There’s better than a good whodunnit. Unless it’s a whodunnit with an unexpected plot twist! The Murder of Roger Ackroyd has one of the best plot twists I have yet come across. Fear not, I’ve avoided spoilers in this review so you can have all the joy of reading it yourself, should you wish to.
Plot summary
Dr Sheppard is troubled by the suspicious death of one of his patients. He doesn’t want to admit it, but there’s something he’s not comfortable with. His hunch is confirmed when his friend Roger Ackroyd received a post-humous letter from the dead patient, claiming it will tell all. But alas! Roger puts off reading the letter that night. Dr Sheppard goes home, only to receive a telephone call hours later. Roger Ackroyd is dead!
The plot thickens when Roger’s erstwhile step-son is found to be missing. The butler is suspicious, Dr Sheppard’s sister is full of theories and even the maid has something to hide. Luckily for everyone (except the murderer), Hercule Poirot is ready to help.
Who killed Roger Ackroyd? You’ll have to read it to find out.
What I loved: the plot twist!!
I won’t spoil this but my gosh it was good! I was thoroughly enjoying the mystery, trying to figure out who it was and definitely not relishing the vintage country manor vibe. And then BAM! Not what I was expecting at all.
The whole book was enjoyable but the twist nailed it for me. So original and a very clever piece of writing. I don’t know what else I can say without ruining the surprise, sorry folks! Read it. You won’t regret it.
What I struggled with: wanting to read it again immediately
If I didn’t have other books waiting in the wings, I think I would have re-read this immediately. Just to figure out how she did it. I will have to revisit this one soon so I can trace with even more enjoyment the characters and Christie’s smoke and mirrors.
This is number 13 out of 20, with another book review to come next week as well. However, I’m starting to get into some of the longer books now, so this might slow me down. I hope so, otherwise I’m going to need more books. Wouldn’t that be a shame …
