Death on the Agenda is a 1962 mystery novel by Patricia Moyes.
It is the third book in the Henry Tibbett series of detective novels. In this one, Inspector Tibbett and his wife Emmy are in Geneva, Switzerland, where Henry is attending an international conference on drug-smuggling. There is a problem, however: Henry becomes aware that there is an intelligence leak in the international narcotics task force, one that is allowing drug cartels to evade law enforcement.
Things get serious when John Tripp, a member of the narcotics task force, is found murdered in his office. Things get very serious indeed for Henry when he, who was on the scene when Tripp's body was discovered, becomes the prime suspect.
Tropes:
- Blasting It Out of Their Hands: Zwemmer does this to Gamboni when Gamboni, gun in hand, bursts in to the climactic confrontation. It turns out that Gamboni was actually working for Zwemmer, but Zwemmer was scared he might shoot someone.
- Blowing Smoke Rings: Inspector Colliet does this when he's trying to intimidate Henry during an interrogation.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: Henry admires the "lovely figure" of Helene Briochet, a French/English translator at the meeting.
- Continuity Nod: Some of the characters from previous Tibbett novel Dead Men Don't Ski pop up in this book.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: As Henry mournfully reflects at the end, John Tripp was only killed because Paul mistakenly thought that Tripp had knowledge of his drug-smuggling operation. In fact, John was actually having an affair with Paul's wife, but Paul got the wrong idea about a clandestine meeting.
- Finger-Tenting: Henry is annoyed at how Inspector Colliet, who thinks Henry is the killer and is trying to wheedle a confession out of him, puts the tips of his fingers together as he acts like "a caricature of a fictional detective."
- Hidden in Plain Sight: Mary used an audiotape of someone typing to set up her Recorded Audio Alibi. Then she simply left the tape player on the desk, it being standard office equipment. She didn't get the tape player and the incriminating cassette back until later, after the police had cleared out.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: After finding out he is the prime suspect, Henry tells Emmy "I think we both need a drink" and they retire to the bar.
- In the Back: John Tripp is found still sitting at his desk in the office, stabbed in the back.
- Intro Dump: Most of the characters are introduced all at once when the task force has a meeting—and Paul Hampton, the only major character who isn't at the meeting, is discussed.
- Lights Out Somebody Dies: The lights go out during the climactic confrontation, and a bunch of people start shooting. When they're turned back on, Paul Hampton has been mortally wounded.
- Love Triangle: Annette was in a relationship with John Tripp, and she was pretty upset when he started ignoring her because he was having an affair with Natasha Hampton. (Technically this is a Love Dodecahedron because Natasha is married, but she and Paul Hampton have a Sexless Marriage.)
- The Mole: Tibbett is trying to find a mole in Interpol's anti-narcotics task force.
- Recorded Audio Alibi: Mary's alibi for killing John Tripp. She stabbed him in the back, then started an audiotape recording of someone typing on a typewriter, then left the office. This led Henry, outside the office, to assume Tripp was still alive and typing away at his desk, and wasn't killed until later.
- Sex for Services: Natasha, who is desperate to avoid her affair with John Tripp becoming public knowledge, makes a pretty overt offer of sex with Henry if he can keep that bit of information from coming out in the investigation. He declines.
- Sexy Secretary: Mary Benson, secretary to the subcommittee. Despite being Happily Married, Henry develops an infatuation with beautiful Mary.
- Suicide by Sea: Mary drowns herself in the lake rather than be arrested for John Tripp's murder. Henry finds her dress and a suicide note on the beach.
- Two Dun It: Paul and Mary were working together. Paul is a drug kingpin, Mary was his mole on the Interpol task force, and he gave her the dagger she used to kill John Tripp.
