Considered to be one of Agatha Christie’s most controversial mysteries, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd breaks all the rules of traditional mystery writing. A widow’s suicide has stirred rumors of blackmail, and of a secret lover named Roger Ackroyd, who was found stabbed to death in his study. The case is so unconventional that not even crack detective Hercule Poirot has a clue as to how to solve it.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
This novel, written in 1927, is considered the best and most successful of the early mysteries. It met with no small outrage when it appeared, as it uses a plot device many readers thought "unfair." There is a full complement of characters populating the cozy English village of King's Abbot: Major Blunt, Colonel Carter, Miss Gannett, the butler, the housekeeper, the narrator, Dr. Sheppard, and his know-it-all sister (the precursor of Miss Marple, according to Christie), and, of course, the redoubtable Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells. There are clues with a capital C to mislead us, and the listener gets so involved with these red herrings (or not) that the very simple truth eludes the puzzler. Venerable reader Robin Bailey keeps the light, almost comic tone alive, although his voices are not particularly differentiated, and often he rushes the reading of dialog. A classic of the genre and essential for any fiction collection. Harriet Edwards, East Meadow P.L., NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.Review
"The most brilliant of deceptions." - Julian Symons; "Very few (detective stories) provide greater analytical stimulation." - The New York Times; "Original and ingenious." - The Nation and Athaneum; "The truly startling denouement... will restore a thrill to the most jaded reader of detective stories" - New York Herald Tribune
--This text refers to the
Audio Cassette
edition.
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More About the Author
Agatha Christie was born in 1890 and created the detective Hercule Poirot in her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). She achieved wide popularity with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and produced a total of eighty novels and short-story collections over six decades.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
52 of 53 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is the most controversial mystery novel of the 20th century. It nearly got Agatha Christie kicked out of the Detection Club (an organization of writers who agreed to play fair). It put her on the map. It's her best work - ever.
The book is a first person account of a Hercule Poriot mystery, done by Doctor James Sheppard, a country doctor serving his community. He was there from almost the beginning, and his narrative provides a wonderful account of the murder of his friend, Rodger Ackroyd.
Rodger Ackroyd's female friend took her own life. She wrote a letter to him before she did so, naming the man who ruined her life - a blackmailer who knew she killed her first husband. Rodger read the letter to Dr. Sheppard, but wouldn't continue when he realized a blackmailer would be exposed because of it. Dr. Sheppard begged him to continue and get the name - to no avail.
Ackroyd didn't comply. James Sheppard left and went home, only to get a myserious phone call telling him Rodger had been murdered. Murdered he was - and the letter was missing!
Enter Sheppard's neighbor, Hercule Poriot. Dr. Sheppard plays Dr. Watson, following the sleuth around and recording what he finds. From a missing son to a married maid; from the theft of household money.
In the end, Poroit invites all the cast to a room where he talks about the case, and says he has a solution - which he will reveal to the police in 24 hours. The only way for an innocent man to be saved was for the real killer to confess one way or another... and even though Dr. Sheppard has all the facts of the case, he can't see how Poriot could put them all together into a surprising solution of the case.
In short, if you want a book that will shock you, read this one. Well crafted, with devious plot devices, Christie showed her genius for detective fiction with this book. It was a work of genius because she had the imagination to do something amazingly original. It may have nearly got her kicked out of the Detection Club, but history has sided with her - she was right all along. This is her most classic work of all time.
The book is a first person account of a Hercule Poriot mystery, done by Doctor James Sheppard, a country doctor serving his community. He was there from almost the beginning, and his narrative provides a wonderful account of the murder of his friend, Rodger Ackroyd.
Rodger Ackroyd's female friend took her own life. She wrote a letter to him before she did so, naming the man who ruined her life - a blackmailer who knew she killed her first husband. Rodger read the letter to Dr. Sheppard, but wouldn't continue when he realized a blackmailer would be exposed because of it. Dr. Sheppard begged him to continue and get the name - to no avail.
