Public reader discussion about The murder of Roger Ackroyd in the WeRead Catalog by Agatha Christie.
By pink_valley
Has anyone here figured out who the murderer is in this famous novel? I’m not sure, but I’d love to see if someone gets it right—would be pretty clever.
By Bear-Warm7833
Hey book people! I just wrapped up *And Then There Were None* and honestly, I’m obsessed—so good. I’m big on murder mysteries and trying to figure out who did it, so now I’m looking for my next read. Only problem: I’ve already seen *Death on the Nile* and *Murder on the Orient Express*, so the big twists don’t really surprise me anymore. And I kinda spoiled myself on *The Murder of Roger Ackroyd* while I was searching for something new… I’m still kinda mad at myself because I really wanted to go in blind and have it hit me while reading. What I’m craving is that twisty, mind-games kind of story—especially the “everyone’s trapped together and everyone’s suspicious” setup. I first got into mysteries through *Detective Conan*, so I’m chasing that same energy. Any recommendations? Help me find another one that’ll actually keep me guessing. 🕵️♂️📚
By HardcoverVolume74
I’ve been into detective stories forever, like since I was a kid. Agatha Christie’s Poirot is still one of my favorites (my mom totally got me into it), and starting last year I’ve turned it into a little summer thing where I read the Poirot books and also watch the ITV series, which I honestly really love. Anyway, here are my thoughts on the book, just in case there are spoilers ahead! Spoiler I just wanted to toss this out to other people who love books—have you ever had a reaction like this to something you read? And if so, do you have any recommendations for books that could give me the same vibe? I’m planning to read *Murder on the Orient Express* next. Thanks, and happy reading!
By Garden
I had this idea for a book club where everyone reads the same mystery, but nobody gets to the last chapter—then we all use deduction to figure out who did it. My only worry is that a bunch of mysteries basically tell you in the second-to-last chapter (or even earlier), and then the rest of the book is just dealing with the aftermath, so it doesn’t really match what we’re trying to do this time. I’m mainly looking for murder mystery stuff like *And Then There Were None* where the killer doesn’t get confirmed until the very end (like the epilogue), and it kind of just stops. Also, I’m aware *The Murder of Roger Ackroyd* does reveal the murderer near the end (pretty much last line of the penultimate chapter, IIRC), and I loved the twist, but it would basically wreck the whole “argue it out” part we were hoping for. I’m trying really hard to keep this vague and not spoil anything, so I’d appreciate recommendations that don’t give it away too soon. Super niche request, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask—thanks! Edit: if it’s revealed in the penultimate chapter, that might be okay too. We can just stop before then. Edit 2: This got way more attention than I expected—if you’re interested in doing this “guess the whodunnit” thing on your own, I made a subreddit for it: r/GuessWhoDunnit. But this club thing I posted is just for friends.
By notebookdeviate9725
Honestly, what do you think is better?
By tigerspring4467
Honestly, my go-to favorite is always *The Murder of Roger Ackroyd*. I love how the twists land and how the whole thing is put together. The first time I read it, I was genuinely shocked by the ending, like I couldn’t just move on. I ended up flipping back through and rereading parts to catch clues I must’ve missed the first time. That really got me hooked on detective stories. Also, it’s probably a little biased since it was the first Christie book I ever picked up, though I’ve read more since then and I still think this one holds up as my favorite. With how many books she wrote, it’s tough to pick, but I’m curious—what’s your favorite and why?
By moonafeared
I just finished reading *The Murder of Roger Ackroyd* and I’m honestly still impressed by how the whole mystery plays out. Since there aren’t that many characters, I thought I’d be able to follow everything easily. But then the story kept throwing in all these little maybes and turns, along with what felt like never-ending hints, and I couldn’t stop reading. I even went back a couple times near the end just to check I hadn’t somehow missed something. What really grabbed me was Dr. Sheppard as the narrator. At some points I caught myself thinking, “Wait… is he the murderer?” Mostly just because of where he’s standing in the whole setup. Then I pretty much talked myself out of it, since Mrs. Ferrars’ letter makes it pretty clear he’s not someone from Ackroyd’s place. Also, I couldn’t really see where a motive would even be coming from. I do have to say, the way Christie ties in the side stuff and the red herrings made the final answer feel way more shocking than I expected, but still pretty satisfying.
By GREENPOCKET
This sidebar looks outdated—could you please use the latest interface to find info about r/bookclub instead?
