Crooked Adam by D. E. Stevenson

256 pages
Published in 1942, reprinted in 1970
by Holt, Rinehart & Winston


When it comes to books I love a good spy thriller and Crooked Adam by D. E. Stevenson is just that. Departing from her typical novel format that consists of romance, quaint English and Scottish neighborhoods, and the occasional family drama, Crooked Adam is set in Scotland during the early years of World War II and is a tale of espionage with a very unlikely hero; a young man called "Crooked Adam."

It is because of his limp that Adam was found unfit to join the King's military and must endure the war from the classroom of a boy's school. And it is because of this limp that Adam despairs he will never do anything to help his country... Until one day he discovers the war has come to his school's back yard when he uncovers a plot to steal a scientific invention that -- if built to full-scale -- could change the way the RAF defends the United Kingdom from enemy aircraft.

"Crooked Adam" may be an unlikely hero, but he is definitely the man for the job as he takes on the role of amateur detective and helps capture and close down the spy ring.

I thoroughly enjoyed Crooked Adam. The story is fast paced and kept me turning page after page to see what would happen next. In addition, there is a good amount of description and the dialogue is both interesting and witty. Although the ending might be a little predictable I still found the overall plot an excellent mix of mystery, adventure and romance and all-in-all another gem by D. E. Stevenson

For the reader looking for a different type of spy thriller I definitely recommend Crooked Adam. The only disappointment is that Crooked Adam is out of print. Used copies are available online, but prices are rather high ranging from $15-75 per book, which is why I opted for the ILL option. For those lucky enough, many libraries still carry a number of D. E. Stevenson's books and if your own library doesn't, you might be able to obtain a copy through their ILL program.

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