Book Synopsis
Book Title: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: Fiction/Mystery
Pages: 336
Publisher: Harper Collins
Book Blurb
Agatha Christie’s most daring crime mystery – an early and particularly brilliant outing of Hercule Poirot, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, with its legendary twist, changed the detective fiction genre forever.
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. Now, tragically, came the news that she had taken her own life with a drug overdose.
But the evening post brought Roger one last fatal scrap of information. Unfortunately, before he could finish the letter, he was stabbed to death
My Takeaways
This book was on my TBR thanks to Book Tok. I read many Agatha Christie books when I was a teen and became a Poirot and Agatha Christie fan; somehow, I graduated to more dark and twisted thrillers later on in life. Reading an Agatha book again, transported me back to my reading days and affirmed my belief why she is the undisputed thriller queen even in this current generation the book also came 3rd in the global vote which was conducted to find the world’s favourite Agatha Christie books.
The murder of the affluent Roger Ackroyd occurs one night after a dining party at his house. His niece Miss Flora, engaged to his stepson Ralph, comes up to Hercules Poirot for help. The other key plot characters other than Dr. James Shepperd are Caroline- Sheppard’s sister, Flora’s widowed mother Mrs. Ackroyd, Geoffrey Raymond- Roger’s secretary, Major Hector Blunt- Roger’s old friend, Parker-the butler, Elizabeth Russell- parlor maid, Charles Kent- Russel’s son, Ursula Bourne- parlor maid.
Our narrator is Dr. Sheppard a close friend of the deceased; who becomes Poirot’s associate in solving the mystery aka Sherlock Holmes and Watson. The clues make it very difficult for them to solve as it appears that everyone has the chance of killing Ackroyd. Christie arranges the suspense so that one can never leave the book as all the clues suggest different incidents and potential murderers with everyone having secrets of their own. The immaculate narration, convoluted plot, and fascinating and flawed characters throw you off and then again put you back on track so it can throw you off again.
The epilogue of the novel uniquely serves as the suicide note of the murderer, who after being caught by Poirot, narrates the plot and commits suicide. Not wanting to spoil the suspense, the highly acknowledged end makes the murder very difficult to be predicted by the readers; who don’t lose interest or the track throughout the story. It makes readers like me even more curious after each chapter as new facts unfold. All the characters are wonderfully written and throughout the book, many interesting exchanges, peppered with humour and intrigue, occur among the characters.
My Rating
My overall rating for this book is 5/5.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a masterpiece that exceeded my expectations. The treatment and the way the plot unravels was simply superb and the first-person narrative, so point-on. I thought the whole time that I had succeeded in guessing the killer, but the end was so shocking that it took some time to digest. The reveal at the end was simply astounding, which only a masterful storyteller like Agatha Christie can pull and keep you hooked the entire read.
Grab a copy of the book at your nearest bookstore or Amazon India.
About The Author
Agatha Christie was born in Torquay in 1890 and became, quite simply, the bestselling novelist in history. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, written towards the end of the First World War, introduced us to Hercule Poirot, who was to become the most popular detective in crime fiction since Sherlock Holmes. She is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and another billion in over 100 foreign countries. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 19 plays, and six novels under the name of Mary Westmacott.
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