It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: The Thirteen Problems | 1932

(image from here)

"'I know human nature,' said Miss Marple. 'It's impossible not to know human nature living in a village all these years.'" -The Thirteen Problems, p. 198

The Sum of It:

As a helpless mystery nerd, I cannot think of a more pleasant way to pass an evening than to get a small group of good friends together, put on a pot of tea, and try to deduce "unsolved mysteries." That is the premise of our first read of this week, The Thirteen Problems  or, as it's know in the US, The Tuesday Club Murders (as a note, I purchased the UK version of this book, so that is why I refer to it by its UK name.) 

The Thirteen Problems is a collection of short stories which were originally published in monthly fiction magazines starting in 1927, and were then published as a collection in 1932. Thirteen Problems is the world's first introduction to Agatha's second famous sleuth: Miss Jane Marple. Agatha wrote Miss Marple with her own grandmother in mind, and her description is decidedly matronly (think Dowager Countess #downtonabbey): black brocade dress, snowy white hair, constant knitting, etc. In Thirteen Problems we also meet some other Miss Marple regulars: her playboy-ish, famous author nephew Raymond West, Miss Marple's ex-Scotland Yard bestie Sir Henry Clithering, and the country couple to Miss Marple's third wheel from later novels, Colonel and Dolly Bantry. 

In Thirteen Problems, Miss Marple is at first seen as a background observer (muttering to herself as she counts her knitting stitches) to a group game of Raymond, Sir Henry, and a few others as they each present a sort of cold case they observed or heard about from their past, with the idea that their brain powers combined can deduce the culprit. However, it's unassuming Miss Marple who schools everyone with the correct solution every time (#madrespect #yaskween). The second half of the book features Sir Henry and Miss Marple at a house party together sometime later with the Bantrys and a few other guests, and they try the game again...with Miss Marple 6 for 6 by the end of it. 

Here's what I love about The Thirteen Problems: the short chapters make for a fun, easy read, with the guaranteed satisfaction of a solution every 20-odd pages. But more than that, the mysteries are clever and hint at some ideas Agatha implemented in her longer novels in the future. My personal two favorite stories are: 

Murder vs. Opportunity: a dying man makes a drastic change to his will shortly before his death in full sight of his lawyer, and yet when the new will is taken from its sealed envelope to be read, it is found to be a blank sheet of paper! However, those suspects who had a motive for swapping out the will had no opportunity to do so, and those who had an opportunity had no motive! #MYSTERY

The Herb of Death: Sweet Dolly Bantry wants to participate with a story from her past, but is embarrassed about telling it as well as the others, so she gives the bare bone facts and then has everyone grill her 20 Questions-style for more details. 

The YOA Treatment:

With the character of Miss Jane Marple, Agatha gives the reader yet another sleuthing style. Hercule Poirot has his order and logic method -- "the little grey cells," Tommy & Tuppence follow the paths they find in their favorite books, while Miss Marple relies heavily on her knowledge of the human nature. After being presented with the facts of a case, Miss Marple never fails to chime in with a story of someone back home in her village (#StMaryMead) that seems completely unrelated...until she presents her solution of the crime.

In her autobiography, Agatha gives some great insight into the influence her grandmother had on the character of Miss Marple. Agatha says of her grandmother: "though a cheerful person, she always expected the worst of everyone and everything, and was, with almost frightening accuracy, usually proved right. 'A downy fellow, that - I don't trust him,' Grannie would remark, and when later a polite young bank clerk was found to have embezzled some money, she was not at all surprised, but merely nodded her head." Like Grannie, Miss Marple doesn't need to take out her tweezers, collect overcoat fibers, or take extensive notes to solve crimes. She just goes with her first gut reaction, and trusts in her many years of experience with ordinary people behaving in ordinary ways. And she never fails to catch the killer actin just like she knew they would #playersgonnaplay. 

