What is the name of the detective duo featured in Christie's 'Partners in Crime'?

The detective duo featured in Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime is Tommy and Tuppence, the married sleuths Thomas and Prudence Beresford.

The pair first appeared in The Secret Adversary, published in 1922. In Partners in Crime, a 1929 short-story collection, they take over the International Detective Agency while secretly helping British intelligence. Their cases combine amateur detection, espionage, disguises, and playful references to famous fictional detectives.

Tommy and Tuppence work well because their personalities complement each other. Tommy is methodical, cautious, and practical, while Tuppence is impulsive, imaginative, and eager for adventure. Their marriage is central to the stories, making them different from Christie's solitary investigators such as Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.

A common mix-up is to answer “Tommy and Beresford” or “Tuppence and Beresford.” Beresford is their shared surname; Tuppence's full name is Prudence Beresford, while Tommy's is Thomas Beresford. The collection also introduces Albert, their recurring assistant.