• By the Pricking of My Thumbs & Postern of Fate

  • By: Agatha Christie
  • Narrated by: Hugh Fraser
  • Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (683 ratings)

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By the Pricking of My Thumbs & Postern of Fate  By  cover art

By the Pricking of My Thumbs & Postern of Fate

By: Agatha Christie
Narrated by: Hugh Fraser
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Publisher's summary

Tommy and Tuppence are at it again. This detective couple can never walk away from a mystery and these two later novels are no exception.

By the Pricking of My Thumbs: When Tommy and Tuppence visit an elderly aunt in her gothic nursing home, they think nothing of her mistrust of the doctors; after all, Ada is a very difficult old lady.

But when Mrs. Lockett mentions a poisoned mushroom stew and Mrs. Lancaster talks about "something behind the fireplace", Tommy and Tuppence find themselves caught up in a spine-chilling adventure that could spell death for either of them...

Postern of Fate: Tommy and Tuppence Beresford have just become the proud owners of an old house in an English village. Along with the property, they have inherited some worthless bric-a-brac, including a collection of antique books. While rustling through a copy of The Black Arrow, Tuppence comes upon a series of apparently random underlinings.

However, when she writes down the letters, they spell out a very disturbing message: "Mary Jordan did not die naturally." And 60 years after their first murder, Mary Jordan's enemies are still ready to kill....

Don’t miss out on the rest of the daring couple’s adventures and other Agatha Christie mysteries!

©1973 Agatha Christie Limited (P)2006 HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.

What listeners say about By the Pricking of My Thumbs & Postern of Fate

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of my favoritez

Tuppence and Tommy books are some of my favorite Christie books. Plus Hugh Fraser is a wonderful narrator.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Tommy and Tuppence at their best!

This two-for-one selection chronicles the Beresfords’ adventures in their senior years. As amusing and witty as ever, Tommy and Tuppence are more lovable at 70 than they were at 25. Hugh Fraser’s narration is just exquisite. No other actor can compare with his comprehension of Agatha Christie’s story rhythms. Highly recommended!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Last two books of the Tommy and Tuppence series.

Would you consider the audio edition of By the Pricking of My Thumbs & Postern of Fate to be better than the print version?

Absolutely! It is well read by Hugh Fraser which made it highly enjoyable to listen to.

What about Hugh Fraser’s performance did you like?

He reads quite well.

Any additional comments?

By the Pricking of my Thumbs is my least fave Agatha Christie novels as I did not like the story line but do enjoy the Tommy and Tuppence characters and Hugh Fraser's voice made it worth listening to. Postern of Fate is the last Tommy and Tuppence story and takes place when the characters are retired.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

2nd book is SOOOO boring!

Good grief. I feel like pulling out my eyelashes listening to Postern of Fate. Literally the only redeeming quality is the usual excellent narration by Hugh Fraser. By the Pricking of My Thumbs is quite good. I love Agatha Christie and as mentioned love Hugh Fraser’s narration. While the Tommy Tuppence stories aren’t my favorite, I usually enjoy them. Not this time. The story for Postern of Fate is so god awful boring. I forced myself to listen because I didn’t want to waste the $$. Basically I tortured myself. So tedious. So boring. So stagnated. You get the point.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A comfortable listen

"By the Pricking of my Thumbs" is faster paced than the "Postern of Fate", which reads more like a country ramble and discussion of flowers, tea parties and memories of the past.

Both are enjoyable.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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excellent

i think everyone should listen to the 60 Min. Biography Agatha recorded herself, THEN read her stories. It adds so much to each story

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great!

Very well written, what a gift with the pen! Clever, nuanced, ever keeping you interested, relating with the characters, believable, wonderful.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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❤️

Hugh Fraser is the perfect Agatha Christie reader. I liked the pace of both stories. Most enjoyable.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

Kept waiting for the mystery to start. Rather, I got a nostalgic rambling that lacked any of the excitement of the secret adversary

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Love

Love this
Everything Agatha Christie is smashing!
Her protagonists are entertaining. And
I know that every mystery reader will agree





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