II. Content of the novel
The novel "N or M?" (written in 1941), taking place during the second World War, is about a couple called Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, who are called by the British Secret Service to capture one of Hitler's most dangerous agents, either called N or M. The action takes place in a boarding house at a seaside resort in South England. Under the pseudonym Mr. Meadows (Tommy) and Mrs. Blenkensop (Tuppence) pretending not to know each other, they try to find out, by the help of long conversations with the other guests and by many rumours which are spread round, who acts normal and doesn't pretend to be another person and who is an undercover agent. The majority of the guests suspect a German refugee and the proprietness of the house Mrs. Perenna to be spies. But those prejudices change, when a "strange woman" appears, kidnapping a baby (also guest with its mother called Mrs. Sprot) and then, after a chase, gets shot by the baby's mother, which seems quite strange to Tuppence. So her attention turns to Mrs. Sprot. By accident Tommy finds out, that a houseowner called Haydock, who lives nearby, is a spy. Haydock lets Tommy capture and locks him up in his cellar. Later, to leave no tracks behind, the thieves want to throw Tom over board from a ship on high sea. Now Tuppence is alone with her job to do. An old friend of the couple called Albert comes to help them. Albert discovers Tommy in the cellar, but, because of tactical reasons (to catch the spies red-handed), leaves him there and observes the place. Tuppence too runs into a trap set by Haydock, because he expects that Tuppence knows too much about his "work". Haydock threatens Tuppence with a weapon to tell him the truth and dares to shoot her, but a friend, who followed her, shoots Haydock first. By a stroke of genius Tuppence clears up one mystery after another and the spies ,,N and M" are locked up.