By cipher-letter1975
Man, this book was wild. I kept seeing it pop up as one of the most recommended murder mysteries, and everyone was like “you’ll never guess whodunnit.” I figured I could… and nope, not even close. The second-to-last chapter had me seriously hooked, because it felt different from a lot of other stuff in the genre. I get why people call it one of the best, maybe *the* best. All the way through, I was convinced Flora Ackroyd killed her uncle. It just felt like it fit—she kept pushing for Poirot to look into it, she was the last one who saw him alive, and she had a reason (the freedom thing). And when everything started pointing at Ralph, and Flora kept insisting it wasn’t him, that only made me feel more sure it was her. I just didn’t buy that she really loved him. Then it turns out the narrator was the one the whole time… and it’s basically the kind of twist I would never have called. Even though we only get his thoughts and everyone acts like he’s off-limits, he’s weirdly reluctant about anything that would actually give himself away. I’m still amazed. Christie definitely kept steering suspicion in a way you don’t notice until later—like the letter, how he doesn’t recognize Raymond but knows Kent right away, and how everyone else seems to be hiding something except him. Anyway, I loved it. I honestly don’t know if another murder mystery could beat this one.
By curiouspaperback3
I’ve already read Murder on the Links, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Murder on the Orient Express, and And Then There Were None, and I’ve watched Death on the Nile and A Haunting in Venice. Should I just go ahead and read this book too, or would it be better to wait for later?
By simpledragon
I’ve seen people say that TMRA is one of Christie’s best mysteries, but honestly it was one of the easiest for me. I figured it out pretty early, maybe around halfway through. Not in some random way—I just felt like she was giving such a clear, specific picture of who the murderer was, and the clues just line up too neatly. I don’t think I’m the only one who caught on like that, so I’m kind of surprised it’s considered one of her top mysteries.
By muglynx8739
I’m pretty interested in getting into this one since I’ve heard a lot of good things. But I saw on Wikipedia that it’s the third novel with Hercule Poirot as the main detective. So I’m wondering—do I *have* to read the first two before this? Am I going to miss out on character stuff or his backstory if I don’t? What do you think?
By wise_lake
This might be my favorite Agatha Christie too—right up there with And Then There Were None.
By RIVERMARBLE6
Maybe this is her best one. It’s another Hercule Poirot story, but the mystery is just ridiculously good, and the ending is the kind of “oh wow” moment people always bring up. The whole thing reads like a perfect cozy mystery—nothing drags, and even the little side bits (like that Mahjong get-together) somehow end up mattering. The pace never really lets up. I also really liked the setting. Kings’ Abbot feels like an actual little village, and Fernly is such a great manor house. The layout ends up being super important to how the mystery plays out. One detail I kept thinking about was how Poirot clocks that someone might be walking along a side path just to reach the summerhouse, not necessarily heading for the study window where Roger was. The vibe is kind of paranoid the whole way through, like you can’t quite trust anyone. Then the last chapters hit hard—pure dread mixed with this weird sense of awe. And Poirot getting the murderer to take their own life instead of facing the law? That part is honestly chilling. Poirot is clearly on top form. He keeps Dr. Sheppard and the rest of us in the dark while still dropping hints so later you’re like, “wait… I should’ve noticed.” Caroline Sheppard is kind of a proto-Marple type—fun gossip energy—and Miss Gannet really stands out too, especially in the Mahjong section. A lot of the other people are more “type,” but they still fit and work. That said, the biggest standout for me is Dr. Sheppard. He feels like a real person and not just a vehicle for the story. By the end I thought I understood him better than any other narrator before… and yeah, I was totally wrong. And the mystery? I know this one probably gets overhyped, but I really do think it earns the hype. The clues are tight, and when you re-read, it all clicks. Even the smaller “mysteries” are built really smart (like the two meetings connected to the summerhouse). Also, the way Dr. Sheppard tells the story is a big part of it—you keep realizing Christie is giving the reader stuff but the narrator isn’t saying everything directly. First time through, I definitely got played. Overall, I’d say this is my favorite Agatha Christie. It’s super easy to fly through, but it also kind of begs you to slow down and savor it on re-reads. One downside: if you guess the twist early, or if you already know it, I don’t think it hits nearly as hard as it does when you’re fully fooled the first time.
