TommyandTuppence

It‘s time for our #ChristiesCapers discussion! I have 6 questions as spoilers posted; you can find these on my feed, the book‘s feed, or by searching the group‘s hashtag.

Next month, we read the second Hercule Poirot novel, Murder on the Links. I‘ll post the official image tomorrow! #AgathaChristieClubR3

janeycanuck, Aims42, MallenNC, Soscha, Cuilin, kspenmoll, BarbaraJean, JenlovesJT47, Lizpixie, MariaW, elkeOriginal, AnneCecilie, Gissy, OutsmartYourShelf, mrp27, Larkken, Suet624, Cailey_Mac, Deblovestoread, ferskner, Marmie7, MaleficentBookDragon, majkia, Bookwormjillk, StayCurious, Laughterhp, Sace, RainyDayReading, Skygoddess1, Morr_Books, PathfinderNicole, dabbe, tdrosebud, TheAromaofBooks, Tineke, PageShifter, willaful, AnishaInkspill

Aims42 Putting in my hold at the library 👍 I am loving these discussions!! Thank you again for organizing!! 2h

MallenNC This one was fun! I had read it before and remembered not liking it but decided to read it again anyway. This time I enjoyed it! Thanks for leading us. 😊 now

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Librarybelle

The Secret Adversary | Agatha Christie

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6. Christie served as a nurse during World War I, and we'll see her interest in poisons (we saw that in Styles last month) and medical situations throughout her canon of works. How does she bring in her knowledge of medicine into this novel?

More info on her work as a nurse (and will help this discussion point): https://hekint.org/2025/01/30/agatha-christie-nurse/

#ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

Aims42 I thought it was funny how having a few sips of brandy was the cure-all 🤣 Overwhelmed? Have some brandy. Just faced a shock? Have some brandy. Almost died? Have some brandy. 2h

willaful There's a rather interesting book on her use of poisons.

A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie

now

MallenNC @Aims42 Maybe we all need to try the brandy cure! This year I might need it. now

MallenNC @willaful That sounds like such an interesting book. I‘m putting it on my TBR now

Aims42 @MallenNC 😂🤣 Very true!! 👍 now

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Librarybelle

The Secret Adversary | Agatha Christie

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5. Did you figure out the identity of Mr. Brown before the big reveal? Were you suspicious as to the motives of some of the characters we meet in the book, thinking specifically of Mr. Carter, Julius, and Lord Edgerton? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

Bookwormjillk I did not. I thought it was Julius. 2h

OutsmartYourShelf I was suspicious of both Julius & Edgerton, especially after the death of Rita with the clue of the balcony only being accessible from that flat. It had to be one of 3 people there & I knew it wasn't Tuppence. 2h

Deblovestoread Christie did a great job of having me waffle between Julius and James. 2h

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Aims42 I was convinced it was Julius 😆 2h

willaful I read it first so long ago I don't remember. She does some nice misdirection, certainly. now

MallenNC I had read this before but forgot how it ended. I was sure it was Julius! now

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Librarybelle

The Secret Adversary | Agatha Christie

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4. Tommy and Tuppence have separate adventures in this novel, and Tommy especially faces a potentially deadly situation. What are your thoughts on the adventures they face? Why do you think they take the risks they do in order to find Jane Finn? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

Deblovestoread In the beginning it was more a lark but as things got serious I think they continued because the knew the other was counting on them to see it through. 2h

OutsmartYourShelf I thought it was a bit contrived that two people with no relevant experience would be employed in an investigation involving state secrets on the basis of placing a newspaper ad asking about Jane Finn. Yes, they could be easily disavowed by the government but still. One of those “accept it for the plot“ situations. 2h

Aims42 Here for the comments because I‘m on the fence. Part of me was like, “ugh, don‘t split up! That‘s how you get killed!!” But then the other part was like, “I am curious how this ends up” 🤔 2h

MallenNC What I liked most about them getting split up was that Tuppence got to be a smart character of her own. I always want to see that more than a damsel in distress. Jane was my favorite though, since she really saved herself throughout the book. now

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Librarybelle

The Secret Adversary | Agatha Christie

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3. Let's talk about Tommy and Tuppence! What did you think of them as characters and as sleuths? Why do you think Christie created sleuths who were very different than Poirot? Would you hire Tommy and Tuppence to help you solve a crime? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

Bookwormjillk I thought they were fun! Not sure I‘d hire them but I enjoyed reading about them. 2h

OutsmartYourShelf It would be boring to write main characters that were all a slight variation on the same theme. Differences allow for more writing scope & plot development. That said, I prefer MM & Poirot myself. 2h

Deblovestoread At first I thought “oh no, more vapid bright young things” but as they became more fleshed out I enjoyed them. As to hiring them to solve a crime probably not but to find my lost dog maybe. 2h

Aims42 @Bookwormjillk Took the words right out of my mouth, I agree 100% 👏😄 I enjoyed being a fly on the wall reading about their adventures. I‘d be exhausted if I was traveling with them lol 2h

MallenNC @Aims42 Agree! They were clever but probably exhausting in real life! I haven‘t read any more of these so I‘m curious how they get their next case. now

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Librarybelle

The Secret Adversary | Agatha Christie

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2. Christie sets up the mystery again with references to World War I...makes sense, since this was published in 1922. This time, Christie begins with the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915.

