Best to Worse

Nathan Robert Michael Rees

Having just bougt all but one of the Tommy and Tuppence books from the Hye on Wye book festival, I am curios as to which people find the best. So stating from the best in your opinion to the worst please list them like this:

1......

2......

3......

4......

5......

Tommy_A_Jones

1. Partners in Crime

2. N or M

3. The Secret Adversary

4. Postern of Fate

5. By The Pricking of My Thumbs

It is actually hard to say which is the best out of the top 2 and hard saying which is least good out of the bottom two but when I was scoring I gave POF 10 and BTPOMT 6 but now am not sure, I don't usually count Partners in Crime when thinking about a list like this, to me it should go in the Book of short stories category like The Labours of Hercules and The Thirteen Problems

Christopher_Wren

1. N or M (In my opinionn entertaining, but still Christie's worst book from the fourties)
2. Partners in Crime (entertaining)
3. The Secret Adversary (Ove rthe top, but with some fun parts)
4. By the pricking of my thumbs (excellent solution after a boring book. It's a pity, that she didn't write it ten or more years earlier)
5. Postenr of Fate (Terrible)

Frank

1. Partners in Crime

2. N or M

3. The Secret Adversary

4. By The Pricking of My Thumbs

5. Postern of Fate

TeddyBg

I have to re-read "The Secret Adversary", but from the other four:

1. Partners in Crime

2. N or M

3. By the Pricking of My Thumbs (some parts are very boring, other - interesting, the important thing - i'm happy with the ending)

4. Postern of Fate - absolutely awful, maybe my least fav book after "Passenger to Frankfurt". Promising beginning, but then nothing. Nothing happens, no clues, the murderer appears from nowhere and is revealed from nowhere. Really can't get this book.

TeddyBg

I've just finished "The Secret Adversary", and I totally enjoy it. So I think it will go to...

1. The Secret Adversary

2. Partners in Crime

3. N or M?

4. By the Pricking of my Thumbs

5. Postern of Fate

anne.clough.3

1. N or M

2. The Secret Adversary

3. Partners in Crime

4. By the Pricking of my Thumbs

5. Postern of Fate

tudes

1. The Secret Adversary- I just love this book. It fits my image of T &T so perfectly
2. N ou M - amazing! It could be the first. Another fantastic adventure of them.
3. Partners in Crime
4. By the Pricking of my Thumbs- great moments, but not so good as the others
5. Postern of Fate- weak

youngmrquin

1. N or M? This is the first book I read by AC in English and I loved it. It's right in the middle between the thrillers from the '20s and the classic who-dunnit detective story.

2. The Secret Adversary.This is and absolute rollercoaster if fun from the beginning to end, altough it's a bit over the top and from the middle of the book and on the number of villains gets reduced.

3. By the Pricking of my thumbs. In a close tie with the previous one in terms of my taste but in the other end in terms of type of book. This is a classic detective story with AC's gothic and usually criticised tone of the '60s. The plot begins in a rather dark mood and as soon as Tuppence dives into the past, it spirals on and on into an even darker territory. From the thematic point of view, this book deals with one of the creepiest topics AC deals with, and the villain is really scary.

4. Partners in Crime. Enjoyable read, but the fact that the stories deal a lot with not so well-known detectives today, as a reader maybe you don't see the fun in the dialogues.

5. Postern of Fate. I never got what was it about and didn't add anything to the T&T mythology. It's also frustrating the fact that there were some changes in their lives from previous books and they are not mentioned.

Tommy_A_Jones

I like the fact Partners in Crime Features less well-known Sleuths it tantalizes you and gives you ideas of what to but if possible, I found N or M more of a Rollercoaster ride than The Secret Adversary but I do enjoy it. I found By The Pricking of My Thumbs better 2nd Time around and also a Rollercoaster although It has a week finish. I am re-reading Postern of Fate now and enjoying it.I don't quite understand what you mean when you say there were some changes in their lives from previous Books I love the way Tommy and Tuppence find their Adventures in such brilliant ways, I wish Agatha Christie had written more books with them in, It couldhave been possible without people getting bored of them like It is possible to be with Poirot IMHO.

