Other editions of book The Secret Adversary: A Tommy and Tuppence Mystery

Agatha Christie's first Tommy and Tuppence audiobook is a thrill-packed novel of international intrigue and murder with all the Christie hallmarks of suspense and ingenuity.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…

Published in January 1922, The Secret Adversary is the second detective fiction novel by British crime novelist Agatha Christie. The book introduces the characters of Tommy Beresford and Prudence Tuppence Cowley, two out-of-work twenty-somethings in post-war London. The two agree to form The Young Adventurers, Ltd, hiring themselves out with the slogan no reasonable offer refused. They are quickly enlisted to solve the mysterious disappearance of a young woman who was entrusted with sensitive diplomatic documents amid the sinking of the RMS Lusitania. Reviewed positively at the time of its release, the story maintains its gripping suspense until the very end.

With jobs thin on the ground Tommy and Tuppence decide to form a partnership and hire themselves out as ‘young adventurers, willing to do anything, go anywhere’.When their first assignment, for the sinister Mr Whittington, puts both of them in mortal danger, they have to use all their ingenuity and cunning to save not only their own lives but that of the mysterious ‘Jane Finn’.

IT was 2 p.m. on the afternoon of May 7, 1915. The _Lusitania_ had been struck by two torpedoes in succession and was sinking rapidly, while the boats were being launched with all possible speed. The women and children were being lined up awaiting their turn. Some still clung desperately to husbands and fathers; others clutched their children closely to their breasts. One girl stood alone, slightly apart from the rest. She was quite young, not more than eighteen. She did not seem afraid, and her grave, steadfast eyes looked straight ahead. “I beg your pardon.” A man’s voice beside her made her start and turn. She had noticed the speaker more than once amongst the first-class passengers. There had been a hint of mystery about him which had appealed to her imagination. He spoke to no one. If anyone spoke to him he was quick to rebuff the overture. Also he had a nervous way of looking over his shoulder with a swift, suspicious glance.

The Great War is over, and jobs are scarce. Tommy Beresford and Prudence "Tuppence" Cowley meet and agree to start their own business as The Young Adventurers. They are hired for a job that leads them both to many dangerous situations, meeting allies as well, including an American millionaire in search of his cousin. It started with the sinking of the Lusitania. . . . An American, carrying secret papers, placed them in the care of a young American woman. She was to carry them to England, and advertise for the American: if he did not answer her ad, she should assume he was lost, and place the papers in the hands of the American Ambassador. The American survived, thank God. But the girl whom he entrusted disappeared before she could advertise for him. The papers she carried are lost -- and even now, five years later, the fate of England's postwar recovery depends upon them. . . . (Jacketless library hardcover.)

Tom Jones is a foundling discovered on the property of a very kind, wealthy landowner, Squire Allworthy, in Somerset in England's West Country. Tom grows into a vigorous and lusty, yet honest and kind-hearted, youth. He develops affection for his neighbour's daughter, Sophia Western. On one hand, their love reflects the romantic comedy genre that was popular in 18th-century Britain. However, Tom's status as a bastard causes Sophia's father and Allworthy to oppose their love; this criticism of class friction in society acted as a biting social commentary. The inclusion of prostitution and sexual promiscuity in the plot was also original for its time, and also acted as the foundation for criticism of the book's "lowness."

Hiring themselves out as “young adventurers willing to do anything” is a smart move for Tommy and Tuppence. All Tuppence has to do is take an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris and pose as someone named Jane Finn. But with the job comes a threat to her life, and the disappearance of her mysterious employer. Now Tuppence’s newest job is playing detective—because if there’s a Jane Finn that really exists, she’s got a secret that’s putting both their lives in danger.

Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG - - IT was 2 p.m. on the afternoon of May 7, 1915. The Lusitania had been struck by two torpedoes in succession and was sinking rapidly, while the boats were being launched with all possible speed. The women and children were being lined up awaiting their turn. Some still clung desperately to husbands and fathers; others clutched their children closely to their breasts. One girl stood alone, slightly apart from the rest. She was quite young, not more than eighteen. She did not seem afraid, and her grave, steadfast eyes looked straight ahead. "I beg your pardon." A man's voice beside her made her start and turn. She had noticed the speaker more than once amongst the first-class passengers. There had been a hint of mystery about him which had appealed to her imagination. He spoke to no one. If anyone spoke to him he was quick to rebuff the overture. Also he had a nervous way of looking over his shoulder with a swift, suspicious glance.

It is just after WWI and Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley are desperately short of money. With jobs thin on the ground, Tommy and Tuppence decide to form a partnership and hire themselves out as "young adventurers, willing to do anything, go anywhere." When their first assignment, for the sinister Mr Whittington, puts both of them in mortal danger, they have to use all their ingenuity and cunning to save not only their own lives but that of the mysterious "Jane Finn".