Product Details

• Published on: 1996-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

About the Author
Agatha Christie was born in Torquay in 1890 and became, quite simply, the best-selling novelist in history. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, written towards the end of the First World War, introduced us to Hercule Poirot, who was to become the most popular detective in crime fiction since Sherlock Holmes. She is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and another billion in over 100 foreign languages. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 19 plays, and six novels under the name of Mary Westmacott.

Customer Reviews

Tommy and Tuppence unmask a spy (again)
N or M? is almost a direct link on from 'The Secret Adversary', except in the Second, rather than the First World War. No matter - the setting is perfect and the characters drawn in wonderful Christie style. Also, unlike the later two novels (By the Pricking of my Thumbs and Postern of Fate), there is actually a mystery to solve and enough clues to get it. The mix of mystery and adventure is well done and the plot a good one. Reccommended.

Agatha Christie's 'Dad's Army' - Feel part of World War Two!
N or M is not perhaps one of Agatha Christie's greatest triumphs in terms of plot, but as a propaganda piece, it is very much a novel of its time. The characterisation succeeds not only in painting life-like portraits of the main protagonists, but also in deftly conjuring up the world of 'Dad's Army', of the residents of a seaside town expected at any moment to be plunged into Blitzkrieg.

Ignoring the fact that the denouement hinges around the first line of a nursery rhyme being spoken quite coincidentally by a leading protagonist in the most unlikely fashion, 'N or M?' has always been my favourite among Christie's non-murder novels. Perhaps now that Francesca Annis and James Warwick are 'of age' to play the older Tommy and Tuppence, ' N or M?' may even make a television appearance?

Tommy and Tuppence rock
Ever since reading "The Secret Adversary" I've been a fan of Tommy and Tuppence. They bring humor and sillyness into the world of mystery and suspense.

In N or M we see this again. Tuppence refuses to be placed into any sort of stereotypical feminine role, but does so in a manner that that delights me as a reader. Tommy is with her all the way. Like he says: "from the first we were a joint venture". When he encounters her at Sans Souci (the suspected headquarters of the fifth column), he is delighted and awed. When his boss discovers that they were both tricked he laughed.

It turns out (of course) that it is a good thing that Tuppence is there. Without each other they would not have been able to solve the mystery. There are no clear suspects. Like all Agatha Christie books (and perhaps all others of her genre) first one then another person is suspected of being the culprit. The ending is not surprising but unexpected nevertheless.

This was a terrible time in Europe. Things were black and white and the propaganda at that time in GB was very anti-German, understandably so. In many ways this book shows how group mentality can work and how our attitudes are affected by what is shoved in our faces every day - elementary psychology.

I guess this one thing I really like about Christie's books. She shows how people are and how they think. The culprit is generally just any old person living a normal life, but who then manages to encounter extraordinary circumstances. Sure, there are mass murderers and crazy people in her books as well, but in general the culprit might just as well have been my neighbor.

Enjoy! I certainly did.