Interested in this title? Use the link below to find this title in the catalog.
SUMMARY
From the Queen of Mystery comes the exclusive authorized edition of the first novel in her Tommy and Tuppence mystery series featuring the beloved sleuthing duo.
Tommy and Tuppence are young, in love… and flat broke. Restless for excitement, they decide to embark on a daring business scheme: Young Adventurers Ltd.—"willing to do anything, go anywhere." But they get more than they bargained for when their first assignment for the sinister Mr. Whittington draws them into a diabolical conspiracy.
It isn’t long before they find themselves plunged into more danger than they ever could have imagined—a danger that could put an abrupt end to their business…and their lives.
(Summary provided by the publisher)
MORE ABOUT THIS STORY
From a retired Belgian detective to a young duo down on their luck and in search of adventure - Christie's second novel was a very different offering to The Mysterious Affair at Styles.
Inspired after overhearing a conversation in a cafe in which two women were discussing a lady called Jane Fish (a name which struck Christie as most ‘entertaining’), the novel introduced not only Tommy and Tuppence but also two themes which were to figure in much of her work. The first was a type of knowledge, a secret or item that needed to be found. The second was the identification of a powerful person, man or woman, who was in search of world domination (see Janet Morgan's biography).
Originally titled The Joyful Venture, the name changed to The Young Adventurers before finally becoming The Secret Adversary. The woman’s name that inspired Agatha Christie would also change, from Jane Fish, to Jane Finn. It is one of only two novels in which the dedication is addressed to the reader: "To all those who lead monotonous lives in the hope that they experience at second hand the delights and dangers of adventure".
Published by the Bodley Head in 1922, it became Christie's first novel (and second story) to be made into a film; Fox Film in Germany adapted it under the title Die Abenteuer G.m.b.H. It was adapted in the UK in 1985 by London Weekend Television and starred Francesca Annis and James Warwick as Tommy and Tuppence, who would go on to star in the series Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime. The graphic novel adaptation was first published in French under the title Mr Brown in 2003. In 2015 it was adapted and broadcast on BBC One in Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime starring David Walliams as Tommy and Jessica Raine as Tuppence.
The four novels and one short story collection featuring detective duo Tommy and Tuppence, spanned the length of Agatha Christie's writing career.
(Information provided by the author)
Born in Torquay in 1890, Agatha Christie became, and remains, the best-selling novelist of all time.
She is best known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, as well as the world’s longest-running play – The Mousetrap. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation.
(Biography provided by Agatha Christie Limited)
