As evidenced by the popularity of the new movie Murder on the Orient Express, people love Agatha Christie. And why not? She’s the queen of crime with her well-loved detectives Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot.

But how many people know Tommy and Tuppence?

Tommy and Tuppence Beresford get involved in espionage in 1922, the same year Christie started writing them. In other words, when the first book, The Secret Adversary, came out it was a contemporary spy thriller. Tommy and Tuppence are charming and funny but the more interesting thing about them is that there are only five books in the series – as mentioned, The Secret Adversary; Partners in Crime, a series of short stories from 1929; N or M? (1941); By the Pricking of My Thumbs (1968); and Postern of Fate (1973), the last book Christie wrote – and the characters age in real time.

These are a treat to read, filled with typical Christie direction and misdirection. Give them a try.