The Clergyman's Daughter / The Red House: A Short Story

Tommy & Tuppence #2.13

by Agatha Christie

Previously published in the print anthology Partners in Crime.

A woman inherits a large house from her old aunt, but she has no means of maintaining it. She must take in lodgers to make ends meet, but, unfortunately, the house seems to be inhabited by poltergeists. This makes it rather hard to retain tenants. Tommy and Tuppence investigate.

Genres: Mystery, Agatha Christie, Short Stories, Crime, Fiction, Audiobook, Christmas

100 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 20, 2013

About the author

Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.

Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tommy and Tuppence investigate a haunted house!



A clergyman's daughter comes to the detective agency because she and her invalid mother inherited a house that may be haunted. They've been trying to let the house to borders but the odd seemingly supernatural disturbances have driven everyone away.
Meanwhile, there's a man from the paranormal society that wants to buy the house from her. BUT! She has her doubts that he's what he claims to be.



This one has everything needed to be a Scoby-Doo mystery.
Fake ghosts, disguises, anagrams, and buried treasure. What more could you want?



Published in 1923 in The Grand Magazine under the name The First Wish, this is actually the very first Tommy and Tuppence short story!

Read as part of the short story collection Partners in Crime.

[Bobby Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tuppence makes a bet with Tommy that the next person to walk in and hire them will be a clergyman’s daughter. It’s a sure thing, of course — Tuppence has the inside track — but what follows is great fun, involving an inherited house which may be haunted, an invalid mother, and perhaps a treasure!

Why does a man from some paranormal society want to take the house off the hands of the clergyman’s daughter? It’s all light and breezy fun, as are all of the Tommy and Tuppence short stories.

Some wonderful Christmas sentiments conclude this one. Stories like this are why we love Tommy and Tuppence. Great for holiday reading.

[Lovely Day · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

What?!? It didn’t even have a real ending! 🤨 (which was a shame because it started off interesting)

I’m more often than not disappointed by the Tommy and Tuppence stories…

Language: 1 d

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of Agatha Christie, I picked this e-book up from my local library. It was part of a set of twelve novellas Midwinter Murder: Fireside Tales from the Queen of Mystery. I found each individual story entertaining with a great mystery. I would recommond to readers of Agatha Christie. 2023

[Shawna ~ The Wonderer Shawna Monroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good start to the fun little adventure of The Red House with the Clergyman’s Daughter. Then a fun little dig for treasure.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little mystery

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tommy and Tuppence continue posing as Theodore Blunt and his assistant of the International Detective Agency. Their next case is a woman who inherited a house that she decided to keep despite purchase offers, to run a bed and breakfast. That works out well until it appears to be haunted. Suddenly another man shows up and wants to buy it to study the paranormal activity but she swears that it is the same man who wanted to buy it before but he is in disguise. When Tommy and Tuppence investigate, they discover that the woman who owned the house had money that she didn’t keep in the bank and must have kept hidden in the house and that is why the man wants to buy it. In searching through the papers the woman left behind, they break a code and figure out that the money is buried in the garden in tins full of potatoes which are hurried to keep them fresh.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was particularly pleasant and Christmassy.

[As You Wish · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and sweet happy ending.

[itchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as part of the collection Partners In Crime, 21April2022.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do enjoy reading the occasional Christie short story involving this detective duo. Tommy and Tuppence Beresford make a great couple and although old fashioned in their attitudes having entertaining interactions.

The Clergyman's Daughter and The Red House are in fact two parts of the same story, involving the commission to act and the subsequent investigation at the property.

The age old problem exists for the Clergyman’s daughter, marry for love and live in poverty or marry by necessity and have one’s financial problems solved. Monica was favoured by a relation of her father’s and has been left a run down house. With limited means for its upkeep she has already turned down a generous offer to sell her inheritance.

Then strange things occur which seem to make the home unliveable amid ghostly happenings. When Monica believes the same man is masquerading as another interested buyer from a poltergeist society she smells a rat. She falls back on a belief that her aunt had some great wealth hidden in the house; hence the attempts to get her to relinquish her home. She seeks the help of the Beresfords who adore the spooky assignment and her desire for true happiness with the man she loves.

If they could just find the hidden stash of money then Monica can have the financial independence to follow her heart.

A simple mystery, creatively told.

[Emma Gallacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great story and apparently the first Tommy and tuppence one. I love the LWT adaptation from the 1980s with James Warwick and Francesca Annis. They add an extra plot to it and combine clergyman’s daughter with the Red house. Fabulous!

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story featuring Tommy & Tuppence. Light and entertaining.

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 3 out of 5]

SYNOPSIS: "A woman inherits a large house from her old aunt, but she has no means of maintaining it. She must take in lodgers to make ends meet, but, unfortunately, the house seems to be inhabited by poltergeists. This makes it rather hard to retain tenants. Tommy and Tuppence investigate."

[Chanover55 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read an Tommy ans Tuppence mysteries and this didn't disappoint. A clergyman's daughter and widow find themselves in desperate straights and turn to Tommy & Tuppence for help. Is their home really haunted or is something else going on?

[WR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too obvious and hence a lil silly, but just in time for Xmas!

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tommy is such a plonker...

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rather fun two part story for Tommy and Tuppence looking at love, money and hidden treasure.

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable Tommy and Tuppence mystery.

[Rupal · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun riddle

[Abby Strausbaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few Agatha Christie's not about murder... i enjoyed it. very short.

[John Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever little mystery

[Joop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een TT die weer wat beter in elkaar steekt.

[Kiley · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

[Felecia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short Tommy & Tuppence story where they investigate a haunted house. It's got a fun Scooby-Doo feel to it.

[Madalyn Ekstrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful. I pray a treasure hunt like this befalls me someday.

[Catherine Vamianaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a pleasant surprise to listen to this short book of Agatha on ytube

[Isabella Bergman (litteraturochyoga) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5.

[Rolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun mystery based around suspicion of a ghostly haunting. Easily my favorite of the Partners in Crime collection of Tommy and Tuppence stories.

[Alif · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this one! full of excitement!