Book Club

Poirot Stories

Poirot is Agatha Christie's most famous and popular detective.  No doubt he would agree that he deserves that accolade!

Here is the place to discuss all of his stories in detail with other fans.  The most insightful comments will be added to the Stories pages.  But remember to beware spoilers!

If you can't find your favourite Poirot story here, don't worry - we'll be adding them all soon.

Warning: These discussions may contain spoilers!

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Jemma 05 Sep 09 at 10:59 a.m. GMT

With this book Christie broke all the rules. But it ensured her place at the front rank of British crime writers. Is it an unfair trick on the reader?

The backdrop is an English village, a country house, the murder scene, with everyone under suspicion – even the butler. Does the conventional setting make the unexpected even more surprising?

Is the surprise twist at the end the most controversial plot device in all crime writing?

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42 replies

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ac3011 10 May 12 at 3:05 p.m. GMT

I definitely do not agree that the plot was unfair.If u go through the novel for a second time u realise that the murderer is actually the only one who could have done it all along.Most of the theories are based initially on his inputs only.So he cud easily have turned the case on his fancies.Also  christie does drop several hints (sheppard's reactions and activities and his class act narration).The killer is actually the only one with the brains,resources and motive and above all OPPORTUNITY in both Mrs Ferrars' and Ackryod's case.

Well ,well whatever i may say i couldn't guess it at the time AND ALMOST FELL OFF MY CHAIR when i read who actually had done it .

This is obviously one of its type but hats off to christie for creating this masterpiece.

BrigidM 13 Feb 12 at 7:39 a.m. GMT

I really liked this book and I do know the twist was a bit controversial but that was what really made it intresting. I had really never guessed but the fact that Sheppard was on the magazine's list of suspects did make me wonder, and I think, like someone else said, it might have been a potential spoiler. I liked the country house setting because you would think something classic like, "The butler did it!" but it was a completly different ending.

I think this book definetly should be more famous than it is because I think it is much better then some of Agatha Christie's more famous ones. I like the overdose of veronal at the end, and I can understand why he did it, but I think Caroline would have guessed soon enough, especially as he was her brother, which is a shame, because she was definetly my favourite character.

enessee 04 Feb 12 at 4:33 p.m. GMT

I have just finished reading this in the new partwork edition. After having started the book I looked at the magazine.  I was curious to notice that Dr Shepherd was in the illustration of suspects, and very sinister he looked too. That got me thinking. I still did not believe the author could possibly pull that off, but she did. I'm not sure it was a good idea to include the doctor in the illustration - potential spoiler. Also strange that Mrs Ackroyd was left out, despite appearing on the cover, looking very guilty,  with her hands in Mr Ackroyds drawers;-)

treplag 24 Jan 12 at 1:05 p.m. GMT

Fyi, it was called The Detection Club.

mumbojumbo 24 Jan 12 at 12:59 p.m. GMT

@ knottyceltic: The edition that  I read contained some background information on the book. Apparently there was some book writers club to which AC belonged along with other contemporary authors including Sayers. There were some rules members were supposed to adher to in order to ensure fair play, such as not resorting to exotic untracable poisons or identical twins. Some critics/ writers thought that the device used by AC in Accroyd breaking the  "fair play" rules and she was cheating her readers. Others disagreed, arguying that although the narration of the book is not done from an objective viewpoint, we still receive only facts (though not all of them).

You have to remember that although nowadays every other  book or movie has a twist ending, so we are hardly surprised by them any more, at the time the book was written this was pretty uncommon. I guess that today's readers (especially those that are aware of the fact that the book contains a twist) are quite likely to predict the ending.In the end, the ultimate test for a story with a twist ending is whether it is still enjoyable when you know/predict the twist. Roger Acroyd definitely is in my opinion. In fact someone had spoilt the ending for me beforehand (we were discussing AC books and he said have you read the one where...) but the plot was so well constrtucted that I was still fascinated by it. Naturally I would have enjoyed it more if I had not known the ending, so I am still mad at the person who spoilt it for me!

vespervent 15 Jan 12 at 7:39 p.m. GMT

Well... after consistent reading, and weaving around exams, I've finished it! What a read. I can't believe how interesting, twisting and exciting the novel was! Cannot wait to read the next one, Murder On The Orient Express!

kierancglandregan 13 Jan 12 at 6:49 p.m. GMT

'The Agatha Christie Book Collection' is truly a wonderful way to come across Christie. I was in my newsagents only the other day, and saw the magazine selling for £1.99. Admittedly I had heard of her, but never read her novels. I have begun to read this book and am extremely intrigued already, and I am only on chapter 3. She creates a pleasantly creepy feeling of impending disaster quite successfully. Contrary to belief amongst conceited and jealous critics, she is not another rubbish commercial writer like Jilly Cooper, but is a wonderful observer. I am 14 and am growing amongst stupid apes, so to have found her ingenious novels really is an escape. Can't wait for the next issue!

