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  • The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

  • By: Agatha Christie
  • Narrated by: Hugh Fraser
  • Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,566 ratings)
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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd cover art

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

By: Agatha Christie
Narrated by: Hugh Fraser
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Summary

Roger Ackroyd knew too much. He knew that the woman he loved had poisoned her brutal first husband. He suspected also that someone had been blackmailing her. Now, tragically, came the news that she had taken her own life with a drug overdose.

But the evening post brought Roger one last fatal scrap of information. Unfortunately, before he could finish the letter, he was stabbed to death.

©1926 Agatha Christie (P)2002 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, London UK

Critic reviews

"The acknowledged queen of detective fiction." (Observer)

"A classic, the book has worthily earned its fame." (Irish Independent)

What listeners say about The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved It

I didn't know this book before I listed to it and it was a pure delight. The plot was excellent but since we are talking Agatha Christie that is no surprise. The reader, Hugh Fraser, was superb and carefully defined each character well so you always knew who was speaking. The books pace was perfect and left me wanting more. Terrific stuff!

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A classic whodunit !

Hugh Fraser does an excellent narration of this Agatha Christie story. If you don't know the story, it really is an example of a mystery that will keep you guessing until the end and even if you do know the ending - it is great fun to spot the clues that Christie puts along the way.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Performance by Hugh Fraser as usual very good!
The story is one of my favourites!

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Look over there...

Hercule Poirot has retired to the village of King’s Abbott to grow vegetable marrows but, as we all know, wherever that man goes, murder is sure to follow. Roger Ackroyd is a wealthy man and a leading light in the community, but he’s not always generous to his many dependants. So when he is found dead in his study there are plenty of suspects. Dr James Sheppard is first on the scene of the crime and once Poirot becomes involved in the investigation the doctor finds himself acting as his unofficial assistant. It is through Dr Sheppard’s eyes that the reader follows the case.


Mr Ackroyd had been upset earlier on the day of his death by the news that wealthy widow Mrs Ferrars, with whom rumour suggested he was romantically involved, had died apparently by her own hand. At dinner that evening, he told Dr Sheppard that he’d received a letter from her which he hadn’t yet read. When his body is discovered later, no trace of the letter is to be found. Also missing is young Ralph Paton, Mr Ackroyd’s stepson, and when he fails to show up the next day suspicion quickly falls on him. Ralph’s fiancée, Mr Ackroyd’s niece Flora, begs Poirot to come out of retirement to prove Ralph is innocent. Poirot gently points out to Flora that if he takes the case he will find the truth, and if the truth turns out to be that Ralph is guilty, she may regret her request. Flora is sure of Ralph, though, so Poirot agrees. The local police know of his reputation and are happy to have him work with them.


Part of the fun is seeing Poirot and his methods through Dr Sheppard’s eyes. Though he’s amused by the detective’s appearance and mannerisms, Sheppard soon begins to appreciate that Poirot’s unusual methods often get people to reveal things that the more direct questioning of the police officers fails to elicit. Poirot is of a social standing to mix as a guest in the homes of the village elite and, since gossip is the favourite pastime of many of them, including Sheppard’s delightfully nosy spinster sister, Caroline, they make him very welcome in the hopes of pumping him for information. Sheppard also has inside knowledge of all the village characters and their histories, useful to Poirot and entertainingly presented to the reader. The gossip session over the mah-jong game, for example, is beautifully humorous – so much so that it’s easy to overlook any clues that might be concealed amid the exchange of titbits of information Caroline and her cronies have managed to gather.


Christie is always brilliant at misdirection, and this book may be her best example of that. Is it fair-play? Yes, I think so – I think there are enough clues to allow the reader to work it out, but they’re so beautifully hidden I bet very few readers will. However, unlike a lot of clever plotters, Christie always remembers that to be truly satisfying a mystery novel needs more than that. In this one, the Sheppards are really what make it so enjoyable – the doctor’s often satirical observations of Poirot and his fellow villagers, and Caroline’s good-natured love of gossip. Combined with Poirot’s little grey cells and eccentricities, they make this not only a triumph of plotting but a highly entertaining read too. And, as always, Hugh Fraser is the perfect narrator. Great stuff!

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great

Brilliant! Very engaging and a good mystery to solve! Well narrated and an enjoyable listen!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

The book was brilliant and kept me guessing until the very end. Very highly recommended.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A classic cluedo style romp

Set within the estate of a wealthy family close to a small village, we have the makings of a classic cluedo style Agatha Christie mystery. With Meetings in the billard room, clues in the study and a cast of characters each with their own little secrets that all come together to enable the detective to solve the identity of the murderer of Roger Ackroyd. Great stuff!!!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Murder Mystery.

Great murder mystery book.
Narrator did a brilliant job!!
Kept my interest throughout.
Would highly recommend.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Poirot again.

Another excellent Agatha Christie production of one of her most famous novels. Well read and produced.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliantly conceived plot; keeps one guessing!

Well narrated, a first class plot and a classic Agatha Christie. One of the best of the genre!

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2 people found this helpful