The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery
Ratings452
Average rating4.2
I had some trouble getting through this book because it was more the revealing of facts than it really was a story. Up until the very end I was pretty uninterested as to who had killed Mr. Ackroyd. And I do not want to be one of those people who are very proud that they guessed the correct murderer. Except I am, regrettably, and I did.
The identity of the murderer is really the only thing that made the novel interesting, which is unfortunate since it is at the very end. So the whole thing was quite boring until the last couple of pages. I am glad I have read it but it wasn't what I had hoped it would be.
My first Agatha Christie!
We listened to this mystery on a recent car trip.
The big question is...What do I think of Agatha Christie? Well, I was surprised. Christie offered a lot of suspects, and I didn't even suspect who-done-it. The characters were all rich and well-fleshed-out. The story provided a lot of subtle humor.
Well done, Agatha.
When two deaths rock a small village, they are shocked. But when a third person turns up dead, this time murdered, the gossips are out in force. Roger Ackroyd, a wealthy member of the community, is seemingly murdered behind a locked door, and no one can figure out who would have wanted him dead.
As clues begin to emerge, blackmail becomes one of the apparent motives for one of the previous deaths, but how does that play into the death of Mr. Ackroyd, and why?
Detective Poirot, although retired, is asked to look into the case, and as he begins to dig, every person in the house seems to have a motive.
This book - just wow! I could not stop! I had to know who the killer was, and in the end, I was almost surprised at the culprit. I had some suspicions, but they seemed to be pointing every other way but to the actual killer. I absolutely LOVED this one!
Pe de o parte imi place foarte mult stilul ei si cum fiecare detaliu este bine gandit, dar pe de alta parte, simt ca Agatha a trisat un pic aici :)
J'ai vu plusieurs adaptations d'Agatha Christie, mais je n'avais lu que « Ils étaient dix » d'elle. Voici donc mon premier Poirot! C'est sûr que par bien des aspects, l'histoire et le style sont un brin vieillots. Mais ce n'est pas pour rien que cette autrice est la reine des « whodunnit » : l'enquête est prenante, on se laisse prendre au jeu d'essayer de deviner le/la coupable pour en bout de ligne se dire que malgré les indices (maintenant évidents), on n'aurait jamais trouvé.
J'ajoute que j'ai eu de la chance, je n'avais jamais vu d'adaptation de cette histoire alors la surprise a été totale!
Christie proves again why she's the master of mystery. Making the twist always surprising but then making perfect sense afterwards. The case in this one was just less interesting to me than some of the others, but the ending delivered!
9/10
I picked this up over the weekend hoping it would be a relaxing break, and boy, was it! Tons of wily characters, twists and turns, and a really impressive conclusion. One of my favorite Poirot novels so far!
Agatha Christie was such a queen and Hercule Poirot is my everything. 4 little grey cells out of 5.
A great story that I think would be very satisfying to anyone who likes a good whoddunit murder mystery. It is hard to describe in a spoiler-free way why it is so good, therefore Spoilerhidden from the eyes of those would would like to keep themselves unspoiled, I can say here it is an amazing example of an unreliable narrator. As it is said in the epilogue, we are not as much mislead as facts are elided in a masterful way.
I saw it coming.
Not as engaging as the previous Poirot books I read. Hastings, you were missed, mate.
Fantastic book and somehow perfect for the current times.
I listened to this on audiobook and it turns out this might be the perfect genre for audiobook. It felt like an old play you listen to on the wireless.
Such a brilliant ending, when the reveal came I actually paused the reading so I could spend some time gasping in wonder.
Non ci sono tante parole che potrei dire per non rovinare qualcosa, posso dire che me l'ha fatta alla grande (di nuovo) la cara Agatha Christie. É solo il terzo libro che ho letto di questa autrice, ma tra Assassinio sull'Orient Express e 10 Piccoli Indiani, questo é decisamente quello che mi ha divertito di più leggere. Lo consiglio vivamente.
A very clever mystery, with great characters and an interesting narrator in Dr. Sheppard, and I actually greatly enjoyed Poirot in this one. (I've been somewhat irritated by Poirot in some of Christie's other books, preferring Miss Marple, but apparently retirement to the country to grow vegetable marrows suits Poirot nicely.)
Enjoyed it a lot. Would have enjoyed it even more if my copy weren't literally molding. Ack!
Brilliant. Poirot's little grey cells are almost superhuman. I never guessed the identity of the killer up till the last moment.
I always have a soft spot for Christie. I figured it out a hair before Poirot fully told us but that did not hurt the reading experience in any way.
After loving my first Christie novel And Then There Were None, there was no doubt that I would be reading more of her works - I especially wanted to get acquainted with her Poirot books. However, I just couldn't make myself give a break between the reads and immediately decided to pick this up because it came with some amazing recommendations from my dear friends. And wow were they not wrong.
The author's writing skills are even more at display here. The beginning gives us such small town gossipy feels that we get into a false sense of security... and once the murder occurs, we are thrust into the lives of all those who are associated with Roger Ackroyd and might gain something by his death. Told through the perspective of the town's doctor, the story makes us piece together the timeline, and then makes us question the sequence of events all over again. Poirot is a fascinating personality and his nature of keeping the cards close to his chest, only revealing them little by little at opportune times was lots of fun to read. He is also not exactly condescending, but is definitely not above some humble bragging about his superior investigative process. I have come to realize that the author loves her big reveals and that's exactly what we get here too. I was never going to guess the murderer anyway, and the highly dramatic way Poirot reveals the truth both shocked and completely delighted me. Once the murderer is revealed, it all seems obvious but the author never gives us easy clues throughout the story, and that's what I guess makes her such a popular author.
Another book that I can't sing enough praises about, this is a very interesting story that gets its hooks into you pretty quickly and you just can't put down until you know the truth. Definitely a must read and I highly recommend to all mystery lovers (like me who are new to discovering the joy of Agatha Christie). I also know that I'm going to read many more books in this series this year, because there's no way I can resist. And catch up on the TV show right alongside them.
Raced through it as expected. I might be discovering Agatha Christie way too late but man am I enjoying it.
Can't say I thought it was good as some of Christie's other books (Death on the Nile, And Then There Were None) but the reveal of the murderer at the end was unexpected (as it always is!)