

Tommy and Tuppence Beresford adopt the methods and manners of every major literary detective from Hercule Poirot to Sherlock Holmes to piece together an increasingly complex series of delightfully different-and deadly-misdeeds.

Download Description

"E-book exclusive extras: 1) Christie biographer Charles Osborne's essay on Partners in Crime;

Customer Reviews:

A nice collection of short mysteries.......2007-03-31

My oldest daughter started checking out Agatha Christie novels from the library. She says they are cool. She left a couple books in the van last week. I brought them in and started reading Partners in Crime.

Partners in Crime is a collection of short stories tied together with an overall story arc. The partners are a husband and wife team who solve mysteries. Tommy and Tuppence Beresford are asked by the Secret Service to take over a detective agency in an effort to flush out a master spy. The Beresfords agree. As detectives they have several adventures. Every chapter or couple chapters has a single mystery. With the last chapter being when they capture the master spy that no one else had been able to get a handle on.

The stories take place in the early 1900's in England. The mysteries happen at various locations and different levels of society. I figure my daughter is learning a little bit of history as she reads these stories.

They are fun. If you haven't read an Agatha Christie book before, this is a good place to start.

Tommy Attempts To Use His 'Little Grey Cells'.......2007-03-11

Partners in Crime is an enjoyable collection of mystery short stories involving the droll Tommy and his cheeky wife, Tuppence.

The stories are bound together by a main thread, in which the Beresfords battle against boredom by taking up a Detective Agency under assumed names. As they tackle each case, Christie lampoons various detective fiction by having them solve the case "in the style of" a popular fictional detective, starting with (of course) Sherlock Holmes.

A clever, rewarding device, especially since Christie finishes with having her characters poke fun at her own famous hero, Hercule Poirot.

As with the other Tommy & Tuppence book I've thus far read (I'm reading Christie's fiction in the order of publication, so I believe this is their second appearance), the writing is light and whimsical and just a lot of fun. You might think of Agatha Christie's novels as being one undifferentiated mass of mystery fiction wrtiting, but you'd be wrong: within her genre, Christie wrote all sorts of types of stories in many different styles. What sets Tommy & Tuppence apart is a light, ironic sense of humor about itself and mystery fiction, in general.

A fun read. Four stars.

Light Amusement With Tommy and Tuppence.......2006-01-03

Originally published in 1929, PARTNERS IN CRIME reunites Tommy Beresford and Prudence "Tuppence" Cowley, first created by Christie for the earlier novel THE SECRET ADVERSARY; they are now married and, although happy in the marriage, Tuppence finds herself bored with the routine of life.

Her wish for excitement is answered when intelligence agent Mr. Carter puts a proposal before the two. A London detective agency has been found to be involved in espionage and its owner has been picked up--but government authorities want to keep the agency open in hope of tracing its illegal activities. How would Tommy and Tuppence like to take on the task?

This set up provides the frame for a series of short stories in which Tommy and Tuppence handle various legitimate calls upon the detective agency even as they hope to make contacts that will break the spy ring. There is Lawrence St. Vincent, whose lady-love has agreed to marry him... but only if he can solve a unique riddle. There is a stolen pearl, the odd scam, and a few murders as well--and, of course, espionage constantly in the background.

Along the way, Tommy and Tuppence have fun by adopting the methods, with considerably varied result, of famous fictional detectives such as The Old Man In The Corner, Sherlock Holmes, and even (albeit briefly) the celebrated Hercule Poirot. It is all very light hearted, lightly written, and as always when Christie elects to trot out Tommy and Tuppence the great attraction are the characters themselves--sharp, witty, and having a good time.

This collection of short stories comes no where near the brilliance of THE TUESDAY CLUB MURDERS, featuring Miss Marple, or THE LABORS OF HERCULES, only slightly less fine and featuring Hercule Poirot. Nonetheless, it is an entertaining sort of thing, and most readers will enjoy Christie's comic touch with her material. Good fun!

