Product Description

A facsimile first edition hardback of the 1926 Poirot book, published to mark the 80th anniversary of its publication, the very first Agatha Christie published by Collins. Roger Ackroyd knew too much. He knew that the woman he loved had poisoned her brutal first husband. He suspected also that someone had been blackmailing her. Now, tragically, came the news that she had taken her own life with a drug overdose. But the evening post brought Roger one last fatal scrap of information. Unfortunately, before he could finish the letter, he was stabbed to death! To mark the 80th anniversary of Hercule Poirot's first appearance, and to celebrate his renewed fortunes as a primetime television star, this first book in a collection of facsimile first editions is the perfect way to experience Agatha Christie. Reproducing the original typesetting and format of the first edition from the Christie family's own archive, this book sports the original cover which has been painstakingly restored to its original glory.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #73162 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Review
"A classic -- the book has worthily earned its fame." Irish Independent

About the Author
Agatha Christie was born in Torquay in 1890 and became, quite simply, the best-selling novelist in history. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, written towards the end of the First World War, introduced us to Hercule Poirot, who was to become the most popular detective in crime fiction since Sherlock Holmes. She is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and another billion in over 100 foreign languages. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 19 plays, and six novels under the name of Mary Westmacott.

Customer Reviews

One of her best
This is definitely amongst the best Agatha Christie novels I've read, and it feels even better in this lovely 'new' facsimile edition. The novel caused a stir (relatively speaking) at the time because it's written in the first person... and particularly for another reason! Read it to find out. The first person narrative feels odd at first, but the narrator is very believable. This is a well structured and complex plot. A semi-retired Poirot is looked at from a different angle, but he is just as effective and there are some nice set pieces - in particular the beautifully written 'mah jong' scene that's a joy to read. The denoument is satisfying. Highly recommended.

Pure Genius
You have to read this book twice- first time as a mystery, second time knowing who the murderer was and spotting all the clues that make the answer seem so obvious... (once you know who it is, you wonder how you could have been so deceived!) A really engaging story with a delicious twist at the end! This book is worth more than 5 stars!

Good solid Christie
This struck me as almost a Christie pastiche; the number of (perfectly-timed) secret liaisons in the gazebo, secret engagements, secret marriages, poisoners, blackmailers, murders, suicide, unacknowledged children, torn scraps of cloth and so on per captia seems high even for Dame Agatha. Still, a fun read.

Maybe because I'd heard about how shocking and controversial the ending is, I twigged who the murderer was by about chapter four. Still, it was fun to watch the buildup and conclusion, and we get a fresh (although quite Hastings-like) view of Poirot. Three stars, but then I'm a hard grader! *8)