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The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot #4)

4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 · rating details · 29,471 ratings · 1,611 reviews

Agatha Christie's genius for detective fiction is unparalleled. Her worldwide popularity is phenomenal, her characters engaging, her plots spellbinding. No one knows the human heart--or the dark passions that can stop it--better than Agatha Christie. She is truly the one and only Queen of Crime.

The Muder Of Roger Ackroyd

Village rumor hints that Mrs. Ferrars poisoned her hu

...more

Published (first published 1926)

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Dec 02, 2008 Mashael Alamri rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: translated

قررت ترتيب مكتبتي ( المخربطه ) فسحبت الرواية هذه وقلت في نفسي من زمان عن أغاثا كريستي (مع إني كنت مغرمه فيها ) جلست ع الأرض جنب المكتبه قلبت في الكتاب قليلاً وبعدين بديت أقراء لم أعيده إلا حينما عرفت من قتل (روجر أكرويد) فعلاً أغاثا عجيبه في الحبكات الكل متهم والكل لديه دوافع قتل التفاصيل الصغيره للجريمة تهتم بها الغوص داخل أعماق الشخصيات الحس الفكاهي اللذيذ الوصف الدقيق غير الممل للأماكن كل ذلك يجعل من روايات أغاثا كريستي أفلام على الورق :)

إستمتعت وتمنيت لو أنني أقتني باقي روايات أغاثا كريستي...more

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Dec 10, 2010 mark monday rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: choose-ur-adventure

Choose Your Own Adventure!

You are a country doctor living in a cozy English village - and your friend has been murdered! Suspects abound. Whispers and secrets and dastardly blackmail surround you. Your sister prattles on. The situation becomes increasingly aggravating and even worse, your nosy and very foreign neighbor decides to make your private business his own. His bizarre Belgian behavior soon becomes quite intolerable. Whatever is a country doctor to do?

If you decide to take a nice long tr...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Ebookwormy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

Just finished a re-read of this classic. I remember the first time I read it, the twist at the end knocked my socks off! My second thought was: "Agatha Christie understands evil in a way that is a little frightening!"

This time through, I remembered how it turns out (which is not always the case!), and was able to watch the clues with the murderer in mind. An astonishingly masterful piece of work.

When it was first published, in 1926, this book caused quite a stir, because no one had ever used thi...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Abbey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: myst-cosies, myst-pi, series, vintage, own, sell, myst-fems-project, myst-set-andor-auth-uk

Ahhh, the infamous Roger Ackroyd! Christie got ENORMOUS press for her plotting in this one, and a lot of it was NOT good - loads of her regular fans were really PO'd at her for using a twist that "nice" mystery writers of the day (mid-1920s) didn't use. There was even a list of the "Don't" things for a writer including her particular hook in this book, and her flouting that convention angered many other writers (and readers) who felt she didn't "play fair". But the brouhaha really spiked her sal...more

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Mar 07, 2010 Jon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Jon by: KC Public Library 2010 Adult Winter Reading Program 'Readers in

Shelves: fiction, mystery, read-in-my-40s, moochable

I almost gave this book three stars (or less) because of the ending. I was disgusted with Agatha Christie's cleverness. Up until the last couple of chapters, she strung me along, had me guessing, had me re-reading previous chapters to double-check facts. And them BAM! the last couple of chapters just made me cringe. I won't spoil the ending or what frustrated me so thoroughly.

All the characters were vividly drawn and enthralling. The plot and storytelling delivered page-turning fervor and middl...more

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Dec 25, 2012 Sandy Bell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

