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* FairPlayWhodunnit: As is par for the course with Dame Christie. This one gets special attention because, in addition to clear clues, Christie explicitly spells out the murderer's psychological profile via Charles's father, although there are enough suspects who match it to some degree that readers are thrown off the trail.
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* FairPlayWhodunnit: As is par for the course with Dame Christie.Agatha. This one gets special attention because, in addition to clear clues, Christie explicitly spells out the murderer's psychological profile via Charles's father, although there are enough suspects who match it to some degree that readers are thrown off the trail.
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* AffectionateNickname: Charles always calls his father "the Old Man" in narration, and it's clear that it's a sign of love.
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* FairPlayWhodunnit: As is par for the course with Dame Christie. This one gets special attention because, in addition to clear clues, Christie explicitly spells out the murderer's psychological profile via Charles's father, although there are enough suspects who match it to some degree that readers are thrown off the trail.
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* LoveMakesYouEvil: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed.]] None of the Leonides family are truly evil ([[spoiler: except the murderer]]), but they ''are'' deeply flawed people who resent one another, can't communicate clearly, and all share different varieties of ruthlessness. Artiside, though, truly loved them all and wanted them to be as close as possible, so he made them all live together at Three Gables and is stated to have enjoyed having them all nearby. As such, the family does genuinely care for each other, but live in a constant state of tension and anger that they can't express ''because'' of their affection.
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* LoveMakesYouEvil: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed.]] None of the Leonides family are truly evil ([[spoiler: except ([[spoiler:except the murderer]]), but they ''are'' deeply flawed people who resent one another, can't communicate clearly, and all share different varieties of ruthlessness. Artiside, though, truly loved them all and wanted them to be as close as possible, so he made them all live together at Three Gables and is stated to have enjoyed having them all nearby. As such, the family does genuinely care for each other, but live in a constant state of tension and anger that they can't express ''because'' of their affection.
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* HiddenInPlainSight: Aristide reads his will to his gathered family members, then has two servants sign it in full view of everyone--but when his lawyer opens the sealed envelope that contains the document, the signatures have vanished. The detectives try to figure out how one of the relatives pulled off the change, but the solution is actually staring them in the face: ''Aristide himself'' made the swap by switching the phony will with his real one, then covering it up with blotting paper when the servants signed it. It's [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Charles, who laments that they were all incredibly stupid to not consider that Aristide was the only person who had access to the will and thus the only one able to play the trick.
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* HiddenInPlainSight: Aristide reads his will to his gathered family members, then has two servants sign it in full view of everyone--but when his lawyer opens the sealed envelope that contains the document, the signatures have vanished. The detectives try to figure out how one of the relatives pulled off the change, but the solution is actually staring them in the face: [[spoiler: ''Aristide himself'' made the swap by switching the phony will with his real one, then covering it up with blotting paper when the servants signed it. It's [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Charles, who laments that they were all incredibly stupid to not consider that Aristide was the only person who had access to the will and thus the only one able to play the trick.]]
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* HollywoodLaw: Between the fact Aristides drew up his second will himself without having his solicitor go over the legalese and the trick he used to get the witnesses' signature on the document without them reading it, those of his surviving kin who were excluded from the new will could have grounds to challenge it.
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* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Aunt Edith, having deduced that Josephine was the killer, drives herself and the girl into a quarry, ending the murders (especially because she knew Josephine wouldn't stop). Edith also makes a false confession about the deaths of Aristide and Nannie, freeing Brenda and Laurence from suspicion and preventing a scandal for her living relatives.]]
* HiddenInPlainSight: Aristide reads his will to his gathered family members, then has two servants sign it in full view of everyone--but when his lawyer opens the sealed envelope that contains the document, the signatures have vanished. The detectives try to figure out how one of the relatives pulled off the change, but the solution is actually staring them in the face: ''Aristide himself'' made the swap by switching the phony will with his real one, then covering it up with blotting paper when the servants signed it. It's [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Charles, who laments that they were all incredibly stupid to not consider that Aristide was the only person who had access to the will and thus the only one able to play the trick.
