Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (Agatha Christie Signature Edition) [Kindle Edition]

This is one of Dame Agatha's more light-hearted romps. No Poirot, no Jane Marple, or Inspector Japp, or even Tommy and Tuppence. Instead a very likeable pair of Bright Young Things (and I don't normally like them in the early Christie works!), called Lady Frances (Frankie to her friends) Derwent, and Bobby Jones. Bobby is the sort of handsome, amiable, but not exactly intellectual young man that the author clearly enjoyed writing about, and Frankie is another of the strong, spirited and resourceful young women who are often a staple of the classic Christie novel. The title "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?" (and if you don't know the story, I guarantee you'll never guess who Evans turns out to be!), are the suitably cryptic words of a dying man who has fallen off a cliff. Add to the mix a spooky sanatorium, a gang of international drug-dealers (Christie-style), a Terry-Thomas style bounder, and plenty of madcap adventures, and you have a very fast-paced enjoyable read.

I specifically chose `Why Didn't They Ask Evans?' as my latest Christie read, and I have a fair few, because it was one I know I have never seen on the telly (though I have heard that it became a Marple TV show despite her not being in the book at all?!?) and so as I opened the book I genuinely had no idea what I was going to be greeted by. When I started reading about golf I thought `oh no Agatha' but four pages later, or a chapter in Christie terms, Bobby the golfer in question has discovered a body at the bottom of the cliff when his ball goes AWOL. As he waits with the body, his friend having gone to get the police, the man who is not quite dead mutters `Why didn't they ask Evans?' before taking his last breath.

This is dismissed as a tragic accident however after Bobby's friend Lady Frances Derwent (or `Frankie') reminds him of the words he lets the deceased's family know. Soon after strange things start to happen such as mysterious job offers in Buenos Aires and even Bobby being poisoned and so Frankie and Bobby decide to play sleuths leading them into a dark mystery involving the 1930's upper classes, dark Granges and sinister nursing homes. It's absolutely brilliant stuff; I could barely put it down.

Some people have said this is a `light hearted romp' in Christie's career and there is a feeling of an adult `Famous Five adventure' about it, well more a slightly hapless duo in this case. Don't let that stop you reading it though because the characters are superb (especially the wonderful head strong Frankie who calls someone a b*tch within seconds of being gracing a page with her presence) the plot has lots of twists and there are more red herrings that you could find at a fishmongers. Oh and Christie very cleverly and wryly shows you just how easy it was to work it out, even though it's unlikely you will - seriously, in the final chapters as the lead characters discuss it. This could be my favourite Christie yet! I am slightly gutted she didnt make this a series.

Christie wrote many books and so, as you read through them, you notice that understanably some are masterpieces (And Then There Were None, Orient Express etc.) and some were obviously hard work to write. This is one of Christie's best, and thankfully a breath of fresh air away from a certain correct little Belgian detective...

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? is a fantastic yarn just wandering around 1930s upper class England, full of buffoons and jolly ripping fellows! Frankie and Bobby are the best ever heroes I've come across in an Agatha Christie - they are shamelessly melodramatic and self confident. Frankie loves all of her wonderful plans and schemes and fancies herself and Bobby as being rather wonderful amateur sleuths! And Bobby's hasn't fallen for Moira at all! No...

You've got to read Evans to appreciate the wonders of Bobby and Frankie's adventure, trotting from Wales to London to Hampshire and back to Oxford Street! And all in order to find out about that "blighter fell off a cliff. Tragic really."

Love it! Prove me wrong! It's a hell of a lot of jolly good, clean fun!