إنها حقا مدهشة...
تمتاز قصص أغاثا بالإثارة و باحتوائها على عبرة مفادها أن الشر لابد خاسر..لكن هذه القصة هي أجمل ماكتبت أغاثا على الإطلاق برأيي المتواضع..
تمسك بيدك وتُعرّفك رويدا رويدا على سكان القرية الطيبين مشاكل بعضهم و نزوات بعضهم الآخر ..لكن آخر ما يخطر ببالك أن يُقتل فلان و هنا تبدأ رحلة البحث عن القاتل ...لكل من الشخصيات وجه مخفي ...رغبة دفينة ..ومصلحة ما قد تتحقق باختفاء هذا الشخص..أو تهديد ما قد يزول بزواله...تقنعك بأن القاتل أمامك هاهو ...وتلف حبل المشنقة حول رقبته رويدا ..رويدا ...لكنك...more إنها حقا مدهشة...
تمتاز قصص أغاثا بالإثارة و باحتوائها على عبرة مفادها أن الشر لابد خاسر..لكن هذه القصة هي أجمل ماكتبت أغاثا على الإطلاق برأيي المتواضع..
تمسك بيدك وتُعرّفك رويدا رويدا على سكان القرية الطيبين مشاكل بعضهم و نزوات بعضهم الآخر ..لكن آخر ما يخطر ببالك أن يُقتل فلان و هنا تبدأ رحلة البحث عن القاتل ...لكل من الشخصيات وجه مخفي ...رغبة دفينة ..ومصلحة ما قد تتحقق باختفاء هذا الشخص..أو تهديد ما قد يزول بزواله...تقنعك بأن القاتل أمامك هاهو ...وتلف حبل المشنقة حول رقبته رويدا ..رويدا ...لكنك لا تلبث أن تتشكك في قرارك بمجرد تلميح بسيط ترميه بين يديك ..لتعود في دائرة التفكير من جديد حتى تكاد تتهم الجميع ...ثم لا تلبث أن ترفعَ الستار لتريك وجه القاتل ...وجهٌ سيفاجئك ..أو على الأقل هذا ما حدث معي ...لقد كدت " أجلط " حين اكتشفت أن هذا الرجل هو القاتل _ لن أخبرك من هو ^_* _إنها المفاجأة التي تدفعك لمراجعة كل الحقائق السابقة المعروضة أمامك بتؤدة وتكاسل لقد كانت تغزلها أمام عيونك لكن لم تكن تراها!!! مدهشة

مستر بوارو البطل التحري الخاص الذي سوّلت له نفسه التقاعد في هذه البلدة البعيدة ...من سوء حظ القاتل...يغيظك برأسه البيضوي ..و قامته القصيرةوهندامه المرتب وشاربه المدلل!!!وأكثر مايغيظ فيه ...هو ثقته الزائدة _حد العجرفة _لكن سرعان ما يصير محبوبك حين يقنعك بحججه و أدلته و عطفه!
استمتعت للغاية بهذه الرواية ..فهي حقا من أجمل و أروع ما كتبت أغاثا كريستي المبهرة(less)

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Apr 30, 2008 Katy Dickinson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries

From my November 13, 2007 blog
http://blogs.sun.com/katysblog/entry/...

Defending Agatha Christie

A dear friend of mine is no fan of Agatha Christie (1890-1976). He and I are both delighted by Dorothy Sayers (1893-1957) and her creation Lord Peter Wimsey. We have discussed them for many years. But the charm of Dame Agatha and her most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, eludes him. This defense is to present what I have come to like in Agatha Christie's mystery books.

My mother used to read Agatha Chr...more

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Aug 01, 2007 Patricia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Agatha Christie Fans

Shelves: fiction

Despite her death, Agatha Christie rolls on. I've read so many of her mysteries that it only seems fair to review one or two, so I chose "Roger Ackroyd" because of its tour-de-force nature. Let's face it: if you like Agatha Christie, you really love her, and if you read a couple of the books and they don't turn you on, then there's not much point in your reading more.

