Please note: I first published this book review on the “Goodreads”-website in 2023.
My rating: 3 (of 5) “stars”
I own a paperback copy, published in 1983 by Fontana.
Last week (note: July 2023), I re-read a German translation of “Postern of Fate,” the last novel Agatha Christie wrote before her death in 1976. It’s not a very good book, she did a great disservice to her reputation as a writer of crime novels, and she damaged her characters “Tommy” and “Tuppence” Beresford which she first introduced to readers in her second book, “The Secret Adversary.” Tommy and Tuppence in 1973’s “Postern of Fate” have little resemblance to Tommy and Tuppence in 1922’s “The Secret Adversary.”
So I decided to re-read “N or M?,” first published in 1941, which also features Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, and this book holds up well. The characters have aged, but their personalities are unchanged, which adds greatly to the charm of this crime novel. The story is also well-crafted. The book’s a good read, even in 2023.
I am going to keep this book, and will probably re-read it in a few years’ time; but I’ll donate my German edition of “Postern of Fate” to an open library. I’m done with that book for good.