Product Description

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffat as Hercule Poirot. Mrs Farrars is found dead of an apparent overdose one year after the death of her husband. The villagers of King's Abbot are suspicious. The rumour is that she poisoned her husband and was in love with Roger Ackroyd. When he is found murdered the following day, there is little to go on. Luckily one of the newest residents who has retired to this normally quiet village is none other than Monsieur Hercule Poirot.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1329706 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-21
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio CD

From Library Journal

This novel, written in 1927, is considered the best and most successful of the early mysteries. It met with no small outrage when it appeared, as it uses a plot device many readers thought "unfair." There is a full complement of characters populating the cozy English village of King's Abbot: Major Blunt, Colonel Carter, Miss Gannett, the butler, the housekeeper, the narrator, Dr. Sheppard, and his know-it-all sister (the precursor of Miss Marple, according to Christie), and, of course, the redoubtable Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells. There are clues with a capital C to mislead us, and the listener gets so involved with these red herrings (or not) that the very simple truth eludes the puzzler. Venerable reader Robin Bailey keeps the light, almost comic tone alive, although his voices are not particularly differentiated, and often he rushes the reading of dialog. A classic of the genre and essential for any fiction collection. Harriet Edwards, East Meadow P.L., NY

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Christie's classic detective story of the murder of the man who knew too much is read in a classic British style by the late Robin Bailey. Bailey portrays the storyteller, Dr. James Sheppard, stoically and his co-investigator and new neighbor, Hercule Poirot, diplomatically. Listeners will quickly be embroiled in Ralph Paton's story, Mrs. Ferrars's suicide, the Tunisian dagger, and Ursula's tale. Bailey adds to the intrigue by using various accents, variable pacing, and a distinctive lightness of tone and pitch to distinguish the numerous male and female characters. Christie's complex plot maintains suspense, and Bailey's performance will totally immerse listeners in the British country-house experience. S.C.A. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Ingram
Outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare, Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time. Village rumor hints that Mrs. Ferrars poisoned her husband, but no one is sure. When the killer strikes again, master sleuth Hercule Poirot takes over the investigation. **MASS MARKET PAPER**

Customer Reviews

Totally surprised
This is the very first Agatha Christie book I ever read. I have to admit that I was completely surprised by its ending. I did not cast any suspicions to the real murderer at all until the plot was revealed. Lots of seemingly irrelevant facts are pieced together logically at the end. Highly recommend this book and will get more Agatha Christie books to read.

A Wonderful Book
The plot is awesome and it contains a great ending - that I did not see coming. A few things that make Agatha Christie great are: (1) her writing is lean and spare; (2) her characters all have an important role to play; (3) she has a sense of humor; and (4) there are no silly chase scenes or senseless violence. A thoughtfully written mystery.

Tops the others in many ways
When I first reached for the book I didn't expect it to be a controversial read. Six hours later, I was agape, in denial and most certainly scandalized. Without giving away the plot, suffice to say that Dame Agatha had written her ultimate masterpiece when she decided to write "...Roger Ackroyd".

For first-time readers: Don't be fooled by the length of the novel. The clues are there, sprinkled neatly and merrily along with the darned red herrings. You have to read it slowly, as it was with most of her novels.

The story: a doctor was called by Roger Ackroyd to discuss an important matter, but before he could divulge it further he was interuppted by the evening post. The matter was left there, and the doctor went home, seeing his host a bit disturbed. When he got home another call came in and announced that Mr Ackroyd was dead. Thus Poirot came into the scene and began nosing around. The solution was truly one of the most surprising in literature history.

The novel became the measuring rod for future mystery and detective novels, although its controversy is undeniable. My suggestion is that you ignore the controversy for the moment and concentrate on the story.