If you consider an Agatha Christie whodunnit, particular homicide mysteries come to thoughts. Some tales start as conventional circumstances however finish with startling revelations, the type that “The Homicide of Roger Ackroyd” executes all too effectively. Then there are the thrilling, difficult titles, like Christie’s “Homicide on the Orient Specific,” which presents an enormous forged of suspects harboring grudges inside a kinetic setting. Generally, Christie challenges the brilliance of her personal heroic figures, resembling when detective Hercule Poirot races towards time to catch a serial killer in “The ABC Murders.” Whereas each whodunnit has a definite taste, Christie’s strengths as a author lie in hiding the reality in plain sight and pulling off concluding twists with conviction. One of many extra ignored Christie homicide mysteries embodying these strengths greatest is 1934’s “Why Did not They Ask Evans?,” which retains readers guessing up till the massive reveal.
Whereas enjoying golf with a buddy within the seaside city of Marchbolt, Bobby Jones stumbles upon a dying man. Bobby’s buddy, Dr. Thomas, notes the person’s deadly accidents and heads out to hunt assist. As Bobby stays with the person, he says “Why did not they ask Evans?” and dies quickly after. Assist arrives a bit too late, and Bobby’s solely clues to fixing this mysterious demise are the person’s cryptic ultimate phrases and the image of a lady in his coat pocket. “Why Did not They Ask Evans?” solely will get extra twisty and intriguing after this level, the place official clues about the actual killer are blended in with equally believable crimson herrings. Though this can be a detective story with out Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, it’s fulfilling sufficient by itself deserves, because it encourages the reader to tackle a extra lively function as a sleuth and compete with the novice detective at its middle.
As with many Christie novels which were tailored for movie and tv, “Why Did not They Ask Evans?” bought the miniseries therapy in 2022. This specific adaptation — starring Will Poulter and Lucy Boynton — captures the pulpy, light-hearted tone of the supply materials fairly effectively, presenting us with a fresh-faced detective duo price rooting for. Let’s dive into this beloved BritBox-produced Agatha Christie adaptation.
This Agatha Christie miniseries is each partaking and pleasant
In “Why Did not They Ask Evans?”, Bobby (Poulter) instantly searches the useless physique for clues, understandably distressed by the odd and sudden demise in such a public setting. A slightly pleasant dude within the neighborhood, Roger Bassington-ffrench (Daniel Ings), affords to attend with Bobby till the police arrive however is nowhere to be seen as quickly as they do. As Bobby decides whether or not he needs to pursue this thriller additional, he’s adopted by a person carrying a hat on a number of events, which prompts him to speak in confidence to his childhood buddy Frankie (Boynton). With Frankie suspecting foul play, the 2 group as much as unravel this thriller, however quickly understand that some issues are too harmful and should be left alone.
Though the hazard posed by the state of affairs is severe, the tone of the sequence isn’t too bleak, no less than not on the identical degree as the island homicide thriller “And Then There Have been None,” which examines among the worst impulses in humanity. Hugh Laurie (who wrote and directed this miniseries) focuses on facets of the novel with the potential to translate effectively on the display, resembling tender interpersonal dynamics or ignored alternatives so as to add extra depth to a secondary character. Laurie additionally capitalizes on the idyllic setting, utilizing it to ascertain mundanity and subvert expectations, which in flip makes the character of the demise particularly jarring.
There’s heaps to like right here, however the Poulter-Boynton chemistry is the present’s beating coronary heart. Though each novice detectives are sharp and witty, they’re clearly not on the identical degree as Poirot or Marple, and this acutely aware distancing works in favor of imbuing their presence with allure. The 2 navigate the turgid waters of a case that appears extra convoluted than it really is, as plenty of crimson herrings are thrown their approach within the type of suspects with aligning motives. Numerous forwards and backwards is supposed to occur, because the intent is to maintain us engaged with curveballs and out of the blue reveal the plain reply that has been in plain sight all alongside. This method works, and even when you’ve bought all of it discovered, it’s at all times a pleasure to observe your deductions get validated by the top.