Growing up, I remember discovering my very first Agatha Christie book in my school library. The library hadn’t been fully set up yet; it had only recently moved out of the shared library across campus that summer. There were still plenty of cardboard boxes lying around, books haphazardly unpacked and placed on display.
Among the books on the shelves, I found a collection of old Agatha Christie novels. They didn’t seem to be particularly popular among the students—maybe it was the old-fashioned, slightly eerie covers. One of the books I picked up was this story, though it had a different title back then: The Boomerang Clue. The title intrigued me—why was it called that? Was the murder weapon a boomerang?
Story Summary & Thoughts
The book introduces two protagonists: Bobby Jones, the local vicar’s fourth son—an unremarkable chap with a naval background and a fondness for golf that unfortunately leads to the discovery of a body—and Lady Frances Derwent, better known as Frankie, the adventurous daughter of an Earl, who drives powerful cars like a maniac.
“I suppose nobody ever pushed him over, did they?” asked Frankie as she handed her dressing-case to her maid.
“Pushed him over? Good Lord, no. Why?”
“Well, it would make it much more exciting, wouldn’t it?”Chapter 3, The Railway Journey
The plot starts off simply enough: one murder to solve and a strong initial suspect. But as the story progresses, it becomes increasingly baffling, with dubious nursing homes, ties to drug rings, and sinister doctors complicating the investigation. If you’re the type who enjoys piecing together clues to identify the culprit before the end, you’ll likely find yourself scratching your head with each new twist Christie throws in. Personally, I was content to follow along as Bobby and Frankie chased each lead and confronted each suspect.
As in many of her books, Christie includes a charming romantic angle, employing the “childhood friend romance” trope convincingly without crossing into cringeworthy territory. I enjoyed the dialogues between Bobby and Frankie as they balanced flirtatious exchanges without fully committing to romance, keeping their dynamic light and entertaining.
“Well, I’ll come tomorrow. Do I kiss you or don’t I?”
“It’s not catching,” said Bobby encouragingly.
“Then I’ll do my duty to the sick thoroughly.”Chapter 7, an escape from death
Towards the end of the book, Christie provides the context needed to understand the original title, The Boomerang Clue, and reveals the answer to ‘Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?’. While the final clue seemed to come out of nowhere and the unmasking of one of the culprits was a bit of a convenient coincidence, the ending still felt satisfying. The motivations behind the original murder and subsequent events were thoroughly explained, and we get a tantalizing glimpse of what lies ahead for our enterprising duo.
This has been one of my favorite Agatha Christie books ever since I first read it years ago. Though it had been a while, as soon as I opened the first page, I was immediately drawn back into the adventures of our delightful pair of sleuths.
It’s a light and entertaining whodunit, and Bobby and Frankie are both utterly charming and likeable. It’s a shame they don’t feature in other stories, but their short and sweet adventure in Christie’s literary world remains wonderfully memorable.
