This week’s book is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, one of my favorite Poirot stories! This novel was originally published in 1926, and was hailed as a turning point for the mystery genre.

Original Book

I remember reading this book as one of my first Agatha Christie books and being in shock for days afterward. I was telling everyone I knew about this book, it was that good. However, reading it again, I can see sections of the narrative, whether it be how someone reacted or someone’s exact choice of words, that clearly pinpoint who the murderer is. I’m DEFINITELY not going too into detail to prevent any spoilers, but there are several plot points and characters to introduce about this book. Captain Hastings has left for Argentina with his new wife, and Poirot has decided to retire from being a private detective and spend his time growing vegetables. The new narrator and assistant to Poirot in this book is Dr. James Sheppard. We are introduced to all of the characters fairly early on by Dr. Sheppard, including his sister Caroline, but we also learn about the 2 large houses in the village of King’s Abbot, including King’s Paddock and Fernly Park. King’s Paddock was owned by the late Mr. Ferrars and Mrs. Ferrars, his surviving wife who we discover killed herself in the beginning of the book. Fernly Park is home to Roger Ackroyd, a wealthy businessman. He lives there with his family, including his sister-in-law and niece, and adopted son Ralph, along with assorted housemaids and a buter (named Parker) and a housekeeper (Miss Russel). The story begins with Dr. Sheppard being invited to dine at Fernly Park by Roger Ackroyd that evening, where it is revealed that Flora Ackroyd, Roger’s niece, is engaged to be married to Ralph Paton, his adopted son. Later in the evening, Dr. Sheppard receives a telephone call from Parker, the butler at Fernly Park, that Roger Ackroyd is dead. It’s interesting to mention that Poirot is called in, not by Dr. Sheppard, but by Flora Ackroyd. The plot moves relatively quickly, with Poirot realizing that certain minor clues that no one else, even the murderer, paid attention to are crucial to bringing them to justice. Despite not going into the plot of the book too deeply, there are still many interesting themes that emerge that aren’t going to give too much away! These include:

1. Deception –  At one point in the novel, Poirot accuses everyone in Fernly Park of  having something to hide, and vows that he will discover each one’s secret. The secrets of each character are even hidden from each other. None of the characters appear to trust one another, even family members. There’s much more that can be said on this topic, but that would give too much of the story away! 
2. Eugenics – Agatha Christie has a common theme in her novels of “strands repeating themselves.” Say for instance, if someone in your family was a murderer, then it’s more likely you’ll be a murderer too. While that doesn’t occur as much in this text as some others, there’s a common occurrence of people having a “strain of weakness” in their character that can fault them. Many of the “professionals” in the novel do not listen to people who make these claims, except for Poirot. He does not automatically assume someone guilty simply because of a “strain” that may be repeated in their character, but he takes it into account. This is the beginning of one of Christie’s favorite tropes. 
3. Fear of Public Opinion – Many people this novel act based on what they feel people will say about them, despite if what they’ve done is evil or not. This leads to the deception that was spoken about  earlier, but it also helps feed the village gossip, which is also an important element of the book. People are forced to act in ways they would not ordinarily act simply to not bring shame upon themselves. 

David Suchet TV Version

This was not my favorite episode of the Poirot TV series for a few reasons. The first and most prevalent reason is that the narrative structure is completely changed. Granted, it definitely would’ve been difficult to portray the groundbreaking structure used in the novel version of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd on TV, I think there were other ways it could’ve been done. There were also small changes made to specific characters’ personalities that I felt should’ve not been tampered with. However, despite these small issues, I think this was a fairly accurate portrayal of the novel, but definitely no substitute for reading the real thing.

Final Thoughts

This is definitely one of my favorite Poirot novels, and probably one of my favorite Agatha Christie novels in general. Even knowing the solution, I enjoyed reading for clues and was even still surprised by a few things that I noticed! This is definitely not a story to miss, and a wonderful way to be introduced to what Agatha Christie does best. 

My Current Ranking 

1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 
2. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
3. Poirot Investigates 
4. The Murder on the Links