
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Original Classic 1926 Edition)
A Hercule Poirot Mystery
Author: Agatha Christie
Narrator: Sean Pratt
Unabridged: 7 hr 46 min
Format: Digital Audiobook Download
Publisher: Maple Spring Publishing
Published: 08/26/2025
Synopsis
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, first published in 1926, is often considered to be her masterpiece. In 2013, the British Crime Writers’ Association named it the best mystery of all time.
This novel is the third to feature Christie’s famous detective Hercule Poirot. Vain, charming, and brilliant, the Belgian sleuth makes his way to the English village of King’s Abbot to live a life of retirement and gardening.
Poirot’s peace is disturbed when a local gentleman, Roger Ackroyd, is found murdered in his study. Clues include a vanished letter, a scrap of cambric cloth, a goose quill, and an elaborately tooled Tunisian dagger.
We follow Poirot, aided by the village doctor, James Sheppard, as he traces his way through a tangle of suspects that include Ackroyd’s sister-in-law, niece, secretary, adopted son, and housemaids—all of whom appear to have motives for killing him.
In this irresistibly engaging work, longtime Christie fans and novices alike will find all the delights of her inimitable mysteries: a quirky and sharply drawn cast of characters with complex and ambiguous agendas, a quaint rural setting, and above all a masterful use of misdirection to keep the reader puzzled and enthralled to the end.
Today, nearly 100 years after its first publication, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd retains the power and charm of a work that combines tight plotting with an exploration of the complex and often contradictory motives that drive human nature.
Christie’s novel highlights the innate fascination of the mystery genre, embellished by her own unique genius. Every lover of mysteries—and of great writing—will find a dive into The Murder of Roger Ackroyd richly and immeasurably rewarding.