Postern of Fate vs The Secret Adversary: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Tommy Beresford, Tuppence Beresford, Married people, Private investigators, Mystery, Fiction
Postern of Fate
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Tommy and Tuppence Beresford return in Christie’s classic Postern of Fate, to investigate a deadly poisoning sixty years after the fact.
The Secret Adversary
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Tommy Beresford and Prudence 'Tuppence' Cowley are young, in love… and flat broke. Just after Great War, there are few jobs available and the couple are desperately short of money. Restless for excitement, they decide…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The Secret Adversary highest: The Secret Adversary 3.9 · Postern of Fate 3.2.
- The Secret Adversary has the widest readership — 74043 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Postern of Fate | The Secret Adversary | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.2 (16115) | 3.8 (74043) |
| Hardcover | 3.0 (40) | 3.8 (177) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (55) | 4.5 (1191) |
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Reception
| Postern of Fate | The Secret Adversary | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 16115 | 74043 |
| Editions | 74 | 800 |
| Citations | 4 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 9499 | 35505 |
| Reading it now | 653 | 6043 |
| Written reviews | 1614 | 6388 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1262 | 3898 |
| Pages | 249 | 220 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Postern of Fate or The Secret Adversary?
The Secret Adversary has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Secret Adversary 3.9/5, Postern of Fate 3.2/5).
Which is shorter to read: Postern of Fate or The Secret Adversary?
The Secret Adversary is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Secret Adversary (220 pages, ≈ 4 h 04 m); Postern of Fate (249 pages, ≈ 4 h 37 m).
Which is harder to read: Postern of Fate or The Secret Adversary?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Postern of Fate: Moderate; The Secret Adversary: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
Postern of Fate: no film adaptation on record; The Secret Adversary: 2 film adaptations.