From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

The Crooked Wreath

Christianna Brand

Start date: April 11, 2020

Finish date: May 8, 2020

Discussion: Buddy reads

Why we're reading this: We have previously enjoyed Christianna Brand books in the group and are now reading another.
[close] We have previously enjoyed Christianna Brand books in the group and are now reading another.

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Buddy reads

* Starting/joining in with buddy reads
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* White Nights by Ann Cleeves (Shetland #2) (August/Sept 25)
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What Members Thought

Jan 13, 2013 Susan rated it really liked it

Published in 1946 and set at the end of WWII, this is the third Inspector Cockrill mystery and has also been published under the title, "Suddenly at his residence."

Sir Richard March has kept his house a shrine to his first wife, the beautiful ballerina Serafita, despite marrying his mistress Bella after his wife's death. On the anniversary of Serafita's death, he expects his remaining relatives to gather for a ceremony and he then spends the night alone in the small lodge where she died. In the ...more

18 likes · Like · see review

Nov 03, 2023 Lady Wesley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery-golden-age-or-similar, listened, to-listen, owned-not-read, british-library-crime-classics, 2023-faves

Review of the audiobook narrated by David Thorn.

One of the best Golden Age mysteries I have ever read. You will not fully appreciate it until everything blows up on the last page.

6 likes · Like · see review

Apr 11, 2020 Susan in NC rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This was ok, not great. The spoiled grandchildren of Sir Richard are gathered for an annual tribute to his deceased first wife. He fooled around on her, and has married his former mistress; but in a darkly humorous twist, he has built up her memory until the entire estate has become a shrine to her. The sarcastic grandchildren tease their cranky grandfather and he gripes at them, disinheriting first one, then another.

I couldn’t understand why all the brittle, snarky, melodramatic characters al ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Jun 04, 2020 Jan C rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020, gr-group-read, england, wwii

I wasn't too sure about this for much of the book but I thought it picked up toward the end.

I didn't like the people very much. They seemed to be pretty spoiled. One of them had been acting out for so long he no longer knew if he was putting things on or if he really had a mental problem.

Grandfather gets peeved one weekend and goes off to change his will (again), threatening to disinherit all the grandchildren. Only problem is that he dies overnight. Bad heart? or Murder? Yes, someone took advan ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 14, 2018 dmayr rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-detective-series, books-i-liked, crime-in-vintage, murder-in-a-countryhouse

Whoever could have killed Grandfather March, who in a fit of temper threatens to disinherit the March grandchildren? Is it the cool, lovely Peta? Or Claire, who just wants her dear Philip? Or Philip himself, torn between his mistress Claire and wife Ellen? Or could it be Ellen, the outsider? The new will favors Bella, the former mistress and present wife of Grandfather March and Edward, the illegitimate grandson, but both are included in the list of suspects, Bella hating to live in Serafita's s ...more

1 like · Like · see review