Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?

The Mystery Behind the Agatha Christie Mystery

A “charming piece of literary detective work” (Booklist) that reexamines Agatha Christie’s classic whodunit

Agatha Christie’s classic novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd has sparked great debate in the years since its publication in 1926, inspiring cultural critics from Roland Barthes to Umberto Eco to explore its unique construction: a murder mystery in which the murderer appears to be the narrator. Now, in a thrilling twist on the conventional solution, Pierre Bayard’s Who Killed Roger Ackroyd? reopens the Ackroyd file with unexpected results: Is the killer still at large? Bayard’s in-depth investigation of this well-loved classic will change forever the way mysteries are read.

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Praise

“Fascinating and satisfying. . . . [Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?] reveals true affection and respect for Christie’s work. A spirited defense of a sometimes maligned genre.”
—The Baltimore Sun
“A fascinating addition to the critical literature on the mystery genre.”
—Booklist
“Bayard is an intuitive and passionate reader of the genre, and manages to build suspense while mounting his airtight argument against Sheppard as murderer and to finger the real killer.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Entertainingly perverse. . . . Bayard reopens one of the most celebrated murder cases in fiction, with surprising results.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A meticulous deconstruction of the [Agatha Christie] novel. . . . Provocative.”
—The Raleigh News and Observer

Goodreads Reviews