They're quick reads, however, and it shouldn't take more than a weekend in an ancestral mansion completely isolated by the heavy r...more

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Aug 02, 2010 Dina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thrillers, to-blog

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

7 likes · like · see review

Jun 19, 2011 Gail rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: all who love a great mystery

Shelves: mystery, 2007, own

Perhaps the best and certainly one of the most notorious mysteries of all time, Ackroyd is my favorite of them all. A truly twisted denouement of the plot stirred controversy and earned this book a well-deserved outstanding reputation. Although I've read Ackroyd at least 12 times over the last 40 years, it still charms me. When you know the plot resolution, you can enjoy the hints, the characters, and the setting. The characters are unusually well-developed for a Christie book. A+ for this outin...more

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Jan 08, 2010 Nikki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-class, crime, mystery, classics

I really didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. I mean, I like crime/mystery fiction, especially as something to take a break from literature or heart-breaking stuff (Guy Gavriel Kay, I'm looking at you). But I didn't expect to like Agatha Christie's writing so much. This first exposure to her work is due to my Crime Fiction class, which now I'm really excited about, and I'm probably going to look out for more.

It was cleverer than I expected. I'm generally able to guess the plot and motiv...more

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Sep 30, 2011 Peter Longworth rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had to read this book as part of my Detective Fiction university English course. It was the first Agatha Christie book I've read. I thought the plot was fascinating but found Christie's writing boring without atmosphere. I knew I had to read this book by a certain date but boy did I have problems even getting past ten pages. On the last night I read 230 pages because I knew I had to finish it for my course. The writing is really dull and boring. I understand why the lecturer included a Christi...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Simona Bartolotta rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gialli

«Se avrà modo di occuparsi di altri casi del genere si accorgerà che in una cosa si assomigliano tutti.»
«E quale?» domandai con viva curiosità.
«Tutte le persone coinvolte hanno qualcosa da nascondere.»

Ma dico io, o beneddetto Sciascia, il nome del colpevole dovevi scriverlo proprio nella prima riga della postfazione? Ci sono andata sbadatamente a poggiare lo sguardo e bam, rovinata la sorpresa.
C'è da dire, però, che anche quando conosci il finale la Christie non fa che lasciarti di stucco. Come...more

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Feb 14, 2011 مهند rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ادب-literature

رواية بوليسية للاديبة اجاثا كريستي
دائما تجعل الاثارة من خلال خداع القارئ في سياق احداث الرواية التي يظهر في النهاية
القاتل الذي لا يتوقعه احد!!
الرواية جديرة بالقراءة

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Feb 17, 2011 Khadiga Adel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

احلي ما قرأت من الالغاز البوليسية.احداث مثيرة و نهاية غير متوقعة بالمرة مع إعمال العقل .

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Aug 11, 2010 Patricia Rodrigues rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: meus, livros-2010

Este é o terceiro livro que leio de Agatha Christie e cada vez gosto mais.
Este livro é narrado na primeira pessoa, mas não por Poirot, mas sim por um médico da aldeia local, o Dr. Sheppard.
Poirot tem uma mente brilhante, em que todo e qualquer pormenor é importante para descobrir o verdadeiro culpado e o motivo do assassínio.
Mais uma vez, são-nos apresentadas uma série de personagens, em que cada uma delas poderá ter tido motivos e oportunidade para assassinar Mr Ackroyd, e bastaria que pusésse...more

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May 20, 2008 Inder rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books, summer-reading, 20th-century, fiction, england, childhoodfavorites

This is my favorite Agatha Christie novel. Don't ask why - I can't say without spoiling it. Just read it.

Sad to say, I think I've read almost every novel Dame Agatha wrote. Most when I was in high school. They are trashy, full of stereotypes, irritatingly formulaic, and ... damn her if she doesn't surprise me every time!

I've even been surprised upon rereading her books, having forgotten whodunnit, and getting sucked into her tissue of lies again. But some you never forget: The Murder of Roger A...more

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Feb 25, 2008 Darcy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I started reading Agatha Christie in the 7th grade. It was the first time I sought out books based on the author rather than based on the title. She is the only author I collect and have most of her books that have been reprinted at all. I re-read them as an adult still with perfect enjoyment. I know she's not perfect--you can find flawed reasoning and she even writes things that are downright silly. But somehow she weaves a tale so cleverly that you still care about the characters and believe w...more

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Oct 22, 2011 Mariah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Almost anybody! but definitely for people that love mysteries and/or great twists