How familiar are you with the Lusitania? Why do you think Christie uses a historical reference point to anchor (pun not intended) her story?

More info on the liner: https://www.pbs.org/lostliners/lusitania.html

#ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

Bookwormjillk It certainly added drama to have it start with a famous boat sinking! 2h

OutsmartYourShelf Last year I read a book set onboard the Lusitania which was quite good & I was vaguely aware of the ship's history before that. Maybe as this was an early book of Christie's, linking it to a fairly recent historical event gave her a good starting point. Her contemporary readers would know instantly the setting & the events. 2h

Deblovestoread I read Lusitania by David Butler years ago (great book) and it pops up frequently in books set in the period. I think it was a good way to insert the political intrigue into the story. 2h

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Aims42 It‘s such a pivotal part of history, I loved this as an opening. Definitely recommend Erik Larson‘s ‘Dead Wake‘ 2h

willaful The intro to my copy talked about Christie hearing the name Jane Fish and deciding to incorporate it, which is way she often worked. (If you know both Christie and D.E. Stevenson, you can see a lot of Christie's inspirations!) The sinking might have worked in a similar way. now

MallenNC I was only a little aware of the Lusitania and now I want to read more about it. I think starting with a real life event was a clever way to open this novel, especially as her readers would‘ve known so much about it when the book was first released. now

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Librarybelle

The Secret Adversary | Agatha Christie

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1. This novel is the first in the Tommy and Tuppence series, which will eventually include 4 novels and 1 short story collection. This is also Christie's second novel, and we see a very different type of detective compared to Hercule Poirot!

Have you read The Secret Adversary before? Any of the Tommy and Tuppence novels? What are your overall thoughts to the book? We'll explore characters and themes later! #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

Suzze Tommy and Tuppence are my favorite Christie characters! I wish she‘d written more of them! 3h

Librarybelle @Suzze It is a refreshing story. Admittedly, the first few times I read this book Tommy and Tuppence did not click for me. This time, though, they were just what I needed! 3h

Bookwormjillk First time for me. I liked that they weren‘t wealthy. 2h

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Deblovestoread I haven‘t read any of the Tommy and Tuppence books until this one. And I wasn‘t sure I‘d like it in the beginning but they grew on me by the end. 2h

OutsmartYourShelf This was my first read of this series after concentrating mainly on Miss Marple & Poirot so far, but I'm not a fan of T&T going by this book. Hoping the other books will be an improvement. 2h

Aims42 First time for me! I enjoyed these characters so much, I loved the humor and youthfulness. 2h

willaful I've read this quite a few times. It's far from Christie's best but it has a nice sense of fun. now

MallenNC @Librarybelle That was my experience too. I first read this after seeing a TV adaptation and I didn‘t like the banter. But this time I enjoyed it. It had been long enough that I forgot the story‘s resolution. It was much more like a spy novel than a detective novel but it had those signature Christie twists. now

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Librarybelle

The Secret Adversary | Agatha Christie

Tomorrow (Sunday) is our next #ChristiesCapers discussion! Get ready to spend some time discussing Tommy and Tuppence and the Young Adventurers Ltd.

I‘ll post questions mid- to late-morning, US East Coast time. See you then! #AgathaChristieClubR3

kspenmoll This was such a fun read! 6h

Librarybelle So glad you liked it, @kspenmoll ! 4h

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Bookwormjillk

The Secret Adversary | Agatha Christie

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This was a ton of fun and I can‘t wait to read more about Tommy and Tupence. As usual I thought I figured it out but was no where close. Looking forward to discussing this next week. #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3 @Librarybelle

Librarybelle Yay! Glad you liked it! 3d

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Aims42

The Secret Adversary | Agatha Christie

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I LOVED this book! After finishing it I immediately added the rest of the series to my library TBR list 👍 I can‘t wait to discuss it @Librarybelle #christiecapers

Librarybelle Yay!!! 4d

dabbe Wow! I have to get reading! 🤩 4d

Aims42 @dabbe It was fun, not at all what I was expecting 😁 4d

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