Rating:  Summary: A Stunner Review: This is the Agatha Christie novel that had both her competitors and critics crying foul at the solution to the crime--but although the book has its weaknesses, the solution is not one of them. THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD remains one of the most startling novels in the entire murder mystery genre, and it should be very near the top of any murder mystery fan's reading list.Told from the point of view of a village doctor, ACKROYD opens with a suspicious death--and this is followed by the murder of Ackroyd, a wealthy local who learns more about the suspicious death than it is wise to know, and whose death draws Hercule Poirot to investigate. This is not actually one of Christie's more smoothly written novels; most of the characters (excluding Caroline, the village gossip, who is a delight) seem more than a little flat, the narrative drags a bit here and there, and the plot is extremely tricksy... but the conclusion is a stunner, perhaps the single most famous plot twist of Christie's long and revered career. An absolute must read!
Rating:  Summary: One of the BEST I have read ever !! Review: Hello, This was the first book I had read by Agatha Christie, this was suggested to me by my Uncle. Really an excellent one to start with and the best of Agatha Christie she is just too good for murder mysteries. After this book I have never read any other than hers almost all, This book provides you with great descrption on the murder and the characters involved but one will not be able to say who the murderer is till the very end. A MUST FOR ONE WHO LIKES MURDER MYSTERY.
Rating:  Summary: A murder case with a twist in the end Review: "...Roger Ackroyd" is, like the Orient Express, famous for its conclusion. It has a twist which few readers, if any, could have guessed beforehand. For that alone I'm giving it 4 stars. Not 5 because even though the story is good, I dont think it deserves the full 5 stars. Its a typical English countryside murder which Agatha Christie is famous for. There is something about the English countryside that attracts crime writers to it. Perhaps it is the chilling fact that the genteel and peaceful facade of the country sometimes hides a hypocritical and evil nature of some of its populace. You'd expect this in the cities but not in Warmsley Heath or Meadowbank or wherever. "I wouldnt have thought that nice Mrs So and So down the street poisoned her husband. Gosh! The very idea!" Well, a woman did poison her husband. Someone found out and is blackmailing her. Roger Ackroyd knows who the blackmailer is. Roger Ackroyd is found dead. Enter Hercule Poirot. This book has been equally praised and criticised. It is praised for its audacity and ingenuity in fooling the reader and criticised for its mediocre style of writing. I do agree that Agatha Christie is not really a good writer per se but she is a good MYSTERY writer. She may be accused of writing poor dialogue and filling her books with one-dimensional characters, but she makes up for it by giving her readers damnably tricky conundrums. I suppose she can be compared to Tom Clancy. Clancy's prose makes the reader roll his/her eyes sometimes but damn it, he can write a battle scene! As can Christie when it comes to a murder mystery. This novel is one of her greatest conjuring tricks and is worth subsequent reads to find out how Christie deceives her readers. The story is straightforward enough but it is the twist in the end that leaves the reader going, "Well, I'll be darned..."
Rating:  Summary: One of her Best!!!!!!! Review: I am an avid Agatha Christie fan and this novel was exceptional! This surpasses Murder on the Orient Express and Ten Little Indians BIGTIME! If you love Agatha Christie's novels, then you MUst read this. The ending is so masterfully written. This book really showcases Christie's genius for character.
Rating:  Summary: A decent book. Review: While I read this book, I found it rather, well, "blah." The characters weren't particularily interesting, the murder wasn't anything spectacular, the setting was unoriginal, etc. The writing consisted almost entirely of dialogue. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing really BAD about this book. But it's nothing very special either. Though I must admit, the ending was fairly unpredictable. The problem was that after going over the actions of the murderer before (he/she) was found out, most of them don't make sense. (He/she) did some pretty dumb things, things which no intelligent person who had commited a murder would do. So in general, I would describe this book as "decent." That's all. On a side note this is the first Agatha Christie novel I've read. I don't plan on reading another in the near future.
Rating:  Summary: Why o why has it got five stars? Review: I have always been one of the few who do not think this is Agatha Christie's best book, ro even among them. The plot in itself is pretty average, many of the characters boring. the murder is not at all original. The only thing which is brilliant (and i do mean. it is the best device i've ever read) is the final and stunning twists at the end. it is the best twist i have ever read, and suspect i will EVER read. So so so good. But then, no book deserves five starts for a simple twist. Apart from the end, this book is pretty average.
