Synopsis: Roger Ackroyd is found murdered, stabbed in the back. Dr. James Sheppard, a local doctor, and Hercule Poirot investigate the case.
Review: Well. I certainly didn’t see that coming!! This book was just OK for me, and the only thing that made it memorable was the twist ending.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is different from previous Hercule Poirot books in that Hastings is not in this book, and since we don’t have Hastings around, Dr Sheppard, a local doctor, narrates the book.
I have to say that I miss Hastings! I miss his chasing of the ladies, I miss his humor, and I miss his wrong instincts and his interactions with Poirot. But, even though I missed Hastings, I thoroughly enjoyed Dr Sheppard and especially his sister, Caroline.
I won’t say too much about the plot here, but there is a massive twist, and up until the twist I was thinking the book was pretty bland. I just didn’t care why Roger Ackroyd had been killed, or who-dun-it. And after finishing the book I still don’t care, although the way Christie plotted the story was great. I just didn’t have any emotional connection to the characters (besides Poirot), and that is why I just didn’t love this one.
As soon as I finished the book, I looked online to see how this one ranked in terms of “Best Agatha Christie Novels” and was SHOCKED to see it at the top of the list (Time, The Top Tens, and The Guardian). I just don’t see it (sorry!!!), and I would elaborate but due to spoilers, I won’t, as this book deserves to be read without any hints whatsoever.
Bottom Line: An OK mystery with a surprise ending.
Do you agree with me? Was I just not blown away because of all the twist endings that are popular now? Is this your favorite Poirot?
luvtoread 
That’s really interesting! This one has been on my tbr list for a while, after I finished And Then There Were None (which I loved) – there was a lack of character depth in that one too, but I thought it made for more suspense. Really, I just wanted to find out who the killer was quickly.
I’ll give this one a read soon 🙂
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I’ve heard so many wonderful things about And Then There Were None, and that one always pops up towards the top of “the best Agatha Christie books”. Since that one is a non-series book, I could possibly read that sooner rather than later. I’m trying to read the Poirot books in order, and then I want to move on to the Miss Marple books.
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Yeah, I definitely recommend reading And Then There Were None 🙂 After Poirot and Miss Marple maybe?
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I definitely hope to !! So many books, so little time!! 🙂 I’ll be on the lookout for the book at library book sales / garage sales, etc. Once I find it, it will be my time to read it!
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I read this years ago, can’t remember who and why and all that, but I can remember who-did-it.
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Yeah – the ending is just so memorable! I definitely think this is one I’ll remember who-dun-it in a few years time, which is saying alot, because normally I can’t remember anything about mysteries I’ve read. I read them and poof! they are gone. There are a few that stick with me, and I think this will be one that sticks.
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