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2024-05-23 1:24 am

Waarom Evans niet ?

by Agatha Christie

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½

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Gelezen voor 2007, Read but unowned, Verwijderd na lezen

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When a man plunges down a cliff, two adventurous young friends decide to find his killer... While playing an erratic round of golf, Bobby Jones slices his ball over the edge of a cliff. His ball is lost, but on the rocks below he finds the crumpled body of a dying man. With his final breath the man opens his eyes and says, 'Why didn't they ask Evans?' Haunted by these words, Bobby and his vivacious companion, Frankie, set out to solve a mystery that will bring them into mortal danger...

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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50

The words of a dying man “Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?” leads Bobby Jones and Lady Frankie Derwent to conclude a murder has occurred and sets them off on a race to solve the mystery. Why Didn’t They Ask Evans by Agatha Christie is a fast-paced, exciting story with a few twists and turns along

the way to keep the reader engrossed.

The more of Agatha Christie I read, the more in awe of her I am. This book is quite different from both her crafty Hercule Poirot and her gentle Miss Marple stories. More of an adventure romp with extremely likeable characters. Even the villain of the piece is charming and rather likeable as he plots his dastardly deeds.

The adventure comes full circle when Bobby and Frankie discover who Evans really is. A story of murder, drug dealing, and forgery told only as Agatha Christie can. And of course, those two crazy kids, are they ever going to realize that they are meant for each other? At first glance this book could appear as rather a mess, but I think Miss Christie had her tongue firmly in cheek with the idea of giving her fans something different. Why Didn’t They Ask Evans is a top notch mystery and will definitely be on my list of favorite Agatha Christie books.

LibraryThing member atimco

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? is vintage 1934 Christie, and so much fun. I recalled the story vaguely from my early days of reading Agatha Christie. I'd binge on four or five of her novels over a weekend and emerge rather confusedly, with various machinations and motives all mixed up in my head. That

reading habit didn't make for great plot retention, but despite the fuzziness I remembered this title as being a particularly good one. I listened to the audiobook version read by Emilia Fox and thoroughly enjoyed it.

"Why didn't they ask Evans?" These are the last words of a dying man, who fell from a cliff near Bobby Jones's home. Bobby, a young ex-Naval officer, attaches no importance to the words until an attempt is made on his own life. By that time, Lady Frances Derwent—or, as we shall call her, Frankie—has decided that the man called Alex Pritchard didn't fall from the cliff. He was pushed. But why? And who is the mysterious Evans?

Yes, there are several farfetched plot devices (multiple impersonations, the hero's astonishing recovery after being poisoned, the deus ex machina also known as Badger Beadon, etc.). But the ride is so much fun, you just don't care. Frankie and Bobby are utterly appealing protagonists whose relationships and characters are drawn sparingly and believably. And the dialogue is splendidly amusing. I suspect Emilia Fox's reading gave it an extra edge.

Fox's narration is excellent, though I did have to get used to the slightly gravelly quality of her voice. She does wonderful character voices and I especially enjoyed the way she portrays Frankie.

Christie is generally one of my favorite mystery authors, having introduced me to the genre, and I'm finding her stories are even more enjoyable on audiobook. Good stuff.

LibraryThing member ds_61_12

While golfing Bobby Jones and his partner find a man at the bottom of a cliff. it seems an accident, but when Bobby informs the man's relatives about his last words "why didn't they ask Evans?" he get's into trouble. First people try to get rid of him the nice way, than the hard way. Together with

the aristocrat Frankie he tries to find out what is going on.
Nice book. Great plot and very likable characters. The end is a bit over the top, but Christie can be forgiven.

LibraryThing member mstrust

One of Christie's most implausible, with a plot that turns on morphine addiction, a local rehab that may keep patients prisoner and a minor character who swoops in like Errol Flynn to save Bobby and Frankie at the last minute, then disappears again. These may sound like criticisms but they aren't-

this is a mystery done at break-neck speed and Christie is having fun throwing in every unlikely plot twist she can think of.

LibraryThing member smik

Synopsis: While playing a round of golf, Bobby Jones slices his ball over the edge of a cliff. His ball is lost, but on the rocks below he finds the crumpled body of a dying man. With his final breath the man opens his eyes and says, ‘Why didn’t they ask Evans?’

WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS is an

interesting exploration of the impact of class differences in English society, at the same time as being an absorbing murder mystery. The original title is self-explanatory, but the title THE BOOMERANG CLUE comes from the fact that the first clue to the identity of the murderer is in fact the one that, when understood, actually counts.

Bobby Jones is the fourth son of a clergyman, at a loose end and without prospects because he has recently left the Navy. His fellow "detective" is the Lady Francis Derwent, well above him in social class, but a friend from childhood, when social station made no difference to their friendship. Frankie is a woman of means, with the leisure to pursue mysteries, a car at her disposal, and able to move in the spheres of the wealthy, and able to winkle information out of people in a way that penurious Bobby never could.

One of the themes of this mystery has to be that personal opinions can cloud your judgement as both Bobby and Frankie believe in the innocence of the person who turns out to be the murderer. If you want to read a real spoiler, and learn more of this story than I am going to tell you here, then you can do that on Wikipedia. Another of the lessons must be that true sleuthing is largely a matter of luck, and that culprits are not always brought to justice.

WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS has stood the test of time well I think, and largely held my attention, although I got a bit impatient to be finished in the last 30 or so pages, where Christie rather pedantically led me through a recount of all the plot points (just in case I had missed anything). This is a technique that Christie tended to use in most of her novels.

LibraryThing member mmyoung

A disappointing outing after the more sophisticated play on the classic detective story form found in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and Murder in the Calais Coach/Murder on the Orient Express and the light self-aware touch shown in Murder at the Vicarage Christie returns to the pedestrian style,

plotting and characterizations of The Big Four, The Seven Dials Mystery and The Secret Adversary.

LibraryThing member DirtPriest

Here we have two Christie mysteries (Sad Cypress & Why Didn't They Ask Evans?), both written around the same time, both make use of telephones and license plates and both have similar poison by morphia murders. I thought both were, as expected, fine mysteries with interesting twists and turns.

Neither are the absolute best of Agatha Christie but the contrast between the two highlights just how great of a character Hercule Poirot is. Why Didn't They Ask Evans? comes across as an afternoon movie plot with its cast of Bobby Jones and Lady Frances doing the solving (barely) and Sad Cypress has the magisterial air of Poirot to give it a fine luster.

LibraryThing member NeveMaslakovic

The adventures of one Bobby Jones, fourth son of the vicar of Marchbolt, and his sleuthing partner, Lady Frankie.

LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C

To put it mildly--not one of Christie's best--and I am a fan who has rated books of hers five stars. I really liked it at first. Bobby Jones is a amiable young man, a vicar's son, who finds a dying man at the foot of a cliff. The man's last cryptic words were, "Why didn't they ask Evans?" Soon

there's an attempt on Bobby's life and he and his childhood friend, Frankie, aka Lady Frances Derwent, are on the case. There's a great chemistry between them, wit and humor to be had in the tale, a breezy readable style, action and suspense, and of course I was drawn in by the mystery.

But there are a number of problems I wouldn't expect from a Christie, although I guess when you write over 80 novels in a career, some are bound to be misfires. One question that occurred to me early on and is a pet peeve in many a mystery is why they didn't immediately go to the police with their suspicions, rather than start sleuthing on their own. But then that might go nicely with problem number two--that they were both too stupid to live--on several levels. One being of the Jeez, don't-walk-into-the-obvious-ambush kind. Another even more serious was that the obvious villains...were obvious--but Christie's sleuths remain oblivious.

This is one Christie (the only one I can remember) where right from the first I met the characters involved I was sure whodunnit and was right. Although there were some ins and outs I didn't learn until the end. Despite their stupidity, I did like Bobby and Frankie and that and those loose ends I wanted to see tied up kept me reading--but really, below average for a mystery and seriously sub-par for the writer of Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None.

