CBR15 BINGO: You Are Here, because I got this book from my local library
I have long been a fan of Agatha Christie, and of Hercule Poirot in particular. I’m certain I read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd when I was a young teen, but I didn’t remember anything about it. Granted, it was a long time ago, but given that Roger Ackroyd is considered one of the most influential mystery novels of all time, I was surprised I couldn’t recall any of the details. Nevertheless, a blank slate makes for a much more satisfying read when it comes to mysteries!
Published in 1926, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is the third novel to feature Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Whereas the first two Poirot novels were narrated by his friend Captain Hastings, this one features a new character, Dr. James Sheppard. At the beginning of the novel, Sheppard has just come from certifying the death of Mrs. Ferrars. Sheppard’s sister Caroline, with whom he lives, proclaims with the type of authority reserved for busy-body-know-it-alls that Mrs. Ferrars was responsible for poisoning her husband a year previously and, therefore, killed herself out of guilt. Sheppard prefers not to talk about work with his sister, so he’s pleased to receive a dinner invitation from his friend Roger Ackroyd, who indicates that he has something very important to discuss.
After dinner with a collection of relatives and friends who may or may not be after Ackroyd’s money, Ackroyd tells Sheppard privately that he (Ackroyd) had been involved with Mrs. Ferrars for months and that he recently learned she was being blackmailed for having poisoned her husband (score for Caroline!). Alas, she did not tell Ackroyd the name of her blackmailer before she died. But wait. . .enter Parker, Ackroyd’s butler, with a letter from Mrs. Ferrars, written just before she killed herself. Surely this will reveal the name of the blackmailer! Ackroyd asks Sheppard to leave so he can read the letter alone. Duhn duh duhhhhhn.
If you’ve ever read a mystery, certainly you can guess that this is the last time we see Ackroyd alive. In fact, later that night, Sheppard receives a phone call from Parker indicating that Ackroyd has been found murdered. Testimony from various witnesses helps narrow the time of death, but is all the testimony reliable? Flora, Ackroyd’s niece, is engaged to the prime suspect and so hires the famous Hercule Poirot to help clear her fiancé’s name. With Hastings married and living in Argentina, Sheppard becomes Poirot’s de facto sounding board and chronicler.
This novel really is a wonderful mystery, and I see why it’s considered Christie’s masterpiece. The inclusion of Caroline, Sheppard’s sister, is inspired. She’s certainly annoying, but she’s priceless as a means of distributing clues and/or red herrings to Christie’s readers. As a reader I was torn between wanting her to shut up and wanting her to always spill more! And Poirot is his usual smooth, logical, charming self. He knows how to get info from his witnesses with little more than a tip of his bowler hat and a twinkle in his eye.
The only problem with reading a mystery that was so influential on the genre is that it was so influential on the genre. Nearly 100 years after publication, it’s difficult for this mystery to completely surprise its readers. Murder mysteries being so ubiquitous, it often seems that everything has been done (which doesn’t stop us fans from reading them, mind you!). But even with my wise-to-the-ways-of-mysteries perspective, I have to give Christie credit for keeping me off balance enough to always be in doubt.
I definitely recommend The Murder of Roger Ackroyd to mystery fans. Even if you guess the solution, or know the solution going in, it’s a worthwhile adventure with a cast of interesting characters, lots of misdirection, and first-rate narration.