* HollywoodLaw: Between the factAristides Aristide drew up his second will himself without having his solicitor go over the legalese and the trick he used to get the witnesses' signature on the document without them reading it, those of his surviving kin who were excluded from the new will could have grounds to challenge it.
* HiddenInPlainSight: Aristide reads his will to his gathered family members, then has two servants sign it in full view of everyone--but when his lawyer opens the sealed envelope that contains the document, the signatures have vanished. The detectives try to figure out how one of the relatives pulled off the change, but the solution is actually staring them in the face: ''Aristide himself'' made the swap by switching the phony will with his real one, then covering it up with blotting paper when the servants signed it. It's [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Charles, who laments that they were all incredibly stupid to not consider that Aristide was the only person who had access to the will and thus the only one able to play the trick.
* HollywoodLaw: Between the fact
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* LoveMakesYouEvil: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed.]] None of the Leonides family are truly evil ([[spoiler: except the murderer]]), but they ''are'' deeply flawed people who resent one another, can't communicate clearly, and all share different varieties of ruthlessness. Artiside, though, truly loved them all and wanted them to be as close as possible, so he made them all live together at Three Gables and is stated to have enjoyed having them all nearby. As such, the family does genuinely care for each other, but live in a constant state of tension and anger that they can't express ''because'' of their affection.
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* ObviousRulePatch: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] as the characters talk about Aristide Leonides. He never did anything ''illegal'', but his business practices were decidedly sneaky (hence his title as the "crooked man") and skirted around rules as much as possible. As such, laws and regulations were frequently passed immediately after he finished making a deal to ensure that no one could ever try the same tricks.
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* PoorCommunicationKills: A running trait with the Leonides family. None of them seem capable of sharing how they actually feel about things, instead bottling up their emotions until they become too much to bear. Philip, for example, can't stand the fact that Roger is the favored son of the family, but retreats into himself rather than express it, while Roger himself is incredibly bad at finance and doesn't want to run his father's catering company, but did the job anyway rather than tell Aristide the truth.
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* RulesLawyer: A variation--Aristide Leonides is described as a ruthlessly cunning businessman who exploited every possible loophole to get around rules and make himself a huge fortune. He prided himself on never officially breaking laws, but it's clear that even if his actions weren't illegal, they were certainly unfair.
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* AttentionWhore:
** Magda is described as such--she always wants to be the center of attention and, as described under DramaQueen, thinks of life as a play with herself as the star.
** Charles's father [[DiscussedTrope discusses]] this trope, remarking that murderers are almost always vain people who are bursting to tell someone about what they've done. He instructs Charles to find out which of the Leonides family loves to talk and boast the most, as that person matches a killer's psychological profile. [[spoiler: He's spot-on--it seems that Josephine, the killer, inherited her mother's sense of drama and bragged incessantly about being smarter than everyone in the house. Josephine even killed Nannie after Brenda and Laurence was arrested because she was angry that, with the murder solved, she wouldn't get to be in the spotlight any longer.]]
** Magda is described as such--she always wants to be the center of attention and, as described under DramaQueen, thinks of life as a play with herself as the star.
** Charles's father [[DiscussedTrope discusses]] this trope, remarking that murderers are almost always vain people who are bursting to tell someone about what they've done. He instructs Charles to find out which of the Leonides family loves to talk and boast the most, as that person matches a killer's psychological profile. [[spoiler: He's spot-on--it seems that Josephine, the killer, inherited her mother's sense of drama and bragged incessantly about being smarter than everyone in the house. Josephine even killed Nannie after Brenda and Laurence was arrested because she was angry that, with the murder solved, she wouldn't get to be in the spotlight any longer.]]
* EveryoneKnewAlready: One of the running themes of the novel: the Leonides family usually know a lot more than they're letting on, but their intense love for one another keeps them from saying anything until it's too late. We see evidence of this with Brenda's supposed guilt (none of them actually think it was her), Roger's horrible business sense (they all know he's an idiot with no head for work but won't say so), and [[spoiler: Josephine's [[TheSociopath sociopathic nature]] (both Aunt Edith and Nannie realize very early on that the girl has no moral sense and correctly suspect her of the murders).]]
