The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery

I have read only a couple of crime novels before. So I’m not very experienced, but most of the time I’m very good at predicting the ending or identifying the bad guy, but this book totally caught me by surprise. The ending was so unexpected. This story was so clever, you definitely feel like you are in the story and you are actually seeing all these details and clues firsthand. I was originally thinking this would be a three star book, but the ending was definitely the saving grace! So ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ By the way, if English is your second language, this book may be a bit challenging. I kept running into lots of words I wasn’t very familiar with, but considering it was written by a British writer back in 1926, it wasn’t that bad.

The Kindle edition I bought in August 2020 for $3 is hopelessly unreadable, filled with gjeof%ijefoef eew%e [gibberish] and at least one duplicate chapter.Note: this review only refers to the Kindle edition, which I bought on a friend's recommendation of the book as her favorite Christie.

The version of this book that I bought had major layout problems, including duplicate and missing passages. Be wary if buying a digital copy and be sure it's from a reputable publisher.

Of course, I must give 5 STARS to the Agatha Christie work that is often considered her best, or at least, ONE of her best.I am a solid mystery reader, but have never been a true fan of Dame Agatha's. Decades ago and prior to reading this one, I read many of her books with plots I considered a bit too convoluted and often not very realistic I probably would not have read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, but it is our book club selection this month. SO - I tuned in to M. Poirot and his dangling & incomplete sentences that seem like - maybe - he is going to give the reader a clue - but in the end, he doesn't. And of course, I missed Hastings. But he did have a quite skilled stand-in by the introduction of Dr. Sheppard, who followed Hercule around and gave his own first-person account of the little man he had first mistaken to be a hairdresser.Although not my super favorite kind of mystery (I like dark and a bit crazy), I did read this one through to the very end. Now, that took some doing since this is a long book --or at least, seemed like it to me. And I gave it 5-Stars because I knew exactly what I was getting, and Ms. Christie did not pull any deviations from her own pleasing style and popular form of story telling. So I expected the Hastings-like companion, the stereotypical butler, the town gossips, the lovely young lady, and a few relatives with not-so-ordinary familial links, visitors from a long distance, and the matter of an inheritance. And naturally, a suspicious suicide has to be there, for sure! Plus - the rakish young man -- is he a good guy or the devil-incarnate? There were a few secret meetings at that darkened garden house, and of course, we can count on the police officers getting it ALL wrong ... every bit!And naturally, Dame Agatha would give us a few clue items that could only be considered weird (a feather, for ex.), and naturally, we have Pierot's heavy and constant concern about time - but the "suspects" were up to his challenge. (It all went something like this: "Yes, I came in at exactly 9:14pm." "And I arrived at bit later, at 9:18pm." "And I was the slow duck on the scene - arriving at 9:22pm - but that was because it took 2-1/2 minutes to find my boots, which had gone missing." A custom in these stories is that an article of clothing MUST disappear!So I read on, entranced by the charm of tradition that comes along with a story by Agatha Christie. Patiently, I waited as I was certain that Pierot was bound to complete one or two sentences at least before he completely solved that mystery at ... well, the English manor house, of course!But my light jesting aside: This was a DARN GOOD MSTERY. The story was a solid one and delivered the requisite surprises. Even Christie fans will have a jolt or two at the conclusion of this tale, when M. Poirot finally explains all.So I am charmed, mes amis, to give this book 5-Stars, and a salute to the pleasant and continuing appeal of Agatha Christie.I had somehow managed to wait until I'd turned 70 to read my first Agatha Christie mystery. Now I know why her work has been popular with so many readers. Each page contains something that feels like it could be a clue, and I found myself highlighting such passages, perhaps to use in my own re-construction of the plot? Well, it didn't matter because none of those highlighted passages really mattered. The only thing that mattered was how Poirot's mind gathered information that I'd never considered en route to determining the real killer. In the end, I never saw it coming, and that is why do many readers love What he Christie's work!

