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I have been rereading some of the old books of Dame Agatha as a sort of breather from more serious literature: this book is one of them. If I remember correctly, I read this sometime in the early eighties, three decades and a half ago.

I remember not liking it much at that time: and the reread did not change my opinion. Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, IMO, are Agatha Christie's weakest detectives even though they are an endearing couple.

The premise of this collection of short stories is really nice: the Beresfords, having helped the police to trap spies in the First World War, are asked to manage a bogus detective agency which is only a front for a Soviet espionage operation. The real proprietor, a spy, has been arrested. Tommy and Tuppence have to keep their eyes and ears open for a mysterious No: 16 and communications in blue envelopes, and play at detectives in their spare time.

Tommy has the ingenious idea of imitating a famous fictional detective each for a case, and try to solve the mystery in his style. It does provide an introduction to many famous literary sleuths of those times (many forgotten now, alas - the book was first published in 1929) and makes for some hilarity. In fact, most of the stories are written in a mock-serious tone, with more than a touch of underplayed British humour.

The weak point is the mysteries themselves. Except for two ("The Man in the Mist", "The Sunningdale Mystery"), none brought me the feeling of "Aha!" I usually get at the end of a Christie story. Many of them can at best be called passable. One ("The Unbreakable Alibi") I found practically childish.

Nice thing to while away an afternoon, but not your typical Christie whodunit.