#2 – The Secret Adversary

Housekeeping: As most of Agatha Christie’s novels will be familiar to many readers, and because I find it hard to write much without spoilers, I will be doing two versions of each post. One will be without spoilers, and the other will be exactly the same, but with a spoiler section, no holds barred, tacked onto the end. Please remember which version you are reading when making comments. Spoilers will only refer to the particular book under review, so please make sure your comments do as well. Let’s get started…

You’ve written a successful debut country house mystery novel, with a memorable detective, so obviously you start on the sequel, right? Wrong! Agatha Christie instead chose to create a pair of new characters and write a detective thriller.

Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley, childhood friends, both young and unemployed following demobilisation, meet by chance in London. With poor job prospects, they decide to form a joint venture “The Young Adventurers, Ltd”, but before they can place an advert in The Times, Tuppence is offered work by a man who has overheard their conversation.

This ultimately leads them into the hunt for a young woman, Jane Finn, who may have been entrusted with a secret document when the Lusitania was sunk five years earlier. On their side a senior figure in the British Secret Service, Jane’s cousin (the first of Christie’s American millionaires), and a member of the Cabinet; against them a secret international organisation, headed by the mysterious Mr Brown.

Coincidences abound, and there is slightly too running around, capture and escape, but it is quite entertaining, with a properly clued outcome, so not just a thriller such as The Thirty Nine Steps.

Whilst enjoying reading it as part of my ongoing project, it wouldn’t be one that I would definitely come back to in the future.

Recurring character development

Thomas “Tommy” Beresford

Has a “shock of exquisitely slicked-back red hair” and “unmistakably the face of a gentleman and a sportsman” and is in his early twenties.

Earned the rank of lieutenant serving in World War I. Was wounded in France, before spending time in Tuppence’s hospital. Returned to France, working in Intelligence at some point and meeting Mr Carter, then served in Mesopotamia where wounded again, then posted to Egypt until the Armistice.

Prudence “Tuppence” L. Cowley

Has “no claim to beauty, but there is character and charm in the elfin lines of her little face, with its determined chin and large, wide-apart grey eyes” and is also in her early twenties.

Fifth daughter of Archdeacon Cowley.

During the war worked in a hospital, then moved onto driving a trade delivery van, motor-lorry, and a young general, before ending in a Government office.

Signs of the Times

The sinking of the Lusitania by a German submarine could have brought the USA into the First World War two years before they did declare war. Although mainly being used as a passenger liner, the ship also carried small arms ammuntion and (only admitted to salvage teams in 1982) some larger munitions, and was therefore considered a legitimate military target by Germany. 1,198 out of 1,962 on board lost their lives, including 128 out of 139 Americans.  The first line of the book states that two torpedoes hit the ship; although the passengers on board may have believed that to be the case, only one torpedo was fired, with a second explosion occurring on board. Published only seven years after the event, this does raise the question of how long a gap is appropriate before making use of a historic tragedy in a work of fiction.

The story is set in August 1920.

At one point Tuppence asks for quiet and Tommy says “Shades of Pelmanism”. Pelmanism was a system taught via correspondence course to expand “mental powers in every direction”.

The Prime Minister who appears briefly, although not named, has to be David Lloyd George, who served from 1916 – 1922.

Tommy visits an ABC Shop. These were self-service tea rooms, operated by the Aerated Bread Company, with first opened in 1864. The brand continued until 1982.

They both visit Lyon’s, probably a Corner House, which was more upmarket than an ABC Shop. They existed from 1909 – 1977.

Mr Carter is worried about the possibility of a Labour government. The first Labour government came to power three years after the story is set, and one year after its publication. There are also concerns about the possibility of a General Strike, which whilst being headed off at this time, did come to pass in 1926.

Mr Brown’s organisation includes a Bolshevist, successful in the 1917 Russian Revolution, and a Sinn Feiner, committed to an independent Ireland (partition of Ireland took place in 1921 following a two year guerilla war), and would probably have appeared extremely frightening to readers of the time.

Dover Street underground station was renamed Green Park in 1933

The ASE, mentioned when trades unions are discussed, were the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, which traced its origins back to 1826. In 1920 it merged with other unions to became the Amalgamted Engineering (AEU), then in 1992 following another merger became the Amalgamted Engineering and Electrical Union (AEEU).

Garnaby Williams, Boy Detective sadly appears to be a book within a book, unless anyone has a copy they can produce.

Tuppence consults Bradshaw (published 1839 – 1963) and an ABC (published 1853 – 2007), both railway guides containing timetables. She also looks up an address in the Red Book, but I can’t find out specifically what that is.

References to previous works

Inspector Japp, who appeared in “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” is the CID officer who meets with Julius to get a copy of a photo of Jane Finn.

Vintage Reading Challenge

Agatha Christie is “An author you’ve read and loved before”

#2 – The Secret Adversary – WITH SPOILERS

Housekeeping: As most of Agatha Christie’s novels will be familiar to many readers, and because I find it hard to write much without spoilers, I will be doing two versions of each post. One will be without spoilers, and the other will be exactly the same, but with a spoiler section, no holds barred, tacked onto the end. Please remember which version you are reading when making comments. Spoilers will only refer to the particular book under review, so please make sure your comments do as well. Let’s get started…

You’ve written a successful debut country house mystery novel, with a memorable detective, so obviously you start on the sequel, right? Wrong! Agatha Christie instead chose to create a pair of new characters and write a detective thriller.

Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley, childhood friends, both young and unemployed following demobilisation, meet by chance in London. With poor job prospects, they decide to form a joint venture “The Young Adventurers, Ltd”, but before they can place an advert in The Times, Tuppence is offered work by a man who has overheard their conversation.

This ultimately leads them into the hunt for a young woman, Jane Finn, who may have been entrusted with a secret document when the Lusitania was sunk five years earlier. On their side a senior figure in the British Secret Service, Jane’s cousin (the first of Christie’s American millionaires), and a member of the Cabinet; against them a secret international organisation, headed by the mysterious Mr Brown.

Coincidences abound, and there is slightly too running around, capture and escape, but it is quite entertaining, with a properly clued outcome, so not just a thriller such as The Thirty Nine Steps.

Whilst enjoying reading it as part of my ongoing project, it wouldn’t be one that I would definitely come back to in the future.

Recurring character development

Thomas “Tommy” Beresford

Has a “shock of exquisitely slicked-back red hair” and “unmistakably the face of a gentleman and a sportsman” and is in his early twenties.

Earned the rank of lieutenant serving in World War I. Was wounded in France, before spending time in Tuppence’s hospital. Returned to France, working in Intelligence at some point and meeting Mr Carter, then served in Mesopotamia where wounded again, then posted to Egypt until the Armistice.

Prudence “Tuppence” L. Cowley

Has “no claim to beauty, but there is character and charm in the elfin lines of her little face, with its determined chin and large, wide-apart grey eyes” and is also in her early twenties.

Fifth daughter of Archdeacon Cowley.

During the war worked in a hospital, then moved onto driving a trade delivery van, motor-lorry, and a young general, before ending in a Government office.

Signs of the Times

The sinking of the Lusitania by a German submarine could have brought the USA into the First World War two years before they did declare war. Although mainly being used as a passenger liner, the ship also carried small arms ammuntion and (only admitted to salvage teams in 1982) some larger munitions, and was therefore considered a legitimate military target by Germany. 1,198 out of 1,962 on board lost their lives, including 128 out of 139 Americans.  The first line of the book states that two torpedoes hit the ship; although the passengers on board may have believed that to be the case, only one torpedo was fired, with a second explosion occurring on board. Published only seven years after the event, this does raise the question of how long a gap is appropriate before making use of a historic tragedy in a work of fiction.

The story is set in August 1920.

At one point Tuppence asks for quiet and Tommy says “Shades of Pelmanism”. Pelmanism was a system taught via correspondence course to expand “mental powers in every direction”.

The Prime Minister who appears briefly, although not named, has to be David Lloyd George, who served from 1916 – 1922.

Tommy visits an ABC Shop. These were self-service tea rooms, operated by the Aerated Bread Company, with first opened in 1864. The brand continued until 1982.

They both visit Lyon’s, probably a Corner House, which was more upmarket than an ABC Shop. They existed from 1909 – 1977.

Mr Carter is worried about the possibility of a Labour government. The first Labour government came to power three years after the story is set, and one year after its publication. There are also concerns about the possibility of a General Strike, which whilst being headed off at this time, did come to pass in 1926.