What do you like about mysteries? Do you have a favorite Agatha Christie mystery?I read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie in April as part of the Read Christie 2021 Challenge. It is a mystery set before World War II, which meets the prompt for the month. I knew nothing about this novel going in. I loved it and was completely surprised by the ending. How does Christie do this to me every time?Hercule Poirot has retired to the countryside. Even in retirement, excitement finds him when a local wealthy man, Roger Ackroyd, is found murdered. This novel is narrated by the local Dr. Shepard who writes a narrative of the investigation like a Dr. Watson figure to Poirot. He is single and has a delightful sister Caroline who is in tune with all of the gossip in town. Who is the killer? Is it his stepson? The mysterious maid? His niece? The man servant? Poirot uses his little grey cells to solve the mystery.I enjoyed this mystery and the small-town setting. The characters were great, and I loved the ending. I really want to talk about the ending, but don’t want to ruin it for others! Feel free to comment if you’d like to discuss the ending. I think Christie really turned the genre on its head when she wrote this mystery in 1926.Favorite Quote:“Our hobbies and recreations can be summed up in the one word, ‘gossip.’”Overall, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is another superb mystery by Agatha Christie.Book Source: Purchased from Amazon.com

I started to read this novel because I'd heard it was one of the most highly-regarded of Christie's books. It's been voted the best crime fiction novel EVER by the British Crime Writers' Association. It doesn't disappoint. I already knew 'whodunnit' before I opened the cover which enhanced the book for me, rather than spoilt it. As a writer myself, I was able to appreciate exactly HOW she set up the crime, the mystery and the shocking denoument at the end. It's a masterclass from the world's greatest crime writer. Every sentence of her tight, controlled and unemotional prose is carefully placed. Anyway, I won't give anything else away. Thoroughly recommended.

A superb read. 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' does not disappoint. Set in a small village, amidst gossips and where everyone knows everyones business, Roger Ackroyd is murdered in his own study. M. Poirot has come to settle in this same village, looking for rest and relaxation (and the growing of marrows!) and, as he realises that he is becoming very quickly tired of the quiet life, a murder drops into his lap. With the typical country house and a small cast of suspects he sets about his ingenious solving of the crime. The book very much revolves around the narrative where absolutely nothing is irrelevant and absolutely everything is relevant. Plotted with meticulous detail. Agatha Christie has chosen the village doctor to be the narrator here and it's very much in the Hastings vein (the doctors sister, Caroline, provides much amusement as a chief gossip monger). The denouement is surprising (although the clues are there!) with a vicious twist in the tale. M. Poirot, however, misses nothing. We see him bring the suspects together for a finale although the final pronouncement is a highly personal one. An excellent read that really does stand the test of time (written in 1926) and the first Agatha Christie novel to be dramatised for stage (as 'Alibi'). Not to be missed and best devoured in one sitting. You will not be disappointed.

I am quite a fan of dame Agatha's and have read many of her books, particularly those of Hercule Poirot. This started reasonably run of the mill murder in a study, with the narrator changing from Hastings to a doctor Sheppard. Christie then goes on to describe through Sheppard each character in the book, their potential motives and what they were doing at the time of the murder and it is here where things get really interesting. What sets this book above many of the excellent other Christie books is the twist at the end and the change in format to her other books. Highly recommended

I had a great time reading Enid Blyton books in my bedroom when I was growing up and now approaching the opposite side of my life I decided to take on my first Agatha Christie murder mystery novel and I was well up for it after getting the impression beforehand that this is considered to be one of her finest books. The first few chapters lived up to expectations but then I noticed maybe the plot was not totally to my preferred liking. One example being the fact that despite a murderer very possibly being still at large in a large household of people there did not appear to be any concern whatsoever throughout the story that the killer could strike again. I had a suspicion who the murderer would be at about the halfway point and the plot went on ponderously to its likely conclusion. I still like the quirky appealing book names and will read another Agatha Christie mystery again when I feel ready and I will be better prepared for a more satisfying experience next time round.

Marmite. Love it or hate it. No, sorry. I know people love this but I hate stories with unreliable narrators. I feel cheated. The author deliberately leaves out the information that would give the reader a fair chance of reaching a conclusion alongside Hercule Poirot.. I don't find this clever, I find it annoying.There's not much I can say without spoilers.A widow dies from an overdose of barbiturates and the following day Roger Ferrers, the man she was going to marry, is murdered by a knife to the neck. There's an obvious suspect but his fiancee is convinced he didn't do it and asks Hercule Poirot, recently 'retired' to the village, to investigate. Nothing is quite what it seems.