Tommy_A_Jones

I didn't write that very well did I, sorry, I get excited when Writing about Most things Christie.

I like Partners in  Crime because I like the fact it features less well-known Sleuths, it tantalizes you and gives Ideas of what to read if Possible, if the Authors ar out of print it is a good use for kindles. I found N or M really exciting and more fun than the other 3 Novels, I recently read By The Pricking of My Thumbs fpr the 2nd time, I mostly loved it but found it started to get boring after Tommy met The Widow but I would still re-read it and liked itmore than last time. I am re-reading Postern of Fate now and am really enjoing it, I love the exciting way The Beresfords came across their "Problems, I think if there had been a couple more people would not have got bored of hem which I can sometimes do with Poirot.

glalonzo0408

I find it so funny that everyone put By The Pricking of My Thumbs last or next to last.  I am not a fan of T&T at ALL....however, I enjoyed BTPOMT.....out of all the T&T books it is the ONLY one I could finish.....isn't it funny how everyone's tastes are different......????.....I guess that's why God made chocolate and vanilla...

Tommy_A_Jones

I am intrigued, Why couldn't you finish N or M which I think is the best and what didn't you like about The Secret Adversary?

TuppenceBeresford

1. The Secret Adversary - very tense and exciting and I love the characters of Tommy & Tuppence, both individually and as a double act. I really love Agatha Christie but I do enjoy reading about characters that are about my age and in some ways quite modern. I guessed the murderer early on but it was still really exciting wondering when Tommy and Tuppence were going to realise.

2. N or M? - probably a better and cleverer book in terms of plot - again very tense and exciting with a real edge of danger. There's also a bit of comedy which I love and although the characters are older they are still themselves.

3. Partners in Crime - some of the stories were brilliant but others were disappointing. I'm starting to read the writers each story was based on and that helps me to appreciate the stories a lot more but perhaps some of the stories could have been more enjoyable in their own right.

4. Postern of Fate - the plot is all over the place and the story is never resolved but there are so many wonderfully hilarious moments between Tommy and Tuppence - it took me right back to the first book. I love Postern of Fate just for that and in some ways I'd like to put it higher on the list but a good crime novel needs a discernible plot and a final resolution.

5. By the Pricking of my Thumbs - I just thought the plot was very silly and I had trouble getting into the story. There was one part I really loved but it didn't last. It could have been developed into something funny and poignant but it wasn't..

Tommy_A_Jones

I didn't like The Partners in Crime Book where Tommy was Father Brown Much but liked the others alot, I have read all of the books before, re-reading Postern of Fate, still, Had a big bit of boring stuff a while ago now It is Brilliant again for me. Sometimes not everything in Life is Resolved.

TuppenceBeresford

Not in life, no, but I do like to see everything resolved in a murder mystery.

Tommy_A_Jones

So do I Tuppence.

maryamalbulushi

@glalonzo0408 yeah now it's obvious how tastes are different but cool that makes you different from others too. For me I only read n or m and I loved it alot so I think you can put that on the top of t &t books and the rest will come soon inshallah ^_^

aggierocks

Glalonzo I'm with you!  Maybe it's because we are Americans??  I adore that story (Thumbs, shall we call it). Postern of fate is terrible- nearly went unpublished. She was very old and was obviously well past her best. Did anyone catch the many nostalgic references to her own childhood?  Truelove, etc.   For those things I found it endearing. Her last book. 

Tommy_A_Jones

I like that story too and I am not American but I like all the T&T Stories apart from the one where Tommy is dressed as a Catholic Priest.

Missjasmin1

Has anyone in the US been watching the new Tommy & Tuppence 3-part series, "Partners in Crime"? The last part will air this weekend. What is your opinion so far? I think Jessica Raine is great, as she was in the Midwife series. But for some weird reason I just can't see David Wallaims playing Tommy, especially after seeing him in Little England. I know I've have to get over this, but it's not easy.

CrookedQuin

1. N or M 8/10 (3rd book in series)

2. By the Pricking of My Thumbs 7.5/10 (4th book in series)

3. The Secret Adversary 7.5/10 (1st Book in Series)

4. Partners in Crime 7/10 (2nd Book in Series)

5. Postern of Fate 5/10 (5th book in series)