Mostly Murders

Each one of you has something to hide. Come now, am I right?

If you know Hercule Poirot, you know that he is right indeed. In The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, you’ll find a group of suspects who all have something to hide, who all have a motive for murder, and who all had the opportunity to make away with Roger Ackroyd while he was alone in his study. And if you’re reading this for the first time, there’s a good chance you won’t be able to guess who the murderer is until Poirot reveals it to you at the end of the book.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a classic premise with a twist. A rich man is found murdered in his house on an evening when he was surrounded by family, friends and staff. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone is acting suspicious, making it difficult to predict who the murderer is. The tone is witty and sharp, and Poirot is unknown to the narrator, Dr. Sheppard, who for a long time thinks his new neighbour is a silly little hairdresser. The suspects are distinct types, the village gossip is unrelenting, the police are baffled and though there are clues, they are so cleverly obscured that most readers never guess the truth on their first read.

If you want a mystery where you can suspect everyone and still get the solution wrong, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a perfect choice. Agatha Christie was brilliant at letting the readers’ own assumptions misdirect them, and she does that perfectly in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, presenting a story that is both deceptively simple and fiendishly complicated.

Agatha Christie – Crime classic