Shelves: favorites

I went into this book knowing exactly what the final twist was but still managed to remain completely enthralled...and in the dark as to how! The talent that it takes to write a book that someone can know from the very start who the murderer is and still not see how it's even possible is absolutely immense. I had to go back to the beginning and flip through so many pages looking for the possible allusions and hints. I still couldn't believe how she'd done it! This is only the second Agatha Chris...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Steve rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: agatha, christie, crime, whodunnit

Roger Ackroyd was an extremely wealthy old man, who's always been a bit tight with his money. But since his friend Mrs Ferrars died at the weekend[return](poisoning - committed suicide) he's been very edgy, as if someone was out to get him. The next day he was dead, and the police are convinced they know[return]who did it, Mr Ackroyd's stepson who disappeared that same night. But fiance of the suspected stepson is convinced he didn't do it, and enlists the aid of Hercule Poirot, who has come to...more

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May 15, 2013 Esdaile rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: whodunnit, i-more-or-less-could-retell-the-plo, i-own-it, interwar-novel

I think this is one of Agatha Christie's most successful stories.
There is no second murder which so often in my opinion stretches credulity to snapping point. (We already have to assume a quantity of willingly suspended disbelief in accepting that the detective either Hercule Poirot or Miss Marpel is ubiquituous, always in the right place for the book and the wrong place for the murderer when a corpse presents itself).
The story is tight and convincing. The interest or is it rather morbid curio...more I think this is one of Agatha Christie's most successful stories.
There is no second murder which so often in my opinion stretches credulity to snapping point. (We already have to assume a quantity of willingly suspended disbelief in accepting that the detective either Hercule Poirot or Miss Marpel is ubiquituous, always in the right place for the book and the wrong place for the murderer when a corpse presents itself).
The story is tight and convincing. The interest or is it rather morbid curioisty (is there not something mildly sadistic about the famous English whuddunnit-hunting down the bad murderer with glee?) is maintained and the story is convincing. For me the books area sintersting for their presentation of English society of their time as for the actual knowledge of the murderer. Fascinating too is the psychology of disguise. Everyday we "make a face to meet the faces that we meet" and more can be deduced about a person from what he or she conceals than from what he or she reveals.
What irritates me about Agatha Christie is two things: 1) the pace of the story makes it almost impossible to take the time necessary to workj out the clues. Who has the interst and willpower to slow down sufficiently to do what Poirot does and work methodically, ordering the facts? 2) The psychology, apparently so clever is superficial, it serves the purpose of the murder mytery but neither murderer nor anyone else is presente din any depth, for any purpose than to to serve the always puzzle like plot. The plot/puzzle is more important than genuine charcaterisation. That I suppose is the nature of the game, or in this case genre.
This work would serve as an effective litmus test for the 30 or so other Agatha Christie mysteries. If you enjoy this you will probably enjoy most of the rest and if you do not you most probably will not.
I should like to have known more about the murderer's weakness which was obviously a key element to that person's downfalll. There I go again probably expecting more from this book than it is really its role to provide. (less)

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Apr 13, 2013 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I cut my mystery book teeth on Agatha Chrisite. I had read this one many years (decades?) ago, and remembered very little. This was the April choice for the library mystery book club. We agreed that we found this one a bit tedious at times with the amount of minutiae and details. It had very interesting character developments. Good clues were given throughout and summarized a couple times, and there wasn't anything hidden at the end, even though the murderer was a surprise.

