Reader reviews

• therebelprince

  (3/5)

  Christie’s second Tommy and Tuppence book (of five) is also the second-best. The characters shine as in their first outing, "The Secret Adversary", and their bubbliness – which was a bit off-putting in the trenches of "N or M?" – is used to maximum effect in these giddy little cases. All of the stories are enjoyable, and they were the basis for the 1980s TV series 'Partners in Crime', which I’ve never seen but reliable sources inform me wasn’t very good. (A pity, because the fanboy inside me wishes James Warwick and Francesca Annis could reunite and film the later books, for continuity’s sake!)
  
  "Partners in Crime" is let down by the fact that each short story parodies a detective or detective style from the era. Many of these have faded into history, which can lead to hidden jokes feeling disconnected, and witty one-liners become merely non-sequiturs. The first time I read this book, however, I didn’t realise this; aside from the occasional discombobulating moment, it wasn’t an issue. Re-reading, I notice the format more. An enjoyable confection, but won’t sate your hunger for long. Sadly, when Christie revived the couple for three further escapades in middle age, they’d be largely a waste.
  
  Tommy and Tuppence ranking: 2nd out of 5.
• auntie0nanuuq

  (2/5)

  
  
  This was about the two of them, after their first spy adventure... being connected to a second.
  
  They open up a detective agency in order to help crash the spy ring, but in the meanwhile take on various & assorted other cases, so it was more like a series of short stories, with themes that have been found in other Christie stories.
  
  Many of the stories had endings cut short, with no facing off of the thief/murderer/culprit, which I didn't like
  
  There was quite a bit of mindless banter, which really did confuse & lose me.... and silly pretending to be other famous detectives....
• kaitanya64

  (3/5)

  I love Agatha Christie. And I loved Tommy and Tuppence in their first novel. But somehow, these short stories just did not interest me much. I think maybe in a short story, the plot development that is really Christie's major strength just doesn't show to advantage. This is okay, but not great.
• fasciknitting

  (4/5)

  Tommy and Tuppence have recently married and Tuppence is a bored housewife, but their life is about to get exciting. They've taken over the International Detective Agency and solve mystery after mystery by copying the Classic detectives: Sherlock Holmes, Hanaud, and even Hercule Poirot! This was wonderfully funny and a very quick read.
• jennie_103

  (4/5)

  I don't normally read short stories much but these are fantastic. Well worth seeking out. Each is in the style of another mystery writer (although I'm not well read enough to work them all out!) It is also a Tommy and Tuppence book who are my favourite Christie detectives.
• jeffreymarks

  (5/5)

  I love this book. Great stories and a reminder of all the "great detectives" of the 1920s. It's no surprise that my little Scottie is named Tuppence.
• hanneri_1

  (3/5)

  Not one of Christie's best books but I enjoy Tommy and Tuppence. This was a set of short stories with an overarching meta-story but the interesting thing was that in each of the stories the characters decided to follow the style of another famous detective: Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown, the Old Man in the Corner, and even Hercule Poirot! It wasn't incredibly clever or obvious but enjoyable nonetheless.
• amphipodgirl

  (2/5)

  It's very dated. In each incident, Tommy and Tuppence copy the methods and mannerisms of a famous fictional detective, and often his sidekick as well. But the book was written in 1929, and I'd never heard of most of these then-famous detectives. This really marred my enjoyment of the stories.
• leischen_1

  (1/5)

  The worst mystery book I've ever read. It's a surprise that this is a relatively early Christie when she was in her prime. Two absolute twits, Tommy & Tuppence Beresford, decide to play detectives by solving cases in the style of classic characters. Horribly dated and trite. Every author has to have a worst book, this is Christie's. Absolute garbage.
• wisewoman_1

  (3/5)

  I read this several months ago and am just now catching up on the review, so my memory's a bit hazy. I remember this being fun but very ridiculous in its elaborate setups, unlikely coincidences, and improbable sleuthing. But for all that, it's Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, Agatha Christie's beloved detective couple whose dialogue alone is worth the price of admission. Witty, teasing, and always affectionate toward one another, they operate in a world of dangerous gangs, deceptive missions, espionage, double identities, and the usual trappings of romantic mystery. The Beresfords should probably be classified more as fantasy than mystery, but I think the two genres are more closely related than is generally assumed. Both seek to create a fictional world that draws the reader into the problem that the hero/detective must somehow solve. Often, both genres involve quests of some kind to discover a hidden reality. Interesting, isn't it, how both are trying to get at the same thing, truth? It just so happens the fantasy world of the English mystery novel is more akin to its originating country than that of straight fantasy of the dragons and princesses variety. It is fun that our detectives are married and not just two people falling in love over the mystery they're working together to solve. To be sure, the romantic angle is not omitted; they are forever teasing one another about infidelity (which is interesting, given Christie's experiences with both her husbands). But the reader always knows it's a joke, that underneath all the banter there is a deep and abiding loyalty that is, in its way, unassailable. Beyond the outlandish villains and unlikely settings, this is the most fantastical element of the Tommy and Tuppence tales. I think this is why despite the sometimes-clumsy plots, their stories remain popular among Christie's readers. Fun characters, married and still madly in love, having fabulous and dangerous adventures in which they prove both their competence and luck again and again—who wouldn't want to slip into their world for a bit? Enjoyable fluff.
• neverlistless

