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Crooked House
The Leonides were one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion. That was until Astrides, the head of the household, was murdered. Charles Hayward, engaged to the late millionaire's granddaughter, decides to investigate.
- GenresAgatha ChristieMystery
224 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2012
47 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,800 books75k followersAgatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 12, 2020
4,5 stars. Project Learning English by myself. Abridged text + audio. The ending is quite surprising and original and the plot has some twists and turns, but it's a pity that Poirot isn't present in it.
I don't write in my books written in my mother tongue (Portuguese), but I do this when I read my books written in English, as I need to underline words, phrasal verbs, and idioms that I don't know. And after reading and listening to the audio, I look up the underlined words in online and printed dictionaries. Often, the words have several meanings and I get lost thinking which them fits the text. After rereading the same text in English a few times, I discover that I made several mistakes when writing the translation of certain words. This makes me happy because I realize that I'm learning and improving.
I don't write in my books written in my mother tongue (Portuguese), but I do this when I read my books written in English, as I need to underline words, phrasal verbs, and idioms that I don't know. And after reading and listening to the audio, I look up the underlined words in online and printed dictionaries. Often, the words have several meanings and I get lost thinking which them fits the text. After rereading the same text in English a few times, I discover that I made several mistakes when writing the translation of certain words. This makes me happy because I realize that I'm learning and improving.
May 13, 2018
Asking an author to choose the favorite book he or she wrote is often like asking a grandparent to choose a favorite grandchild; it results in a meaningless response like “they are all special to me.” Agatha Christie, perhaps the best pure mystery writer of all time, might be forgiven had she made a similar statement. However, Christie never hesitated in naming her two favorite books, one of which was Crooked House (she says as much in the introduction to this edition), and, after reading the book, I can understand why.
Crooked House take place in the English countryside shortly after World War II. A wealthy octogenarian businessman dies as a result of someone switching some eye drops for his insulin shortly before he received his daily injection. The man had a second wife some 50 years his junior, who quickly becomes the prime suspect, along with her boyfriend, and he also had a bunch of other relatives who all conveniently lived in the same house with him and who all possibly had financial and other motives to wish his demise sooner rather than later. Further, everyone in the house knew about and had access to the victim’s medications and that switching them could be fatal.
Despite Christie’s love for the book, Crooked House isn’t nearly as well known as many of her works, such as Murder on the Orient Express. The reason for this relative obscurity may well be that Crooked House does not feature either of Christie’s two famous detectives, Hercule Poirot or Miss Jane Marple. Instead, the narrator is Charles Hayward a diplomat who spent the war overseas and has just rekindled his romance with Sophia, the granddaughter of the dead businessman. Because Hayward’s father is a police officer, he is asked to stay at the house for a while and talk to the various witnesses in hopes of finding a clue.
Unlike many Christie novels, the solution to Crooked House does not depend on unraveling a lot of tiny bits of physical evidence to determine that Colonel Mustard was the only person who had access to the conservatory at the right moment. Instead, the clues are primarily psychological, and figuring out the killer requires figuring out which of the suspects has the temperament of a killer since pretty much everybody could have easily done it. Fortunately, Charles has one or two good scenes with each suspect, so he can make observations as to their guilty behavior or lack thereof.
With the clues primarily being psychological, Crooked House resembles one of those optical illusions that is impossible to spot unless you happen to look at it in just the right way. A number of people do figure out the killer’s identity, as judged by the reviews, while others it near impossible. No matter how adept the reader is, one thing is sure; like Orient Express, once readers finish Crooked House, it’s one they are almost sure to remember.
My admiration for the puzzle in Crooked House is tempered a bit by the book’s shortcomings as a novel. Charles is the epitome of the dull narrator—no exercising the little gray cells here—and his romance with Sophia, which other writers might take advantage to ratchet up the suspense is curiously tepid. The only function Charles serves is to provide the narration and give the suspects a shoulder to cry upon. And, although the characters are a bit quirky, readers never lose sight of the fact that Crooked House is essentially a book-length puzzle with characters that are given only as much development as needed to support the storyline.
Crooked House may only be a puzzle, but it’s a very good one, and one that readers will remember. Having read a number of Christie books over the years, I disagree with the author’s assessment that it’s the best of her work, but it’s still an enjoyable read for mystery fans.