POSSIBLE SPOILER - I...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Amit Mistry rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie stared off with a recent death of a widow, Mrs. Ferrars. The story was that a blackmailer knew what role she had played in her husband’s death. She had told Roger her guilt and overdosed. The next day Roger was found murdered at his house. The narrator is Dr. Shepherd, and plays the role of a generally baffled assistant. As the story goes on, Herclue Poirot interrogate several suspects, such as his family members that might wanted to kill him to ga...more The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie stared off with a recent death of a widow, Mrs. Ferrars. The story was that a blackmailer knew what role she had played in her husband’s death. She had told Roger her guilt and overdosed. The next day Roger was found murdered at his house. The narrator is Dr. Shepherd, and plays the role of a generally baffled assistant. As the story goes on, Herclue Poirot interrogate several suspects, such as his family members that might wanted to kill him to gain a bundle of wealth according to his will. “Understand this, I mean to arrive at the truth. The truth, however ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to seekers after it.” Said by Herclue Poirot, and addictive investigator or detective that is working on this case even after retirement. Each suspect had a vital piece of information that lead to this unique conclusion.
The Narrator, Dr. Shepherd would have to be my favorite character but I also like Caroline because she reminded me of the gossip of the whole village, Miss. Maudie from To Kill a Mockingbird. I know the Author intended for Shepherd to be the favorite character, because of the critical role he plays at the end of the book. That’s all I could tell you about him without ruining the book because the thing he did was creditable. “It is odd how, when you have a secret belief of your own which you do not wish to acknowledge, the voicing of it by someone else will rouse you to a fury of denial.” Said by Dr. Sheppard said this in the beginning of the beginning of the book, which indicated that he had a clue he knew who did this, but didn’t want to believe it.
I absolutely enjoyed reading this novel, because the ending was great. The murder was extremely well thought out and it gave me a shiver. I would never intentionally or unintentionally want to meet Agatha Christie because she is an absolute lunatic. It scares me to know the level she is at in getting into people’s heads. So yes, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, even if they don’t like mysteries because the story line is great.

(less)

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Feb 20, 2013 Biondy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-english, detective-story, from-to-read, favorites

Judul: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Penulis: Agatha Christie
Penerbit: Harper Collins Publishers
Halaman: 368 halaman
Terbitan: 1926

Desa King's Abbot dikejutkan oleh dua kasus kematian. Yang pertama adalah kematian Mrs. Ferrars, seorang janda kaya yang kemudian diketahui membunuh suaminya. Kematian kedua adalah kematian Roger Ackroyd, seorang pria yang tahu bahwa Mrs. Ferrars membunuh suaminya.

Poirot yang telah pensiun sekali lagi harus mempekerjakan sel-sel kelabunya. Dengan bantuan Dr. James Sheppa...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Gemma (Passion for Novels) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-list, university

Like my reviews see more at Passion for Novels

I have to say, this only being the first of Christie's novels that I have read it was truly amazing. I really do understand why people refer to her as a genius of crime fiction. I always envisioned myself avoiding the Poirot books as the TV adaptations never appealed to me. But, I have to say I loved his character.

I have to say what spoilt it slightly was I read something which said that the reason this book was so famous is that the killer had neve...more Like my reviews see more at Passion for Novels

I have to say, this only being the first of Christie's novels that I have read it was truly amazing. I really do understand why people refer to her as a genius of crime fiction. I always envisioned myself avoiding the Poirot books as the TV adaptations never appealed to me. But, I have to say I loved his character.

I have to say what spoilt it slightly was I read something which said that the reason this book was so famous is that the killer had never been handled in the way that it is handled in the book before. This lead me to look for the most obscure murderer that it could be and it turned out I was right. I have to say if I didn't read this piece of information I never ever would have worked out who the murderer was. But, don't let that put you off, the murderer might be someone glaringly obvious that is pointed out to you from the beginning? That's the beauty of murder mystery, everyone will suspect someone different.

Poirot doesn't actually appear till a quarter of the way through the book, as I was reading it on the kindle I actually wondered to myself whether I was reading the right book! As the synopsis stated his involvement. It was a really interesting way to have the detective hiding within the pages of the book itself.

Although I did figure out who the murderer was I was completely enveloped in this world which Christie created. I wanted to get to know why Mrs Ferrars killed herself and why on earth people would suspect her of murdering her husband and then Ackroyd gets murdered. We are well aware of what's coming due to the title of the book but we are desperately trying to find the links to why before Poirot. But, of course Poirot has his suspicions all along.

