The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Summary:

The peaceful English village of King’s Abbot is stunned. The widow Ferrars dies from an overdose of Veronal. Not twenty-four hours later, Roger Ackroyd—the man she had planned to marry—is murdered. It is a baffling case involving blackmail and death that taxes Hercule Poirot’s “little grey cells” before he reaches one of the most startling conclusions of his career.

About the Author: 

Dame Agatha Christie (1890-1976), or the Queen of Crime was an English author known for her murder mysteries including Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Her novels have sold more than 2 billion copies making her the best selling fiction author of all time. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, published in 1926, is the third novel to feature Hercule Poirot.

Rating:

4 stars - ★★★★☆

Review:

I found The Murder of Roger Ackroyd very easy and amusing to read. It wasn’t too wordy or intellectual. The mystery was well crafted and although I did guess the murderer, I still enjoyed the ending. It would be an insult to Agatha Christie to even wonder if there were any plot holes. Of course there weren’t!

Hercule Poirot was obviously my favourite character, closely followed by Caroline. I loved how sassy she was. Actually, I loved Poirot for his sassiness too. My favourite parts of the book were any conversations between Poirot and Caroline. They were ever so amusing to read. Poirot is a wonderful character as he is so easy to imagine with his signature moustache. All the characters were skilfully brought to life as we discovered more and more about them; what their motivations were, where their loyalties lay and what they were hiding. 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is set in motion immediately with one death (Mrs Ferrars), the reveal of blackmail and then the death of Roger Ackroyd. There’s so much to get you hooked right from the beginning. The atmosphere felt very dark and moody, I imagined it to be in the autumn time, although I’m not sure if we know what time of year it’s set in. It all seemed very lacking in light, and under overcast skies. Maybe that’s just my imagination…

I liked the fact that the reader has as much information as the narrator, Hercule Poirot sharing all his clues (but not what they mean), which allowed the reader to try and work out the mystery too. As I said, I had guessed who the murderer was, but the explanation from Poirot was no less interesting to read.

The story was full of surprises and twists and secrets which kept it interesting as there wasn’t just one mystery to solve, there were lots of little ones too. Especially as each character was hiding something, each character was a mystery in themselves. Trying not to give too much away, I’m reading more and more books that have an unreliable narrator and I enjoy the process of not only questioning what other characters are telling us, but also what the narrator is telling us. 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a fantastic mystery novel, it demonstrates Christie’s skill and imagination, and it challenges the genre through the identity of the killer. I can’t say that I was on the edge of my seat, wishing to find out the identity of the murderer, however I was happily reading along, enjoying the ride and having a good time.

I am looking forward to reading more Agatha Christie. I have Murder on the Orient Express to tackle next from the Hercule Poirot books, so I will start that one soon.