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98th out of 419 books
—
401 voters
By the Pricking of My Thumbs (Tommy and Tuppence #4)
While visiting Tommy's Aunt Ada at Sunny Ridge nursing home, Tuppence encounters some odd residents including Mrs. Lancaster who mystifies her with talk about "your poor child" and "something behind the fireplace".
When Aunt Ada dies a few weeks later she leaves Tommy and Tuppence a painting. Tuppence is sure she has seen the house in it beofre, a recognition that takes her...more
When Aunt Ada dies a few weeks later she leaves Tommy and Tuppence a painting. Tuppence is sure she has seen the house in it beofre, a recognition that takes her...more
Paperback, 212 pages
Published
July 1st 2000
by Signet
(first published 1968)
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Picture Tuppence sitting infront of a fireplace at Sunny Ridge, as Tommy is upstairs visiting his old aunt. Beside her sits an old and kind woman drinking hot milk. Then she asks Tuppence, lost in thought: 'Was it your poor child?'
Tommy and Tuppence books are somewhat more of adventure than Poirot's and Mrs.Marple's. This one is great. They inherit a picture of a house from an old aunt of Tommy and Tuppence decides she has seen that house somewhere in England and goes looking for it. This crazy...more
Tommy and Tuppence books are somewhat more of adventure than Poirot's and Mrs.Marple's. This one is great. They inherit a picture of a house from an old aunt of Tommy and Tuppence decides she has seen that house somewhere in England and goes looking for it. This crazy...more
Agatha Christie's leisurely murder mystery, begins in an old ladies home.Tommy Beresford is visiting his Aunt Ada, at Sunny Ridge. The spinster is 80 and still tough,she likes tormenting Tuppence the nephew's wife, who has come along.(Ada needs some fun in her sedentary life)Tuppence befriends Mrs.Lancaster ,an inmate. This woman ,who seems slightly confused,always talking about a dead child!Miss Packard, who runs this peaceful establishment, doesn't take Mrs. Lancaster seriously.Three weeks lat...more
This was an incredibly chilling mystery; I had the cover image and the creepy, insane mutterings of the killer burnt into my mind and preventing me from falling asleep. Scary.
Agatha Christie has produced yet another brilliant mystery, one that is intense and possesses gripping tension throughout the entire novel as the detectives attempt to solve the puzzle. Tommy and Tuppence are back again, now very much advanced in age, but still as spirited as ever. The light romance between the two is very...more
Agatha Christie has produced yet another brilliant mystery, one that is intense and possesses gripping tension throughout the entire novel as the detectives attempt to solve the puzzle. Tommy and Tuppence are back again, now very much advanced in age, but still as spirited as ever. The light romance between the two is very...more
Tommy & Tuppence Beresford go to visit Tommy's cranky Aunt Ada in the Old Person's Home and stumble onto a mystery! The mystery involves a painting, a (possibly) dead child and a disappearing septuagenarian.
The plot was kind of muddled and confused - and wildly improbable at times, particularly when the crimes began to be revealed. The whole book felt more like a character study, particularly of Tuppence. I think I might quite like Tuppence if I met her in real life but I'm afraid in the bo...more
The plot was kind of muddled and confused - and wildly improbable at times, particularly when the crimes began to be revealed. The whole book felt more like a character study, particularly of Tuppence. I think I might quite like Tuppence if I met her in real life but I'm afraid in the bo...more
Admittedly I have not read many novels by Agatha Christie. It seems like in her novels the plot often changes and evolves as the story progresses. Prudence Cowley (Tuppence) with the support of Thomas Beresford (Tommy) is chasing a wild comment by an inmate in Aunt Ada’s old age home – Sunny Ridge.
Despite a weak start and the author manages to seize our attention and intrigue with its fast pace and unconventional characterisation. The question, “was it your poor child”, from one of the character...more
Despite a weak start and the author manages to seize our attention and intrigue with its fast pace and unconventional characterisation. The question, “was it your poor child”, from one of the character...more
I'm going to go ahead and give this five stars, because it is fairly rare for Dame Agatha to go all-out creepy with her books and I'm amazed at how well she does it here! I read this book a very long time ago and never forgot the image of the old lady calmly saying that the milk is not poisoned TODAY and inquiring about the body walled up in the fireplace. Gave me shivers! So I had a sense of happy deja-vu when I read the first chapter and realized that this was *that* book...so many of Christie...more
I first encountered Tommy and Tuppence Beresford through the tongue-in-cheek adaptation "Partners in Crime" that was shown on public television in the 80s. I loved the airy comedy, fabulous costumes, and witty repartee of Tommy and Tuppence as portrayed by Francesca Annis and James Warwick, and was very disappointed when I read "The Secret Adversary" to find the literary version wasn't quite as much fun. "By the Pricking of My Thumbs," when Tommy and Tuppence are older, bears little resemblance...more
It is true of most of us that when the antagonist of a crime novel has psychological problems, our fear factor escalates. Perhaps it's because we have difficulty aligning our reality with an impaired person's fantasy world. When our effort fails, we realize the danger walking among us and the unpredictability of it all!