The reason I started with this one was because it was on the 1001 books to read before you die list and as I have the complete collection of Agatha Christie in hardback it was a little daunting to choose one to start with. I am so glad I chose this one (after previously reading a collection of her short stories) and will definitely be reading many more, if not all of her books in the future. (less)

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Dec 15, 2012 J rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-things-agatha

Re-reading Agatha Christie in order of publication ...

This book is classic Christie! (Even if Christie herself doesn’t like “classic Christie”.) The dedication is “To Punkie, who likes an orthodox detective story, murder, inquest and suspicion falling on everyone in turn!” And that is exactly what follows. Highly recommend this book!

At about 350 pages, the book did feel a bit long. Over the long middle of the story, secrets and twists are revealed to reframe the story and cast suspicion on all 6...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Will Tate rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to make a confession - I like my crime hard-boiled,but I thought that, just once, I should read an Agatha Christie. I am now glad that I have got that out of my system and can go back to reading proper crime stories with fully drawn, realistically motivated characters. This isn't writing - it's a crossword puzzle.
The great crime writer Raymond Chandler wrote a famous essay called "The Simple Art of Murder" in which he states that "the average detective story is probably no worse than the...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Ioana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, golden-age-mystery

I LOVE Agatha Christie, she is my favorite detective/mystery writer; every few years or so, once I forget the endings, I go back and reread her anthology, and once again, this time around, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd surprised me with its clever and entirely unexpected synthesis. In retrospect, of course, all the clues point towards the logical conclusion which only Poirot is able to piece together: each detail meaningful in its own right, despite maybe seeming initially irrelevant, such as an o...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. ****SUPER spoiler alert!****

Huh. Maybe this is why I don't read many mysteries? And from Agatha Christie, too--shouldn't I be allowed high expectations for her? This is my first time reading her.
4 stars for a well-written and entertaining storyline, for great visuals and descriptions, and for marvelously delicious characters.
Minus 1 big fat star for predictability.

Warning: If you read this review, not only will it spoil the story for you if you haven't read it, but it might spoil a lot of tv s...more ****SUPER spoiler alert!****

Huh. Maybe this is why I don't read many mysteries? And from Agatha Christie, too--shouldn't I be allowed high expectations for her? This is my first time reading her.
4 stars for a well-written and entertaining storyline, for great visuals and descriptions, and for marvelously delicious characters.
Minus 1 big fat star for predictability.

Warning: If you read this review, not only will it spoil the story for you if you haven't read it, but it might spoil a lot of tv show/movie endings for you as well. Also, if you read this review, you might like me a little less. It's a little presumptuous. Try to remember what you liked about me before you read this, and stick to that. :)

As soon as I realized the narrator wasn't Poirot, my VERY FIRST random thought was, "If I were to try to trick my reader, I'd make it the narrator whodunit." But then I decided that since I thought of it so quickly, that's what she WANTED me to think. Plus, very little focus was placed on the narrator, but it definitely tracked his sayings and doings. I was reassured that it was not the narrator when the typical mystery formula was followed with the typical characters:
1) a character who everyone thinks did it at first, who is always innocent at the end.
2) everyone is hiding something
3) a character who is guilty, but not of what we thought
4) a character who is so unlikable, you WANT him/her to be the murderer
5) a very smart narrator, who is never as smart as the detective but wants to be
6) a character so likable you know the author wouldn't make them the killer because the reader would be angry
7) a character who is introduced well, but the narrator and detective pay little to no attention to them--this character is usually the murderer. The author wants us to have the 'ah-hah I SHOULD have known' feeling. Unfortunately, it makes for a good guess even with no clues. In this case, that role fell to the secretary mostly, though traded sometimes with other characters. We saw and heard relatively little from him, and he was always acting weird in the background while the narrator refused to focus on him. Perfect setup for the killer.

