History Literature / TommyAndTuppence

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: In ''Secret Adversary'', Tommy recognises a letter from Tuppence is a fake because it is signed "Twopence". The villain had only ever heard her nickname spoken and didn't know which spelling she used.

BBC adaptions of ''The Secret Adversary'' and ''N or M?'', but confusingly titled ''Partners in Crime'' [[note]]There are no adaptions of any of the short stories from that collection[[/note]] and starring David Walliams and Jessica Raine aired in 2015. The adaptation this time around portrays them as an established middle-aged couple (circa ''N or M?'') indulging in amateur espionage rather than the youthful spies of the earlier books, and moves the setting for both to the 1950's era Cold War.

* AmericansAreCowboys: Some ConversationalTroping between Tommy and Tuppence in ''Partners in Crime'', where Tuppence wants to meet a handsome and rugged American man who can survive in the wild and rope a steer. Tommy asks her if he also wears chaps and a ten-gallon hat.

* AlmostDeadGuy: Referenced at the beginning of ''Partners in Crime'', when Tuppence wishes one would stagger through the door so she could have a mystery to solve.

* BetterToDieThanBeKilled:
** ''The Secret Adversary'': Mr. Brown [[spoiler: a.k.a. Sir James]] knows he will get no leniency from the government for his schemes. [[spoiler: He takes a cyanide pill hidden in his signet ring.]]
** ''Partners In Crime'': In "Finessing the King/The Gentleman Dressed in Newspaper," when the murderer finds his scheme has been unwound by Tuppence, [[spoiler: Sir Arthur jumps from a high window to his death.]]

* {{Bookends}}: After creating Tommy and Tuppence, Christie would periodically go back and visit them from time to time. Rather sweetly, ''The Secret Adversary'' was the second published novel of Christie's career, and ''Postern of Fate'' was the last novel she ever wrote.[[note]]But the third-to-last to be published, as earlier manuscripts ''Literature/{{Curtain}}'' and ''Literature/SleepingMurder'' were brought out of storage and released after ''Postern of Fate''.

* ChekhovsSkill: "Finessing the King/The Gentleman Dressed in Newspaper" opens with Tommy demonstrating his observational skills by pontificating about the way the newspaper masthead has a noticable white spot in a different place each day, something Tuppence can't see any use in knowing. [[spoiler: Tuppence later uses it to prove that the torn bit of newspaper in the victim's hand ''didn't'' come from the Gentleman Dressed in Newspaper's costume, because it was the wrong day's.]]

* FunetikAksent: "The Crackler" from ''Partners in Crime'' features a fellow from Alabama who pronounces "Europe" as "[[UsefulNotes/AmericanAccents Yurrop]]".

* LondonEnglandSyndrome: Knowing the correct location of Maldon is a plot point in ''Partners in Crime''.

* MasqueradeBall: The revolving point of the mystery in "Finessing the King/The Gentleman Dressed in Newspaper."

* SelfImposedChallenge: InUniverse. Tuppence tells a client that for an extra fee, they'll solve the case in twenty-four hours or less. The client is suitably impressed and pays, Tommy is less enthusiastic when he finds out. It turns out that [[spoiler: Tuppence has ''already'' solved the case, largely because she helped create it]]. In the very next story, the clients say they've heard about this amazing guarantee...

* SmithicalMarriage: Tommy and Tuppence occasionally use aliases to protect themselves. The debate of which alias on one occasion in front of the hotel clerk leaves him aghast at the openness of their discussion; he doesn't realize they're married to each other!

* SwordCane: Tommy carries one in "Blindman's Buff". It comes in handy at the end of the story.

* YouWatchTooMuchX: Tommy's reaction to Tuppence's ConversationalTroping about an AlmostDeadGuy staggering into the flat is "What ''have'' you been reading?"

* ''Partners in Crime'' (short story collection) (1929)

* {{Bookends}}: After creating Tommy and Tuppence, Christie would periodically go back and visit them from time to time. Rather sweetly, ''The Secret Adversary'' was the second published novel of Christie's career, and ''Postern of Fate'' was the third-to-last.

** ''By The Pricking Of My Thumbs'' has an artist said to produce all his work under the influence of drugs (the sample we're provided with is "a big string bag which seemed to have enmeshed itseklf in a metallic green field full of distorted cows"), by the name of Paul [[Music/MickJagger Jagger]]owski.

* SelfImposedChallenge: Tuppence tells a client that for an extra fee, they'll solve the case in twenty-four hours or less. The client is suitably impressed and pays, Tommy is less enthusiastic when he finds out. It turns out that [[spoiler: Tuppence has ''already'' solved the case, largely because she helped create it]]. In the very next story, the clients say they've heard about this amazing guarantee...

* ChekovsSkill: "Finessing the King/The Gentleman Dressed in Newspaper" opens with Tommy demonstrating his observational skills by pontificating about the way the newspaper masthead has a noticable white spot in a different place each day, something Tuppence can't see any use in knowing. [[spoiler: Tuppence later uses it to prove that the torn bit of newspaper in the victim's hand ''didn't'' come from the Gentleman Dressed in Newspaper's costume, because it was the wrong day's.]]

* SelfImposedChallenge: Tuppence tells a client that for an extra fee, they'll solve the case in twenty-fours hours or less. The client is suitably impressed and pays, Tommy is less enthusiastic when he finds out. It turns out that [[spoiler: Tuppence has ''already'' solved the case, largely because she helped create it]]. In the very next story, the clients say they've heard about this amazing guarantee...

** ''By The Pricking Of My Thumbs'' has an artist said to produce all his work under the influence of drugs (the sample we're provided with is "a big string bag which seemed to have enmeshed itseklf in a metallic green field full of distorted cows")., by the name of Paul [[Music/MickJagger Jagger]]owski.
* SmartPeopleKnowLatin: Sir James knows it quite well. [[spoiler: Enough that his dying words after taking cyanide are "'Ave, Caeser! te morituri salutant!" [[note]]"Hail, Ceaser! Those who are about to die salute you!"[[/note]]]]

* ''The Secret Adversary'' (1922)

* BoundAndGagged: Tommy after being captured in both ''The Secret Adversary'' and ''N or M?'' In the former, he escapes [[spoiler: when Annette slips a knife to him]]. In the latter, he finds help when [[spoiler: he loudly snores in Morse Code through his gag, alerting Albert who happens to be nearby looking for him]].

* SelfImposedChallenge: Tuppence tells a client that for an extra fee, they'll solve the case in twenty-fours hours or less. The client is suitably impressed and pays, Tommy is less enthusiastic when he finds out. It turns out that [[spoiler: Tuppence has ''already'' solved the case, largely because she helped create it]]. For the rest of the book clients say they've heard about this amazing guarantee...

* AlliterativeFamily: A minor case, but '''T'''ommy and '''T'''uppence have two kids called '''D'''erek and '''D'''eborah.

* AmnesiacsAreInnocent: Senile old Mrs. Lancaster in ''By The Pricking of My Thumbs'' did some completely unsavory things in her youth, but time has rendered her to a sweet, gentle old lady in a nursing home. [[spoiler: Then Averted hard when she not only reveals she is completely lucid and remembers everything she did, but she poisoned another nursing home resident who recognized her and then tries to kill a cornered Tuppence.]]

* SpoiledSweet: Julius, the generous millionaire benefactor of ''The Secret Adversary'', who not only insists on paying for everything for Tommy and Tuppence while they help him try to find his missing cousin, but even offers to help himself.

* OneSteveLimit: Played with in ''The Secret Adversary''. There is only one character named Margurite in the book. [[spoiler: But there's also a painting with the character from ''{{Faust}}'' named Margurite that plays a large role in locating the missing documents...]]

* KissingCousins: Julius and Jane in ''The Secret Adversary''.

* DeadpanSnarker: Tommy.

Appearing in Christie's second novel, ''The Secret Adversary'', Thomas Beresford and Prudence "Tuppence" Cowley started out as friends in post-UsefulNotes/WorldWarI Britain. Jobless and penniless, they place an ad in the paper marketing themselves as adventurers, leading to an encounter that starts their career as spies for an unnamed British intelligence agency. From there, they were revisited by Christie from time to time, and again, unlike Poirot and Marple, aged in real-time as Christie did, starting out as energetic twenty-somethings in ''The Secret Adversary'' and ending up as retired grandparents in their twilight years in ''Postern of Fate''. ''Postern'' is also notable as the final novel Christie ever wrote, though not published. They were often referred to by Christie as "bright young things" and she is said to have enjoyed writing their stories the most.

* BeneathNotice: Mr. Brown, the mastermind of ''The Secret Adversary'', is always described as "average" by anyone who actually catches sight of him. He's so effective at blandness that both Tuppence ''and'' Julius see him in person before knowing his true identity, and neither can recall anything about his looks that stands out enough to be useful.

* CoverIdentityAnomaly: Averted with Tommy and Tuppence in ''N or M?'', although they both go about it in different fashions.