Crooked House

 Crooked House (1948) by Agatha Christie

At the end of World War II, Charles Hayward meets Sophia Leonides in Egypt and falls in love. He realizes that they haven't really had a chance to get to know each other properly, so he tells her that once he winds things up in Egypt he'd like to come and visit her back in England. That way they can see if they still feel the same way back in the normal world. 

It takes him two years to get things settled and when he returns to England he finds that Sophia's grandfather Aristide Leonides, a wealthy entrepreneur, has just died. When he and Sophia meet, she tells him that she fears that her grandfather has been murdered. The family doctor apparently agrees that there's been some monkey business because he refuses to sign the death certificate and now Scotland Yard is involved. Fortunately Charles's father is the Assistant Commission of Scotland Yard, so Charles has an in with the detectives (he's also served in military intelligence so can sleuth on his own). She says that she can't even think about marriage until the cloud is cleared from the family. 

The family...the entire family has lived with Aristide at house called the Three Gables. His young second wife, Brenda; Sophia's parents Philp Leonides & Magda West (her stage name, being an actress) as well as her younger brother (Eustace) and sister (Josephine); Philip's older brother Roger and his wife Clemency, a scientist; Edith de Haviland, Aristide's sister-in-law; Laurence Brown, the children's tutor; and Janet Rowe, nanny to the Aristide children, cum cook to the household. When it is proved that the head of the household was poisoned with eyedrops substituted for his insulin, suspicion falls upon them all. They'd love for the killer to be Brenda--no one likes the spoiled young woman who was young enough to be Aristide's granddaughter instead of his wife. But Charles, who manages to wander through the house like he belongs there--asking questions and learning the lie of the land, soon realizes that none of them really think she did do it. So, who did?

Charles finds an ally in young Josephine, a born snoop who seems to know everything that happens in the house. She's on the case and gives Charles clues ever so often--whenever she's feeling generous. Her snooping reveals that Roger, who had been put in charge of one of Aristide's businesses, was about to leave the country with his wife, running away from bankruptcy. He'd had an argument with his father the night of the murder. Brenda has been writing love letters to Laurence Brown (whose admiration for the young widow has been apparent). Magda was upset that her father-in-law wouldn't back a play. Sophia even had a motive--revealed when the will everyone expects to be valid turns up unsigned and another will (lodged with an old friend of Aristides instead of his lawyer) is produced naming Sophia as his sole heir. Edith de Haviland never liked her brother-in-law, but had her dislike tuned into something more? In fact, who hated the old man enough to poison him? 

I hadn't read this one since my first Christie binge back in the 80s or so. I own several copies, but I elected to listen to the audio version narrated by Hugh Fraser so I could listen on the way to work and while I did other things. It was very interesting to listen to "Hastings" read this non-Poirot mystery. As per usual, Fraser does an excellent job with all the voices. He's a delightful narrator who gets the tone of the Christie novels just right.

The mystery itself is very good as well. Lots of red herrings and I didn't pick up on the two clues that should have told me who the killer was if I'd just paid attention to them properly. I did feel that Charles could have been a stronger character--stronger just in himself, but also a stronger detective. He does seem a bit slow on the uptake for someone who had worked in intelligence. But that's a minor quibble. The scenes with Magda are fun. She's always playing a part and you never know who she's going to be for her next appearance. I'm glad I revisited this one and that Hugh Fraser was my tour guide for the adventure. ★★★★

First line: I first came to know Sophia Leonides in Egypt towards the end of the war.

Last line: "I've thought so for some time. Poor child..."
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Deaths = two poisoned; two fell from height (in car crash)

*Cover shown above is the dustjacket which belongs to the hardback edition I own. Unfortunately, I don't own the dustjacket. Picture courtesy of Facsimile Dustjackets LLC.