Then the story follows the usual path where we find clues (clews), uncover scandals, discover liars, get distracted by red herrings, and see supposedly meaningless details scattered around (which are never meaningless because anything meaningless gets cut by the editors). One good example of a tv show that always gave itself away constantly because of ZERO unimportant details is 'LOST'. Exciting, but predictable. But back to my discussion. At every new turn of events/discovery/truth, I kept coming back to the thought that I would have made it the narrator whodunit. But that's such an easy hide! Surely people have thought of that a hundred times and it's cliche, right? So it can't be the doctor. Besides, I wasn't tracking 'clews' back to him anyway. I had to keep refocusing on other characters despite my niggling suspicions with no reason.

Then it happened. The first moment (a few chapters in) where I realized the doctor was not telling the reader everything. He related where he had been without us seeing him go there ourselves. At that moment, I knew that he was an Unreliable Narrator. And an Unreliable Narrator ALWAYS has something up his sleeve. So, if he isn't the killer himself, he must be related somehow. You can't just trust a character because you're viewing the world through his eyes. However, the clues were still difficult to put together, and didn't all suddenly make sense just because I no longer trusted the doctor. I HOPED he was not the killer, because I love, love, love to be surprised at the end.

I was excited to finish, because so far I hadn't put together all of the clues. I was lost as to who had done it. I did know beforehand that the stepson and the maid were probably married, and that the hunter loved the girl, etc. I think the author must have wanted us to figure those out long ahead of time. But who actually blackmailed, and who actually killed...I still couldn't prove from the chain of clues. She should have left it that way. To have him suddenly playing with clocks in his study and show Poirot his hobby...well, we've already learned that editors remove anything unimportant. *sigh* It was all downhill from there. I was disappointed that I came back full circle to my very first thought in the very first chapter. And that I didn't cleverly use clues to figure it out. I'm not even smart enough to read Poirot's understandings. All I thought was, "If I were the author..."

Nuts.(less)

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Oct 02, 2012 Roger Pettit rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love reading crime fiction of all kinds. But I have a particular fondness for detective stories (whodunits). Such tales came into their own in the UK in the 1920s and 1930s, thanks primarily to the growing popularity then of the work of the writer who, in my view, remains the greatest ever practitioner of the form - Agatha Christie. "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd", which was published in the 1920s, is one of Mrs Christie's most famous novels. I think it is the best whodunit ever written, and is...more I love reading crime fiction of all kinds. But I have a particular fondness for detective stories (whodunits). Such tales came into their own in the UK in the 1920s and 1930s, thanks primarily to the growing popularity then of the work of the writer who, in my view, remains the greatest ever practitioner of the form - Agatha Christie. "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd", which was published in the 1920s, is one of Mrs Christie's most famous novels. I think it is the best whodunit ever written, and is unlikely to be surpassed.

It is difficult to say very much about the plot of "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" without spoiling things for first-time readers of the book. It features one of Mrs Christie's two famous detectives, Hercule Poirot. Poirot has retired to the English village of Kings Abbot. However, when wealthy resident Roger Ackroyd is murdered in the study of his home, he decides to suspend his retirement and to investigate the crime. He is assisted by the local doctor, who narrates the story.

"The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" is a wonderfully engaging story. It bears all the Christie trademarks: page-turning readability; a fascinating and coherent plot; competent characterisation; light, easy-going dialogue; and a magician-like sleight of hand that misdirects the reader at every possible opportunity and deceives him or her into formulating an idea of what has happened that turns out to be completely incorrect. The twist at the end of the story is simply stunning. I cannot really say much more than that.

I first read "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" over 30 years ago. I have just revisited it and, although I had not forgotten the identity of the murderer, it was still a very pleasurable read. It's a story that works best on the printed page. You are unlikely to get the same level of enjoyment from the TV adaptation (although, again, I cannot say why I think that without giving too much away!). I envy anyone who has still to read it for the first time. It's an absolutely brilliant book of its kind that I cannot recommend too highly. 10/10.
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About Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.

Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born in Torquay, Devon, England, U.K., as the youngest of three. The Millers had two other children: Margaret Frary Miller (1879–1950), called Madge, who was eleven years Agatha's senior, and Louis Montant Miller (1880...more

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Books by Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, #10)

The Mysterious Affair At Styles (Hercule Poirot #1)

Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple, #1)

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