There is a part of us that wants to understand Mrs. Lancaster's question, "Was it your child?" Though completely out of context and foreboding as well, Tuppence tries to logically...more
There is a part of us that wants to understand Mrs. Lancaster's question, "Was it your child?" Though completely out of context and foreboding as well, Tuppence tries to logically...more
Review: I love the fact how Tuppence did a good job in this story. Well Tommy also helped her getting the clues and so as Albert.
The story started off with this couple Mrs. Tuppence and Mr. Tommy Beresford. Tommy Beresford has an aunt name Aunt Ada (Ms. Fanshawe) her aunt lives in Sunny Ridge nursing home administered by Miss Pickard. And there, they visited Aunt Ada this woman was very rude to Tuppence because she didn't liked her at all. While there Tuppence meet an old woman named Mrs. Lancas...more
The story started off with this couple Mrs. Tuppence and Mr. Tommy Beresford. Tommy Beresford has an aunt name Aunt Ada (Ms. Fanshawe) her aunt lives in Sunny Ridge nursing home administered by Miss Pickard. And there, they visited Aunt Ada this woman was very rude to Tuppence because she didn't liked her at all. While there Tuppence meet an old woman named Mrs. Lancas...more
I am a great lover of mysteries, but I’m sad to say that I have never read any works by Agatha Christie. Inspired by a Doctor Who rerun, I decided to finally give the ol’ girl a spin and see what the fuss what about. I picked up my tattered copy of By the Pricking of my Thumbs and read it.
By the Pricking of my Thumbs stars Tuppence and Tommy Beresford, an older couple who’ve been solving mysteries and having adventures in Christie’s previous books. In this particular Tale, Tuppence is attracted...more
By the Pricking of my Thumbs stars Tuppence and Tommy Beresford, an older couple who’ve been solving mysteries and having adventures in Christie’s previous books. In this particular Tale, Tuppence is attracted...more
I thought the story was muddled, I was expecting a little more after the excellent 'N or M?'. I find in general that the Tommy and Tuppence series always leaves me wanting, I don't know if maybe the author felt the same about it because she didn't write a lot about them. What I love the most about this series though is revisiting the characters at different place in their lives and maybe that's why there's only 5 books with them so this is possible. I expect I want too much from this series when...more
Robert Barnard appraised this one pretty accurately:
"Begins rather well, with a vicious old aunt of Tommy's in a genteel old people's home, but declines rapidly into a welter of half-realised plots and a plethora of those conversations, all too familiar in late Christie, which meander on through irrelevancies, repetitions and inconsequentialities to end nowhere (as if she had sat at the feet of Samuel Beckett). Makes one appreciate the economy of dialogue – all point, or at least possible point,...more
"Begins rather well, with a vicious old aunt of Tommy's in a genteel old people's home, but declines rapidly into a welter of half-realised plots and a plethora of those conversations, all too familiar in late Christie, which meander on through irrelevancies, repetitions and inconsequentialities to end nowhere (as if she had sat at the feet of Samuel Beckett). Makes one appreciate the economy of dialogue – all point, or at least possible point,...more
This novel is why I enjoy Agatha Christie and Tommy and Tuppence as it combines the best of Christie with Tommy and Tuppence's humor and partnership. By the Pricking of My Thumbs begins when Tommy and Tuppence go to visit Tommy's Aunt Ada at a retirement home and Tuppence is sent out of the room as Aunt Ada does not approve of her. Tuppence ends up speaking with a woman who seems rather dotty and speaks of a child in a chimney. When Aunt Ada dies and leaves behind a painting from that dotty old...more
"This is one of the weaker Agatha Christies out there. Vague, poor plotting, it seems little happens. However, it's a pleasure to hang with Tommy and Tuppence again, although there are endless monologues about being old, something Agatha was feeling very much in the late 60s.