Rating:  Summary: Agatha Christie's best Review: I agree with the reviewer from Florida. I have probably read about 30 Agatha Christie books and there are about 5 or so which stand out as among her best, but it's a debatable point to say which among them is THE best. It really depends on your personal preference. But that is excluding The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. It is her only book which stands head and shoulders above the others. If you have not read Agatha Christie do not make this your first choice...read a couple of her classics first (ABC Murders, Mirror Crack'd, And Then There Were None, Murder in Retrospect,...) and then read this one. By far the best plot and great character development. Enjoy
Rating:  Summary: Great book Review: This is probably one of Agatha Christie's best books. It has a great ending that always keeps you guessing. Just when you thought you had it all figured out new clues make you change your mind.
Rating:  Summary: The Best of AC!!! Review: I've read several reviews that say something like, "Not the best Agatha." I would strongly disagree. Of the 80 or so novels writen by Christie, I've probably read about half of them. Not surprisingly, the books that get the most hype were on my list: Murder on the Orient Express, ABC Murders, And Then There Were None, etc. etc. Of the Christie "classics", The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is the best. This novel has all the attributes of a great mystery: suspense, vibrant characters, Hercule Poirot, unpredictability, and a jaw dropping ending.
Rating:  Summary: Review Review: This 1926 novel, Christie's masterpiece, is a justly celebrated tour de force of misdirection, with Christie walking a highly risky tightrope. It is much to Christie's credit that she is able to play perfectly fair-or, as Poirot says, 'Of facts, I keep nothing to myself. But to everyone his own interpretation of them.' Of course, this being an Agatha Christie-and her masterpiece-the reader's interpretation is certain to be wrong. The solution is Christie' best known, and certainly her most ingenious, use of misdirection and playing on the reader's expectations. As well as being ingenious, it is also emotionally disturbing in a particularly subtle way. The plot is-apparently-quite standard. The book is set in a small village, "King's Abbot, ... very much like any other village. Our big town is Cranchester, nine miles away. We have a large railway station, a small post office, and two rival 'General Stores'. Able-bodied men are apt to leave the place early in life, but we are rich in unmarried ladies and retired military officers. Our hobbies and recreations can be summed up in the one word, 'gossip'." This is the first depiction of village life-complete with gossip grapevine-in Christie, something that would become central to the long and indifferent series of Miss Marple novels. The squire, Roger Ackroyd, is stabbed to death in the study of his country house-although never stated as such, it is clear that the book is an effective parody of the generic detective story. Hercule Poirot, now in retirement and growing vegetable marrows, but growing disillusioned-'Can you figure to yourself, monsieur, that a man may work towards a certain object, may labour and toil to attain a certain kind of leisure and occupation, and then find that, after all, he yearns for the old busy days, and the old occupations that he thought himself so glad to leave?'-is called upon to investigate the case, assisted by the narrator, Dr. Sheppard, "a man of middle age, a doctor, a man who knows the folly and the vanity of most things in this life of ours", who, it seems to Poirot, "must indeed have been sent from the good God to replace my friend Hastings." Poirot's statement that "everyone has something to hide" is borne out, as the little Belgian detective unravels a complicated strand of secret marriages, mysterious strangers, blackmail, and three village tragedies. Poirot's detection relies on physical clues, for "a tongue is not enough. [The walls] would have to have also eyes and ears. But do not be too sure that these dead things are always dumb. To me they speak sometimes-chairs, tables-they have their message!" The clues are chosen with skill, and it would be impossible to improve upon the masterly juggling with times and alibis-relying on the now worn-out Dictaphone gambit (which is more convincing than in THE CANARY MURDER CASE of S.S. Van Dine, published a year later). Finally, Christie does not neglect the humorous side of the story. The tone is witty and malicious, and the characters vivid even for Christie: Miss Sheppard (a prototype for Miss Marple) and Mrs. Ackroyd are both genuinely funny, and the Mah Jong evening, where "a good deal of gossip is handed round at these evenings, sometimes seriously interfering with the game in progress", is a classic. This, then, is one of Christie's masterpieces-if not THE masterpiece.
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