Crooked House take place in the English countryside shortly after World War II. A wealthy octogenarian businessman dies as a result of someone switching some eye drops for his insulin shortly before he received his daily injection. The man had a second wife some 50 years his junior, who quickly becomes the prime suspect, along with her boyfriend, and he also had a bunch of other relatives who all conveniently lived in the same house with him and who all possibly had financial and other motives to wish his demise sooner rather than later. Further, everyone in the house knew about and had access to the victim’s medications and that switching them could be fatal.
Despite Christie’s love for the book, Crooked House isn’t nearly as well known as many of her works, such as Murder on the Orient Express. The reason for this relative obscurity may well be that Crooked House does not feature either of Christie’s two famous detectives, Hercule Poirot or Miss Jane Marple. Instead, the narrator is Charles Hayward a diplomat who spent the war overseas and has just rekindled his romance with Sophia, the granddaughter of the dead businessman. Because Hayward’s father is a police officer, he is asked to stay at the house for a while and talk to the various witnesses in hopes of finding a clue.
Unlike many Christie novels, the solution to Crooked House does not depend on unraveling a lot of tiny bits of physical evidence to determine that Colonel Mustard was the only person who had access to the conservatory at the right moment. Instead, the clues are primarily psychological, and figuring out the killer requires figuring out which of the suspects has the temperament of a killer since pretty much everybody could have easily done it. Fortunately, Charles has one or two good scenes with each suspect, so he can make observations as to their guilty behavior or lack thereof.
With the clues primarily being psychological, Crooked House resembles one of those optical illusions that is impossible to spot unless you happen to look at it in just the right way. A number of people do figure out the killer’s identity, as judged by the reviews, while others it near impossible. No matter how adept the reader is, one thing is sure; like Orient Express, once readers finish Crooked House, it’s one they are almost sure to remember.
My admiration for the puzzle in Crooked House is tempered a bit by the book’s shortcomings as a novel. Charles is the epitome of the dull narrator—no exercising the little gray cells here—and his romance with Sophia, which other writers might take advantage to ratchet up the suspense is curiously tepid. The only function Charles serves is to provide the narration and give the suspects a shoulder to cry upon. And, although the characters are a bit quirky, readers never lose sight of the fact that Crooked House is essentially a book-length puzzle with characters that are given only as much development as needed to support the storyline.
Crooked House may only be a puzzle, but it’s a very good one, and one that readers will remember. Having read a number of Christie books over the years, I disagree with the author’s assessment that it’s the best of her work, but it’s still an enjoyable read for mystery fans.
January 27, 2025
Well here we are,
First of all I want to say that I'm not a fan of Agatha Christie's books, I don't like her way of writing, says someone who has read 4 and now 5 of her books, I'm not a fan but well, it's all a matter of taste.
As was predictable I didn't like the book in the least, it seemed like a complete mess to me, the only character that I liked the least was the assassin herself who *Spoiler alert* was Josephine. Besides, I don't know if it was very easy but in my opinion it was very predictable that Josephine was the assassin, I expected it from the beginning seeing that she was the most stealthy and the most knowledgeable of all. I don't know anyways
As a score for the book I give it a 2/5. Basically, the discovery of Josephine as an assassin and that Sophia keeps her grandfather's inheritance was the things that make put 2 and no a 1 or even less.
In conclusion Agatha Christie is not for me.💀
Bueno pues aqui estamos,
Primero de todo quiero decir que no soy fan de los libros de agatha christie no me gusta su forma de escribir, lo dice algn q se ha leido 4 y ahroa 5 de ella, no soy fan peor bueno para gustos los colores.
Como era predicble no me ha gustao el libro en lo mas minimo, me a parecido un compelto bodrio el unico personaje q minima me cayo bn fue la propia asesina que *Spoiler alert* era josephine. Aparte nose si esq era muy facil pero para mi parecer era muy predecible que josephine fuera la asesina me lo esperaba desde el principio al ver que era la mas sigilosa y la q mas sabia de todos. nose en fin
Como puntacion al libro le doy un 2 /5 . Basicamente se salva el descubirmiento de josphine como asesina y que sophia se quede la herencia del abuelo y poco mas.
