“N or M?” (1941) is one of the best time capsules of Agatha Christie’s career. She writes about Tommy and Tuppence’s counter-espionage activities in World War II as the war is happening around her. It’s a time when the idea of the Nazis invading England and turning it into a National Socialist country is a genuine possibility.
Slow start, fast finish
The novel starts off gray and foreboding. For a while I thought I’d rank it among my least favorite Christies. I cracked open the novel knowing about the relatively low popularity of T&T among fans.
“N or M?” starts slow but finishes fast, and it ends up being my favorite of the T&T trio so far. The husband and wife are perfect for this tale. For one, they had been established in the rather unusual role of off-and-on amateur espionage agents.
“N or M?” (1941)
Author: Agatha Christie
Series: Tommy & Tuppence No. 3
Genres: Mystery, spy adventure
Setting: Leahampton, coastal England, 1941
Another neat thing about the couple is that they age throughout their appearances, more or less in real time. Now they are in their 40s, and since their last appearance, they’ve raised a twin son and daughter.
At first I thought it odd that Christie reveals that Tommy and Tuppence have kids, then does nothing with that fact. It seemed like T&T would play better as one of those couples that doesn’t have kids but have each other.
Later, the children (now adults) play a part in the story, and it’s the latest in a long line of instances where these T&T stories win me over when I don’t think they will.
Thoughts about war
Titled after the code names of the Nazi agents our heroes hope to ferret out on the English coast, “N or M?” is one of Christie’s best spy novels. It’s believably complex yet it’s something we can follow along with.
It borrows a little from those Poirot single-house mysteries where we analyze people’s behavior and psychology (except that we’re looking for a spy rather than a murderer in this boarding house).
Christie’s thoughts about the war give “N or M?” a tasty additional layer. She mulls an outside view about patriotism via a young Irishwoman, Sheila. Based on her body of work, I feel like Christie is patriotic about the U.K., yet Tommy doesn’t have a good response to Sheila’s rant other than to say she’ll feel differently when she’s older.
The author also shows understanding for the situation of a German refugee whose father and brothers are in concentration camps for protesting Hitler. Carl has fled the Nazis, and England has given him refuge. Yet he sometimes “feels German,” absorbing the pain of his countrymen’s deaths in the war. And many Englishmen are suspicious of him.
While Christie doesn’t have fix-its for these conundrums of war and nationalism, she is thoroughly aware of them. That makes “N or M?” a deeper T&T novel than her first two.
Life goes on
For those who liked the couple’s banter from “The Secret Adversary” and “Partners in Crime,” that’s still present. The stakes seem higher even though the adventurous situations are similar. I like how the undercover spouses assume identities when around other people, and how they sneak off to compare notes.
It’s not all doom and gloom. One boarding-house member is a woman with a beard and mustache. Another is a small child; Christie’s writing of the little girl (complete with gibberish dialog) reminds me of her writing of the dog in “Dumb Witness.” It’s a blunt yet true portrayal of toddler behavior.
All told, Christie – writing under the cloud of possible bomb drops – gives great insight into wartime living. Perhaps the most surprising takeaway is that life goes on, that there’s room for humor and adventure even in the time of Hitler.
Every week, Sleuthing Sunday reviews an Agatha Christie book or adaptation. Click here to visit our Agatha Christie Zone.