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

I despise Tommy and Tuppence.......2005-09-22

I like Miss Marple, I like Hercule Poirot, Superintendant Battle, Mr. Satterwhite, et al, but I do not like the Tommy and Tuppence stories. Somehow their adventures just sound a false note to me.

Putting the fun into sleuthing.......2004-07-05

No one does it better than Tommy and Tuppence. Amateur sleuths in their own way, they were not to be underestimated because both have their own ways to solve crimes, and even more interesting banters in between crime-solving. These shorties will make you love them and wish that the Queen would have written more of them in the past.

Tommy: The British Soldier on the Western Front 1914-1918

Average customer rating:

The Experience of the Western Front
A book to be savored
Comprehensive description of life in WWI British army
Written with compassion and detachment- history brought to life
Boring

Tommy: The British Soldier on the Western Front 1914-1918
Richard Holmes
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0007137516

Customer Reviews:

The Experience of the Western Front.......2007-04-26

"Tommy" is Richard Holmes's exploration of the experience of the British soldier and the British Army on the Western Front of the Great War, 1914-1918. Through a narrative rich in detail and anecdote, Holmes provides context and some necessary correction on the life of Tommy Atkins, prototypical British soldier, at war.

Holmes, an experienced historian, has provided a study very much in the vein of "Redcoat", his earlier work on the British Army from Waterloo to the Crimean War. In this book, Holmes details how the small standing British professional army of 1914 became the mass army of 1918 and how it generally acquitted itself fairly well in four years of horrendous combat with the elements, its own bureaucracy, and the German Army. It is a story of the men who became soldiers, their weapons, their leadership, their food, medical care, and their sense of the fighting. Holmes includes a fascinating collection of photographs of the Western Front.

Holmes has done his extensive research. The traditional regimental system comes in for some considerable praise for its contribution to unit cohesion and morale. The willingness of the Army to adapt to the demands of mass warfare, on a scale not practiced by Britain in over one hundred years, is commendable if often uneven. The leadership of the Army, especially after the first year of war, generally did as good a job as the circumstances of combat allowed. The fate of mounted cavalry and the introduction of modern warfighting technology such as tanks, airplanes, radios, and indirect artillery fire are discussed. Above all, the stubborn and patient devotion to duty of Tommy and his fellow soldiers shines through.

At roughly 700 pages, this is an exhaustive if not exhausting study that will appeal the most to those with a keen interest in the First World War, especially to those looking for the story behind the battle histories. It is highly recommended as a reading experience to students of the history of the British Army.

A book to be savored.......2006-02-12

This is a must-read for anyone interested in the Great War, the Western Front, or the history of the British soldier. In his wonderful narrative style, Holmes weaves numerous first-hand accounts into a smoothly flowing story that never becomes ponderous despite the enormous size of the book. Highly recommended.

Comprehensive description of life in WWI British army.......2005-08-11

Richard Holmes, the author, provides a fascinating, masterful portrait of British soldiers' everyday lives during WWI. This book is about the British army itself; it is NOT a campaign history, a strategy essay, or a biography.

Despite the plethora of books produced about Britain's WWI effort, Holmes manages to include a great volume of hitherto negelected information. Some of these topics include: commissioning, pay, ranking differences (permanent, temporary, brevet), compulsory requisitioning of horses, medical treatment, replacements, promotions, religion, liberty, leave, discipline/punishment, mustache regulations, combat training, demobilisation, and return to civilian life.

Thankfully, he also explains the highly complex war-time formation, structure, varying roles, and evolution of battalions, regiments, brigades, divisions, corps, and armies. Holmes also defines the differences between formation types (regular, Special Reserve, territorial, and New Army). In addition, he also relates the jobs of various staff and admin unit members (e.g. Chief of Staff, Adjutant, Regimental Sergeant Major, etc.).

Besides all the above, the book includes the more commonly discussed trench life routine, weapons, personal accounts, a typical attack, morale, and the army's various branches (infantry, artillery, sappers, cavalry, tanks, machine guns, supply, general staff, etc.). The author unusually presents a few striking, small-scale examples of successful cavalry charges and a costly episode of firing guns by direct sight.

