A young widow dies and a Dr is commissioned to find out if it's a case of pure suicide or a blatant murder.
The story is set in a village where only two houses are of primary importance: The house of Mr Roger and the other one that belongs to the young widow, left to her by her deceased husband. Mr Roger, himself is also a widower and a stepfather.
The friendship between the two was quite evident for a town filled with gossip mongers, but after the death of Mr Ferras, the intimacy between the two became even more prominent. The town predicted that very soon Mrs Ferras would become Mrs Roger Ackroyd.
But things take on a different turn when Mrs Ferras dies. Did she commit suicide? Out of deep regret at having killed her husband?
Or was she murdered? By whom?
Too many questions and mysteries that have to be unravelled.
Things take on an interesting turn when the stepson Ralph, who is supposed to be in London returns to the village. Could he have murdered Mrs Ferras to drive her out of his share of inheritance?
Or is it the new neighbor of Mr Sheppard, who has mysteriously come from somewhere and seems to know a lot about Mr Roger and is master of human nature.
Or Mrs Russel, the housekeeper of Mr Roger- a stern woman who might be involved in a steady affair with the owner of house , cunningly disposed off her rival so that she could go on to be the next Mrs Roger Ackroyd.
Or could it be Flora, the neice of Mr Roger and now, the fiancé to his adopted son Ralph.
Or is the sister of Mr Roger, to gain full access to her brother's treasures, having done away with him and his going to be suspected wife.
Then it is disclosed by Mr Roger that Mrs Ferras actually killed her husband and commited suicide because of a black mailer's continuous pressure. Mrs Ferras leaves a letter in which she discloses the name of the black mailer. But before the letter can reveal the name of the black mailer, Mr Roger is murderered.
And here is where the story gets momentum.
Although, I didn't suspect the murderer, even a little bit, I was a little disappointed. Almost felt cheated.
This is her best book, but I honestly enjoyed 'Then there were none' a lot more!
But having said that, after reading this book, it's quite clear that there will be no Agatha again. The clues are clear from chapter, but you would not suspect it. This book established her
The cutest parts of the book were the useless banter exchanged between Dr Sheppard and his information seeking sister.
I loved the way she character sketched Dr Sheppard as a man full of wit and satire, and yet a pure modest gentleman.
Like with every Agatha Christie book, you marvel at the author's experience with human psychology.
My ratings : 4.9
Comments
Post a Comment