Scan barcode
ameydireads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“One can't expect to be infallible straight away.”
In this book we meet Tommy and Tuppence again. It’s been six years since ‘The Secret Adversary’ and they are now yearning to escape the boredom of mundane life. Therefore, when they get the chance to run an undercover operation and a detective’s agency simultaneously, of course they take it! Tommy impersonates Mr. Blunt who is currently imprisoned and Tuppence is his secretary. Tommy and Tuppence are nothing like Agatha Christie’s Poirot or Miss Marple. The fact that they are amateur sleuths makes these short stories so much more interesting and amusing. Half of the time they do not know what they’re doing. They draw a big amount of inspiration from fictional detectives, such as Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, Thornley Colton, and Dr. Thorndyke etc.
“Use your little grey cells, mon ami. Scintillate, Watson. Be a bull that has been more than ten minutes in the arena.”
The problem with short stories is, well, that they are short. There is very little character development and you just have to accept the proposed solution to a mystery. It wasn’t particularly mind-blowing. But if you’re willing to get past this, you might end up liking this book. I was glad to see that the short stories are only focused on Tommy and Tuppence’s time at the detective agency, instead of just being a general collection of stories.
The short story I most enjoyed is “The Clergyman's Daughter/The Red House”, mainly because they have to solve a puzzle to get answers.
Also, the set up of the first case is hilarious. Great marketing, Tuppence!
In this book we meet Tommy and Tuppence again. It’s been six years since ‘The Secret Adversary’ and they are now yearning to escape the boredom of mundane life. Therefore, when they get the chance to run an undercover operation and a detective’s agency simultaneously, of course they take it! Tommy impersonates Mr. Blunt who is currently imprisoned and Tuppence is his secretary. Tommy and Tuppence are nothing like Agatha Christie’s Poirot or Miss Marple. The fact that they are amateur sleuths makes these short stories so much more interesting and amusing. Half of the time they do not know what they’re doing. They draw a big amount of inspiration from fictional detectives, such as Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, Thornley Colton, and Dr. Thorndyke etc.
“Use your little grey cells, mon ami. Scintillate, Watson. Be a bull that has been more than ten minutes in the arena.”
The problem with short stories is, well, that they are short. There is very little character development and you just have to accept the proposed solution to a mystery. It wasn’t particularly mind-blowing. But if you’re willing to get past this, you might end up liking this book. I was glad to see that the short stories are only focused on Tommy and Tuppence’s time at the detective agency, instead of just being a general collection of stories.
The short story I most enjoyed is “The Clergyman's Daughter/The Red House”, mainly because they have to solve a puzzle to get answers.
Also, the set up of the first case is hilarious. Great marketing, Tuppence!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Fatphobia, Suicide, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Drug use and Pregnancy
heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and War
erikwmj's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry