The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie

In this Agatha Christie masterpiece, first published in 1926, the great detective Poirot has retired to King's Abbot, home of an old friend of his, the wealthy Roger Ackroyd. Despite hoping to remain anonymous, Poirot's peace is shattered when Ackroyd is murdered.

Dr Sheppard was at Ackroyd's house the night of the murder, and over the course of the investigation, he appears as Poirot's sidekick, since Hastings has married and is now living in Argentina.

The narrative is told from Dr Sheppard’s point of view as he documents the investigation, the sparks of genius from Poirot, and his famous little grey cells. As Hastings did before him, Sheppard gives insight into the workings of Poirot's analytical mind, as well as throwing light on the nuances of the suspects. Whilst Poirot sees them as pieces of the puzzle, Sheppard reveals them as people who are as flawed, as they are good.

Between the murder and the big reveal, the plot contains Agatha Christie's famous twists and turns. There are plenty of red herrings and many interpretations of the facts presented. This book is famous for its unusual and, at the time, innovative, ground-breaking ending. It is the kind of book you want to go back and read again once the killer has been revealed, to see if the clues do in fact, fit the revelation.

Christie's book are timeless, satisfying the need for a great whodunnit, as successfully as they did on first publication. Her ability to write twisting plots and multi-layered characters still captures the imagination of generation after generation.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was voted the best novel ever by the British Crime Writers Association in 2013. It would be a crime not to read it! It is my favourite of all the brilliant novels Agatha Christie wrote and is a treat for fans of this genre.

- Milly