First published 2023
Mrs. Ferrars takes her own life after confessing a terrible secret to Roger Ackroyd. She murdered her husband a year ago, and someone has been blackmailing her ever since. Ackroyd shares this revelation with Dr. James Sheppard, the village physician. But before Ackroyd can decide what to do with this knowledge, he too is found dead in his study. The crime brings Hercule Poirot out of retirement to solve the case. The Belgian detective enlists Sheppard as his assistant, calling him his "Watson" as they investigate together. Everyone in Ackroyd's household becomes a suspect. Each servant and family member harbors secrets of their own. Poirot must untangle a web of lies and hidden motives to discover which person committed murder and what drove them to kill.
Genres: 20th-century, mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator, web-of-lies
Setting: Village
Period: 20th-Century
121 pages · Paperback · Dramatic Publishing
Content warnings: death, murder