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* PetTheDog: Although Brenda is suspected by the rest of the Leonides family, and generally disliked by them, they are insistent on getting her a good lawyer so that she receives a fair trial.
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* PetTheDog: Although Brenda is suspected by the rest of the Leonides family, and generally disliked by them, they are insistent on getting her a good lawyer so that she receives a fair trial. It's implied that deep down, none of them ''actually'' think that Brenda did it, even though they hope it's the case because it would be the easiest explanation. [[spoiler: They turn out to be right in that suspicion, as Brenda is totally innocent.]]
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* TheStoic: Sofia says it herself, that her father Philip controls himself even ''too'' well. And the inspector Taverner even emphasizes after the first dialogue with him his external unemotionality.
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* TheStoic: Sofia Sophia says it herself, that her father Philip controls himself even ''too'' well. And the inspector Taverner even emphasizes after the first dialogue with him his external unemotionality.
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* TooCleverByHalf: Charles thinks of Josephine this way--she's an exceptionally bright girl, but her tendency to snoop and love of lording the fact that she knows people's secrets over them makes her a target for the murderer. [[spoiler: In the end, Josephine ''is'' the murderer, but the trope still applies: she thought herself too brilliant to be caught, but both Aunt Edith and Charles's father realized that she was behind the murders, with Edith taking [[MercyKill drastic action]] to stop her.]]
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* NotSoStoic: Philip Leonides loses his temper and screams in despair after hearing the real will of his father, where all the property goes to his daughter, believing that Aristide was ungrateful to him.
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* TheStoic: Sofia says it herself, that her father Philip controls himself even ''too'' well. And the inspector Taverner even emphasizes after the first dialogue with him his external unemotionality.
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* AloneWithThePsycho: Charles has several conversations with [[spoiler: Josephine]] over the course of the story, but in an ironic twist, he [[spoiler: feels protective over her, in large part because she's a child, and he never suspects her, no matter how morbidly she behaves.]]
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* WhamLine: [[spoiler:Josephine's diary entry: "Today I killed Grandfather".]]
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* InheritanceMurder: Brought up, but ultimately [[SubvertedTrope subverted]]; although everyone would receive a tidy sum from their inheritance, Aristide did not hesitate to share his wealth with his family, leaving only a marginal benefit to killing him for wealth. [[spoiler:DoubleSubverted when his real will leaves everything to Sophia, forcing Charles to consider her as a suspect.]]
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* InheritanceMurder: Brought up, but ultimately [[SubvertedTrope subverted]]; although everyone would receive a tidy sum from their inheritance, Aristide did not hesitate to share his wealth with his family, leaving only a marginal benefit to killing him for wealth. [[spoiler:DoubleSubverted when his real will leaves everything to Sophia, forcing Charles to consider her as a suspect. And then triple subverted in that the real murder motive had nothing to do with inheritance at all.]]
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* GoldDigger: Everyone is quick to suspect Brenda Leonides, believing her to be this. [[spoiler:Although financial benefit was the reason for the marriage, it was prompted by Aristide and not entirely one-sided.]]
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* GoldDigger: Everyone is quick to suspect Brenda Leonides, believing her to be this. [[spoiler:Although financial benefit was the reason for the marriage, it was prompted by Aristide and not entirely one-sided. Brenda really did have affection for him, even if she wasn't in love with him, and Aristide enjoyed getting to rescue and spoil her.]]
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No longer a trope.
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* YourCheatingHeart: Everyone believes that Brenda and Laurence are having an affair. [[spoiler:They are, but neither killed Aristide.]]
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* HollywoodLaw: Between the fact Aristides drew up his second will himself without having his solicitor go over the legalese and the trick he used to get the witnesses' signature on the document without them reading it, those of his surviving kin who were excluded from the new will could have grounds to challenge it.