How to be Charming: The Secret Adversary | 1922

"You must stifle this longing for vulgar sensation, Tuppence. Remember that if Mr. Brown is all he is reported to be, it's a wonder that he has not ere now done us to death. That's a good sentence, quite a literary flavor about it." "You're really more conceited than I am--with less excuse!" - Tommy & Tuppence banter exhibit 4 million from The Secret Adversary, p. 57

The Sum of It:
The Secret Adversary begins with a prologue set in the last above-sea-level minutes aboard the Lusitania. Two attractives notice each other in what could likely be the last moments of their lives. However, hope for end of life comfort is dashed by a secret mission as a document is handed off to a young American lady before she boards a lifeboat #womenandchildren.

Our story itself opens with the most charming greetings ever between the main characters (not the boat people): “Tommy old thing!” “Tuppence old bean!” (dolls). Tommy and Tuppence knew each other during WWI while Tuppence was acting as a nurse in a soldiers hospital. Turns out post-war they’re both broke and unemployed, like pretty much everyone else in their generation (remember that number from White Christmas where they dance around in the giant wooden cutouts of people and sing about how they wish they were back in the army because of the free meals and such? Pretty much like that but one war earlier). They hatch a plan to raise funds via adventures, “no unreasonable offer refused.”

Their tenure as young adventurers begins with an overheard name: Jane Finn, which Tuppence cleverly repeats to a mysterious man who heard their plan and basically stalks her in a park to try to hire her to move to Paris (nooothing shady, he promises. MHMM). Sleuths now “in earnest,” they follow the trail of the mysterious Mr. Whittington (the stalker) which leads them straight to a SECRET GOVERNMENT AGENT who is like “you dummies are in the middle of something FAR BIGGER THAN YOURSELVES” then naturally hires them as spies (presumably bc they are charming and...expendable?)

Tommy and Tuppence pursue Jane Finn, the secret document, and the mysterious Mr. Brown (COMMIE/CRIMINAL MASTERMIND) lit’rally all over Great Britain. They're fueled by cleverness and witty repartee and accompanied by an American named Julius, who proves his Americanness by saying things like "If that's the case, and there's such a thing as graft in this country, I'll buy her off!" and "See here, this isn't Sicily!" They also engage a young sidekick named Albert who is perpetually on the brink of saying "GEE WHIZ" and generally keeps an eye out.

In the interest of not getting too spoiler-y because this book is stuffed to its gills with suspenseful twists and turns and disappearances and kidnappings and intrigues and hidden rooms and secret communist meetings and nursing homes and car chases (for realz), I will not do much plot summarizing re: the rest of the book, but there is more charming banter than an episode of Gilmore Girls and the dadgum story is so exciting and suspenseful it cost me most of a night of sleep the first time I read it because I HAD to finish it in one sitting #AgathaReigns #YasKween.

Not Tuppence, but close

The YOA Treatment:
Of all the Christie books I've read before, this one is probably my favorite, even on a re-read. In addition to a legit suspenseful storyline and more than one major twist, favoritism is largely due to the crime fighters we meet in this, Agatha's second book; Tuppence Cowley and Tommy Beresford. Tommy and Tuppence are two 20-somethings with little to their names besides cleverness, and like most of Agatha's sleuths, they lean on their intuition to solve the mysteries rather than training.

Tuppence, a plucky, quick-witted, level-headed girl with progressive tendencies (she favors fashionable short skirts and refuses to play a supporting role) creates an archetype of #empoweredladies we'll see repeated in lots of Agatha's stories. Though Tommy and Tuppence are a duo, and Tommy calls upon his resourcefulness to get out of a number of scrapes, Tuppence is the brains of the operation. She pushes Tommy to think outside of the box and focus on their interest in adventure when they can't find jobs, she finds them their first mystery, roots out key suspects, goes under cover, and all kinds of other stuff on her own initiative #LeanIn. Agatha doesn't write many simpering heroines or weak damsels in distress, instead creating women who know what's up and take care of it (often while making snappy little jokes).

In her autobiography, Agatha mentions how one of her grandmothers was always complaining of some vague ailment or another, which Agatha eventually divined was really just an act to demonstrate the feminine frailty deemed attractive in the 19th century. Agatha recognized this as an antique mentality; 20th century girls were made of heartier stuff. In Tuppence she created a leading lady who not only embraced the bobbed hair and ankle-baring fashions of her day but also the why-not-me spirit of the post-war girl.

- E