Crooked House (St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Agatha Christie (Author)

Book Description

Series: St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries | Publication Date: August 19, 2002

In the sprawling, half-timbered mansion in the affluent suburb of Swinly Dean, Aristide Leonides lies dead from barbiturate poisoning. An accident? Not likely. In fact, suspicion has already fallen on his luscious widow, a cunning beauty fifty years his junior, set to inherit a sizeable fortune, and rumored to be carrying on with a strapping young tutor comfortably ensconced in the family estate. But criminologist Charles Hayward is casting his own doubts on the innocence of the entire Leonides brood. He knows them intimately. And he's certain that in a crooked house such as Three Gables, no one's on the level...

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Her sleight of hand is impeccable.” (New Statesman (UK) )

“We all go where [Agatha Christie] led; you can track us in her snow.” (Reginald Hill, author of the Dalziel and Pascoe MysteriesReginald Hill, author of the Dalziel and Pascoe MysteriesReginald Hill, author of the Dalziel and Pascoe Mysteries )

“Knock-out!” (Saturday Review of Literature )

“Writing Crooked House was pure pleasure and I feel justified in my belief that it is one of my best.” (Agatha Christie ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

AGATHA CHRISTIE is the world's best known mystery writer. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and another billion in 44 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.

Her writing career spanned more than half a century, during which she wrote 80 novels and short story collections, as well as 14 plays, one of which, The Mousetrap, is the longest-running play in history. Two of the characters she created, the brilliant little Belgian Hercule Poirot and the irrepressible and relentless Miss Marple, went on to become world-famous detectives. Both have been widely dramatized in feature films and made-for-TV movies.

Agatha Christie also wrote under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. As well, she wrote four non-fiction books including an autobiography and an entertaining account of the many expeditions she shared with her archaeologist husband, Sir Max Mallowan.

Agatha Christie died in 1976.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books (August 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031298166X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312981662
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #867,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #56 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Christie, Agatha

More About the Author

Agatha Christie was born in 1890 and created the detective Hercule Poirot in her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). She achieved wide popularity with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and produced a total of eighty novels and short-story collections over six decades.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars And They All Lived Together In A Little Crooked House, October 30, 2001

By 

Antoinette Klein (Hoover, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crooked House (Mass Market Paperback)

Having read all of the Agatha Christies at least twice, I can honestly say that "Crooked House" is my very favorite. One reason is that Agatha Christie does in this novel what she does best---gathers an extended family all under one roof, allows one of the family to be murdered, and shows quite clearly that all the others had motive and opportunity.

"Crooked House" is an excellent story of a complex family. The patriarch is Aristide Leonides, a Greek who has come to England and made a fortune in the restaurant and catering business. His mansion is home to his two sons, two daughters-in-law, three grandchildren, his first wife's sister, and now to his young and beautiful second wife plus the grandchildren's tutor. When the wealthy old man is poisoned, the reader learns that everyone had not only a motive but also an alibi. The characterizations are wonderful and the characters stand out as some of Mrs. Christie's most memorable ones.

The usual detectives are absent in this one, but the detecting is in the capable hands of Charles Hayward, the son of a Scotland Yard detective and the fiance of Aristide's granddaughter Sophia Leonides. When the blood-chilling ending occurs, one is shocked and yet, on careful reexamination, must admit that all the clues were clearly there.

Curl up with a cup of cocoa (unpoisoned, of course) and enjoy this classic crime with one of Mrs. Christie's most spectacular and unforgettable endings.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever, chilling, cunning - and brilliant., January 27, 2000

By 

Daniel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crooked House (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one of the Christie books I remember reading as a child. When I reread it recently, I was amazed at how superb it is - it is not a Poirot or Miss Marple mystery, not at all, but it is a very different type of mystery. The shocking solution is in fact a brutal attack upon our own culture, our obsession with murderers and murder, and the inexorable impartiality of evil - it is a very frightening book, largely because it does not follow ALL the strictures one expects of a murder mystery. A novel as well as a whodunnit as well as a psychological study. And a grand success.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christie and Fraser- a combination made in Heaven!, March 25, 2008

By 

Jennifer Scott (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Crooked House (Mystery Masters) (Audio CD)

Crooked House is supposedly one of Christie's top two favorite books and I can see why. Filled with interesting characters, suspenseful twists and a myriad of suspects, Crooked House does not disappoint. On top of that, Hugh Fraser is the best at capturing each character and giving them life. Loved this one!