  (4/5)

  Tommy and Tuppence have recently married and Tuppence is a bored housewife, but their life is about to get exciting. They've taken over the International Detective Agency and solve mystery after mystery by copying the Classic detectives: Sherlock Holmes, Hanaud, and even Hercule Poirot! This was wonderfully funny and a very quick read.
• sueincyprus

  (5/5)

  In the first chapter we meet a young, fairly well-off couple called Tommy and Tuppence. Apparently this is the second of Agatha Christie's novels featuring them. While characterisation is usually fairly shallow in her books, Tuppence she created a likeable, outgoing young woman with a great deal of both courage. However, at the start of the book she is bored...The rest of the book features their adventures as they solve a variety of crimes and puzzles, under the guise of a detective agency. Each incident takes one or two chapters of the book and is complete in itself, but the whole is part of what we would now call a story arc: a gang of criminals have been known to use the agency, so Tommy and Tuppence are constantly on the lookout for secret code words or phrases. I very much enjoyed this book. There’s plenty of light-hearted badinage between Tommy and Tuppence, who are clearly devoted to each other, and most of the crimes are interesting rather than unpleasant. While Tommy is a fairly serious person, he loves reading crime fiction, and takes on the persona of different detectives. I didn't get all the references, but it didn't matter. In the final chapters, things become more serious and there’s quite an exciting finale.Recommended to anyone who enjoys this genre.
• bnielsen_30

  (3/5)

  England, ca 1950Indeholder en hel del småhistorier forklædt som kapitler.Tommy og Tuppence Beresford har været gift i seks år og mens Tommy arbejder for efterretningstjenesten i et kontorjob, går Tuppence hjemme og keder sig. Tommy får tilbudt at overtage et detektivbureau på skrømt og de to tager imod tilbuddet og løser en lang række sager. Et fjollet indslag er at de løser hver sag på en ny måde inspireret af kendte og ukendte litterære forbilleder. De mange sager får bogen til at minde meget om en novellesamling. Sagerne starter med at Tuppence finder en pige som hun selv har skjult. Det er bare for at gøre lidt reklame for bureauet og for at sætte skub i en romance. Tommy opklarer et smykketyveri i rollen som doktor Thorndyke. Sammen får de anholdt et par spioner mens de leger Francis og Desmond Okewood. Som McCarty og Riordan opklarer de et jalousimord. En fiasko er det derimod som Holmes og Watson at opspore en forsvundet dame - hun er nemlig frivilligt på slankeanstalt. Som Thornley Colton fanger Tommy en spion der har bortført ham. Som Fader Brown fanger Tommy en politimand med en løs knippel. Som Edgar Wallace fanger Tommy en falskmønterbande. Som Den gamle Mand i Hjørnet opklarer han et meget velmaskeret mord på en mand på golfbanen og forærer løsningen til kriminalassistent Marriot. Som Hanaud opklarer han to giftmord. Som kriminalassistent French finder han ud af hvilket af en piges to alibier, der er falsk og hvilket der er sand. Som Roger Sheringham finder han en nedgravet skat i kartoffelstykket. Som Reginald Fortune og kriminalkommisær Bell løser de en gåde med ombyttede tasker hvilket viser sig at have med kokainsmugling at gøre.Den sidste historie er Tommy i alvorlig knibe som Hercule Poirot, for Tuppence er blevet bortført og han kan ikke finde hende før han får sat sine små grå i arbejde.Han vinder hende dog tilbage og hun belønner ham ved at afsløre at hun venter barn.Udmærket, men meget let læsning
• atimco-1

  (3/5)