LibraryThing member Smiler69

This Agatha Christie novel came highly recommended, and I must admit that the appeal of reading and AC novel which doesn't feature either Poirot or Miss Marple was appealing, since I'd never indulged in any of those before. When a man is discovered at the bottom of a cliff in the last minutes

before his death, the only clue to his demise are his last words: "Why didn't they ask Evans?". Bobby and Francis, two young inhabitants of the village where the presumed accident has taken place, can't resist the opportunity to uncover what aristocratic and thrill-seeking Francis hopes is a vile crime, and together they set about getting involved in what is a highly convoluted, yet satisfying plot, involving a young woman who's picture is found in the victim's pocket, and a suspicious temperamental doctor who runs a clinic for drug addicts. I would have given this mystery novel a higher rating were it not for the dialogue, which I found painfully bad. This was probably emphasized by the fact that I took in the audiobook version, but is in no way attributable to the narrator, who did a very competent job. Definitely recommended for Agatha Christie fans. Less so for newcomers.

LibraryThing member readyreader

Fun to read..especially if you keep in mind the era, the culture, and the society it reflects.

LibraryThing member JulesJones

Abridged on three CDs, and read by Jenny Funnell. This is a standalone mystery without any of Christie's regular characters. It features a pair of bright young things who become suspicious about the circumstances of an accident and decide to investigate. Naturally, they don't take their suspicions

to the police, and in various other ways prove themselves too stupid to live, including walking into really obvious traps. None of which actually matters, because it's very amusing watching them being too stupid to live. Christie very gently sends up her characters while keeping them sympathetic. The dialogue leaves a lot to be desired, but I had a lot of fun picking my way through the red herrings. Not her best work, but still an enjoyable way to pass three hours.

LibraryThing member riida

my 50th book since joining library thing a year ago!! well, a year and 4 days...life always always gets in the way.

but 50 in a year...i didn't really try, and it's a low number...but its a nice round number...and reach 50 with the genre i first fell in love with, with one of my favorite

authors...just puts a smile on my face :)

LibraryThing member riverwillow

Interesting premise of a murder that is first thought to be an accident. Bobby and Frankie are fairly likeable characters and aren't as annoying as Tommy and Tuppence, which is a blessing.

LibraryThing member cmbohn

Bobby Jones is enjoying a round of golf when his ball goes astray. Chasing it down, he finds a dying man. Bobby is in time to hear the man's last words, "Why didn't they ask Evans?"

Bobby is sorry for the man, but ready to forget about the whole thing when someone tries to poison him. He enlists

the help of his friend, Lady Frances, and together they try to solve the case.

LibraryThing member JeffreyMarks

My favorite of the bright young things books, this book is so impressive in its plotting. The Boomerang Clue (its alternative name) does it credit as well, weaving a wonderful plot that turns back on itself repeatedly.

LibraryThing member pizzadaddy

I regularly watch Le Journal de Radio-Canada on TV5 Monde, which is anchored 4 days a week by a woman named Celine Galipeau: every time I see her, I'm reminded of a line from this book when Bobby says to Frankie: "You look just like a sick monkey".

LibraryThing member Jiraiya

Dame Agatha Christie. Creator of Hercule Poirot, best selling author of over 80 million books. And writer of Why Didn't They ask Evans?. 1/5 rating from yours truly. Take that, b-! What a horrible book. Such an irrevocably nonsensical, immature, and puerile book. I didn't suspect that so many of

Christie's non Poirot/Marple books were so short on anything that bears a resemblance to quality. Slowly, after attempting to read several books, including that Haley Quin one, a dreary and patchy picture emerges. I'll be avoiding these obscure blunders from now on.

LibraryThing member leslie.98

Originally published as "The Boomerang Clue", this stand-alone mystery from 1934 had somehow escaped my notice until recently.

I found this a fun cosy mystery although slightly predictable. I suspect that is because so many authors have copied the gist of Christie's plots over the years! In any

case, although I did figure out who the bad guys were fairly early, it was still fun to watch Bobby and Frankie figure it out

LibraryThing member AmphipodGirl

This Agatha Christie mystery doesn't ahve any of her big-name detectives (Marple, Poirot), just a couple of young people who get caught up in somehting. I really liked what she did with the question of the title (I think that's vague enough not to count as a spoiner).

