The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

In the small English village of King’s Abbot a wealthy widow, Mrs. Ferrars has died victim of an overdose of veronal.  Mrs. Ferrars’ husband died just over a year ago of acute gastritis, helped on by habitual overindulgence in alcoholic beverages. During her mourning period she was secretly engaged to Roger Ackroyd, a wealthy manufacturer. Soon after her death Roger Akroyd is found stabbed to death. Are these three deaths related? Fortunately a new and mysterious neighbour is in town, a short man with an egg-shaped head, partially covered with suspiciously black hair, two immense moustaches and a pair of watchful eyes. Hercules Poirot has retired from work and has moved to King’s Abbot to grow vegetable marrows. The novel is narrated by Dr. Sheppard the doctor of King’s Abbot. Dr. Sheppard plays Captain Hastings role as Poirot’s assistant. Hastings is now living in Argentina with his wife. The book ends with a then-unprecedented plot twist. Its innovative ending had a significant impact on the genre (Wikipedia). It is often considered one of Christie’s masterpieces and it was published in 1926.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a delightful reading. I consider it a ‘must read’ for anyone who is willing to access Agatha Christie novels for the first time. A wonderful and very ingenious book that no crime fiction aficionado should miss. I enjoyed it thoroughly. You can read it several times since it supports different readings even if you know the ending.

You can visit here the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge Carnival hosted by Kerrie. You can always participate and read at your own pace.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd  has been reviewed by Mysteries in Paradise, A Woman of Mystery.

See also The Official Agatha Christie website.