  I read this several months ago and am just now catching up on the review, so my memory's a bit hazy. I remember this being fun but very ridiculous in its elaborate setups, unlikely coincidences, and improbable sleuthing. But for all that, it's Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, Agatha Christie's beloved detective couple whose dialogue alone is worth the price of admission. Witty, teasing, and always affectionate toward one another, they operate in a world of dangerous gangs, deceptive missions, espionage, double identities, and the usual trappings of romantic mystery. The Beresfords should probably be classified more as fantasy than mystery, but I think the two genres are more closely related than is generally assumed. Both seek to create a fictional world that draws the reader into the problem that the hero/detective must somehow solve. Often, both genres involve quests of some kind to discover a hidden reality. Interesting, isn't it, how both are trying to get at the same thing, truth? It just so happens the fantasy world of the English mystery novel is more akin to its originating country than that of straight fantasy of the dragons and princesses variety. It is fun that our detectives are married and not just two people falling in love over the mystery they're working together to solve. To be sure, the romantic angle is not omitted; they are forever teasing one another about infidelity (which is interesting, given Christie's experiences with both her husbands). But the reader always knows it's a joke, that underneath all the banter there is a deep and abiding loyalty that is, in its way, unassailable. Beyond the outlandish villains and unlikely settings, this is the most fantastical element of the Tommy and Tuppence tales. I think this is why despite the sometimes-clumsy plots, their stories remain popular among Christie's readers. Fun characters, married and still madly in love, having fabulous and dangerous adventures in which they prove both their competence and luck again and again—who wouldn't want to slip into their world for a bit? Enjoyable fluff.
• themulhern

  (2/5)

  Perhaps because of the imitations or parodies of other literary detectives or because of the short story form this book is better than the other "Tommy and Tuppence" books. I usually find a series of short stories about established characters more enjoyable than a series where each story has to start completely new. Nothing too momentous has to occur in an individual story as the characters will come around again. The whole thing is so deliberately artificial that you can't censure any individual story; perhaps the part you dislike most is an essential part of the parody.The television series is probably more enjoyable than the book; partly because Albert plays a much larger and mostly humorous role.I would not have been able to recognize many of the parodies if I had not previously read and watched a fair amount of "The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes"
• bookpurring

  (3/5)

  This is my second Tommy and Tuppence book, and my oh I don't know 50th Agatha Christie book? I have to say that from my first T&T I wasn't very impressed with them or rather with Christie's espionage work. I've also come to realize that I prefer Christie's novels to her short stories. I do find the characters rather charming, T&T are very much partners and such a delightful couple to read about. In many occasion while listening to this compilation of short stories I found the solutions rather simple, and finally came to the conclusion the book is meant a parody of detective fiction, T&T detective agency name made me chuckle "Blunt's Brilliant Detectives." Christie even takes a jab at Sherlock Holmes and even her own detective Poirot. When it comes to the stories, this was an interesting compilation, my personal favorite because of the sense of parody and humor behind it was The Case of the Missing Lady. But there are some stories like The Unbreakable Alibi, that just simply left me wanting more. Overall, I would recommend this audio to those Agatha fans that simply just have to read all of her work, definitely not as an introduction to Christie.
• lahochstetler

  (3/5)

  Tommy and Tuppence are once again on the trail of Russian spies. They are commissioned to take over a detective agency that will be used as a front to try and trap said Russian spies. Posing as a detective and his "confidential secretary" the Beresfords take on all sorts of cases. Some are not very difficult, and Tuppence repeatedly proves herself to be the superior detective. The two go through all sorts of machinations to try and prove their importance to their clients, claiming to be called away to important cases by Scotland Yard. They also mimic the methods and habits of famous literary detectives. There are even several bows to Christie's own Poirot, as they attempt to use "the little grey cells."I must admit that Tommy and Tuppence are my least favorite of Christie's detectives. Still, a lesser Christie is still better than a good many other mysteries. Short stories rob Christie of some of her best attributes- complex character development and relationships, and that is certainly the case here. Still, while Christie's short stories are rarely as good as her novels, this volume is still worth a read.
• kw50197

  (3/5)

  A fun read ... one that suspense fans which are very familiar and knowledgeable about the genre would probably enjoy better.
• adpaton

  (4/5)

  Although there is a linking theme in this colection of short stories - the Beresford's are working for British Intelligence to thwart a foreign power, the usual - each is a gem on its own. We start a couple of years after their marriage and are granted a glimpse of what happened to Cinderella and snow white and all the other fairy tale heroines AFTER the wedding. In a word, boredom. Albert is working for them, Tommy has a civil service position, and Tuppence is addicted to buying hats. When the chance arises for her to join him in some undercover work she grabs it: the twist is she decides to approach each crime i the manner of a famous literary detective. There's Hercule Poirot of course, in a rare bit of self reference on Christie's part, and naturally Sherlock Holmes, and Father Brown and the Old Man in the Corner and many other detectivs who although popular when the stories were written back in the 20s are now forgotten completely. Not quite pastiche or spoof, more of an homage to her peers, Partners in Crime is an under-rated delight.
• inkcharmed

  (4/5)

