Curiosity can be a killer.
The clock begins to tick on Anneliese’s moral compass as the sleuth-psychiatrist delves deeper into London’s social dregs – encountering a playbook too subversive for her tastes.
While Isabel belittles the idea of jealousy Charles Anthony views his obsession as a Jezebel. Susanna’s (other) indiscretions are hard-pressed to rest in peace as torments old and new distort her life. Headmaster Richard on the other hand sparks strife when he reviles his troublesome subordinate… again.
Repression treads with clumsy thumps on both the sisters’ souls in this suspicion-rousing feast of silent a gallery of scintillating scenes where passion and possessiveness lurk still beneath the surface.
Envy, pride, wrath and desire light a fire in The Crooked Little Volume 4: the part inviting you to pick your poison.
My Review
We are now in the 1950s and the twins Isabel and Anneliese are approaching their late 30s. Neither of them is married (any longer) and neither has (living) children. While Anneliese has always preferred it that way, Isabel is tormented. Then she teaches a child in need of her support and her life begins to feel fulfilled. But another torrid relationship begins and ends with no future.
On the other hand, Anneliese’s patient, barrister Charles Anthony, will test her moral compass to its limit. In Vol 3 Anneliese had become obsessed with him – the lawyer who defended the killer (allegedly) of her psychiatrist Susanna’s daughter Lily, many years earlier. Anneliese had inveigled herself into his home by helping to treat his schizophrenic young daughter, Rosalind. Susanna does not agree with Anneliese’s actions or her judgement. But then Susanna has her own secrets and in Vol 4 we discover more about her past.
At this stage I think I warmed to Isabel more than Anneliese, and Susanna is hard for me to like. I still like Richard, but he isn’t right for Isabel, or is he? I hope they will get together eventually, but maybe that’s just me.
Another brilliantly written book in this fantastic series. It’s so well written and the author uses language in a way I haven’t seen before. The twins are fascinating as always, and are becoming more mature and multi-layered with each volume. I look forward to Vol 5.
Many thanks to the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author
Sophia Lambton became a professional classical music critic at the age of seventeen when she began writing for Musical Opinion, Britain’s oldest music magazine. Since then she has contributed to The Guardian, Bachtrack, musicOMH, BroadwayWorld, BBC Music Magazine and OperaWire, and conducted operatic research around the world for The Callas Imprint: A Centennial Biography, which was published to coincide with the soprano’s one hundredth birthday in December 2023.
Crepuscular Musings – Lambton’s cultural Substack – provides vivid explorations of tv and cinema together with reviews of operas, concerts and recitals sophialambton.substack.com.
The Crooked Little Pieces is her first literary saga. This is volume 4. She lives in London. Volume 5 will be published later this year.
