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By the Pricking of My Thumbs & Postern of Fate
[Read by Hugh Fraser]
Tommy and Tuppence are at it again. This detective couple can never walk away from a mystery, and these two later novels are no exception.
Tommy and Tuppence are at it again. This detective couple can never walk away from a mystery, and these two later novels are no exception.
Audio CD
First published January 1, 1973
5 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,741 books76k followersAgatha 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)
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)
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 24, 2022
I really think By the Pricking of my Thumbs was one of the best of the entire Tommy and Tuppence series and is why this set gets five stars. I should have nailed it fairly early, but Christie had my attention diverted enough that I missed obvious clues. THAT is some seriously good writing.
Characters were wonderful--likeable, hateable, and all the other "ables" in between. Her red herrings were masterful in a few places. Well done.
Postern of Fate could have been amazing, but it was just interesting. Since I listened to a bundle of two, it gets a bump in stars that it otherwise wouldn't get. By itself, I'd call it a three-star book. Glad I read it, would even read it again, but... just not up to Christie's other works.
I really wish there were more Tommy and Tuppence, but one of the nicest things about this series is seeing them go from twenty-somethings all the way into their seventies. That's just brilliant. And really, it explains why the most recent adaptation has them always young--it would be so hard to age people properly otherwise.
Characters were wonderful--likeable, hateable, and all the other "ables" in between. Her red herrings were masterful in a few places. Well done.
Postern of Fate could have been amazing, but it was just interesting. Since I listened to a bundle of two, it gets a bump in stars that it otherwise wouldn't get. By itself, I'd call it a three-star book. Glad I read it, would even read it again, but... just not up to Christie's other works.
I really wish there were more Tommy and Tuppence, but one of the nicest things about this series is seeing them go from twenty-somethings all the way into their seventies. That's just brilliant. And really, it explains why the most recent adaptation has them always young--it would be so hard to age people properly otherwise.
August 14, 2020
Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to The Secret Adversary, the first Tommy and Tuppence adventure. It got me excited about this fun pair of Agatha Christie detectives so I was eager when this pair of books for their last two adventures caught my eye. I thought it was brilliant to have A&E Poirot series actor, Hugh Frazer narrating.
By the Pricking of My Thumbs have empty nesters, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford far distant from their adventure years hunting down master villains and spies, running detection agencies, and doing anything remotely exciting. Then, a duty visit to Tommy's old aunt living in a home for the elderly sets Tuppence's senses jangling about a certain old lady staying in the home and her painting of a country cottage by a canal that seems very familiar. Did something sinister happen to a child in the past? Tuppence can't let it go especially when the old lady disappears. Tommy is dragged into it reluctantly and they work at the problem in their own ways- intuition on Tuppence's part and dogged search for facts on Tommy's. They uncover more than they intended.
Postern of Fate is one of- or maybe The- last books Agatha Christie finished before she died and it was the last Tommy and Tuppence when they are now seniors themselves. The Beresfords have bought a quaint house in a country village for their retirement. Amid the hustle and bustle of repairs and updates, Tuppence comes across a children's book with oddly underlined random letters. Only, when she writes out those letters, they aren't random and succinctly say, "Mary Jordan didn't die naturally. It was one of us." Tuppence sets out to find out the truth and Tommy joins her using his old contacts. An old murder turns out to be so much more when stolen WWI Navy plans and fifth column types are unearthed and someone dangerous from the past wants it all to stay buried.
While these weren't the sharpest, tightest plots Christie has written and tend to ramble even off point a great deal, I still found them pleasant like a light cozy. There is a murder, but there is also intrigue. It's fun to have this older pair of affectionate married detectives on the case. I love how Tuppence sees something off each time and that lands them into mischief.
Hugh Fraser was an excellent narrator. I was delighted by how many voices he could do from old to young, male to female, class, and even accents. He takes the more ponderous, slower moving passages or the quick moments of the climax with just the right tone and pace. It was fun having a 'Christie' actor as narrator.
All in all, it was a comfy listen and felt nostalgic. I'm glad to have revisited this Agatha Christie pair and will be taking more down from the listening shelf to enjoy.
By the Pricking of My Thumbs have empty nesters, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford far distant from their adventure years hunting down master villains and spies, running detection agencies, and doing anything remotely exciting. Then, a duty visit to Tommy's old aunt living in a home for the elderly sets Tuppence's senses jangling about a certain old lady staying in the home and her painting of a country cottage by a canal that seems very familiar. Did something sinister happen to a child in the past? Tuppence can't let it go especially when the old lady disappears. Tommy is dragged into it reluctantly and they work at the problem in their own ways- intuition on Tuppence's part and dogged search for facts on Tommy's. They uncover more than they intended.
Postern of Fate is one of- or maybe The- last books Agatha Christie finished before she died and it was the last Tommy and Tuppence when they are now seniors themselves. The Beresfords have bought a quaint house in a country village for their retirement. Amid the hustle and bustle of repairs and updates, Tuppence comes across a children's book with oddly underlined random letters. Only, when she writes out those letters, they aren't random and succinctly say, "Mary Jordan didn't die naturally. It was one of us." Tuppence sets out to find out the truth and Tommy joins her using his old contacts. An old murder turns out to be so much more when stolen WWI Navy plans and fifth column types are unearthed and someone dangerous from the past wants it all to stay buried.