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Charles, being both Sophia's fiancé and the son of [[UsefulNotes/ScotlandYard]]'s Assistant Commissioner, finds himself in a unique position to investigate the BigScrewedUpFamily. Suspicion falls squarely on Aristide's second wife, fifty years his younger, but there was no lack of motive and opportunity among the odd family members.
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Charles, being both Sophia's fiancé and the son of [[UsefulNotes/ScotlandYard]]'s UsefulNotes/ScotlandYard's Assistant Commissioner, finds himself in a unique position to investigate the BigScrewedUpFamily. Suspicion falls squarely on Aristide's second wife, fifty years his younger, but there was no lack of motive and opportunity among the odd family members.
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* EnfantTerrible: Even Sophia's younger siblings, Eustace and Josephine, have some TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior that invokes suspicion. [[As it turns out, Josephine was the killer.]]
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* EnfantTerrible: Even Sophia's younger siblings, Eustace and Josephine, have some TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior that invokes suspicion. [[As [[spoiler:As it turns out, Josephine was the killer.]]
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''Crooked House'' is a murder mystery by Creator/AgathaChristie, published in 1949. It was the first novel she wrote and the one where [[Literature/HerculePoirot that Belgian detective of hers]] was introduced. [[MistakenNationality Or was he French?]] You know the one- that [[FunnyForeigner funny little man]] with the egg-shaped head and the [[BerserkButton ridiculous moustache]]. Written (and set) during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI but first published in 1920.
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''Crooked House'' is a murder mystery by Creator/AgathaChristie, published in 1949. It was the first novel she wrote and the one where [[Literature/HerculePoirot that Belgian detective of hers]] was introduced. [[MistakenNationality Or was he French?]] You know the one- that [[FunnyForeigner funny little man]] with the egg-shaped head and the [[BerserkButton ridiculous moustache]]. Written (and set) during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI but first published in 1920.
1949.
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->''"'And they all lived together in a little [[TitleDrop crooked house]].' That's us. Not really such a little house either. But definitely crooked-running to gables and half-timbering!"''
->''"Are you one of a large family? Brothers and sisters?"''
->''"[[DisabledSnarker One brother]], [[SnoopingLittleKid one sister]], [[AttentionWhore a mother]], [[TheUnFavourite a father]], [[RichInDollarsPoorInSense an uncle]], [[AffluentAscetic an aunt by marriage]], [[ThePatriarch a grandfather]], [[MaidenAunt a great aunt]] and [[GoldDigger a step grandmother]]."''
''Crooked House'' is a murder mystery by Creator/AgathaChristie, published in 1949. It was the first novel she wrote and the one where [[Literature/HerculePoirot that Belgian detective of hers]] was introduced. [[MistakenNationality Or was he French?]] You know the one- that [[FunnyForeigner funny little man]] with the egg-shaped head and the [[BerserkButton ridiculous moustache]]. Written (and set) during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI but first published in 1920.
While in Cairo during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, narrator Charles Hayward meets and falls in love with Sophia Leonides. As his LoveEpiphany does not occur until he is called east, they put off their engagement until both have returned to England. Two years later, his reunion with Sophia is preceded by the death notice of her grandfather, Aristide Leonides. Early suspicions of foul play are quickly proved correct; he died of eserine poisoning, an unknown party [[MedicationTampering placing his eyedrops in one of his insulin vials]]. Worried about jeopardizing Charles' career in the Diplomatic Service, Sophia refuses to go through with the marriage until the matter can be completely resolved.
Charles, being both Sophia's fiancé and the son of [[UsefulNotes/ScotlandYard]]'s Assistant Commissioner, finds himself in a unique position to investigate the BigScrewedUpFamily. Suspicion falls squarely on Aristide's second wife, fifty years his younger, but there was no lack of motive and opportunity among the odd family members.
The novel was adapted to [[Film/CrookedHouse film]] in 2017, directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner. The film stars Max Irons, Creator/TerenceStamp, Creator/GlennClose, Creator/GillianAnderson, Creator/ChristinaHendricks and Stefanie Martini.