Mr Brown’s organisation includes a Bolshevist, successful in the 1917 Russian Revolution, and a Sinn Feiner, committed to an independent Ireland (partition of Ireland took place in 1921 following a two year guerilla war), and would probably have appeared extremely frightening to readers of the time.

Dover Street underground station was renamed Green Park in 1933

The ASE, mentioned when trades unions are discussed, were the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, which traced its origins back to 1826. In 1920 it merged with other unions to became the Amalgamted Engineering (AEU), then in 1992 following another merger became the Amalgamted Engineering and Electrical Union (AEEU).

Garnaby Williams, Boy Detective sadly appears to be a book within a book, unless anyone has a copy they can produce.

Tuppence consults Bradshaw (published 1839 – 1963) and an ABC (published 1853 – 2007), both railway guides containing timetables. She also looks up an address in the Red Book, but I can’t find out specifically what that is.

References to previous works

Inspector Japp, who appeared in “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” is the CID officer who meets with Julius to get a copy of a photo of Jane Finn.

Vintage Reading Challenge

Agatha Christie is “An author you’ve read and loved before”.

SPOILERS

Having read this before, when Mr Carter appeared I thought he was Mr Brown (in the vein of the senior agent who can’t trust his own people and has to hire someone from outside to get the job done – of course he can’t trust his own people because they are the good guys and he needs someone else to do his dirty work!), but as soon as Sir James appeared – he just happened to know about Jane Finn already – very convenient! – I remembered that it was definitely him, it just seemed so obvious.

However, I had already thought it was odd that Julius referred to burglary as “Bill Sikes business”, a reference to Oliver Twist, which seemed unlikely to come from an American – perhaps it was deliberately done to help plant seeds of doubt in the reader’s mind, to support the doubt that was later cast on his identity.

The hiding place for the document was quite good, as was Jane’s clue to Tommy, although in reality wouldn’t the organisation have pulled her room to pieces? It is unclear whether the pictures on the wall have some sort of caption, because for them both to have recognised Marguerite in the Faust scenes seems unlikely – it certainly didn’t crop up in my education.

Vintage Reading Challenge – January 2018

Inspector French and the Box Office Murders

Fulfils “How – Death by drowning“

“To lose one material witness may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness.”

This is not French’s finest hour – he takes a young girl’s story seriously, but not seriously enough, and she is the one who pays for this mistake with her life. With no real evidence to go on, following a hint from his wife, French does however get back on the track of a criminal gang, and with his usual diligence manages to solve the case.

The main mystery here is understanding what criminal purpose lies behind the gang’s activities, and I thought I had it a few pages before French started down the same line of investigation, only for it to be quickly closed down. Ultimately the scheme is quite clever in its simplicity, but overall, this is probably the weakest of the six French novels reissued by Collins over the last two years.

Maigret’s Revolver

Fulfils “What – Means of murder in the title“

A young man visits Maigret’s home, and on finding him out, steals his revolver. A guest who had wanted to meet Maigret fails to attend a dinner party. These two events lead Maigret to London, where he feels like a fish out of water and gets increasingly frustrated due to the licensing laws and the Savoy Hotel’s rules over what can be served to guests in the hall.

This is #40 in Penguin’s series of new translations and if you are already a fan, then you should enjoy this.

If you haven’t read any, start with the “Maigret Collection 1” (currently available on Amazon) which contains the first six books in the series. They are not fairly clued mysteries, and are possibly an acquired taste, but once you get to know him, it is a pleasure to spend time with Maigret.

Death at the President’s Lodgings

Fulfils “Who – An academic“

Ipso Books have reissued the first six John Appleby mysteries in paperback (nine as e-books) and will hopefully go on to reissue the complete set. In the first of the series, Josiah Umpleby, President of St Anthony’s College, is found murdered in his study, swathed in an academic gown, surrounded by piles of bones. Which of his academic brethren is responsible?

Featuring classic elements such as a detailed plan of the college, a disguise, and a detective novelist among the suspects, alongside references to The Purloined Letter, Trent’s Last Case, and Murder as One of the Fine Arts, this features in Martin Edwards’ The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books, and is,  in my opinion, an essential read for any fan of Golden Age mysteries.

