My second pick for the 1968 club was Agatha Christie’s By the Pricking of my Thumbs – the third of the four full length novels featuring Tommy and Tuppence. The couple also appear in a collection of short stories. Rather adorably Agatha Christie dedicated this late novel as follows;
“This book is dedicated to the many readers in this and in other countries who write to me asking: ‘What has happened to Tommy and Tuppence? What are they doing now?’ My best wishes to you all, and I hope you will enjoy meeting Tommy and Tuppence again, years older, but with spirit unquenched!”
I completely love Tommy and Tuppence though I have largely neglected these novels, I am pretty sure I had read this one before, although I had forgotten almost all of it. I read The Secret Adversary – the first Tommy and Tuppence novel four years ago, (which is when I decided I loved T&T) and I have the final Tommy and Tuppence novel – and indeed the final ever Agatha Christie novel Postern of Fate tbr – I have had a first edition of it for years! and recently bought a copy of N or M? In The Secret Adversary Tommy and Tuppence are Bright Young things – the First World War had taken its toll on both of them. I can’t think why I have never got around to reading the other Tommy and Tuppence books so far – but I will and soon, and I so wish there were more of them. By the time of the events in By the Pricking of My Thumbs Tommy and Tuppence have been married for a long time, they are the parents of two adult children, and grandparents, and of course have lived through another war. The world has changed around them, their hair is showing signs of grey, yet Tommy and Tuppence are still recognisable as the enthusiastic young detectives Agatha Christie first wrote about in 1922. As a couple the Beresfords are still every bit as adoring of one another as they ever were – one really can’t imagine one without the other.
“I don’t particularly want to think of your funeral because I’d much prefer to die before you do. But I mean, if I were going to your funeral, at any rate it would be an orgy of grief. I should take a lot of handkerchiefs.”
Tommy’s Aunt Ada has been residing in the Sunny Ridge care home for elderly ladies for some time, and every now and then her nephew and his wife pay the dutiful visit that is required of them. Aunt Ada is not the easiest of old ladies, she has never much liked Tuppence. When Tommy decides it’s time for them to visit his aunt again, he manages to persuade Tuppence to accompany him. When the couple arrive at Sunny Ridge, Aunt Ada quickly dispenses with Tuppence who wanders off while Tommy talks to his aunt. There are old ladies shouting they are dying, others who have forgotten whether they have had their hot chocolate or not, but Miss Packard who is in charge, takes it all in her stride, laughing off all the little eccentricities of her clients. Tommy doesn’t think too much of his aunt’s mistrust of the staff, taking her whispered assertion that ‘they’ could be about to rob and murder her in her bed with a pinch of salt. While Tommy talks to Aunt Ada, Tuppence is shown into a pleasant little sitting room, where another elderly lady is already sitting close to an imposing fireplace nursing a glass of milk. Tuppence engages Mrs Lancaster in conversation, the two of them getting on quite famously. However, when Mrs Lancaster suddenly asks Tuppence –
‘Was it your poor child’
– It can’t help, but send a slight shiver down our spines. The question certainly un-nerves Tuppence – the words resonating in her memory days after having left Sunny Ridge behind. Three weeks later Aunt Ada has died, and Tommy and Tuppence are back at Sunny Ridge to clear out her things. Tuppence is eager to visit Mrs Lancaster who she met before – even more so when she learns that the very attractive painting that is hanging in Aunt Ada’s room was a recent gift from Mrs Lancaster. Tuppence is concerned that Mrs Lancaster might want the painting back, rather than it going to strangers – but Mrs Lancaster is no longer at Sunny Ridge, having been taken away by relatives to a London hotel, on the way north. Tuppence – as poor old Tommy well knows is not one to let things drop, and she is determined to track Mrs Lancaster down and ask her about the picture. The picture shows an attractive house by a canal which Tuppence is convinced she has seen before. The hotel where Mrs Lancaster and her relatives are supposed to have gone have never heard of Mrs Lancaster. Where is the old lady that Tuppence met at Sunny Ridge? Tuppence is determined to find out, so while Tommy is off at a secret conference with government/secret service types – Tuppence decides to set out on a railway journey to find the house in the painting, and find out what (if anything) has happened to Mrs Lancaster. At the back of her mind too – those strange words spoken by the old lady in the sitting room at Sunny Ridge.