As for the plot, while visiting sour old Aunt Ada, Tuppence meets a seemingly dithering old lady who drops some mysterious clues about a painting and a dead child. While there are a few memorable characters, and I admit, I w...more
As for the plot, while visiting sour old Aunt Ada, Tuppence meets a seemingly dithering old lady who drops some mysterious clues about a painting and a dead child. While there are a few memorable characters, and I admit, I w...more
This is my first Agatha Christie book, I know "Blake, why didn't you read her best, And Then There Were None." Well, I am not quite sure why I chose this one mainly because they cover was enticing and I just wanted to check it out. And I know I gave it 3 stars but she really is a great writer.
GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS BOOK:
- The ending was phenomenal! Everything an ending for a mystery should be: thrilling, heart wrenching and heart pumping.
- Her writing style is obviously great
- I loved the ch...more
GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS BOOK:
- The ending was phenomenal! Everything an ending for a mystery should be: thrilling, heart wrenching and heart pumping.
- Her writing style is obviously great
- I loved the ch...more
The main protagonists in this book are Tommy and Tuppence Beresford who feature in four of Christie’s novels. When visiting Tommy’s Aunt Ada in a care home they encounter an old lady, Mrs Lancaster, whose ramblings about a child’s body behind a fireplace, disturb Tuppence. On revisiting the home after Aunt Ada’s death they find Mrs Lancaster has been suddenly removed from the home and nobody seems to know where she has gone. Concerned for her safety Tuppence sets out to investigate the disappear...more
Agatha Christie often ends her books with romance, or at least the hope of romance, but with Tommy and Tuppance books, she looks at a marriage. We meet the as singles who wind up in the spy business for a while, then, of course, they get married. In the next five books, we see them as husband and wife, having children, living through a second world war, and in this book, going ungently into old age. Tuppance, during a visit to see Tommy's Aunt Ada, winds up talking with one of the other resident...more
Books by Agatha Christie seem to have certain features in common. The plot is the main feature, with an ingenious puzzle that develops along with the narrative, finishing with an expert denouement. The characters are very broadly drawn, with few nuances. At one time I did not like Christie's books very much, but have learned to appreciate their charm.
That said, I enjoy all of Christie's stories, and her various sleuths - Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot and I especially like the sleuthing couple know...more
That said, I enjoy all of Christie's stories, and her various sleuths - Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot and I especially like the sleuthing couple know...more
Pourquoi Mrs Lancaster a-t-elle brusquement quitté la maison de retraite où Tommy et Tuppence Beresford sont venus voir leur tante Ada ?
Et pourquoi cette vieille dame un peu perdue faisait-elle allusion à un enfant enterré dans une cheminée ?
L’affaire se corse quand, voulant lui restituer un tableau qu’elle avait offert à leur parente, Tommy et Tuppence s’aperçoivent qu’il est impossible de retrouver sa trace…
Une maison au bord d’un canal,
une série d’infanticides inexpliqués,
un notaire étran...more
Et pourquoi cette vieille dame un peu perdue faisait-elle allusion à un enfant enterré dans une cheminée ?
L’affaire se corse quand, voulant lui restituer un tableau qu’elle avait offert à leur parente, Tommy et Tuppence s’aperçoivent qu’il est impossible de retrouver sa trace…
Une maison au bord d’un canal,
une série d’infanticides inexpliqués,
un notaire étran...more
Oh Aggie, your mind really must have been going to have written this and considered it a complete novel. It doesn't make sense! It's terribly disappointing, especially because Tommy and Tuppence are usually so delightful. But in this mystery not only do they lack believable motivation for taking any action, they don't get to do much of anything together, and their chemistry is all wonky, which was the most depressing part.
I'll take some of the blame for not understanding the plot, as I did fall...more
I'll take some of the blame for not understanding the plot, as I did fall...more
I really should read more Agatha Christie! This is the second book I've read and she's so far not disappointing me. In this case though, I listened to the audio book, and loved it. Samantha Bond's narration was very enjoyable, and suiting to be read as the main characters were predominantly British females.
The story was easy to follow, and several characters had a part to play without losing touch with who's who. (Normally I don't like too many characters in one book to follow.) But each one ha...more
The story was easy to follow, and several characters had a part to play without losing touch with who's who. (Normally I don't like too many characters in one book to follow.) But each one ha...more
"By the Pricking of my Thumbs" by Agatha Christie is the suspicion that somebody and something is just not right, no matter how respectable and reasonable the exterior. Tuppence and Tommy Beresford are middle-aged, but the death of an old aunt at a rest home follows a definite murder, and clues lead to trouble. (UK residences still seem far better than Canadian subsidized institutions fraught with theft and assault, from bitter personal experience.)
