The Crooked Wreath: An Inspector Cockrill Mystery

Written by Christianna Brand

Narrated by David Thorn

From the Golden Age author of Green for Danger. "You have to reach for the greatest of Great Names to find Brand's rivals in the subtleties of the trade" (The New York Times).

Sir Richard's family has spent years waiting for him to die, but despite his weak heart, the old man simply refuses to cooperate. In the meantime, he makes their lives miserable by changing his will every few months, depending on which of his strange brood he favors that moment. Now he calls them together to announce his most diabolical revision yet: complete disinheritance of all the wastrels who bear his name. But he never gets a chance to sign the papers-by morning, he's dead. Scotland Yard sends Inspector Cockrill, the only detective clever enough to unravel the family's tangle of jealousy and deceit. Each member had reason to kill Sir Richard, but which one plunged the syringe of poison into his heart? With a family this mad, nothing is as complicated as the truth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Aug 7, 2012
• ISBN: 9781611748444

Christianna Brand

Christianna Brand (1907–1988) was one of the most popular authors of the Golden Age of British mystery writing. Born in Malaya and raised in India, Brand used her experience as a salesgirl as inspiration for her first novel, Death in High Heels, which she based on a fantasy of murdering an irritating coworker. The same year, she debuted her most famous character, Inspector Cockrill, whose adventures she followed until 1957. The film version of the second Cockrill mystery, Green for Danger, is considered one of the best-ever screen adaptations of a classic English mystery. Brand also found success writing children’s fiction. Her Nurse Matilda series, about a grotesque nanny who tames ill-behaved children, was adapted for the screen in 2005, as Nanny McPhee. Brand received Edgar Award nominations for the short stories “Twist for Twist” and “Poison in the Cup”, as well as one for her nonfiction work Heaven Knows Who. The author of more than two dozen novels, she died in 1988.

Reviews for The Crooked Wreath

[rvhatha · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Several months ago, I watched "Green for Danger," with the wonderful Alistair Sim, on Netflix, and absolutely loved it. The combination of the WW II-era setting, mystery, humor, and wit was spot on. So I was delighted to discover that the film was based on a series by Christianna Brand, now better known for her Nanny McPhee books.This is the first of the Inspector Cockrill books I've read, and I really enjoyed it. The character of Cockrill is a bit different here than in the film, but equally enjoyable, in his relentless, sardonic way. I honestly couldn't tell who was going to end up being the murderer until very nearly the end, so effectively do the characters make cases against each other, and so maddeningly does Cockrill refuse to show his hand. The war setting works well here, too; this is a smart detective novel for grownups. I'll be reading more of this series.