THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD
by Agatha Christie
I wish I’d written this ...
... because what a twist!
My expectation upon delving into THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD was that it'd be like a game of Cluedo. I was right. Wow, though, what a game! A terrifically well-written "whodunnit," it turned me into a Christie fan by the end of the first chapter, and my previous disinterest in Hercule Poirot has been supplanted by a desire to read his every case. He's a wonderful character! This particular novel is often listed as Christie's best. It has a superb twist that I imagine was a real shocker back when the book was first published. I can well understand why she's so highly regarded and, on the basis of this marvellous story, I'll certainly be reading more of her work. I'm interested to see how formulaic it is and for how long the formula can hold my attention. Also, damn, I want that formula!
The first paragraph
From the publisher
Agatha Christie’s most daring crime mystery — an early and particularly brilliant outing of Hercule Poirot, THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD, with its legendary twist, changed the detective fiction genre for ever.
Roger Ackroyd knew too much. He knew that the woman he loved had poisoned her brutal first husband. He suspected also that someone had been blackmailing her. Now, tragically, came the news that she had taken her own life with a drug overdose.
But the evening post brought Roger one last fatal scrap of information. Unfortunately, before he could finish the letter, he was stabbed to death ...
