Crooked House

Title Crooked House
Author Agatha Christie
Published by Harper Collins
Edition eBook (also available in paperback)

(From the publishers website)
A wealthy Greek businessman is found dead at his London home…

The Leonides were one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion. That was until the head of the household, Aristide, was murdered with a fatal barbiturate injection.

Suspicion naturally falls on the old man’s young widow, fifty years his junior. But the murderer has reckoned without the tenacity of Charles Hayward, fiance of the late millionare’s granddaughter…

My Review

Having finished two historical novels in a row, I decided a change was in order and an Agatha Christie was just the thing. But which one? Referring to Agatha Christies own personal top ten I decided on Crooked House.

I have a real soft spot for 'cosy' murder mystery's and 'who dunnits'. I am particularly fond of Agatha Christie and her work. I like the sharp, chicness of Poirot and the quaint, quintessentially British village life of Miss Marple. But for me some of the best examples of Christies' work are the stand alone novels.In my opinion, however, this is not one of her best. I was slightly disappointed.

Crooked House is a slow paced story. It's about a family living in close quarters while having to deal with the fact that one of them is a killer. Dealing with human behavior, family relations and the question of right or wrong reminded me of J.B Priestleys' 'An Inspector Calls'. All the ingredients were there for a great read however I found most of it somewhat lacking and at times I did become bored. In hindsight this was probably due to the fact that I was expecting a lot from this book. I wasn't able to just sit back, read and enjoy it for what it was.

One part I enjoyed was how Christie poked fun at murder mystery books. The character Josephine is an avid reader of murder stories and uses the skills she has learnt through reading to do her own sleuthing. About half way through the story Josephine observes to the hero Charles "isn't it about time for the second murder". This knowing nod to her readers was a lovely touch.

Without a doubt the best thing about this book was the ending, that alone made it worth the read. As with a lot of Christies stories, Crooked House had a few red herrings and subtle misdirection. These familiar techniques appearing in Crooked House wasn't surprising but nothing could prepare me for the shock ending and discovery of the real murderer.

If Crooked House is your first Agatha Christie book I would say it isn't the best example of her work. You may prefer to try the stand alone 'And then there were none' or Poirot 'Murder on the Orient Express'. It is, however, still an enjoyable read and for the ending alone well worth the money.

The Kingmaker's Daughter

Title The Kingmakers Daughter
Author Philippa Gregory
Published by Simon & Schuster in 2012
Page Count 433 (including Author's Note and Bibliography)

(From the publishers website) 'I have lost my father in battle, my sister to Elizabeth Woodville's spy, my brother-in-law to Elizabeth Woodville's executioner, my nephew to her poisoner, and now my son to her curse...'
The gripping and ultimately tragic story of Anne Neville and her sister Isabel, the daughters of the Earl of Warwick, the most powerful magnate in England through the Cousins' Wars. In the absence of a son and heir, he ruthlessly uses the two girls as pawns but they, in their own right, are thoughtful and powerful actors.
Against the backdrop of the court of Edward IV and his beautiful queen, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne turns from a delightful child growing up in intimacy and friendship with the family of Richard Duke of York to become ever more fearful and desperate as her father's enemies turn against her, the net closes in and there is, in the end, simply nowhere she can turn, no one she can trust with her life.

* I briefly use Philippa Gregory 'The Women of the Cousins' War' for reference.

My Review 

I was really excited about the release of this book, it was in my possession the day of release. So far I've absolutely loved The Cousins' war series. This installment focuses on the lives of Anne and Isabel Neville the tragic daughters of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick also known as the 'Kingmaker'. The story is told from Anne's point of view, starting in her childhood and following through to her death.

I found The Kingmakers Daughter especially interesting after having previously read The White Queen which focuses on Elizabeth Woodville. As this story is told by Anne, Elizabeth now becomes an enemy and we see her in a whole new light (not all of it positive). That's the great thing about Gregory's Cousin's War series, you read one version of events and in the next one everything is turned on its head and  you realize that no one was safe or indeed innocent in this time of plotting, political intrigue and conspiracies.

I personally found Anne to be a very likeable character and ultimately tragic heroine. Throughout her life she is used as a pawn by her father, her mother in law and her husbands. She is also imprisoned by her sister and abandoned by her mother. Through this, and through out the story, she grows into a strong woman in her own right. She becomes hardened to the intrigues of a selfish and unsafe court, yet she still has a tender side, which we see through her love for her only son and for her, one time rescuer, husband Richard.

I have found with a few of Gregory's books, so far, that I get to a certain point and have to stop reading for a few days for what ever reason. In this book it was because of a particular scene at sea where Anne's sister Isabel goes into labour. For me it was hard to read, however it may not be the same for everyone. After a few days I picked the book up again and couldn't put it back down.

Gregory, in my eyes, always excels in her evocation of court life, political intrigue, and the inside story of women who helped to shape the course of history. However, her historical accuracy is often called into question. Gregory openly admits, in her non fiction book 'The Women of the Cousins' War', that she "researches real characters in the real past and then speculates about their emotions, motives and unconscious desires". After all "history isn't purely fact, nor fiction purely imaginary". This book is certainly an enjoyable and interesting read.