This is an excellent, well-researched book that is a pleasure to read. Bravo!

Written with compassion and detachment- history brought to life.......2005-07-06

Richard Holmes does a TV series in the UK called War Walks.
In the series he basically walks through a battlefield pointing out where a particular action took place, where a dug out or ridge was and then turns to camera and deliver a short, precise monologue.
He dresses smartly, invariably wearing a tie or cravat; with a neat trimmed grey moustache and fixes the camera from behind silver framed glasses. When he speaks to the camera his voice carries a gravitas and intensity that conveys respect and concern with cold hard truths. He has the same persona on the page and this is what drives Tommy forward

Holmes is like a kindly uncle who knows every minute detail on his subject and will tell you everything you need to know, in a slow studied manner. Despite his slow, at times ponderous style, or perhaps precisely because of it, he ignites your interest and takes you through the story, even when it gets a little complicated and dull, regimental names and badges for instance.

And like a good story, told by a kindly uncle, it stays in your head, the characters vibrant and their lives and deaths meaningful and justice done to them.

Boring.......2004-09-13

Another revisionist tract that seeks to glorify the British Tommy though spinning defeats into victories, bumblers into geniuses, and incompetence into acumen. Overly long, redundant and without a single unifying theme, this book is more demanding on your patience than critical faculty.

Average customer rating:

Uniforms of the WWII Tommy
David B. Gordon
Manufacturer: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Incorporat
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Uniforms | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 157510122X
Release Date: 2005-12-01

By The Pricking Of My Thumbs (Tommy and Tuppence Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

Enjoyable mystery
Tommy and Tuppence's Crowning Achievement
Late Christie, Even-Paced Mystery
Tommy and Tuppence visit Aunt Ada and....
Bordering on gothic

By The Pricking Of My Thumbs (Tommy and Tuppence Mysteries)
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451200527

Book Description

Incoherent ramblings or clues?

It's a toss up for Tommy and Tuppence

On their visit to Sunny Ridge Rest Home, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford can't make heads or tails of what dotty Mrs. Lancaster is trying to tell them. But when she disappears without a trace, they're about to discover that something wicked has come to Sunny Ridge.

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyable mystery.......2007-02-20

I saw a program on TV about Agatha Christie several weeks ago. It was about her early years, first marriage and disappearance for ten days. She is one of my favorite mystery writers and I hadn't read any of her work in a long time. Asked my daughter to bring a book from the library and she picked this one.

Had never heard of the Beresfords before, but thoroughly enjoyed the story. The ending was unexpected, but I wasn't trying to solve the mystery. I was just enjoying the writing. Few can top Agatha Christie.

I expected it to last a snowy weekend. I read it in one day!

Tommy and Tuppence's Crowning Achievement.......2005-10-13

By the Pricking of My Thumbs marked a wonderful return of Tommy and Tuppence (truly her novel, though) Beresford that captures them as older people but still with all of the charm of the characters they were during the era of the flappers. The big advantage of this chapter in their fictional lives over previous ones is that Agatha Christie does not have them embroiled in a rather weak political/spy drama, naive politics always being a flaw in her writing. This is actually one of better of Christie's mysteries with many wonderfully dark ideas throughout that provide more fun than the usual stock amount of red herrings. This book effectively combines the dark deeds of the author's later books with the sense of fun of the earlier ones which can sometimes be lacking in the later Christies.

Late Christie, Even-Paced Mystery.......2005-01-06

By the Pricking of My Thumbs (1968) marks the penultimate appearance of Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. It is one of the novels which I return to periodically because I find that the novel continues to provide a certain amount of entertainment.

In By the Pricking of My Thumbs, we have less the espionage element that might have characterized their earlier adventures, The Secret Adversary, N or M?, or even possibly Partners in Crime. Instead, this novel represents a novel later in Christie's career in which she began to explore alternative reasons for murder. I am reminded of the sort of ingenuity that Christie utilizes in a late Miss Marple Mystery, Nemesis, written around this same period.

The reader should be aware that this even-paced thriller belongs to the brand of mystery in which the reader will have to sit back and enjoy Tuppence's wanderings with only a mysterious painting as an initial clue. The couple is older and their concerns focus little on employment but on the reasons why a woman has disappeared from a nursing home.

I recommend By the Pricking of Thumbs to people who are looking for something a little different from the genre which ordinarily belongs to Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. While By the Pricking of My Thumbs is not as odd as Endless Night, I would place this work among her works which emphasize subtle yet insistent menace, drawing on the ordinary as a means of hiding past crimes.

Tommy and Tuppence visit Aunt Ada and...........2004-07-10

stumble upon yet another sinister criminal network.

Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, first introduced as young adventures in post WWI England (THE SECRET ADVERSARY) have appeared from time to time as since: as young marrieds (PARTNERS IN CRIME), then as middle aged parents of grown children (M OR N?) and now somewhat older but still active.

The story opens as the Beresfords decide to pay a duty call on Tommy's rather difficult Aunt Ada. Tuppence is banished by the old lady and retreats to the nursing home's sitting room where she meets another old woman, Mrs. Lancaster. The two chat quite happily for a while until the old lady asks Tuppence "Was it your poor child?". Even allowing for the older woman's age and possible senility Tuppence finds the whole thing rather unsettling.

Still weeks pass and the whole matter begins to be forgotten until, while settling Aunt Ada's affairs after her death, Tuppence finds herself again dealing with Mrs. Lancaster. This time though, it is the woman's absence rather than her presence that is disturbing.

Soon Tuppence, in her typical manner, is hot on the trail with Tommy in pursuit, in his typical manner. As always, Albert is there to keep an eye on the pair.

Christie made the decision to age this pair of sleuths more or less in 'real-time', they were in their early to mid twenties in the opening books (written in the mid to late 1920's), mid to late forties during WWII and seem to be about 60 in this 1968 novel. This marks a departure from her treatment of Poirot and Miss Marple who age very little from their first appearance to their last.

It is always good to see this delightful pair and find out what they have been up to. The plot of the novel is very much in keeping with the ones before, and, like all Christie novels the clues are all fairly laid out for the reader to follow. Of course there is the 'Christie twist' at the end that the reader never saw coming. Like many of her later works, this one is rather sinister as opposed to the light hearted romps of her earlier works. Still, I gave this one four stars not five because I felt it dragged a bit at times. Perhaps Tommy and Tuppence would have been more at home in the action packed madcap
adventures of their earlier books despite their advancing years. I know that I would have been.

Bordering on gothic.......2004-05-14

As with Postern of Fate, By the Pricking of My Thumbs ventures torwards the gothic horror genre as Tuppence tries to unravel the mystery of a house depicted in her aunt's painting.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles, the Secret Adversary: An Agatha Christie Omnibus

Average customer rating:

This one is a page-turning, spine-tingling mystery .

The Mysterious Affair at Styles, the Secret Adversary: An Agatha Christie Omnibus
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Anthologies | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0786704349

Customer Reviews:

This one is a page-turning, spine-tingling mystery ........2004-06-24

The Secret Adversary was one of the most engaging books I have ever read. Set in post World War I England, two down-on-their-luck friends (Prudence Cowley and Tommy Beresford) form a pact to create Young Adventurers, Ltd., a company billing itself as willing to perform any task-- provided the pay was good enough. Yet before they place their advertisement, Prudence is approached by an unusual man who has overheard their conversation and wants to meet her-- alone-- the next morning. The story that follows stimulates the mind as well as appeasing those with a taste for action, without being graphic or offensive. Truly a good read.

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Tommy Atkins Redux
Tommy Atkins Redux

British Tommy 1914-18 (Warrior)
Martin Pegler
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

World War I | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1855325411
Release Date: 1996-07-15

Book Description

The World War 1 was a watershed in British military and social history, and even now the repercussions can still be felt. No town or village in the British Isles escaped casualty, and the creative genius of a generation was wiped out, at an incalculable loss to society. This book looks in detail at how the British soldier lived, fought and died during the traumatic war years. Enlistment, training and all aspects of life on active service are carefully examined, including discipline, relaxation and even the type and quality of food that soldiers ate. The analysis of the British infantryman's experience is greatly aided by the memories of old soldiers, which provide an interesting and often vivid account of life on the Western Front.