vespervent 08 Jan 12 at 3:37 p.m. GMT

Well.... I am reading this book, as I got is as part of 'The Agatha Christie Book Collection', and I am rather enjoying it. Only being a few chapters in, I shall not read the thread for fear of spoilers. However, I particularly enjoy the idea that, even though there has been a death, I am reading the tale of Roger Ackroyd with the expectancy of knowing him to die. This creates an iconic image for the reader, in the sense that it makes the reader question... 'when'.

roberrrrto 19 Dec 11 at 9:59 a.m. GMT

Though I didn't completely get my head around how he did it, I believed right from the beginning that Dr Sheppard was the blackmailer and murderer. I had heard numerous people aswell as reviews saying it was amazing and that the last few chapters were 'mind-boggling' because of how old this book is, and because it has a high reputation it made me question things even more then I usually do within an Agatha Christie book. Even though I had this firm belief in my mind from very early on I still thourougly enjoyed the book and I liked how everyone had something to hide. Even if I did suspect Sheppard I couldn't figure out why the chair had moved or what had happened with the phone call. 

I'm now going to shut off most of the world untill I have read her completed works... this may take a while.

Ponsonby 06 Dec 11 at 7:03 p.m. GMT

Christie deserves credit--that I don't believe she receives--for her role in advancing the art of narrative. Stories told over the centuries have for the most part been linear and straightforward; Christie played with those conventions, and did so not as dry experimentation, but with great popular success. "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" may be the prime example of her flair for breaking with tired old traditions (but it's far from being the only example!)

carlotta_adams 23 Nov 11 at 5:32 p.m. GMT

WE need to suspect everyone, not just Poirot doin all the work! Love the mentions of Hastings, and Poirot asking Sheppard if he likes girls with auburn hair!

LauraPoirot 12 Nov 11 at 6:28 a.m. GMT

I think so, too. There's nothing unfair at it since I re-read it a few times and while knowing who the murderer is, every little detail pointed in that direction. It's just the thing that noone could believe that the narrator (and furthermore such a cool one) can be the murderer. But as I read the comments which said "it's unfair he was free of suspicion" and what all else I thought hey listen to Poirot! He says always he suspects everyone and this is what the reader should do too if he sereously wants to guess correctly. At this I absolutely agree with  Dorothy L. Sayers who was mentioned so kindly in GKCfans post. =)

carlotta_adams 12 Nov 11 at 4:01 a.m. GMT

i think is was an awesome trick to play on us, the readers. we still had the means to figure out the murderer, like facts and stuff, but we were all caught completely off-guard. we just had to use the little grey cells!

carlotta_adams 12 Nov 11 at 3:59 a.m. GMT

I nearly had a heart attack when i found out it was Sheppard (aka ME). Laughed a lot at the vegetable marrow incedent in chapter 3!

bfmlk 22 Jul 11 at 2:15 a.m. GMT

I just finished this one today and I had NO idea who the murder was going to  be. Most of the time I have a thought as to who it might be...not this time. Great story! I did get a kick out of Dr Sheppard's sister Caroline!

ErkutSoyer 15 Jul 11 at 8:17 a.m. GMT

I knew the murderer before but I can't believe.When I finished book I say ''Christie broke all the rules.She trick us.''.Everbody can be murderer.Everybody is suspicious.Ralph Paton,Charles Kent...Think like a murder.The Murder of Roger Ackroyd in 3rd best book of Poirot.But 4th book of Agatha Christie.Also it is my 4rd book.I recommend to everybody!

Quin90 15 Jul 11 at 6:22 a.m. GMT

I sooooooo loved Dr.Sheppard!?To think that he was behind it all along really shocked and hurt me.I can't really say who I was expecting the murderer to be but he was definitely not on my list of suspects.I thought he was definitely sort of similar to Capt.Hastings and thought it was going to end that way,with him narrating the end of the story.

There was disappointment of course but this was surely a Poirot story worthy of being one of the best!!?

Hercuel_Poirot_7 29 Jun 11 at 6:20 p.m. GMT

No. I think the one at "One, two Buckle my Shoe".

Mr_west 06 Jan 11 at 8:02 p.m. GMT

one of my favorite christie's and one of my favorite book!

perferct, that's the word. 

character, AMAZING

plot, BRILLIANT

murderer, THE BIGGEST TWIST EVER.

i thought it was Mrs. Ackroyd, she look to wierd.

yet, the only thing i hated about this book and will always hate, is  Caroline poor ending.

i hope she will never guess what happen, but i afraid she will, she will discover that her brother was the killer, maybe she even know it before Poirot tell him he know that, remember wht she said to him: that without her he could get into troubles.

if you sak me, she know, maybe right after the murder.

Tommy_A_Jones 28 Dec 10 at 3:25 p.m. GMT

I have never liked this book because of the ending which I thought was unfair when I read it, It was one of the first I read but I am sure it wasn't the first or I wouldn't have persevered with Agatha Christie books, I will re-read it to see if |I like it regardless of the ending, I think the Adaptation is brilliant but after reading that people think it needn't have been done that way I wish it had been done more like the book but having said that Selina Cadell, Oliver Ford Davies and others were excellent.