  Tommy and Tuppence are my favorites!!
• melhay_3

  (4/5)

  This is a collection of short mysteries in which Tommy and Tuppence work their way through posing as detectives owning their own agency, as asked by Scotland Yard, to catch a mean suspect. Tommy and Tuppence are wonderful characters. They have great humor and love to pick on each other. I really enjoyed the teasing of each other. And this lovely couple act out different detectives for each case, based on what they know of the case. You really get a small glimps of how they see other detectives in the books.
• smik_3

  (4/5)

  Six years have passed since the Beresfords began their sleuthing partnership in THE SECRET ADVERSARY. Tommy now has a desk job with the British Secret Service, and Tuppence, much to her displeasure is at home, though when the Chief of British Intelligence asks them to take over the International Detective Agency, both jump at the chance of new adventures.The fifteen stories contain parodies of fictional detectives who were well-known to readers of the 1920s. In each story Tommy and Tuppence assume the mannerisms and methods of a different detective or detective team, including Sherlock Holmes.I am told the stories contain parodies of Sherlock Holmes, John Thorndyke, Father Brown, and Hercule Poirot, but not being a reader from the 1920s I did have trouble in some stories in working out who the "original" sleuth was. There are quite good synopses of the individual stories both on the Agatha Christie site and on Wikipedia, so I won't repeat them here. The Wikipedia one in particular identifies whose methods each story is a a parody of.Interestingly, all of the short stories had been published individually between 1923 and 1928 and were then arranged in a slightly different order for the 1929 collection.I think I preferred the characterisation of Tuppence and Tommy in these stories to their first appearance in THE SECRET ADVERSARY. Tuppence in particular comes over with a mind of her own and a good sense of intuition, even if occasionally the stories are a little "twee". I also quite like her Scotland Yard detective Inspector Marriot. The stories are bound together with an overall theme of a rather vague Russian plot.They fit also with my idea that Christie often set herself tasks to achieve- in this case her challenge was to see if she could adopt the styles of other popular crime fiction writers, and to use the icons they used.I regret that I did not manage to read these stories in the correct time frame, that is in the 1929 slot, between THE SEVEN DIALS MYSTERY and THE MURDER AT THE VICARAGE.
• dsbs_2

  (4/5)

  Not one of her best mysteries, but a nice little collection of loosely related T&T stories. Most cases were pretty damn predictable, which is understandable considering that Tommy and Tuppence are amateurs, like the readers (presumably); that's part of their appeal. Light-hearted and funny; and I do love Tommy and Tuppence together, I think they're adorable. It was also fun to see Christie pay tribute to other famous detectives, although I have to admit I'd heard of exactly two of the ones she mentioned: Holmes and Christie's own Poirot. Anyway, bottom line? A good, quick, fun read.
• jonrob_1

  (3/5)

  One of Dame Agatha's weaker efforts, this is basically a series of short stories featuring the Beresfords (Tommy and Tuppence). Now, I don't dislike them as much as some of AC's fans, but the essential premise (they take over a detective agency at the behest of Tommy's boss, with the intention of trapping a master-spy) is dubious, and the idea that they tackle each case in the style of a well-known fictional detective doesn't really work either. The strongest stories are "The Man in the Mist" (Father Brown) and "THe House of Lurking Death" (Hanaud) but some of the models are just too obscure nowadays - how many people will ever have heard of Thornley Colton, the Blind Problemist? One plus factor is that the relationship between the couple is well-drawn with some effective use of humour. Still, this is only really recommendable to Christie completists, and those interested in the curious tendency of Golden Age writers to indulge in self-reference - the final case is based upon AC's own Hercule Poirot!
• figgles_1

  (3/5)

  Second Tommy and Tuppence, fun series of short stories within the framework of a bigger crime bust. A little difficult to the modern reader as each tale parodies a famous detective and I don't know who most of them are (althoug she cheekily parodies Poirot who must've only just been invented!). Enjoyable.
• riverwillow

  (3/5)

  Tommy and Tuppence are the most annoying characters Christie ever created and this book is not an exception. Here they start to run a detective agency in order to help Scotland Yard and Tommy's boss at the Secret Service catch some kind of Russian Mr Big.
• ds_61_12

  (4/5)

  This novel is sort of a storycollection with a backgroundstory. Tommy and Tupence are asked to take over a detective bureau that is being used for espionage by a foreign power. While carrying out this assignment they also have to maintain the cover by solving 'real' cases.Highly entertaining. Tommy and Tuppence were always some of my favorite sleuths, but here they really come to life. The format of short adventures keeps the book from slogging down in details and keeps a high pace. You get all the clues you really need, but somehow you only rarely figure it out. Intelligent plot and execution. Also a nice edition.