Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?

Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully adapted versions are shorter with the language targeted at upper-intermediate learners (CEF level B2). Each reader includes: A CD with a reading of the adapted storyHelpful notes on charactersCultural and historical notes relevant to the plotA glossary of the more difficult words Bobby Jones is playing golf … terribly. As his ball disappears over the edge of a cliff, he hears a cry. The ball is lost, but on the rocks below he finds a dying man. With his final breath the man opens his eyes and says, ‘Why didn’t they ask Evans?’ Bobby and his adventure-seeking companion Frankie set out to solve the mystery of the dying man’s last words only to find their own lives in terrible danger…

‘As a teacher using the Amazing People ELT Readers in an Extensive Reading Project, I’m as happy as my students are: motivating topics/real people, interesting facts and a great alternative to Graded Reader fiction. Having said that, the same class is also reading books from the Agatha Christie series, and enjoying them very much. Their Reading Diaries are full of questions, speculation about who-dunnit and comments about “unputdownability”. The buzz in the classroom when we’re swopping books is tangible.’Hania Bociek, Zürich, Switzerland

Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.