The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "MRS. Ferrars died on the night of the 16th-17th September-a Thursday..." (more)
Key Phrases: rubber studs, little gray cells, little reunion, Ralph Paton, Miss Russell, Miss Ganett (more...)

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 the Audio Cassette edition.

Review

"A classic -- the book has worthily earned its fame." Irish Independent "The truly startling denouement is uncommonly original." Books "One of the landmarks of detective literature." H.R.F. Keating, Crime & Mystery: The 100 Best Books --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (Mm) (December 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061002860
• ISBN-13: 978-0061002861
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (138 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #828,905 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 4 in The Hercule Poirot Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you've never read Christie before, begin here!, January 10, 2000

By	H. Lim (Carlingford, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Christie Book, January 12, 2005

By	Jeffrey Clinard "Jeffrey" (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) (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.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Stunner, May 27, 2002

By	Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) (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!