En conclusion Agatha Christie no es para mi 💀
First of all I want to say that I'm not a fan of Agatha Christie's books, I don't like her way of writing, says someone who has read 4 and now 5 of her books, I'm not a fan but well, it's all a matter of taste.
As was predictable I didn't like the book in the least, it seemed like a complete mess to me, the only character that I liked the least was the assassin herself who *Spoiler alert* was Josephine. Besides, I don't know if it was very easy but in my opinion it was very predictable that Josephine was the assassin, I expected it from the beginning seeing that she was the most stealthy and the most knowledgeable of all. I don't know anyways
As a score for the book I give it a 2/5. Basically, the discovery of Josephine as an assassin and that Sophia keeps her grandfather's inheritance was the things that make put 2 and no a 1 or even less.
In conclusion Agatha Christie is not for me.💀
Bueno pues aqui estamos,
Primero de todo quiero decir que no soy fan de los libros de agatha christie no me gusta su forma de escribir, lo dice algn q se ha leido 4 y ahroa 5 de ella, no soy fan peor bueno para gustos los colores.
Como era predicble no me ha gustao el libro en lo mas minimo, me a parecido un compelto bodrio el unico personaje q minima me cayo bn fue la propia asesina que *Spoiler alert* era josephine. Aparte nose si esq era muy facil pero para mi parecer era muy predecible que josephine fuera la asesina me lo esperaba desde el principio al ver que era la mas sigilosa y la q mas sabia de todos. nose en fin
Como puntacion al libro le doy un 2 /5 . Basicamente se salva el descubirmiento de josphine como asesina y que sophia se quede la herencia del abuelo y poco mas.
En conclusion Agatha Christie no es para mi 💀
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2021
Cute little mystery. I'm happy to have read it.
May 24, 2021
Crooked House by Agatha Christie was a page-turner. The characters were superbly defined and certainly odd. The plot was intriguing. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
November 19, 2024
The end truly shocked me! Wonderful mystery
June 12, 2025
Suspense to the End.
May 13, 2018
Asking an author to choose the favorite book he or she wrote is often like asking a grandparent to choose a favorite grandchild; it results in a meaningless response like “they are all special to me.” Agatha Christie, perhaps the best pure mystery writer of all time, might be forgiven had she made a similar statement. However, Christie never hesitated in naming her two favorite books, one of which was Crooked House (she says as much in the introduction to this edition), and, after reading the book, I can understand why.
Crooked House take place in the English countryside shortly after World War II. A wealthy octogenarian businessman dies as a result of someone switching some eye drops for his insulin shortly before he received his daily injection. The man had a second wife some 50 years his junior, who quickly becomes the prime suspect, along with her boyfriend, and he also had a bunch of other relatives who all conveniently lived in the same house with him and who all possibly had financial and other motives to wish his demise sooner rather than later. Further, everyone in the house knew about and had access to the victim’s medications and that switching them could be fatal.
Despite Christie’s love for the book, Crooked House isn’t nearly as well known as many of her works, such as Murder on the Orient Express. The reason for this relative obscurity may well be that Crooked House does not feature either of Christie’s two famous detectives, Hercule Poirot or Miss Jane Marple. Instead, the narrator is Charles Hayward a diplomat who spent the war overseas and has just rekindled his romance with Sophia, the granddaughter of the dead businessman. Because Hayward’s father is a police officer, he is asked to stay at the house for a while and talk to the various witnesses in hopes of finding a clue.
Unlike many Christie novels, the solution to Crooked House does not depend on unraveling a lot of tiny bits of physical evidence to determine that Colonel Mustard was the only person who had access to the conservatory at the right moment. Instead, the clues are primarily psychological, and figuring out the killer requires figuring out which of the suspects has the temperament of a killer since pretty much everybody could have easily done it. Fortunately, Charles has one or two good scenes with each suspect, so he can make observations as to their guilty behavior or lack thereof.
With the clues primarily being psychological, Crooked House resembles one of those optical illusions that is impossible to spot unless you happen to look at it in just the right way. A number of people do figure out the killer’s identity, as judged by the reviews, while others it near impossible. No matter how adept the reader is, one thing is sure; like Orient Express, once readers finish Crooked House, it’s one they are almost sure to remember.
