【 THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD 】

book #4 in the Hercule Poirot series

Genre: Cosy crime, Mystery
Audience: Adult
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: June 1926
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 286 (paperback)

This was phenomenal! I don’t even think I have the words to express how much I loved this. I went into it knowing it was one of Christie’s most famous and well-loved books, but even then, my expectations were thoroughly surpassed.

This is a brilliant murder mystery and I highly recommend it to anyone considering delving into Christie’s works, or anyone who’s read her books but not yet got to this one (make it the top of your priority list!) It’s hard to explain in a spoiler-free review what is so brilliant about this, so settle in for a rambling and vague review instead.

I was immediately taken with the unique perspective we get in this book. Though I have not read the majority of the Poirot’s at this point, from my memory, this felt like it was approaching things differently. It is neither from Poirot’s POV nor Hasting’s, but a third party involved in the mystery.

And what a plucky and fun POV it is. The doctor is a great character who offers a weary but tongue-in-cheek voice as he goes about his occupation in the village and suffers the nosiness of his sister, Caroline. And oh, Caroline was such a fun character. She is both insufferable and entirely delightful. She has endless opinions and a relentlessness to get involved where she really has no place being. She definitely brought a great amount of liveliness to the book.

I don’t think I could have ever picked the twist/resolution – but then again, I almost never do in a Christie. But this one in particular blew my mind. To me, this is probably her best and most clever story that she’s written (out of those I’ve read). It beats And Then There Were None, though it’s a close thing, for the simple fact that I felt wonderfully shocked and thrilled by the answer at the end. Though I suppose you could say that about the former, but really, you just have to read this to understand.

And there’s nothing better than a damn clever mystery where, retrospectively, all the pieces do line up and you could see it, if only you knew to look for it. And I also very much so enjoyed the small nod to Sherlock Holmes in this one (the reference about the tie pin!)

Since finishing this, I think I’ve peer pressured at least five other people into reading this simply so I could discuss the ending – it’s that sort of a book that makes you wander around in a crazed manner pressing a copy of it into any willing hands. So in short, if you want a book that will have you slapping you thigh in delight and scandal, you simply must read this.

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Title: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Series: Hercule Poirot #4
Author: Agatha Christie
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Hercule Poirot comes out of retirement in one of Agatha Christie’s ten favorite novels, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

Roger Ackroyd knew too much. He knew that the woman he loved had poisoned her brutal first husband. He suspected also that someone had been blackmailing her. Then, tragically, came the news that she had taken her own life with an apparent drug overdose.

However the evening post brought Roger one last fatal scrap of information, but before he could finish reading the letter, he was stabbed to death. Luckily one of Roger’s friends and the newest resident to retire to this normally quiet village takes over—none other than Monsieur Hercule Poirot.