Ackroyd didn't comply. James Sheppard left and went home, only to get a myserious phone call telling him Rodger had been murdered. Murdered he was - and the letter was missing!
Enter Sheppard's neighbor, Hercule Poriot. Dr. Sheppard plays Dr. Watson, following the sleuth around and recording what he finds. From a missing son to a married maid; from the theft of household money.
In the end, Poroit invites all the cast to a room where he talks about the case, and says he has a solution - which he will reveal to the police in 24 hours. The only way for an innocent man to be saved was for the real killer to confess one way or another... and even though Dr. Sheppard has all the facts of the case, he can't see how Poriot could put them all together into a surprising solution of the case.
In short, if you want a book that will shock you, read this one. Well crafted, with devious plot devices, Christie showed her genius for detective fiction with this book. It was a work of genius because she had the imagination to do something amazingly original. It may have nearly got her kicked out of the Detection Club, but history has sided with her - she was right all along. This is her most classic work of all time.
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By H. Lim
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was the first Christie I ever read - and it's a real masterpiece. The ending is pretty horrifying, but read the book again, and you'll wonder why you didn't notice various things - things the Murderer/Murderess (I'm not saying which it is!)said and did during the novel, that one didn't notice at the time. Extremely good stuff.
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is the Agatha Christie novel that had both her competitors and critics crying foul at the solution to the crime--but although the book has its weaknesses, the solution is not one of them. THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD remains one of the most startling novels in the entire murder mystery genre, and it should be very near the top of any murder mystery fan's reading list.
Told from the point of view of a village doctor, ACKROYD opens with a suspicious death--and this is followed by the murder of Ackroyd, a wealthy local who learns more about the suspicious death than it is wise to know, and whose death draws Hercule Poirot to investigate. This is not actually one of Christie's more smoothly written novels; most of the characters (excluding Caroline, the village gossip, who is a delight) seem more than a little flat, the narrative drags a bit here and there, and the plot is extremely tricksy... but the conclusion is a stunner, perhaps the single most famous plot twist of Christie's long and revered career. An absolute must read!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent story
I've seen the Poirot movies and loved them, but this is the first Poirot story I've read. I wasn not disappointed.
Published 4 hours ago by RJK
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thrilling, suspenseful, and delightfully unpredictable
"The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" is one of the best books I have read the month. Christie's witty dialogue and character development are sure to keep any reader amused... Read more
Published 10 hours ago by Daniel Mackay
4.0 out of 5 stars
Love it
Standard Poirot, captivating, fun. Easy to figure out some parts but always a few surprises. Fun easy read. Will keep reading Christie novels.
Published 13 days ago by Marci
5.0 out of 5 stars
As usual, worth every penny
A suicide and a murder in a small English village brings Hercule Poirot out of retirement. Is the heir Ralh Patton really the murderer? Or is it the butler? Read more
Published 14 days ago by vinayjap
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great read...
Bought this thinking I hadn't read this particular story. However, I have read it before - somewhere. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Rick Mclaughlin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Never saw it coming!
If you like mysteries and you have never read "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" --- then you must have been locked up in a closet for most of your life. Read more
Published 1 month ago by AB
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific
Delicious and captivating! The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is Agatha Christie's finest piece of literary work. Hercule Poirot is a genius.
Published 1 month ago by Charles Root
2.0 out of 5 stars
No surprise at the end!
I am a die hard Christie fan but I was surprised by how easy it was to guess the killer. Very dissapointing end to an otherwise great novel.
Published 2 months ago by mukremincitir
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read
I am a big fan of the author and I have read all of her books. This is really one of the best crime novels, with a good plot, characters and setting. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Regency
4.0 out of 5 stars
What a first novel
Read this so long ago I'd almost forgotten it, but it was nice to dip back in to Agatha Christie and this is one of the very best, maybe even the best. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Louden Sproul
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