Christie always draws dithering characters acc...more
Christie always draws dithering characters acc...more
Not your typical Agatha Christie mystery. Tommy and Tuppence remind me a bit of Nick and Nora Charles, with wit and wisdom, but not quite the same flair. This is more of a chiller than a true mystery, because the resolution doesn't involve a series of clues to be riddled out (although there certainly are plenty of clues) so much as a series of revelations at the very end of the book. The chill factor is definitely higher here than with most other Christie stories; sinister undercurrents and just...more
I've discovered that I am not observant enough to be a *smart* reader of good mysteries, so I was pleased to find a great tale by Agatha Christie that was clever but not so convoluted as to require a second full pass to try to figure out what I missed the first time. Tommy and Tuppence are also great character,s and I can see how Christie built a successful series around them.
This was a really enjoyable audiobook and story. You might say it was kind of a Scooby-Doo ending, but that was part of...more
This was a really enjoyable audiobook and story. You might say it was kind of a Scooby-Doo ending, but that was part of...more
The story is a standard Christie, a litle bit creepy and sprinkled with clues. I have given it two stars rather than three because of the reader, Alex Jennings. The narrative was fine the voices of Tommy and Tuppence okay, but other voices varied from the too soft to hear without blasting out my eardrums on the other passages (Philip Stark) to the virtually unintelligible (the general and the Welshman)to the downright inappropriate. Mrs Boscowen is described as having a deep, attractive voice. J...more
To complete the quote, one should read some Bradbury next.
Twisty & turny Tommy & Tuppence mystery (although T&T are dealing with the effects of age here) from 1968. Though chockfull of excellent puzzles, the book suffers a little from Christie's biases - this time the one about Woman Driven Mad By Regret. Sadly, at the end of this book, Tuppence declares she is too old to be doing the Tuppence things she does and she will henceforth stay quietly at home like a nice old lady - believeably. Still a solid 4 stars and maybe 5. Wonderful wonderf...more
Another suspenseful Christie mystery. This was my first Tommy and Tuppence mystery, but I didn't totally love Tommy and Tuppence as protagonists. It was just weird to have a middle-aged couple as the heroes of the book. Also, Tommy seemed annoyingly unhelpful, and sometimes downright rude to Tuppence. I wanted to slap him a few times. Tuppence was more fun, but I didn't like her as much as some of Christie's other heroines (like Frankie and Bundle). As usual, I was totally surprised by the endin...more
Jan 04, 2013
Gretchen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
mystery lovers
Shelves:
mystery-whodunnit
This one was a little bit difficult to get into at the start, but the ending is SO WORTH hanging in there for!!! I'm an Agatha Christie buff, but I find the Tommy and Tuppence crime solving team to be the hardest for me to get behind. In spite of that, this book was awesome! It's one of the first times that my jaw has actually dropped while I was reading the final twist in the plot! I can't say too much about this one because I'm afraid that I'll give it away, but do yourself a favor and give th...more
The ramblings of an old lady lead Tommy and Tuppence Beresford on the hunt for a killer.
In the later years of Christie’s career, she focussed many of her stories on crimes from the past. This sub-genre would yield a couple of her greatest works, as we shall see, but it was by no means a surefire recipe for success.
20 years after their last appearance (and 40 years after their first), Christie again resurrected her married couple Tommy and Tuppence for their fourth adventure. Each of these novels...more
In the later years of Christie’s career, she focussed many of her stories on crimes from the past. This sub-genre would yield a couple of her greatest works, as we shall see, but it was by no means a surefire recipe for success.
20 years after their last appearance (and 40 years after their first), Christie again resurrected her married couple Tommy and Tuppence for their fourth adventure. Each of these novels...more
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Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born in Torquay, Devon, England, U.K., as the youngest of three. The Millers had two other children: Margaret Frary Miller (1879–1950), called Madge, who was eleven years Agatha's senior, and Louis Montant Miller (1880...more
More about Agatha Christie...
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born in Torquay, Devon, England, U.K., as the youngest of three. The Millers had two other children: Margaret Frary Miller (1879–1950), called Madge, who was eleven years Agatha's senior, and Louis Montant Miller (1880...more
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Jan 30, 2013 07:56pm