Ahhhhh, Witchy Woman: By the Pricking of My Thumbs | 1968

Image found on Pinterest, a perfectly creepy cover!

"I daresay people have liked murderers," said Tuppence very reasonably. "It's like swindlers and confidence tricksmen who always look so honest and seem so honest. I daresay murderers all seem very nice and particularly softhearted. That sort of thing."
-By the Pricking of My Thumbs p. 210

The Sum of It: 

TOMMY AND TUPPENCE ARE BACK!!!!!!! Yesssssssssssssssssss. Ok summarizing. 

Tommy and Tuppence (though referred to throughout as elderly #projecting) seem like they are maybe in their 50's at this point. Though they may be older, with grown-up children and grandchildren out in the world, their minds are still just as sharp and the banter is still #TOPNOTCH (phew!) As they're having breakfast one day, Tommy starts thinking he should probably go visit his old Aunt Ada at the little old ladies home where she's been living for the past couple years. Though Aunt Ada genuinely despises Tuppence, she decides to go along with Tommy anyway for solidarity and also because if being mean to her brings Aunt Ada some joy, then Tuppence doesn't grudge her that :). Upon arrival Aunt Ada immediately denies she knows Tuppence and kicks her out of the room, so Tuppence goes down to sit in the little sunroom, where she joins a "fluffy" old lady with a pretty face and white hair, who's drinking milk. The old lady chats a bit and then asks Tuppence, "Was it your poor child?" Tuppence is like huh what and the lady starts talking about a poor child buried behind the fireplace. Mercifully Tommy comes in to rescue her from this real awkward situation and back home they go. 

Only once they get there, Tuppence can't stop thinking about that old lady, Mrs. Lancaster, and her weird line of conversation. A few weeks later, Tommy's Aunt Ada dies, and when they go back to the old ladies home to sort her things, Tuppence intends to talk to Mrs. Lancaster again, because she's worried Mrs. L knows something about some child who was killed or some crime and might be in danger. HOWEVER when they get there they learn Mrs. L was recently disappeared from the home by some relative named Mrs. Johnson, who gave a false address. They also learn that Mrs. L gave Aunt Ada a painting of a pretty house by a canal and a little bridge, and Tuppence immediately realizes she saw the house once on a train journey, and decides that it's the only clue to find out where poor Mrs. L might be so Tuppence can make sure she's safe. When Tommy goes off on a business trip, Tuppence decides to figure out where the little house is, and hopefully Mrs. L, and heads off on a little trip of her own. Only, once she actually stumbles upon the pretty house and the little village nearby, Tuppence quickly realizes she's become mixed up in a mystery much bigger than the one she came to solve. The only question is whether anyone can save her from the danger she's stumbled upon!?

The YOA Treatment: 

I knew I was a big fan of Tommy and Tuppence in their early days, but given how dated the last couple novels of Agatha's felt, I was a little worried about how their charming repartee and page-turning plots might fare as their characters got older. But the GREAT news is that in my opinion, it felt like nothing had changed. Tuppence is still the same plucky adventurer she was when we first met her in London just after WWI. Tommy is still gruffly admiring of his wife's cunning, and clever and resourceful on his own. It was super delightful to see them again, and follow along with their action-packed adventures #CAPER!

We've also been waiting for this one since reading The Pale Horse, where Agatha first stumbled on the little plot device of a random old lady asking "Was it your poor child?" and going on about a baby buried behind a fireplace. In that book, it was just a throwaway anecdote, but clearly Agatha found it creepily inspiring and mulled over it for a few years before developing it into a full-blown plot, which served this tale quite well. 

Unlike some of the less action driven stories of late, the pace of this one moved along easily, and the twists along the way didn't feel manufactured, but instead felt clever and fun. Each of the newly introduced side characters felt fully fleshed out and familiar, filling their roles in a little country village, as opposed to the stilted design and flat nature of many of the "modern," city-based young people in some of the other recent novels #villagelife. It felt like a true return to form, and I really can't imagine why Agatha didn't write more Tommy & Tuppence books, because she is so very good at them! 

- E.