#1 – The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Happy New Year and welcome to the first proper post of the blog!

Agatha Christie started to write her first detective novel in 1916 and after being rejected by a number of publishing houses, it was published by The Bodley Head in 1920.

The story is presented as being the definitive account of the notorious “Styles Case”, written to “silence the sensational rumours that still persist”.

Mrs Inglethorp, the lady of the manor, dies from suspected poisoning in the early hours of the morning, and the narrator, Hastings, asks his host’s permission to involve the discreet Hercule Poirot in determing whether foul play has occurred. Poirot examines the deceased’s room and identifies the following key pieces of evidence: a coffee-cup that has been ground into powder, a despatch-case with a key in the lock, a stain on the floor, a fragment of some dark green fabric, a large splash of candle grease, and an empty box of sleeping powders.

From these Poirot is able to weave a net that finally catches a ruthless, but probably over-clever, killer.

Having first read and watched Agatha Christie from a young age, I had assumed that the gathering of all the suspects for the final denouement where the great detective explains all the clues that they have cryptically referred to before revealing who the murderer is, was the norm in detective fiction. However, having read all the British Library Crime Classics, along with re-reading the works of Josephine Tey and some of Dorothy L. Sayers, I’ve found that Christie’s approach is radically different. Normally, a mystery is presented from the perspective of a competent policeman such as Freeman Wills Crofts’ Inspector French or John Bude’s Inspector Meredith, and we follow their train of thought as they investigate various possibilities, and while there may be twists and turns in the narrative, the significance of items is not normally deliberately masked from the reader. Instead with Christie, we are often given a narrator who completely misreads the hints provided by the sleuth (or sometimes is deliberately deceived), and this influences the reader’s judgment. Already in her first book, she has created a template that would be used successfully many times over, and created a distinctive central character.

In terms of this book as a stand-alone, if Christie had never written another detective story, would we be talking about it as a seminal work, in the same vein as Trent’s Last Case? Perhaps not, but I think it would at least be classed as a forgotten gem by those in the know. What do you think?

Recurring character development

Hercule Poirot

As a refugee from Belgium, he has been offered hospitality along with seven of his countrypeople by Mrs Inglethorp.

He is hardly more than five feet, four inches tall, but carries himself with great dignity. His head is exactly the shape of an egg, and he always perches it a little on one side. His moustache is very stiff and military. The neatness of his attire is almost incredible.

He has been a member of the Belgian police force, and in his day was celebrated for his flair in solving some of the most baffling cases.

He has a despatch-case that contains forceps, envelopes, and test tubes for the collection of evidence.

His eyes turn green like a cat’s when he is excited.

He occasionally smokes tiny Russian cigarettes.

Unexpectedly, based on the usual TV and film depictions, he runs and leaps, gambolling wildly, after discovering one particular piece of evidence, and later tears down the street, hatless and gesticulating as he runs.

He sometimes builds houses from playing cards as “with precision of the fingers goes precision of the brain”.

Hastings

Having been invalided from the Front and after spending some months in a convalescent home, was invited to stay at Styles by his friend John Cavendish.

He is aged thirty at most.

He met Poirot in Belgium and believes that he has built on his methods of detection.

Between the crime and the trial he is given a job at the War Office.

His first name and military rank are not given in this book.

Detective Inspector James “Jimmy” Japp

A little, sharp, dark, ferret-faced man.

Works for Scotland Yard.

Worked with Poirot in 1904 on the Abercrombie Forgery case in Brussels, and then later to catch “Baron” Altara in Antwerp.

Signs of the Times

The story is set in the summer of 1917.

Due to the war petrol is rationed, but due to her charitable activities Mrs Inglethorp can still get some.

Mary Cavendish is working for the Women’s Land Army and Cynthia Murdoch for the Voluntary Aid Detachment. John Cavendish drills twice a week with the volunteers.

Men of fighting age, such as the pharmacist’s previous assistant, are being conscripted into the armed forces.

The activities of the War Office that Hastings works for were taken over by the Ministry of Defence in 1964.

The principle of double jeopardy is referred to. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 now allows for a re-trial in serious cases if there is “new and compelling evidence”.

Vintage Reading Challenge

Mrs Inglethorp fulfils the category “Who – Matriarch/patriarch of the family”.