By Unwise
I don’t really get how Poirot thinks he’s protecting Caroline Sheppard from the hurt of learning her own brother, Dr James Sheppard, was the killer. He keeps her away from the last get-together of suspects, and then he basically gives Dr Sheppard the choice to take his own life so Caroline won’t hear the truth. But then wouldn’t Poirot tell the other suspects anyway (Ackroyd’s people), or are they just supposed to work it out since none of them get blamed? And with Caroline being the type who loves gossip, she’ll probably hear something from someone in the village. Plus she’s going to get super suspicious when her brother offed himself the very next day and still hasn’t said a word about what happened at Poirot’s meeting.
By Bucket-Bridge69
I’m a big Poirot/Agatha Christie person, so The Murder of Roger Ackroyd wasn’t exactly new to me. I’ve probably read it more than once already, and I’ve watched the TV version too. Still, somehow it was the most gripping thing I’ve read in a while. Even knowing the famous twist, it pulled me along. And I think it works just as well whether you’re spoiled or not. I kind of grew up with Christie in the background—my parents had this whole set of her books at home. They’re still around, hardcover, red, with those ribbons to hold your place. They always felt a little special compared to everything else, so even now I get that same “this is more wonderful” vibe when I think about her work. Christie can really spin a yarn. You blink and suddenly you’re halfway through, then it’s late and you’ve read way more than you meant to. And the whole murder setup is super “scientific” in a Poirot way, like he’s carefully picking it apart. It ends up being a really top-notch detective story—full of mystery, twists, and little surprises you didn’t see coming. I’m not going to get into the plot details, because it feels like it should be experienced without expectations. All I’ll say is that it’s one of those detective stories that’s different from the usual. Poirot himself is also great—he’s stubborn, fair, and kind of irritating in that pompous way, but in a fun way. There are little nods to Holmes and Watson too, which makes sense, and it honestly feels like Christie added something fresh to the genre with him. Poirot still holds up, and it’s easy to see why writers and filmmakers keep coming back to him. If you’re reading it for the first time, it’s just a proper mystery and one of Christie’s best. If you’ve already read it, it turns into more of a “follow the clues and ignore the obvious stuff” game, which is a lot of fun. It also works as a good intro to Poirot, since the narrator is basically standing in for you the whole time—similar to how Hastings does it earlier on. It’s been around for ages, but it still feels like it helped change the whole mystery-writing game. Not shocking that so many mystery writers have it up there as one of the best crime novels.
By field_simple
Okay, this is one of those things where I feel like I basically need spoilers to even ask it, so sorry in advance. I just finished my first Agatha Christie book today and I’m honestly stuck on one detail that’s bugging me. It feels like the murder was planned ahead, since the doctor had to go get both the knife and the shoes before Mr. Ackroyd even tells him that his fiancée was being blackmailed. I get that this is probably connected to why he killed him, but what I don’t understand is how the doctor could’ve known beforehand that he’d need to do all that. Am I missing something obvious? If anyone can clarify, I’d really appreciate it.
By Bookmark-Pink22
I kind of felt like I should’ve seen the twist coming, especially since there are those two intros that basically hint at it. I don’t want to spoil anything, but did anyone else clock it way before it happened? The weird part is that the invited intro writers seemed genuinely caught off guard, and that feels like it should’ve been a hint about what the twist was. Still, I thought it was really well done, even with everything she was dealing with personally at the time (like her first marriage ending in divorce, etc.). Curious what everyone thought—did it feel predictable to you, or actually shocking? ETA: I realize it might be more like “guessable” because it’s the kind of twist that feels very writer-y. Like the intro writers being surprised feels less like it’s random and more like it’s the sort of thing that would shock/delight a fellow writer. I might just be reading it wrong though 😅🤗
By whiteduck
Seriously, wow. This book was so good—Christie definitely topped my expectations again. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this much adrenaline from reading something before. I honestly had Dr. Sheppard as my suspect almost from the second Roger Ackroyd was found. To me, he just seemed like the most likely choice, and his alibi never felt that convincing. So yeah, I was pretty sure it was him… but I still couldn’t help getting that rush because I wanted to know if I was actually right. I did not expect him to end up killing himself, though. Has anyone else been able to tell from the beginning that it was him? The start felt a little slow, but that ending really knocked my socks off. Christie always finds a way to surprise me.
By Porch
I started this book and then, somehow, I ended up online looking up a few names. Before I even realized it, I clicked an article that basically dumped the killer info right out in the open. No warning, nothing. It kind of ruined the whole “what’s going to happen” feeling, and now I just can’t really bring myself to read it. Has anyone figured out a way to salvage it so it’s still exciting enough to get back into?