While these weren't the sharpest, tightest plots Christie has written and tend to ramble even off point a great deal, I still found them pleasant like a light cozy. There is a murder, but there is also intrigue. It's fun to have this older pair of affectionate married detectives on the case. I love how Tuppence sees something off each time and that lands them into mischief.
Hugh Fraser was an excellent narrator. I was delighted by how many voices he could do from old to young, male to female, class, and even accents. He takes the more ponderous, slower moving passages or the quick moments of the climax with just the right tone and pace. It was fun having a 'Christie' actor as narrator.
All in all, it was a comfy listen and felt nostalgic. I'm glad to have revisited this Agatha Christie pair and will be taking more down from the listening shelf to enjoy.
March 2, 2019
The lower rating belongs to the latter novel, Posterns of Fate which was a spectacularly boring dialogue between the ageing protagonists. Later I read that this was the last story Dame Agatha Christie wrote and it features lots of meandering thoughts of the pasts, and opinions of the present. Some of the thoughts and opinions are not totally coherent, and the whole plot comes out lacking.
Many characters battle forgetfulness and go on to complain about what things are called. It is thought that Ms. Christie herself was suffering from some form of dementia as she wrote it..
By the Pricking of my Thumbs is a bit more palatable and has the clearer hallmarks of the Christie although is still not her best.
Many characters battle forgetfulness and go on to complain about what things are called. It is thought that Ms. Christie herself was suffering from some form of dementia as she wrote it..
By the Pricking of my Thumbs is a bit more palatable and has the clearer hallmarks of the Christie although is still not her best.
February 10, 2025
3.75/5 stars
If I was just rating By the Pricking of My Thumbs, the rating would be higher, but Postern of Fate brought the rating down.
By the Pricking of My Thumbs - Interesting mystery and did a good job setting the atmosphere when Tuppence was in danger. I enjoyed the look at Tommy and Tuppence's relationship and what life is like after retirement. It's probably my favorite of the series so far. It's also hands down better than the Marple crossover adaptation I watched. This was easily the better of the two, and I almost didn't read it because of how poor the adaptation was.
Postern of Fate - A lot of telling rather than showing with regards to finding clues. It felt a bit muddled, and the initial mystery was so far removed that the stakes seemed low. The overall villain and conclusion were anticlimactic.
If I was just rating By the Pricking of My Thumbs, the rating would be higher, but Postern of Fate brought the rating down.
By the Pricking of My Thumbs - Interesting mystery and did a good job setting the atmosphere when Tuppence was in danger. I enjoyed the look at Tommy and Tuppence's relationship and what life is like after retirement. It's probably my favorite of the series so far. It's also hands down better than the Marple crossover adaptation I watched. This was easily the better of the two, and I almost didn't read it because of how poor the adaptation was.
Postern of Fate - A lot of telling rather than showing with regards to finding clues. It felt a bit muddled, and the initial mystery was so far removed that the stakes seemed low. The overall villain and conclusion were anticlimactic.
October 1, 2024
By the Pricking of My Thumbs is a good Christie novel, quite enjoyable. Postern of Fate is terrible, though - one of the worst Christie novels, down there with The Big Four and Passenger to Frankfurt. It's rambling, without any of the normal cohesiveness of one of her mysteries. Instead of a bunch of tantalizing clues that all tie up neatly together in the denouement, there are just some confusing clues that are repeated ad nauseum by various characters within long, pointless conversations that don't really lead anywhere. The primary bad guy shows up randomly at the end without any previous introduction, and is explained away by some shadowy neo-Nazi group that is never really defined. It's one of the few Christie books I would just skip.
December 28, 2023
These are the final two books in the Tommy and Tuppence series. Do try to read them in the order written. Once you’ve read on of these books you’ll know exactly what you are getting into. Some very fun reads.
May 14, 2020
Not my favorite Tommy and Tuppence books, but I'd never read them before so I appreciated the chance to have that experience at a time when I'm not able to read much. Hugh Fraser does a marvelous job with the voices. The Beresfords are getting up there in years, but not much can hold them back. It was interesting to see how aging was worked into the stories, including a number of details that I'd never heard about yet. So now I'm going back and collecting the other stories in this collection so I can at least get to enjoy them all eventually. Definitely worth an Audible credit to get both books in one file.
August 28, 2019
“By the Pricking of My Thumbs” is a Tommy and Tuppence mystery. It was alright. A tad boring. Even so, the villain is brilliant. A visit to a retirement home, a brief introduction to a nice little old lady and weeks later several of the residents have passed away. The little old lady Tuppence had met has since been carried away by relatives and Tuppence fears this woman’s life might also be in danger for knowing too much. She is determined to locate this new friend in hopes of saving a life.
I was too bored of “Postern of Fate” to really get into to the conflict.
I was too bored of “Postern of Fate” to really get into to the conflict.
October 29, 2015
Enjoyed the audio performance by Hugh Fraser. These are later short novels by Christie and not her best, but interesting as period pieces.
June 1, 2017
It was obvious that "Postern of Fate" was Christie's final novel. Although I love Tommy and Tuppence stories, this one was a bit slow and the mystery wasn't that complex or compelling.
March 23, 2018
Very good, but creepy in parts! Love the T and T duo.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews