The Secret Adversary [Classic Tales Edition] characters

Also known as Tommy

Appears from the start

A young former British officer trying to find work after the First World War. Steady, loyal, and less impulsive than Tuppence, he joins her plan to hire themselves out for adventure and soon finds that an apparently playful enterprise has drawn them into political espionage.

Also known as Tuppence

Appears from the start

A resourceful former wartime nurse and Tommy's childhood friend. Short of money but confident in her ability to improvise, she proposes that they become the Young Adventurers and accept any well-paid assignment. Her quick use of the name Jane Finn attracts dangerous attention.

First appears in chapter 2

A young American woman who survived the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 and then disappeared. Her name provokes a startling reaction from Mr Whittington, convincing Tommy and Tuppence that her fate remains important.

First appears in chapter 2

A secretive man who offers Tuppence an unusually well-paid position after hearing her use Jane Finn's name. His alarm when she presses for details confirms that the missing American remains important to a larger organization.

First appears in chapter 5

Jane Finn's wealthy American cousin, who has come to Britain to find her. Direct, energetic, and willing to finance the search, he becomes Tommy and Tuppence's partner despite occasional doubts about what each of them is withholding.

First appears in chapter 6

A senior British intelligence official who explains the stakes behind Jane Finn's disappearance. He employs Tommy and Tuppence to recover a secret wartime agreement before it can be used to provoke political upheaval.

First appears in chapter 6

A wealthy and nervous woman connected to the people pursuing Jane Finn's document. Tuppence enters her household as a maid, hoping to learn what she knows while avoiding the notice of the organization behind her.

First appears in chapter 10

A distinguished lawyer and former criminal advocate whose judgment is trusted by the investigators. He offers Tommy and Tuppence advice and assistance as their amateur inquiry grows more dangerous.

First appears in chapter 9

A young lift attendant who befriends Tuppence during her undercover work. Alert, enthusiastic, and eager for excitement, he becomes a useful messenger and ally to the Young Adventurers.

First appears in chapter 7

A powerful Russian conspirator associated with the Soho organization. He treats prisoners as bargaining pieces and participates in plans to recover the missing treaty and influence British politics.

First appears in chapter 17

A frightened young woman held within the conspirators' Soho headquarters. She secretly helps Tommy while warning him that discovery would be fatal to them both.

First appears in chapter 6

The unseen leader of the conspiracy seeking Jane Finn and the secret treaty. Even the organization's members know little about this figure, whose ability to pass unnoticed makes every apparently trustworthy person a possible threat.