Friday, September 19, 2014

The Secret Adversary & The Brown Cocktail



Kerry Hammond joins us to for a special Agatha Christie Drinks with Reads, pairing a cocktail with The Secret Adversary...

"To all those who lead monotonous lives in the hope that they experience at second hand the delights and dangers of adventure."

This is the wonderful dedication at the beginning of The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie. Ms. Christie is well known for her two famous sleuths: Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. Some people don’t realize that she also wrote five books featuring a crime solving duo. That duo consisted of Thomas Beresford and Prudence Cowley, also known as Tommy & Tuppence. There have been movie and television adaptations of their adventures, and some credit the author for creating the template for many crime solving detective couples that came after. 


I decided to start at the beginning and write about the first book featuring Tommy & Tuppence, The Secret Adversary. This book was the second book Agatha Christie ever published. I read it many years ago, and had a lot of fun re-reading in preparation for this post. No good book is ever complete without a cocktail, so to go along with my read, I will be drinking a Brown Cocktail (you’ll know the significance of this drink name as you read on). The recipe is below.

Tommy and Tuppence have known each other since they were kids, but are reunited by chance one day in London. They decide to have lunch together and as they chat, realize that they are both not only bored, but hard up for money. They dream up a business idea and create the Young Adventurers Ltd. Their advertisement: “Two young adventurers for hire. Wiling to do anything, go anywhere. Pay must be good… No unreasonable offer refused.” 



Their fun idea soon gets them what they wish for. But their adventure becomes dangerous and involves espionage, a missing girl, military secrets and a master criminal named Mr. Brown, who seems to be able to disappear without a trace at a moment’s notice. Tommy and Tuppence find that adventure can be dangerous, but not knowing who they can trust can be deadly. The book is a page turner and contains enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. 

And if you like The Secret Adversary as much as I did, you can read about more of the duo’s adventures in N or M?, By the Pricking of My Thumbs, Postern of Fate, and a short story collection titled Partners in Crime

Brown Cocktail

¾ oz light rum
¾ oz gin
¾ oz dry vermouth


Stir all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, serve and enjoy!


2 comments:

  1. Fun post...I love getting to see all the covers!

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  2. I had no idea about Agatha's crime solving duo. You learn so much from these reviews. Loved the old book covers and the car. Great pictures and definitely a book to add to my list to read.

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