----
!! This work of fiction contains examples of:
* AbsenceOfEvidence: The fact that all fingerprints were wiped off a frequently-handled vial rules out the possibility that Aristides' death could have been an accident.
* AffluentAscetic: Clemency, Roger's wife, has a distaste for the wealth of his family.
* AmoralAttorney: Several of Aristide's lawyers are described this way, but [[AvertedTrope averted]] by Mr. Gaitskill, the only one to make an appearance. The firm of Gaitskill, Callum, & Gaitskill is highly respectable. [[spoiler:He is very irritated to have been drawn into Aristide's fake will play.]]
* BigFancyHouse: Three Gables, the titular crooked house, described as a country cottage that has swollen to the size of a castle.
* BigScrewedUpFamily: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] by the Leonides family. Although it's filled with clashing personalities, its members all care about each other. Except for [[BlackSheep Brenda]].
* ChekhovsGun: Josephine's notebook, in which she keeps her observations about the family. [[spoiler:It's forgotten about after Charles is led to the love letters, but it contains Josephine's confession.]]
* ConvenientTerminalIllness: [[spoiler:Edith is dying, and thus has no compunctions about taking her own life if it means stopping Josephine.]]
* DisabledSnarker: Eustace's polio gives him some trouble walking, and it's left him bitter.
* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler:Josephine's motive for killing her grandfather was the fact that he refused to let her take ballet lessons. When she fakes a second attempt on her life, she targets Nannie because she criticized her for showing off, and agreeing with Magda's decision to send her to Switzerland.]]
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: [[spoiler:Josephine, a child, was the killer.]]
* DramaQueen: Magda treats life as a show, with herself in the starring role. She seeks feedback from Sophia on how she should "perform" during her interview with Inspector Taverner.
* EnfantTerrible: Even Sophia's younger siblings, Eustace and Josephine, have some TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior that invokes suspicion. [[As it turns out, Josephine was the killer.]]
* EveryoneIsASuspect: It can't even be narrowed down to those with knowledge of medicine, as Aristide made a comment at the dinner table about how terribly poisonous his eyedrops are.
* ForgingTheWill: One mystery that crops up is the fact that Aristide's rather ordinary will is unsigned, despite the fact that his signature had multiple witnesses. [[spoiler:He used blotting paper to hide his actual will, which leaves everything to Sophia.]]
* FriendOnTheForce: Charles is the son of the Assistant Commissioner, and on good terms with Chief Inspector Taverner.
* GoldDigger: Everyone is quick to suspect Brenda Leonides, believing her to be this. [[spoiler:Although financial benefit was the reason for the marriage, it was prompted by Aristide and not entirely one-sided.]]
* HeKnowsTooMuch: One concern about Josephine is that her snooping might leave her privy to information that puts her in danger. [[spoiler:She [[InvokedTrope invokes]] this by setting up an attempt on her life, making it seem as though she's figured it out ahead of the police.]]
* InadequateInheritor: Roger is the firstborn son, but decidedly unfit to continue his father's catering business.
* InheritanceMurder: Brought up, but ultimately [[SubvertedTrope subverted]]; although everyone would receive a tidy sum from their inheritance, Aristide did not hesitate to share his wealth with his family, leaving only a marginal benefit to killing him for wealth. [[spoiler:DoubleSubverted when his real will leaves everything to Sophia, forcing Charles to consider her as a suspect.]]
* InTheBlood: A theme brought up several times throughout the novel. [[spoiler:Sophia is said to have inherited the best traits of her parents' bloodlines, and Josephine the worst traits.]]
* ItAmusedMe: [[spoiler:If Josephine hadn't poisoned Nannie, she would have gone unsuspected while Brenda and Laurence faced charges. But she found things much too boring with the investigation concluded.]]
* TheKillerBecomesTheKilled: [[spoiler:Josephine is killed by Edith, ending her murderous streak before it can grow any longer.]]
* MaidenAunt: Edith de Haviland, sister of Aristide's first wife, moved to Three Gables after her death.
* MedicationTampering: Aristide's insulin was replaced with his eyedrop medicine, causing him to die of eserine poisoning.
