"Do you believe in ghosts?"
"No. But I'm afraid of them."
So starts a three part ghost story about the Tudor, Geap Manor and the hauntings there.
Part 1. The Wainscot. Joseph Bloxham is flush from the profits of a venture bubble that has left dozens of other investors in ruin. He buys Geap Manor and goes about installing improvements including some fine wainscoting in the drawing room. But there is something unquiet about the wood and at night he hears noises coming from behind the panels.
Part 2. Something Old. Geap House is the venue of a costume party of bright young things in 1927. The host announces his engagement to Ruth Sykes. Soon after Ruth sees visions of a veiled bride gliding among the guests.
Part 3. The Knocker. Geap House has been pulled down but its door knocker turns up in a historian's back garden. He fastens it to his own front door. Then at exactly 2:43 at night; someone or something knocks the door.
Overall I really enjoyed Crooked House, an excellent trio of proper old-fashioned ghost stories.
The Wainscot is the best ghost story and is worth a 9 on its own.
Something Old suffers from a lack of atmosphere, the house never feels threatening.
The door knocker from part three is a brilliant mechanism for a spooky tale and while still good; the latter half of the story does not match the introduction.
