For the last few years, since I've realized that I really like mysteries, I've been reading an Agatha Christie or two a year, and I think that Crooked House might be my favorite I've read so far. I've seen it on a lot of lists of Knives Out readalikes, and now that I've read it, I do think it's a good recommendation. Both share a similar big-old-house setting, ensemble casts with strong personalities (Jacob Thrombey and Eustace Leonides felt very similar to me, especially), poisoning as a method of murder, and a meta sensibility. Both are genre aware, and both subvert their genre. Of course, what makes Crooked House noteworthy is that Christie was doing this in 1949.

Also noteworthy is that her prose, especially her dialogue, is so timelessly readable, zipping along and drawing the reader through every twist and turn of the investigation. I had to adjust for some attitudes that seem weird or laughable now, but not as much as in some Christies. All in all, a really enjoyable reading experience.