This is the first in a series of five stories by Agatha Christie highlighting the detective team of Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. In this first episode they are not yet married, just good friends who find themselves without jobs after World War I. The story begins with the torpedoing of the Lusitania. Before the ship sinks, a strange passenger gives a young girl, Jane Finn, an important but secret government document. Jane survives the shipwreck, but the stranger dies, the girl is kidnapped, and the document is forgotten until a labor dissension starts in England; if these papers are found in the wrong hands, it would result in catastrophe for the government. Tommy and Tuppence have decided to become professional "Adventure Seekers" as a way of making a living. After becoming involved in a search for Jane Finn, they are contacted by Mr. Carter from Intelligence, Mr. Brown who is a nondescript man manipulating the labor unrest, and Julius P. Hersheimmer who is an American millionaire and cousin to the girl. The detective duo must engage their wits, personal appeal, and enterprising spirit with a mystery that predicts, if all goes wrong, certain death for Jane at the hands of an ominous secret enemy.
Please Note: This book has been reformatted to be easy to read in true text, not scanned images that can sometimes be difficult to decipher. The Microsoft eBook has a contents page linked to the chapter headings for easy navigation. The Adobe eBook has bookmarks at chapter headings and is printable up to two full copies per year. Both versions are text searchable.