Customer Reviews:

Tommy Atkins Redux.......2001-12-30

This volume covers much of the same materiel that was included in the British Infantry Equipments, 1908-1980 and British Army 1914-1918 titles in the Men At Arms series.
It also covers much of the same as in Chappells own publications in British Army in the Twentieth Century. Unfortunately most of those are no longer available. I hope he did not lose money on them.
This volume therefore combines the results of twenty more years of research and brings together information once available only seperately. Worth having for that reason alone.

Tommy Atkins Redux.......2001-12-30

Partners in Crime: Tommy and Tuppence Mysteries (Mystery Masters Series)

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Partners in Crime: Tommy and Tuppence Mysteries (Mystery Masters Series)
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: The Audio Partners, Mystery Masters
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 1572704713

Book Description

When the British Secret Service asks them to take over the International Detective Agency—a suspected Bolshevik spy information drop—Tommy and Tuppence jump at the chance. Told to watch for "blue letters with a Russian stamp" and visitors mentioning the number "16," they nonetheless have time for a variety of cases as they pose as the agency's director and secretary. As an amateur private detective, Tommy takes inspiration from and impersonates other great detectives from crime fiction. While fulfilling their role for British Intelligence, they breeze their way through 15 other cases, solving murder mysteries, a jewel robbery, and rounding up gangs of smugglers and counterfeiters. Originally published in 1929, this exciting whodunit is dramatically read by perennial favorite James Warwick.

BRITAIN'S LAST TOMMIES: Final Memories from Soldiers of the 1914-18 War - In Their Own Words

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The things these men suffered

BRITAIN'S LAST TOMMIES: Final Memories from Soldiers of the 1914-18 War - In Their Own Words
Richard Van Emden
Manufacturer: Pen and Sword
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1844153150

Book Description

The First World War as a living history is to all intents and purposes over. As of today February 2005, there are only twelve veterans from six million alive who served on the Western Front. Richard has spent the last 20 years interviewing and carefully recording the memories of over 270 veterans and this book is a culmination of his 20 years of work.

The book will be an extraordinary collection of stories told by the veterans themselves but also through the author's memories of them: the remarkable, the sad, the funny, the moving. It will also feature an outstanding collection of photographs taken of the veterans as they were, as soldiers during the war together with recent images of almost all of these men, taken at home, back on the Western Front, at the final veterans' reunion, and at various investitures.

Britain's Last Tommies will also offer a unique list of veterans, all of who individually hold the poignant title of being the last Gallipoli veteran, the last Royal Flying Corps veteran, the last Distinguished Conduct Medal holder, the last cavalryman, the last Prisoner of War.

Customer Reviews:

The things these men suffered.......2007-09-18

Wow. What an eye-opener this book is. The true stories of the killing fields of WWI, and the officers and the soldiers who fought, straight from the veterans' mouths. These men went through hell on earth and lived to tell the tale. This is an in-depth look at the horror of that war, all the more powerful because it's told with such restraint by the very men who fought, and by respectfully sympathetic author. Highly recommended.

The Secret Adversary: A Tommy and Tuppence Mystery (Mystery Masters Series)

Average customer rating:

Highly entertaining
Great Lead Characters Bogged Down in Weak Book
Young Adventurers vs. Militant Labor Unions
NO SECRET HERE - A FINE VOICE PERFORMANCE
A fun ride through history's dark moments

The Secret Adversary: A Tommy and Tuppence Mystery (Mystery Masters Series)
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: The Audio Partners, Mystery Masters
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 157270425X

Book Description

Full of energy and short of funds, old chums Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley decide to form the "Young Adventurers," and advertise themselves as willing to "go anywhere and do anything." Asked by a British Intelligence official to find a woman named Jane Finn, who disappeared with sensitive government documents, they soon find that their whimsical idea has drawn them into a complicated web of intrigue, intelligence agents, dubious identities, missing government papers, false clues — and all-too-real danger.

