REVIEW: N or M?

 N or M?
Author: Agatha Christie

I will admit from the start that I am not a big Tommy & Tuppence fan. When I saw that this book was one of their adventures, I even rolled my eyes a bit. But, I did not waver from my challenge rules to read all of Christie's writing in publication order (or as close to it as I can get). 

I'm not sure if it's the characters I really don't care for....or the spy/war theme of most of their stories that just make me not really gravitate to these books as much as Poirot or Marple ones.  I did get pulled into the story rather quickly despite my initial annoyance, and ended up enjoying this book very much. 

As usual I read a tattered paperback version from my bookshelf while listening to an audio book. The paperback was a 1971 edition from Dell. As usual, the cover art was colorful and a bit bizarre -- love it!  When I finished reading, I threw the old worn out book in the recycle bin. Letting go of these old books to free up bookshelf space for new books.  The audio book was from HarperAudio (2012, narrated by Hugh Fraser, 5 hrs 45 minutes long). 

I don't remember where I got this old paperback. I collected many of Christie's novels here and there over decades.And then never got around to actually reading many of them. This paperback has a stamp in it from a used bookstore in Mobile, AL. I looked up the address -- Ernie's Books is no longer there. The
address is now home to a salon, a glass repair shop and a paint & sip place. I think Ernie's must have closed years ago as I found no mentions of it on the internet at all. So preserving its memory here since I tossed the worn out book in the trash. Would be so interesting to find out how it made its way from Alabama to Kansas (which is probably where I picked it up at a used book shop.....or maybe NC where I moved later in life). As it is, both Ernie's and the book are now retired. Does anybody else investigate things they find stamped or written in old books, or is it just me?

Now -- on to the story! 

Despite my lack of excitement at reading about Tommy & Tuppence, I enjoyed  this story. It's dated due to the theme -- World War II, the fifth column, being called up to act as undercover government agents, etc I didn't let it make me feel like I was reading yet another book about evil Nazis. I kept in my mind the entire time I was reading and listening that when Christie wrote this book (published 1941), England was in the thick of it. Her reading audience would actually have been worried about spies, invasion, and Nazis. They needed this story at the time -- two older regular people ferreting out a spy ring. A win. 

I discovered during my research that this book actually caused Agatha to be investigated by MI5 due to the name of one of the characters, Major Bletchley. It was a minor investigation, and wrapped up when she revealed the name was chosen based on a bad train experience and not because she had inside information about British war efforts.I wonder if Agatha took that as a compliment? When a spy novel causes the real spies to come check on the author, that's a sign it's a pretty good spy story, right? 

 Very enjoyable book. And, I really need to rethink my reluctance to really like Christie's lesser known main characters -- Colonel Race, Superintendent Battle, Tommy & Tuppence, Harley Quin, Parker Pyne, etc. All of their stories are good.....I just prefer Poirot and Marple. Experiencing these other characters is an added benefit of this reading challenge. I can't just pick and choose and read only the most famous characters or the most well-known books and stories.....I'm reading them all. Maybe by the end I will be excited to read about all the characters and not just two of them. I am hopeful! 

This story has only been adapted once. 

BBC One - In 2015, BBC one aired a 3-part Partners in Crime episode based on this book. I found the episodes on YouTube. 

Now that I have finished N or M?, I am finally up to a Jane Marple book -- The Body in the Library!! I've been wanting more Miss Marple since I read Murder in the Vicarage way back in 2020 - early days of my reading challenge! Thanks for the great story Tommy & Tuppence.....but I'm moving on to spend some time with Jane!