The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Discussion Thread

[bumblebuzz21]

I thought it was funny when Flora's mom mentioned how much she hated it when the staff's stomachs growled.

[juliajones54]

I was surprised that Dr. Sheppard would kill himself, or maybe more surprised that Agatha Christie would handle his defeat in that manner. I'm guessing this was a pretty big shock to readers of that time.

I really loved the way that Poirot let Dr. Sheppard fall into his own web of deceit. Dr. Sheppard rode around on Poirot's coattails, hoping to stay invisible and Poirot let him enjoy the ride for as long as he could. I think it was a masterful dance and was fun to watch the two of them parry back and forth. However, that final meeting in the room with all the characters and Poirot saying that the murderer was present must have been pretty terrifying. The comic little man who used humor and his pleasant personality to gain cooperation clearly had another side!

I enjoyed this book so much, and that was a surprise too. Has a movie been made?

[bernelli]

I honestly was surprised about the book being written by Dr. Sheppard as his egocentric evilotry. Loved it -- and was surprised by it.

I never truly solve the mysteries... seems like important clues are always withheld, so I couldn't have known. In this case, the dictaphone was mentioned, but holy hell, there was no way I could've put that all together. So I'm always somewhat surprised at how all the details unfold about the murder.

[lee058]

Friday, 2/24/2023

Topic: A change in sleuths

How do you think the book would have turned out if Miss Marple had been the detective instead of Poirot? Would she have solved the mystery(mysteries) at the same pace? What would the ending have been like?

I think that Miss Marple would have solved everything at about the same rate at Poirot, except that she possibly could have discovered the relationship questions faster. Since they were her specialty as a village investigator, I think she could have figured them out sooner. I love Miss Marple (and Poirot). Miss Marple's gentle questioning of everybody often resulted in people telling her things that they wouldn't tell police or a detective like Poirot.

As for suspecting Dr. Sheppard, I think she would have analyzed his personality at least as quickly as Poirot, but she might have been in actual danger because of it. Since she needed some medical care, she probably would have called on him, and who knows? He wasn't stupid, and might have seen her as a threat. OTOH, she was discreet, so she might have been safe. If the local police had helped her, the book would have been different.

Re the ending: I can't really see her letting him choose his own way out. I think she would have reported him to the police.

This has been a fun week for me, and thank you all for letting me do the leads!

[bernelli]

I don't feel like I "know" Miss Marple enough to decide how she would've done things... so I'll base my thoughts on Caroline.

I agree, I think she would've been in danger from Dr. Sheppard if he suspected she was onto him... he found her to be bothersome, so maybe getting rid of her would be easy-ish for him (emotionally). I think she would dive in faster. She seemed to really gather information quickly. And I think she'd have called the police and then tried to hide from Dr. Sheppard. I think she would've left the decision of his accusation up to the police.

Thanks for leading this fun discussion, lee058!! This was a fun read

[lee058]

bernelli, You're very welcome, and thank you! I enjoyed doing the leads.

[bumblebuzz21]

Thanks for leading us lee058! I've recommended this book to a few people. I really liked it.

[lee058]

bumblebuzz21, It was my pleasure! I think this was a really good book also, and I'm glad that you recommended it to people. I hope they enjoy it too.