Set against the backdrop of the old English times, Roger Ackroyd is a wealthy man, suddenly murdered one night and his death becomes the talk of the town. His missing stepson Ralph Paton was suspected to be the murderer since he was to inherit lot of property from the former. Suspects are named randomly, including late Roger's second wife, the maids of the house, Flora (his relative who was to be engaged to Ralph) and many more. The murder is a complete mystery to the incompetent local police. Fortunately, though, the famous detective Hercule Poirot has just moved into King's Abbot and agrees to take on the case, even though he has already decided to retire from detective work.The beauty of the story is that the readers keep guessing the name of the murderer till the secret is revealed in the second last chapter by Hercule Poirot. This is certainly a masterpiece from Agatha Christie. No one could guess the murderer till the last chapter!
The book is a page turner!
Many characters are brought into the plot, making the story little tight and confused. That's when you start losing interest in the characters. However the number of characters are gradually cut down to minimum and the story grips you again. The second half is rather interesting when the suspects pass the test one by one. Imagine solving murder cases during an era sans mobile phone, apps, biometric scanners and tech gadgets. But Poirot does it beautifully, by solving the case of missing Dictaphone. What is a dictaphone? Well, read the novel to find out! I will not reveal the story here.
Narration is easy & interesting. Language is the usual Christie style. A thorough thriller this is! A must read for all Christie fans.
An easy 4 on 5 to this thriller novel.