Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

2 reviews

pedanther's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I have mixed feelings about this book. I found the climax effectively tense, and it successfully kept me guessing about the identity of the eponymous secret adversary when I'd been confident I knew who it was. But a lot of what precedes it is episodic runaround without much depth, and the kind of xenophobic political worldview I've already encountered in other thrillers from this period that I read when I was younger and less discerning and didn't really need any more of.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Murder, Sexism, Suicide, and Violence

Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, Classism, Incest, Torture, and War

The incest content note is for mention of marriage between first cousins.

silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

 Book 2 in my complete Agatha Christie read through!

I know I read this one in my teens, and I hazily remembered parts of the twist/reveal, but kept second guessing myself, so in a way I was still surprised. Even if I'd remembered the ending perfectly, I think I still would have enjoyed revisiting this one, and all the fun character interactions. Tommy and Tuppence are some of my favorite Agatha Christie characters! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Grief, Death, Murder, and Cursing