* MercyKill: [[spoiler:Edith views her killing of Josephine as this, ensuring that she did not spend the rest of her life suffering in an asylum.]]
* MurderByMistake: [[spoiler:Invoked by Josephine, who makes it look as though an attempt on her life killed Nannie. In reality, she poisoned her own cocoa, leaving it for Nannie to drink so it wouldn't go wasted.]]
* MurderSuicide: [[spoiler:Edith kills herself and Josephine by driving into a quarry.]]
* NeverOneMurder: Around halfway through the novel, Josephine comments that in books, it would be the right time for a second murder. [[spoiler:Being the killer, her prediction comes true, and she sets up an attempt on her life. After her return, she fakes a second attempt which kills Nannie.]]
* NeverTheObviousSuspect: Brenda is the obvious suspect to everyone else in the family. An outcast of the family who married for money, the one to give Aristide his medicine, and (supposedly) having an affair with Laurence. [[spoiler:She didn't do it.]]
* OnlySaneMan: Sophia seems to be the only member of the Leonides with her head on her shoulders. [[spoiler:As such, Aristide leaves his estate to her, trusting her to continue handling family affairs as he had.]]
* PetTheDog: Although Brenda is suspected by the rest of the Leonides family, and generally disliked by them, they are insistent on getting her a good lawyer so that she receives a fair trial.
* RichInDollarsPoorInSense: Roger is given control of his father's successful catering business, and promptly runs it into the ground with poor business decisions.
* SnoopingLittleKid: Josephine, who fancies herself a KidDetective on the case.
* TheSociopath: [[spoiler:Josephine, who kills her grandfather out of pettiness and Nannie out of boredom. She takes the opportunity to show off as a precociously brilliant investigator, repeatedly thwarting the killer's attempts to silence her.]]
* TakingTheHeat: [[spoiler:Edith leaves a note accepting responsibility for the murders, to lessen the scandal of Josephine being the killer.]]
* TamperingWithFoodAndDrink: [[spoiler:Josephine poisons her own cocoa in an attempt to kill Nannie.]]
* TechnicalPacifist: Laurence is a conscientious objector who states that he could not take a life, but it's speculated that he could set up a scenario where someone else administered the poison. Continued indirect methods of murder do not help his case.
* TitleDrop: Several references are made to the nursery rhyme that lends the book its title.
* TheUnFavourite: Philip, Sophia's father, feels completely passed-over compared to his older brother Roger.
* UnwantedAssistance: [[spoiler:Roger is aware of his poor acumen, and just wants to go bankrupt so he can leave the business behind. He continually balks at family members trying to bail him out and keep the business afloat.]]
* WoundedGazelleGambit: [[spoiler:Josephine sets up an attempt on her life, both diverting any suspicion and making it seem as though she's figured out who the killer is.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: Everyone believes that Brenda and Laurence are having an affair. [[spoiler:They are, but neither killed Aristide.]]
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: The apparent culprits are arrested, and taken away from the house. [[spoiler:Then someone poisons Nannie.]]
----
->''"Are you one of a large family? Brothers and sisters?"''
->''"[[DisabledSnarker One brother]], [[SnoopingLittleKid one sister]], [[AttentionWhore a mother]], [[TheUnFavourite a father]], [[RichInDollarsPoorInSense an uncle]], [[AffluentAscetic an aunt by marriage]], [[ThePatriarch a grandfather]], [[MaidenAunt a great aunt]] and [[GoldDigger a step grandmother]]."''
''Crooked House'' is a murder mystery by Creator/AgathaChristie, published in 1949. It was the first novel she wrote and the one where [[Literature/HerculePoirot that Belgian detective of hers]] was introduced. [[MistakenNationality Or was he French?]] You know the one- that [[FunnyForeigner funny little man]] with the egg-shaped head and the [[BerserkButton ridiculous moustache]]. Written (and set) during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI but first published in 1920.