Download Description

"E-book exclusive extras: 1) Christie biographer Charles Osborne's essay on The Secret Adversary;

Customer Reviews:

Highly entertaining.......2006-03-21

This is the book where two of the most lively characters ever created by Agatha Christie make their debuts. Tommy Beresford, a lieutenant during the war, is a very down-to-earth and unimaginative type of teenager, while Prudence "Tuppence" Cowley, his partner, is exactly the opposite. She is an energetic girl in her early twenties who has a fast-thinking mind and who relies more on her natural instinct than her common sense. They complement each other and make a perfect couple. Together they're able to defeat even the most notorious master criminal of their time.

In this book, Agatha Christie fully displayed her gift of a great sense of humour. The amusing conversation between the two lovely young characters never failed to crack me up all the time and I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Great Lead Characters Bogged Down in Weak Book.......2005-03-15

Tommy and Tuppence were sparkling creations by Agatha Christie (and their ability to transfer deliciously to the small screen is also a proven fact.) But sadly they were never given as strong mystery material as Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot were and have, therefore, languished on the literary sidelines to a great extent. Their first appearance, in the Secret Adversary, is a good example of this problem. Christie is weakest when politics are involved and the story is hopelessly naive with the fate of the world being controlled by one man, Mr. Brown, who ultimately is rather easily bested by those two crazy kids of the flapper Twenties, Tommy and Tuppence. The author never, ever, succeeded in achieving anything remotely approaching a spy thriller. Still, this book will hold interest for anyone wanting an early glimpse of the crazy duo who are always a pleasure to spend some time with.

Young Adventurers vs. Militant Labor Unions.......2004-08-22

Great light beach reading in this little known series of Agatha Christie's Young Adventurers. In this first appearance, the soon to be husband and wife team of Tommy and Tuppence cast off their post-war boredom by hiring themselves out as adventurers.

They soon find themselves Britain's only hope against an unbelievable collection of thugs, unionists, and socialists bent on destroying the empire in ways that can only be spoken of in whispers. The chrismatic yet unknown Mr. Brown is behind all of this, and no one knows who he is. Join our heroes as they chase him down with several false leads and misidentifications. After almost a century this tale still holds up well. The sinking of the Lusitania and other events of the Great War play a prominent role as Victorian life provides our setting.

NO SECRET HERE - A FINE VOICE PERFORMANCE.......2004-08-12

Popular performer Samantha Bond uses her wonderful British voice to best advantage in reading this -not-too-heavy tale by the doyenne of mysteries, Agatha Christie.

Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley suffer from a common malady - they need money. So, being an imaginative pair they decide to hire themselves out as adventurers, if you will, able and ready to tackle anything for a sum.

Better be careful what you ask for - they're retained by the evil Mr. Whittington who is a threat not only to Great Britain but also to our impecunious pair.

As they say, two heads are better than one but Tommy and Tuppence must use all the brainpower each possesses to get out of this scrape.

The dialogue features frequent feasts of repartee - a thoroughly entertaining listen.

- Gail Cooke

A fun ride through history's dark moments.......2004-07-05

After all, this novel was about an important document that would turn history on its head. In the days of great ocean liners, a secret document was sent to America for safekeeping aboard the Lusitania. The ship sank, but not before the man who kept this document gave it away to someone. Fast forward to Tommy and Tuppence who were both almost jobless and had no rich boyfriend/girlfriend to turn to. Tuppence had the idea to turn themselves into an adventuring couple and sent an ad to the news. What follows is a rigmarole of mistaken identity, blatant lies and international intrigue.

'The secret adversary' effectively introduces Tommy and Tuppence as the power couple of the detective world. The Queen's narrative is as lively as the characters itself, and you'll find yourself reading this to the wee hours of them morning.

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