"He pointed a dramatic forefinger.Everyone's head turned."
‘The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd’…sounds like a typical mystery read, doesn’t it? Well, well, if I say it is something quite out of bound the imagination of an ordinary mind, I hope I’m not giving any spoilers in there!!
Set entirely in King’s Abbot, a small ordinary village, the
novel begins with the death of Ackroyd’s lover, and a few chapters later,
Ackroyd is dead too but, the same village has been chosen by none other than
our dear Hercule Poirot as his retirement place. With the case brought to him,
Poirot gives retirement a pass and goes on the mystery’s scent.
Narrated by Dr.Sheppard, a friend of Ackroyd, the novel is
beautifully planned, with the author even taking us through the “Who’s who in King’s Abbot”. A thing
brought out differently in the book, is the relationship shared between
Dr.Sheppard and his sister Caroline. Christie has beautifully managed to keep
the focus on the murder yet give some time to the cute brother-sister duo.
Hercule Poirot, with his rather egg-shaped head, twinkling
eyes, and wagging finger, with his moustaches and orderly style, is the star as always. From his esteemed opinion of
himself, to him being “Papa Poirot” for
someone who needs a bit of help confessing, the hot chocolate-loving detective
is rather too cute to be one.
Laura Thompson’s introduction and concluding note provide
many peppy facts about the book.
Christie’s style with its satire, its comic elements, and the
beauty with which she uses figurative language to paint each character, and in
turn, each scene, is something to be savoured.
‘And Then There Were
None’, ‘The Murder on the Orient
Express’ and now ‘The Murder of Roger
Ackroyd’ (in order of the World’s
Favourite Christies), Agatha Christie always manages to keep her readers
hooked right from the start till the end. The solutions provided are always
equally unexpected and enthralling. Not for once does Christie lose her charm!
As you reach to the story’s end, the ingenious revelation
will leave you with no reaction except a baffled “Whaat!!”
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