LibraryThing member SueinCyprus

'The Boomerang Clue' is an alternative title for the novel, ‘Why didn’t they ask Evans?’ This phrase is uttered by a dying man, and triggers a long and convoluted investigation by two young people: Bobby, the Vicar’s son, and Frankie, a close friend of his.

As with most of Christie’s

novels there are false clues everywhere. Bobby and Frankie set out on many trails, some more useful than others. They ask questions, leap to conclusions, aren’t sure who to trust… and only after an exciting finale do they gradually work out the truth.

The plot is complex, not one I could have worked out myself. But I liked the friendship between Bobby and Frankie and was content to go along with their reasoning, albeit with my own suspicions. I thought the two main protagonists were better drawn than typical for Christie's books, and some of the minor characters were interesting too.

Believable dialogue for the mid-20th century upper and upper-middle classes, and a nicely crafted plot that was difficult to put down. Definitely recommended to anyone who likes light crime fiction.

LibraryThing member kaitanya64

Bobby, the fourth son of the vicar, and "Frankie" the young lady of the manor, grew up laying together as children. But, as young adults, social rank has somewhat separated them. But when Bobby finds a dying man at the bottom of a cliff and decides to investigate the suspicious circumstances,

Frankie decides to help. Together they find themselves in the middle of a complex and dangerous plot that involves several murders and my lead to the two of them being the next victims. Good plotting and likable characters.

LibraryThing member purplequeennl

It's been a while since I've read any Agatha Christie books - well apart from her autobiography - and although I read this one as a teen, I had no recollection of it, and it gripped me completely.

Despite originally being published in 1934 and some of the language and culture having changed

considerably, making it a bit dated, the plot and storyline, along with the level of suspense, was not. I had no idea who Evans was right up until the end. I had suspected who had done it, although I had no clue how, and Christie writes it in such a way that keeps you turning the pages.

Agatha doesn't waste time on superfluous description or what I call linking scenes (getting characters from a-b), she keeps tight to the plot and keeps it moving forward, running circles round her reader as they try and work it out along with the main characters. If there was any example of how to keep a story moving forward, this is it. I am always left wondering how on earth she ever plotted these before she wrote them. Sadly her autobiography gives us no clue to that - in fact for her writing seemed to just be a small part of her life.

The main characters, Frankie and Bobby, were a great combination. Even though she might not have realised it at the time, or done it deliberately, Agatha Christie wrote a strong female lead here, who is admired for that strength and respected for it by the other male characters, which even today is something that is still considered unique.

Like many of Christie's books, it's about people with money and from the upper classes, and there may be terms or conversations that might not be considered politically correct anymore, but it is very much a piece of its time and has the decadent even art-deco feel of its era.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and look forward to reading more.

LibraryThing member AllAndAnyBooks

General info

Bobby Jones discovers a man at death's door while golfing. The man's mysterious words just before he dies bothers Bobby and he can't make his mind rest. He starts discovering all sorts of mysteries in the case and the adventure begins.

Things I liked

This is the second book I've read from

Agatha Christie and it had me in the hook from the very beginning. It is so skilfully written and so easy to follow and there never is moment when you think that you truly know who the villain in this book is. I simply loved it and I loved the bit of romance in the end too. I can't wait to read more of Christie's works.

LibraryThing member delphimo

What a delightful change in venue with Why Didn’t They Ask Evans by Agatha Christie! This novel features Bobby Jones and Lady Frances “Frankie” chasing around Scotland and England in search of the murderer of Alan Carstairs. Agatha Christie amuses herself and her readers with multiple

identities of several characters. Thank goodness that all is explained in the final chapter, or I would be lost. Bobby Jones and Doctor Thomas unknowingly discover a body while they are golfing. Both men think the unfortunate man fell to his death due to the mist. Bobby and his friend Frankie discover that the man is not Alex Pritchard, but an Alan Carstairs. This and the fact that twice Bobby falls under suspicious adventures thrust the pair into investigating the death of Alan. Many readers have ventured that Bobby and Frankie remind the reader of Tuppence and Tommy, but these new sleuths outshine Tuppence and Tommy. Agatha Christie mentions the class divisions of Frankie and Bobby. And the criminals delve into drugs and deception. A fun read.

Original publication date

1934

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