While in Cairo during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, narrator Charles Hayward meets and falls in love with Sophia Leonides. As his LoveEpiphany does not occur until he is called east, they put off their engagement until both have returned to England. Two years later, his reunion with Sophia is preceded by the death notice of her grandfather, Aristide Leonides. Early suspicions of foul play are quickly proved correct; he died of eserine poisoning, an unknown party [[MedicationTampering placing his eyedrops in one of his insulin vials]]. Worried about jeopardizing Charles' career in the Diplomatic Service, Sophia refuses to go through with the marriage until the matter can be completely resolved.
Charles, being both Sophia's fiancé and the son of [[UsefulNotes/ScotlandYard]]'s Assistant Commissioner, finds himself in a unique position to investigate the BigScrewedUpFamily. Suspicion falls squarely on Aristide's second wife, fifty years his younger, but there was no lack of motive and opportunity among the odd family members.
The novel was adapted to [[Film/CrookedHouse film]] in 2017, directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner. The film stars Max Irons, Creator/TerenceStamp, Creator/GlennClose, Creator/GillianAnderson, Creator/ChristinaHendricks and Stefanie Martini.
----
!! This work of fiction contains examples of:
* AbsenceOfEvidence: The fact that all fingerprints were wiped off a frequently-handled vial rules out the possibility that Aristides' death could have been an accident.
* AffluentAscetic: Clemency, Roger's wife, has a distaste for the wealth of his family.
* AmoralAttorney: Several of Aristide's lawyers are described this way, but [[AvertedTrope averted]] by Mr. Gaitskill, the only one to make an appearance. The firm of Gaitskill, Callum, & Gaitskill is highly respectable. [[spoiler:He is very irritated to have been drawn into Aristide's fake will play.]]
* BigFancyHouse: Three Gables, the titular crooked house, described as a country cottage that has swollen to the size of a castle.
* BigScrewedUpFamily: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] by the Leonides family. Although it's filled with clashing personalities, its members all care about each other. Except for [[BlackSheep Brenda]].
* ChekhovsGun: Josephine's notebook, in which she keeps her observations about the family. [[spoiler:It's forgotten about after Charles is led to the love letters, but it contains Josephine's confession.]]
* ConvenientTerminalIllness: [[spoiler:Edith is dying, and thus has no compunctions about taking her own life if it means stopping Josephine.]]
* DisabledSnarker: Eustace's polio gives him some trouble walking, and it's left him bitter.
* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler:Josephine's motive for killing her grandfather was the fact that he refused to let her take ballet lessons. When she fakes a second attempt on her life, she targets Nannie because she criticized her for showing off, and agreeing with Magda's decision to send her to Switzerland.]]
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: [[spoiler:Josephine, a child, was the killer.]]
* DramaQueen: Magda treats life as a show, with herself in the starring role. She seeks feedback from Sophia on how she should "perform" during her interview with Inspector Taverner.
* EnfantTerrible: Even Sophia's younger siblings, Eustace and Josephine, have some TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior that invokes suspicion. [[As it turns out, Josephine was the killer.]]
* EveryoneIsASuspect: It can't even be narrowed down to those with knowledge of medicine, as Aristide made a comment at the dinner table about how terribly poisonous his eyedrops are.
* ForgingTheWill: One mystery that crops up is the fact that Aristide's rather ordinary will is unsigned, despite the fact that his signature had multiple witnesses. [[spoiler:He used blotting paper to hide his actual will, which leaves everything to Sophia.]]
* FriendOnTheForce: Charles is the son of the Assistant Commissioner, and on good terms with Chief Inspector Taverner.
* GoldDigger: Everyone is quick to suspect Brenda Leonides, believing her to be this. [[spoiler:Although financial benefit was the reason for the marriage, it was prompted by Aristide and not entirely one-sided.]]
* HeKnowsTooMuch: One concern about Josephine is that her snooping might leave her privy to information that puts her in danger. [[spoiler:She [[InvokedTrope invokes]] this by setting up an attempt on her life, making it seem as though she's figured it out ahead of the police.]]
* InadequateInheritor: Roger is the firstborn son, but decidedly unfit to continue his father's catering business.
* InheritanceMurder: Brought up, but ultimately [[SubvertedTrope subverted]]; although everyone would receive a tidy sum from their inheritance, Aristide did not hesitate to share his wealth with his family, leaving only a marginal benefit to killing him for wealth. [[spoiler:DoubleSubverted when his real will leaves everything to Sophia, forcing Charles to consider her as a suspect.]]
* InTheBlood: A theme brought up several times throughout the novel. [[spoiler:Sophia is said to have inherited the best traits of her parents' bloodlines, and Josephine the worst traits.]]
* ItAmusedMe: [[spoiler:If Josephine hadn't poisoned Nannie, she would have gone unsuspected while Brenda and Laurence faced charges. But she found things much too boring with the investigation concluded.]]
* TheKillerBecomesTheKilled: [[spoiler:Josephine is killed by Edith, ending her murderous streak before it can grow any longer.]]
* MaidenAunt: Edith de Haviland, sister of Aristide's first wife, moved to Three Gables after her death.
* MedicationTampering: Aristide's insulin was replaced with his eyedrop medicine, causing him to die of eserine poisoning.
* MercyKill: [[spoiler:Edith views her killing of Josephine as this, ensuring that she did not spend the rest of her life suffering in an asylum.]]
* MurderByMistake: [[spoiler:Invoked by Josephine, who makes it look as though an attempt on her life killed Nannie. In reality, she poisoned her own cocoa, leaving it for Nannie to drink so it wouldn't go wasted.]]
* MurderSuicide: [[spoiler:Edith kills herself and Josephine by driving into a quarry.]]
* NeverOneMurder: Around halfway through the novel, Josephine comments that in books, it would be the right time for a second murder. [[spoiler:Being the killer, her prediction comes true, and she sets up an attempt on her life. After her return, she fakes a second attempt which kills Nannie.]]
* NeverTheObviousSuspect: Brenda is the obvious suspect to everyone else in the family. An outcast of the family who married for money, the one to give Aristide his medicine, and (supposedly) having an affair with Laurence. [[spoiler:She didn't do it.]]
* OnlySaneMan: Sophia seems to be the only member of the Leonides with her head on her shoulders. [[spoiler:As such, Aristide leaves his estate to her, trusting her to continue handling family affairs as he had.]]
* PetTheDog: Although Brenda is suspected by the rest of the Leonides family, and generally disliked by them, they are insistent on getting her a good lawyer so that she receives a fair trial.
* RichInDollarsPoorInSense: Roger is given control of his father's successful catering business, and promptly runs it into the ground with poor business decisions.
* SnoopingLittleKid: Josephine, who fancies herself a KidDetective on the case.
* TheSociopath: [[spoiler:Josephine, who kills her grandfather out of pettiness and Nannie out of boredom. She takes the opportunity to show off as a precociously brilliant investigator, repeatedly thwarting the killer's attempts to silence her.]]
* TakingTheHeat: [[spoiler:Edith leaves a note accepting responsibility for the murders, to lessen the scandal of Josephine being the killer.]]
* TamperingWithFoodAndDrink: [[spoiler:Josephine poisons her own cocoa in an attempt to kill Nannie.]]
* TechnicalPacifist: Laurence is a conscientious objector who states that he could not take a life, but it's speculated that he could set up a scenario where someone else administered the poison. Continued indirect methods of murder do not help his case.
* TitleDrop: Several references are made to the nursery rhyme that lends the book its title.
* TheUnFavourite: Philip, Sophia's father, feels completely passed-over compared to his older brother Roger.
* UnwantedAssistance: [[spoiler:Roger is aware of his poor acumen, and just wants to go bankrupt so he can leave the business behind. He continually balks at family members trying to bail him out and keep the business afloat.]]
* WoundedGazelleGambit: [[spoiler:Josephine sets up an attempt on her life, both diverting any suspicion and making it seem as though she's figured out who the killer is.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: Everyone believes that Brenda and Laurence are having an affair. [[spoiler:They are, but neither killed Aristide.]]
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: The apparent culprits are arrested, and taken away from the house. [[spoiler:Then someone poisons Nannie.]]
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