As the cover to my lovely old book club edition of the novel suggests – By the Pricking of my thumbs is quite a creepy story. Tuppence gets herself into all kinds of trouble and when Tommy returns from his secret pow-wow he wonders where she has got to, and is soon on her tail.
I completely loved this Tommy and Tuppence mystery, aspects of the plot are really clever – and Christie shows her ability to write a darn good mystery with few clues to go – no body or smoking gun – just a (possible) missing woman, a few odd words spoken by a confused old lady a pretty painting and a nagging doubt. Honestly, I couldn’t put it down. I must read some more Tommy and Tuppence soon.
This does sound rather good – a little unnerving but not grisly or gratuitous in any way. A great choice for the 1968 Club. I enjoyed the Tommy and Tuppence adaptations (Partners in Crime?) when they were on the BBC a few ago, perfect Sunday night viewing. I do wish they would commission another series.
No absolutely not grisly, a clever slightly unsettling story that keeps you guessing.
This sounds brilliant and well done for getting the 1968 Club done decisively! The cover on this book is a bit unnerving, I have to say!
Perhaps a bit unnerving, but I’m rather fond of it. 😀
Lovely review Ali! Isn’t this a wonderful book? I love Tommy and Tuppence anyway but I loved the plot and everything about this one.
Thank you, yes such a good plot. So glad I chose it for the 1968 club.
This sounds great. I was tempted to read it for 1968 Club myself but having read The Secret Adversary earlier in the year, I thought it would be interesting to read the rest of the series in order as Tommy and Tuppence age. I will get to it eventually!
I sort of wish I had read them in order but anyway I will read N it M? next and leave Postern of Fate for last.
Since my cats are called Tommy and Tuppence, I guess it’s obvious I share your enthusiasm for these characters. Glad you enjoyed this one so much – my favourite of them, I think.
Oh, great names for your cats. I wonder why she wrote so few T&T novels?
I very much like Tommy and Tuppence as well (and have LOVED Christie for over 5 decades), but must warn you about Postern of Fate. It’s really terrible. https://www.exurbanis.com/archives/7192#postern
I have seen quite mixed reports of it, though several of them are really very positive. I will probably still read it one day.
Lovely review.
I will leave this comment on anyone’s post about this book : you must watch the film version of this by French director Pascal Thomas. Catherine Frot and André Dussolier play Tuppence and Tomy Beresford. It’s wonderful: beautiful images of the French Alps where the film is transposed, excellent acting, a lot of humour and still the creepy feeling you mention. French title “Mon petit doigt m’a dit…”
He made other films with the Beresfords
– Le crime est notre affaire. In this one, there’s a hilarious scene where Dussolier wears a kilt and has a Marilyn Monroe time with the skirt being lifted by a gust of wind.
– Associés contre le crime.
Thank you, I certainly hadn’t heard of those French film versions they sound great fun.
We managed to post our respective reviews of this book on the same day and within an hour or so of each other. I enjoyed it though not as much as you did. The BBC series from a few years ago made the Beresfords seem rather shallow and silly so I was relieved to find the representation in this novel very different.
I don’t remember that TV version, perhaps I didn’t see it. This novel is not Christie’s best and I know you thought the ending rushed and yes, it probably is a bit, but something about the characters and the feel of the novel overall made a three star mystery into a 4 star read.
Life would be so so dull if everyone liked exactly the same things
I always thought that this was the last of them. I’m happy to be wrong, I love Tommy and Tuppence. Now I just need to find Postern of Fate, nevermind the negative reviews. I’ll just set the bar low enough and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.
Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Though I will be happy to make my own mind up about it too.
I’ve always been wary of the Tommy and Tuppence novels… but one day will try them!
Probably not the best of all her novels, but very readable. There is something very likeable about T&T.
I really need to try T&T! This one sounds great. I have so many Christie’s yet to read, it’s quite a wonderful feeling actually! 🙂
Oh yes, you have lots and lots of great reading ahead of you.
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