My admiration for the puzzle in Crooked House is tempered a bit by the book’s shortcomings as a novel. Charles is the epitome of the dull narrator—no exercising the little gray cells here—and his romance with Sophia, which other writers might take advantage to ratchet up the suspense is curiously tepid. The only function Charles serves is to provide the narration and give the suspects a shoulder to cry upon. And, although the characters are a bit quirky, readers never lose sight of the fact that Crooked House is essentially a book-length puzzle with characters that are given only as much development as needed to support the storyline.
Crooked House may only be a puzzle, but it’s a very good one, and one that readers will remember. Having read a number of Christie books over the years, I disagree with the author’s assessment that it’s the best of her work, but it’s still an enjoyable read for mystery fans.
Crooked House take place in the English countryside shortly after World War II. A wealthy octogenarian businessman dies as a result of someone switching some eye drops for his insulin shortly before he received his daily injection. The man had a second wife some 50 years his junior, who quickly becomes the prime suspect, along with her boyfriend, and he also had a bunch of other relatives who all conveniently lived in the same house with him and who all possibly had financial and other motives to wish his demise sooner rather than later. Further, everyone in the house knew about and had access to the victim’s medications and that switching them could be fatal.
Despite Christie’s love for the book, Crooked House isn’t nearly as well known as many of her works, such as Murder on the Orient Express. The reason for this relative obscurity may well be that Crooked House does not feature either of Christie’s two famous detectives, Hercule Poirot or Miss Jane Marple. Instead, the narrator is Charles Hayward a diplomat who spent the war overseas and has just rekindled his romance with Sophia, the granddaughter of the dead businessman. Because Hayward’s father is a police officer, he is asked to stay at the house for a while and talk to the various witnesses in hopes of finding a clue.
Unlike many Christie novels, the solution to Crooked House does not depend on unraveling a lot of tiny bits of physical evidence to determine that Colonel Mustard was the only person who had access to the conservatory at the right moment. Instead, the clues are primarily psychological, and figuring out the killer requires figuring out which of the suspects has the temperament of a killer since pretty much everybody could have easily done it. Fortunately, Charles has one or two good scenes with each suspect, so he can make observations as to their guilty behavior or lack thereof.
With the clues primarily being psychological, Crooked House resembles one of those optical illusions that is impossible to spot unless you happen to look at it in just the right way. A number of people do figure out the killer’s identity, as judged by the reviews, while others it near impossible. No matter how adept the reader is, one thing is sure; like Orient Express, once readers finish Crooked House, it’s one they are almost sure to remember.
My admiration for the puzzle in Crooked House is tempered a bit by the book’s shortcomings as a novel. Charles is the epitome of the dull narrator—no exercising the little gray cells here—and his romance with Sophia, which other writers might take advantage to ratchet up the suspense is curiously tepid. The only function Charles serves is to provide the narration and give the suspects a shoulder to cry upon. And, although the characters are a bit quirky, readers never lose sight of the fact that Crooked House is essentially a book-length puzzle with characters that are given only as much development as needed to support the storyline.
Crooked House may only be a puzzle, but it’s a very good one, and one that readers will remember. Having read a number of Christie books over the years, I disagree with the author’s assessment that it’s the best of her work, but it’s still an enjoyable read for mystery fans.
November 2, 2014
Crooked House is an excellent story of a large family. I enjoyed this novel from the first pages.It was a very good story that I did not want to put it down. Its filled with interesting characters and a countless number of suspects. Its an outstanding mystery that will leave you guess who's the murderer until the end of the book. It has all the elements that make up a good story. The ending is unique and not what one would expect. Sometimes I can figure out the murderer in other books but, not here. This book required only a few hours of reading.
Anyone who loves mysteries will love this book.
Anyone who loves mysteries will love this book.
September 18, 2019
Agatha Christie considered this to be one of her best books. I would definitely put it in the top ten. It’s a very intriguing story driven mostly by dialogue, which made it a quick read for me. Like all her best works, there are two keys to discerning the ending: keep the little details in your mind, and pay attention to the psychology of the characters. Psychology is especially significant in this novel.
My only criticism is that it ends a little too abruptly for my taste. That’s true of some of her other books, though, and I won’t hold it against her!
My only criticism is that it ends a little too abruptly for my taste. That’s true of some of her other books, though, and I won’t hold it against her!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews