“N or M?” ( Eng. N or M? ) - Agatha Christie's detective novel, first published by the Collins Crime Club in 1941 . In Russia, it was also published under the name “ X or Y? " [1] and" Agent H or M " [2] . The novel tells of the spy adventures of Tommy and Tuppence Beresford.
| H or M? | |
|---|---|
| N or M? | |
| Genre | Novel |
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Original language | English |
| Date of writing | 1941 |
| Date of first publication | 1941 |
| Publisher | Olympus |
| Previous | |
| Following | |
Content
Story
After the outbreak of the Second World War and many years after their work in British intelligence, Tommy and Tuppence felt useless and out of the game. When Tommy Beresford is offered to work undercover again, Tuppence decides to accompany him, regardless of whether they need her services or not.
The couple begins to look for a German agent who has penetrated into the ranks of the British command. An English agent who stalked this German left a death message encrypted: H or M? Song-Susy . Grant knew that Song-Susi was Sans Souci, a hotel in Lihampton, and H and M were German spies. Tommy heads to San Souci to find out if H and M are there , or one of them, and also to establish their identities. The storyline is full of unexpected turns and has an unexpected denouement.
Quote
| We have heard about N. and M. before: these are the two most dangerous and knowledgeable German spy. Their task is to create in a foreign country. |
Literary criticism
The newspaper The Observer published a review of the novel on December 7, 1941 : “ Agatha Christie decided to take a break from Hercule Poirot and a refined detective story to write a light spy novel on military subjects ... although they almost fell into the trap. Good ending and all-round fun. ” [3]
A short review of the novel in The Guardian newspaper of December 30, 1941 reads: “ Mrs. Christie showed herself more inventive than ever, and especially admires how the hero saved himself from captivity ” [4] .
Links
Notes
- ↑ Agatha Christie. X or Y? / Per. I. Bernstein. - M .: Eksmo , 2009. - ISBN 978-5-699-29872-3
- ↑ Agatha Christie. Agent N or M. - M .: Politizdat , 1991. - ISBN 5-250-01467-4
- Ag " Agatha Christie takes a little war-time spy thriller ... Mrs. Christie's bright young couple, now middle-aged but active as ever, are nearly trapped. Nice surprise finish and all-round entertainment . ” Maurice Richardson. The Observer, December 7, 1941 (page 3)
- ↑ " Mrs. He is not always admired in captivity . ER Punshon, The Guardian, December 30, 1941