E-book exclusive extras: Christie biographer Charles Osborne's essay on
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd; "The Poirots": the complete guide to all the cases of the great Belgian detective.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd broke all the rules of detective fiction and made Agatha Christie a household name. There are two things you must do if you know nothing of this book: discuss it with no one, and read it with all speed -- because it contains one of the biggest surprises in crime fiction.
In the quiet village of King's Abbot a widow's suicide has stirred suspicion -- and dreadful gossip. There are rumours that she murdered her first husband, that she was being blackmailed, and that her secret lover was Roger Ackroyd. Then, on the verge of discovering the blackmailer's identity, Ackroyd himself is murdered.
Hercule Poirot, who has settled in King's Abbot for some peace and quiet and a little gardening, finds himself at the centre of the case -- and up against a diabolically clever and devious killer.
'One of the landmarks of detective literature' (in his Crime & Mystery: The 100 Best Books).
'The most brilliant of deceptions' (in his Bloody Murder: From the Detective Story to the Crime Novel).
Agatha Christie, renowned as the 'Queen of Crime,' is the author of over 100 works, most famously her mysteries featuring Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. Her books have sold over two billion copies worldwide (she is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare). Most of Agatha Christie's works have been dramatized for television and/or cinema, notably Murder on the Orient Express. Christie's The Mousetrap (1952) is the longest-running play in history and is performed to this day at St. Martin's Theatre in London's West End. Agatha Christie was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1971. She died in 1976. Please visit the official Agatha Christie website: www.agathachristie.com.
