Written by Agatha Christie
SUMMARY:
First released in 1949, this 276-page St. Martin’s paperback reprint was issued in 2002. Prior to the end of World War II, British colleagues Charles Hayward and Sophia Leonides become confidantes while stationed in Cairo. Capably working in England’s Foreign Office administration, 22-year old Sophia reveals that she comes from a wealthy family. The duo commits to reuniting after the war, at which time Charles wishes to propose marriage.
Two years later, upon returning to London in late 1947, 35-year old Charles learns that Sophia’s beloved grandfather (and family patriarch), Aristide, has been recently murdered. Eserine (eye medication) was deliberately switched for Aristide’s daily insulin injection. The crime occurs at the victim’s somewhat eerie estate, Three Gables, located in the posh London suburb of Swinly Dean.
Cajoled by both his father (a Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner) and a worried Sophia, Charles unofficially joins Chief Inspector Taverner’s investigative team. At the secluded Three Gables, Charles tactfully observes his potential future in-laws: scholarly Philip & vapid actress Magda (Sophia’s parents), Sophia’s peculiar younger siblings: Eustace and Josephine; Uncle Roger & Aunt Clemency, and prickly Great-Aunt Edith. There’s also Aristide’s gold-digging (and far younger) widow, Brenda, to contend with.
Despite the family’s outward quirks (and, per Sophia’s candor, varying shades of ruthlessness), the crime’s primary suspect is the manipulative Brenda. One theory is that Brenda is conspiring with her rumored lover: the family’s high-strung, in-house tutor, Laurence Brown.
Scandalous family secrets come to light, as Aristide’s’ missing will further complicates a perplexing case. Charles must rely on his growing insights into the dysfunctional Leonides clan — if there’s any chance of thwarting a sociopathic predator lurking among them.
Note: This edition’s back cover teaser is inaccurate. Notably, 1. Charles Hayward isn’t a criminologist – at most, he’s an amateur detective with minimal prior experience. It’s left murky as to what exactly his overseas occupation actually is. 2. Charles isn’t already ‘intimately’ familiar with the Leonides clan; he’s an outsider looking from the inside, so to speak.
REVIEW:
Among Agatha Christie’s more chilling works, Crooked House is in the same league but doesn’t surpass And Then There Were None. One notable distinction is that None’s dark-and-stormy-night ambiance necessitates a generally unlikable cast. Crooked House’s readability, however, is bolstered by Charles & Sophia’s endearing chemistry. Often making the same deductions, their plausible teamwork endears them as one of Christie’s most underrated couples.
While the reclusive Leonides household isn’t as ghoulish as The Addams Family, they aren’t blah caricatures, either. Pivotal contrasts between the pragmatic Sophia and her oddly intertwined family makes for an intriguing read — i.e. how Sophia is more like an aunt or adult cousin than a big sister to her far younger siblings, let alone a thankless role as Magda’s ‘manager’ vs. being her eldest child.
Charles’ ongoing surveillance, as a result, conveys a satisfying, first-person whodunnit where everyone is likely whom they seem. The enigma remains: which suspect’s self-involved personality hides a killer’s instincts. Hence, Crooked House is really best known for its shocking twist finish (at least, for that era’s standards).
Putting Christie’s knack for ingenious bait-and-switches aside, the culprit’s identity, based on some obvious inferences, is fair game. The means by which the horrific truth unfolds, however, remains duly heartbreaking, no matter how often one re-reads the outcome. As disturbing as the climax is, Crooked House earns its reputation as one of Agatha Christie’s best mysteries.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
The back inside cover provides a brief author bio.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
