Partners in Crime is a short story collection by British writer Agatha Christie, first published by Dodd, Mead and Company in the US in 1929 and in the UK by William Collins, Sons on 16 September of the same year. The US edition retailed at $2.00 and the UK edition at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6). All of the stories in the collection had previously been published in magazines (see First publication of stories below) and feature her detectives Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, first introduced in The Secret Adversary (1922). This collection of detective short stories has a theme connecting the stories, as well, "a group of short detective stories within a detective novel." The collection was well received on publication, with the "merriest collection", with amiable parodies, to one reviewer who was less impressed, saying the stories were "entertaining enough". One noted that "By having two detectives who are usually alternately successful she [Christie] has always a foil, less obtuse than 'my dear Watson'. "Her literary skill is equal to the task" of parodies of the style of well-known detective writers. Some of the authors parodied in the 1920s are long-forgotten, yet a review in 1990 commented that "the parodies are not sharp enough for this to matter very much" to prevent enjoyment of the stories. It also noted that the plot of one story, "The House of Lurking Death", "anticipates" a detective novel published in 1930 by Dorothy Sayers. Plot introduction The Beresfords' old friend Mr Carter, from a government intelligence agency, arrives bearing a proposition for the adventurous duo. They are to take over 'the International Detective Agency', a recently cleaned-out spy stronghold, and pose as the owners so as to intercept any enemy messages coming through. In the meantime Tommy and Tuppence can take on cases as this detective agency, an opportunity that delights the young couple. They employ Albert, a young man also introduced in The Secret Adversary, as their assistant at the agency. The two tackle a series of cases – mimicking in each the style of a famous fictional detective of the period, including Sherlock Holmes and Christie's own Hercule Poirot. At the end of the book, Tuppence reveals that she is pregnant, and will play a diminished role in the spy business. The stories and their detective parodies A Fairy in the Flat/A Pot of Tea – Introduction of the setup of