# The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

> A retired industrialist is found stabbed in his study, and Hercule Poirot comes out of quiet seclusion to investigate, in the Agatha Christie novel routinely named one of the finest detective stories ever written.

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## About
In the sleepy village of King's Abbot, a wealthy man is found dead at his desk on the very evening he learned a devastating secret. Hercule Poirot, hoping to grow marrows in retirement, is drawn back to the work he was born for.What it's aboutThe Murder of Roger Ackroyd unfolds in a tight-knit community full of small secrets and long-held grudges. The story is narrated by Dr. Sheppard, the village physician, who becomes Poirot's confidant as the detective sifts through a household of relatives, servants and neighbors, each with something to hide. A blackmail plot, a suppressed inheritance and a web of alibis all converge on a single evening, and Poirot must reconstruct the truth from a tangle of half-told stories. To say more would spoil one of the most talked-about conclusions in the genre.ThemesBeneath the puzzle lies a study of respectability and concealment, of how a comfortable English village hides its debts, its desires and its lies behind lace curtains. Christie explores the reliability of the people who tell us stories, and the assumptions readers bring to a narrative. The novel is fascinated by observation and self-deception in equal measure, and by the quiet cruelties that ordinary people are capable of when cornered.Why it still mattersPublished in 1926, this is the book that made Agatha Christie's reputation and remains a landmark of detective fiction, frequently voted the best crime novel ever written. Its ingenuity changed what readers thought the form could do, and it is still studied, argued over and imitated. Scrupulously fair to its audience, it plays the game of clues with dazzling honesty while pulling off a masterstroke of misdirection. For anyone who wants to understand why Christie towers over the genre, this is essential reading.Who it's forA must for every mystery lover, from newcomers to lifelong devotees of golden-age crime. Readers who prize clever construction, fair-play clues and a genuinely surprising ending will find it unforgettable.

Sources and references
Verified references for this edition: Open Library, WorldCat, Agatha Christie on Wikipedia.

## Specifications
- author: Agatha Christie
- publisher: DotBooks
- imprint: DotBooks
- synopsis: One of Christie's most celebrated Poirot mysteries, built around village suspicion, sharp deduction, and a famously daring structure.
- language: en
- binding: Perfect Bound
- pages: 248
- format: paperback
- oclc: 180940676
- openlibrary: OL471932W