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mrsbooknerd's review against another edition
3.0
I quite enjoyed the intimate feel of Crooked House and the small cast of largely likeable characters.
I don't really feel strongly enough to give more of a review really. At times I felt it dragged a bit, once the cast were set up it all kind of circled the same few ideas, but it was a sinister twist and I enjoyed the second half.
I don't really feel strongly enough to give more of a review really. At times I felt it dragged a bit, once the cast were set up it all kind of circled the same few ideas, but it was a sinister twist and I enjoyed the second half.
5suns's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lfaur32's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
anaya13's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cam_flower's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
thaurisil's review against another edition
4.0
While I read through Agatha Christie's novels with the Appointments with Agatha group, I'm putting a templated synopsis of each novel in my review. It has spoilers!
Book: 39 of Christie's novels
Setting: The Crooked House in Swinley Dean, London
Detective and Companions: Charles Hayward, Chief Inspector Taverner, Sir Arthur Hayward
Crime: Aristide Leonides, a rich old Greek man, is killed by poison. Anyone in his loving family could have performed the crime.
Suspects:
- Sophia Leonides, Charles girlfriend and Aristide's granddaughter
- Philip Leonides, Aristide's reticent son and Sophia's father
- Magda Leonides, Philip's flamboyant actress wife
- Roger Leonides, Aristide's affable, clumsy on
- Clemency Leonides, Roger's intelligent and austere wife
- Josephine Leonides, Sophia's 12 year old sister who enjoys snooping and playing detective
- Eustace Leonides, Sophia's 16 year old scornful brother
- Edith de Haviland, Aristide's sister-in-law and a spinster
- Brenda Leonides, Aristide's wife and 50 years younger than him
- Laurence Brown, the children's tutor who had a love affair with Brenda
Twists and Turns:
- Everyone wanted it to be either Brenda or Laurence who killed Aristide. When love letters between the two emerged, it seemed on the surface even more likely that they were guilty. But nobody really believed it - neither the family members who hoped that they were the killers, nor Charles, nor the reader.
- There was a subplot where Aristide, instead of signing the will dividing his possessions equally between his children as he had announced to them, had instead signed a will giving his possessions to Sophia, entrusting her with he responsibility of caring for the family. It didn't contribute to the murder mystery, but it did add an added mystery to the story.
- Josephine claimed to know who the murderer was, and when she was hit on the head, it was assumed that the murderer wanted to get rid of Josephine for knowing too much. But actually, Josephine was the murder, and was playing a child's game based off elements from mystery novels.
When Agatha Christie writes one of these standalone mysteries, she isn't confined to the known character and gets her chance to experiment and shine. Each of the characters here could flesh out their personalities, and the mystery was allowed to develop without the personality of the "detective" ever getting in the way. It was an interesting psychological study of how a child could be a murderer, and what the personality of such a child would have to be. The subsequent events weren't logical, for they fed a child's vanity and desire for excitement, rather than the fear of being discovered at having committed the murder.
Book: 39 of Christie's novels
Setting: The Crooked House in Swinley Dean, London
Detective and Companions: Charles Hayward, Chief Inspector Taverner, Sir Arthur Hayward
Crime: Aristide Leonides, a rich old Greek man, is killed by poison. Anyone in his loving family could have performed the crime.
Suspects:
- Sophia Leonides, Charles girlfriend and Aristide's granddaughter
- Philip Leonides, Aristide's reticent son and Sophia's father
- Magda Leonides, Philip's flamboyant actress wife
- Roger Leonides, Aristide's affable, clumsy on
- Clemency Leonides, Roger's intelligent and austere wife
- Josephine Leonides, Sophia's 12 year old sister who enjoys snooping and playing detective
- Eustace Leonides, Sophia's 16 year old scornful brother
- Edith de Haviland, Aristide's sister-in-law and a spinster
- Brenda Leonides, Aristide's wife and 50 years younger than him
- Laurence Brown, the children's tutor who had a love affair with Brenda
Twists and Turns:
- Everyone wanted it to be either Brenda or Laurence who killed Aristide. When love letters between the two emerged, it seemed on the surface even more likely that they were guilty. But nobody really believed it - neither the family members who hoped that they were the killers, nor Charles, nor the reader.
- There was a subplot where Aristide, instead of signing the will dividing his possessions equally between his children as he had announced to them, had instead signed a will giving his possessions to Sophia, entrusting her with he responsibility of caring for the family. It didn't contribute to the murder mystery, but it did add an added mystery to the story.
- Josephine claimed to know who the murderer was, and when she was hit on the head, it was assumed that the murderer wanted to get rid of Josephine for knowing too much. But actually, Josephine was the murder, and was playing a child's game based off elements from mystery novels.
When Agatha Christie writes one of these standalone mysteries, she isn't confined to the known character and gets her chance to experiment and shine. Each of the characters here could flesh out their personalities, and the mystery was allowed to develop without the personality of the "detective" ever getting in the way. It was an interesting psychological study of how a child could be a murderer, and what the personality of such a child would have to be. The subsequent events weren't logical, for they fed a child's vanity and desire for excitement, rather than the fear of being discovered at having committed the murder.
angrydance's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
sumeyrad's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
danyaaladil17's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75