Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie

 

(hb; 1934)

From the inside flap

“Believe it or not, Bobby Jones had topped his drive! He was badly bunkered. There were no eager crowds to groan with dismay. That is easily explained─for Bobby was merely the fourth son of the Vicar of Marchbolt, a small golfing resort on the Welsh coast. And Bobby, in spite of his name, was not much of a golfer. Still, that game was destined to be a memorable one. On going to play his ball, Bobby suddenly came upon the body of a man. He bent over him. The man was not yet dead. “Why didn’t they ask Evans?’ he said, and then his eyelids dropped, the jaw fell. . .

“It was the beginning of  a most baffling mystery. That strange question of the dying man is the recurring theme of Agatha Christie’s. . . story.”

 

Review

Evans is a light-hearted, fast-moving, and fun read, even with its underlying (relative) darkness about the goings-on of its villain character(s). Its two main characters, Bobby Jones and Frances (“Frankie”) Derwent, are hardly practical amateur sleuths─though Frances is clearly the smarter and more forward-looking of the two, despite her spirited faith in Bobby. The villain(s) is/arent’ difficult to spot for eagle-eyed readers, and the twists are solid. Evans is a good (possible) murder romantic comedy by a great writer.

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Four television or streaming app adaptations have resulted from this novel, broadcast/streamed in these years: 1980, 2011, 2013 and 2022.

After the Funeral (a.k.a. Funerals are Fatal) by Agatha Christie

(pb; 1953)

From the back cover

“The bodies seem to be piling up at Enderby Hall. First the very wealthy Richard Abernethie dies suddenly. Then his sister is murdered with a hatchet. Several days later, her companion is sent a slice of wedding cake steeped in arsenic. No wonder the family solicitor calls in master sleuth Hercule Poirot.”

Review

Funeral, the thirty-first Hercule Poirot novel, is a good, fun mystery, a great way to burn a couple of hours during the afternoon. The characters are an entertaining bunch with elitist-minded quirks, and the reveals interesting, as is often the case with Christie’s writing. Worth reading.

Towards Zero by Agatha Christie

(pb; 1944: fifth book in the Superintendent Battle series)

From the back cover

“An elderly widow is murdered at a clifftop seaside house. . . What is the connection between a failed suicide attempt, a wrongful accusation of theft against a schoolgirl, and the romantic life of a famous tennis player? To the casual observer, apparently nothing. But when a house party gathers at Gull’s Point, the seaside of an elderly widow, earlier events come to a dramatic head. It’s all part of a carefully laid plan─for murder.”

Review

Christie turns the mystery novel structure on its head by showing what leads up to the story-centric murder in this fun, clever, fast-moving and character-interesting book, said to be one of her favorites. I can see why, if that is true. This is worth reading, and owning, if you are inclined to collect excellent, fast-read mystery books.

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The resulting film, L’heure zero, was released in France on October 31, 2007. Pascal Thomas directed it, from a screenplay by Clémence de Bléville, Francois Caviglioli, Roland Duval and Nathalie Lefaurie.

Francois Morel played Le commissaire Martin Bataille. Danielle Daurrieux played Camilla Tressilian. Melville Poupaud played Guillaume Neuville. Laura Smet played Caroline Neuville. Chiarro Mastroianni played Aude Neville.

Alessandra Martines played Marie-Adeline. Clément Thomas played Thomas Rondeau. Xavier Thiam played Frédéric ‘Fred’ Latimer. Hervé Pierre played Ange Werther. 

Endless Night by Agatha Christie

(pb; 1967)

From the back cover

“When penniless Michael Rogers discovers the beautiful house at Gypsy’s Acre and then meets the heiress Ellie, it seems all his dreams have come true at once. But he ignores the old woman’s warning of an ancient curse, and evil begins to stir in paradise. As Michael soon learns: Gypsy’s Acre is the place where fatal ‘accidents’ happen.”

Review

Endless is an excellent, no-wasted-words genre hybrid novel. It is initially a Gothic romance and later a murder story. I say murder story, because any reader paying attention will likely spot the killer, or killers, right away. This probable transparency does not lessen Endless’s impact, though, because Christie─master author that she is─does not draw out the big Reveal, but rather embraces it in bold, almost shocking fashion. This is a great read, one worth owning.

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There are quite a few film versions of this book. Check IMDb.com if you are interested in researching them.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

(pb; 1940: previously titled Ten Little Indians)

From the back cover

“Ten strangers are lured to an isolated island mansion off the Devon coast by a mysterious ‘U.N. Owen.’

“At dinner, a recorded message accuses each of them in turn of having a guilty secret, and by the end of the night one of the guests is dead.

“Stranded by a violent storm, and haunted by a nursery rhyme counting down one by one. . .as one by one. . .they begin to die.

“Which among them is the killer and will any of them survive?”

Review

 None is one of my all-time-favorite murder mysteries. It is a classic English waste-no-words and clever trapped-on-an-island work, one that thrills from the first word to the last. Worth owning, this.

This novel has inspired several movies under both titles.