Crooked House

I am a fan of Ms Christie’s books. I have read many of them and I do believe this is one of the best she wrote.Charles has returned from the War. He wants to see Sophia. They met and fell in love and were separated by actions in the war. Now, he wants to marry her as quickly as possible.When they meet and she explains her family situation, he is surprised by several things. She comes from a very wealthy family. Her beloved, elderly grandfather has died and the police believe it was murder.Charles’ father is high up in Scotland Yard. The detectives who are investigating the murder use him to help gather information from the large family who all live together in the family mansion.This is a mystery with many suspects. And many motives for murder.The reader is introduced to family members who are not all perfect, but who are all very interesting.Just as one would expect, there are no simple solutions to this Christie mystery.And the reader is taken along on a wonderful journey to finding answers to questions.A lovely mystery.

The Crooked House is a murder mystery. Aristide Leonides, the head of a rich family, is murdered in his own home. Everyone is a suspect, including his sons, daughters in law, grandchildren, and staff. Charles Hayward, the son of a detective wants to marry Sophia Leonides, but he will have to help solve the case first.Agatha Christie does a great job of keeping you guessing by dropping red herrings throughout the story. With a book like this, you know it's not the most obvious suspect, so it's easy to narrow it done to a short list. However, I wasn't sure who was definitely guilty until the end. The Crooked House is a fairly short book, so it was an easy read. I have never read an Agatha Christie book before, so it was interesting to see her plot twists and discover what makes her the queen of mystery and suspense. There were times, however, that it was a little slow. You have to have patience for this time of book. It was a 4 star read for me!

Agatha Christie has done it again. I thought I had the mystery figured out right up until the truth was revealed. I admit I chose the wrong suspect.The protagonist is Charles who wishes to marry Sophia but her grandfather has just been killed and she is afraid as to who the murderer was.Charles's father is with Scotland Yard so that gives him the way to help out with the inquiry.The suspects are all the family. The two sons their wives and the two grandchildren. Of course, everyone is hoping that it was the grandfather's second wife Brenda. She is a much younger woman and is in love with the tutor.The others in the house include the sister of the first wife and the old Nannie.As I stated at the beginning I chose the wrong suspect but I loved who the killer turned out to be.Agatha Christie was a tremendous talent who is enjoyable to read even after the mystery is known. I have been a fan for many years and will be one for the rest of my life.

Agatha Christie’s work ages so well. This story could easily be set here and now with just a few updates to things like how much money is a lot of money. She is always a joy to read, and this story is one of my favorites.

Charles, a young man striking out on a career in the diplomatic service returns home to England after the war to look up a young woman he knew in Cairo and ask for her hand. But, as is the fashion in a Christie novel, a corpse stands in the way. Well, that's the lead into Crooked House a mystery of a well-heeled immigrant family three generations living at the family estate Three Gables in Swinly Dean, whose patriarch Aristide Leonides has died in rather uncertain circumstances.Sophia, Aristide's granddaughter, whose hand it is being sought, invites Charles to the house to meet her family and discretely see if he can assist the police, lead by Chief Inspector Traverner, as Charles's father is an Assistant Commissioner at Scotland Yard and perhaps he may be able to see into the heart of the matter as the inspector appears stymied in his efforts to delve into the family secrets.Of the characters in residence at the estate are Aristide's two sons Philip (Sophia's father) and Richard, their wives Magda and Clemence respectively, and Sophia's younger brother Eustice and her younger sister Josephine. Also, there is Sophia's great-aunt Edith de Haviland, sister to Aristide's first wife, and his second wife Brenda Leonides (fifty years his junior).The story moves at a slow pace… leisurely taking the reader through a series of interactions and interviews with family. Charles tagging along with the inspector on his questioning of the family and their various motives. The real insight into the case come from Charles's conversations with his father at his home. The old detective offering his insights into murder and murderers. From here the reader can gain a good perspective and a toehold as to the crooked solution to this puzzle.Although I enjoyed the story (and the movie BTW), it did lag somewhat in its pacing. It was slow to unfold and even as the story's climax was approaching the pace never really picked up. There really didn't seem to be any sense of 'urgency' to this drama…