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kells_'s review against another edition
4.0
I finished this book at 4:47 AM last night and it was such a holy shit moment for me. I remember being mandated to read "And Then There Were None" (probably the most famous if not one of the most famous of Agatha Christie's works) for summer reading in middle school and I ended up really enjoying the story. Then I also read "Murder on the Orient Express" a few years ago and loved that too. I love romance, but I was in the mood for a mystery. I chose to find something Agatha Christie this didn't disappoint!
This is the third Agatha Christie book I've read and I loved it!! It kept me interested and she's so good at making multiple characters seem possibly suspicious that you just can't help but want to continue reading to find out who the actual murderer is. I really liked how she kept us on our toes, especially past the halfway mark of the book that's where all the twists and turns really began taking flight I think. The characters were also pretty fleshed out and I like how they were all pretty distinct. In the start it might be a bit confusing with so many members of the Leonides household and there's people outside of it too, but as you read more you grasp the idea of whose who and what possible "motive" one may have for murder.
I say this was such a holy shit moment for me bc maybe it could just be that I really am dumb but I really did not see the end coming. Everything came to make sense though, well played Agatha, well played... plus Charles was being played by the culprit too
This is the third Agatha Christie book I've read and I loved it!! It kept me interested and she's so good at making multiple characters seem possibly suspicious that you just can't help but want to continue reading to find out who the actual murderer is. I really liked how she kept us on our toes, especially past the halfway mark of the book that's where all the twists and turns really began taking flight I think. The characters were also pretty fleshed out and I like how they were all pretty distinct. In the start it might be a bit confusing with so many members of the Leonides household and there's people outside of it too, but as you read more you grasp the idea of whose who and what possible "motive" one may have for murder.
I say this was such a holy shit moment for me bc maybe it could just be that I really am dumb but I really did not see the end coming. Everything came to make sense though, well played Agatha, well played... plus Charles was being played by the culprit too
sonharaoluar's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
thebookishpersuasion's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
maheen_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
juicy
erinflack_'s review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
phoenix2's review against another edition
3.0
The Crooked House is a first person narration mystery novel. It has a shocking ending that is bittersweet and unpredictable. And yet, the narration of the story got boring at times, though the crime was thrilling to follow and the characters were well written and interesting.
fachrinaa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
m00dreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Agatha Christie said this was one of her personal favorites, and I can definitely see why. Of the four (a measly number, I know) AC books I’ve read, this one takes the silver. ( And Then There Were None still holds the gold)
I love love love it when an author isn't afraid to exploit reader bias—and there’s no better training ground for such a maneuver, I think, than a classic whodunnit. It’s the most effective form of misdirection because the culprit is our own presumptive nature. There was a *chef’s kiss* foreshadowing here that I almost wish I would’ve seen right through but alas, I’ve never been clever enough to trump a mystery. Let alone one from the world’s most seasoned veteran in the game. No shame, though!! I like being gobsmacked. There’s a simple joy to be found in being so easily pleased and impressionable sometimes.
Now on to the half-point deduction.
Crooked House was a good old-fashioned mystery in the sense that it forgoes the overtly psychological and internal drama in favor of theatricality and atmosphere. And it’s all by design; AC paperbacks are the kind you blitz through in one sitting when you’ve decided to turn in early on an uneventful Saturday evening and you want something fast-paced, entertaining, and non-committal. That’s not to say that Christie botched all character work—quite the opposite, as the members of her cast all have their trademark complexities—just that she botched the narrator’s.
I liked Charles Hayward the way one might like a pretty vase: easy on the eyes and goes well with any aesthetic, but at the end of the day just another empty vessel. Ironically enough, our dear narrator is the most weakly written character here. He’s a figure drawn with hazy lines, bereft of any distinctive feature. Essentially, his sole function was to be the pair of lenses through which readers could watch the plot unfold. Again, it makes sense given the purpose of the narrative. I myself probably wouldn’t have been so stingy with half stars, had my most recent point of reference not been Katherine Grey from my last AC book, The Mystery of the Blue Train . She was the kind of main character you rooted for and connected with, and so the difference was quite stark.
I love love love it when an author isn't afraid to exploit reader bias—and there’s no better training ground for such a maneuver, I think, than a classic whodunnit. It’s the most effective form of misdirection because the culprit is our own presumptive nature. There was a *chef’s kiss* foreshadowing here that I almost wish I would’ve seen right through but alas, I’ve never been clever enough to trump a mystery. Let alone one from the world’s most seasoned veteran in the game. No shame, though!! I like being gobsmacked. There’s a simple joy to be found in being so easily pleased and impressionable sometimes.
Now on to the half-point deduction.
Crooked House was a good old-fashioned mystery in the sense that it forgoes the overtly psychological and internal drama in favor of theatricality and atmosphere. And it’s all by design; AC paperbacks are the kind you blitz through in one sitting when you’ve decided to turn in early on an uneventful Saturday evening and you want something fast-paced, entertaining, and non-committal. That’s not to say that Christie botched all character work—quite the opposite, as the members of her cast all have their trademark complexities—just that she botched the narrator’s.
I liked Charles Hayward the way one might like a pretty vase: easy on the eyes and goes well with any aesthetic, but at the end of the day just another empty vessel. Ironically enough, our dear narrator is the most weakly written character here. He’s a figure drawn with hazy lines, bereft of any distinctive feature. Essentially, his sole function was to be the pair of lenses through which readers could watch the plot unfold. Again, it makes sense given the purpose of the narrative. I myself probably wouldn’t have been so stingy with half stars, had my most recent point of reference not been Katherine Grey from my last AC book, The Mystery of the Blue Train . She was the kind of main character you rooted for and connected with, and so the difference was quite stark.
nurosanay's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0