Motives For Killing Mr Ackroyd

The story begins with the suicide death of Mrs. Ferrars, she is a widow who lost her husband a year ago to an acute gastritis complicated by alcoholism, but is rumored that she actually poisoned him due to being an abusive husband. The very next night Roger Ackroyd who was romantically involved with Mrs. Ferrars also turns up being stabbed to death in his home just after his friend Dr. Sheppard leaves for the night. I am reminded of the game clue, as there are many twists while trying to figure out who was the murderer, 22 characters that each have a connection to having a motive for killing Mr. Ackroyd, which is one of the reasons I found Agatha Christie to be a gifted, talented writer, she clearly knows how to focus the attention off the

James Shepherd, the town physician, narrator of the book, and who also turns out to be the murderer of both Roger Ackroyd and the widow Mrs. Ferrars. While local police investigators Raglan and Davis rely solely on physical clues and appear to act like two comedians, lacking any intelligence, which is how Poirot’s detective skills are desired for solving the case. Flora Ackroyd, Mr. Aykroyd’s niece knows who is because Mr. Ackroyd had figured out who he was, but promised to keep the news to himself, but did mention it to Flora, who goes to Dr. Sheppard’s to ask him to go with her to request his services one last time, and that he is also the new neighbor Dr. Sheppard was talking with earlier in the day, which Dr. Sheppard thinks he is a retired Hairdresser, but is obviously not. Flora is concerned that the murder will be pinned on Ralph Patton, who is conveniently missing, and is believed to be the only suspect thanks to the terrible detective skills of the Inspectors Raglan and

Sheppard, I felt a little betrayed, by believing the whole he is the innocent friend which basically grants him an immaculate conviction throughout the whole reading until the end when the clues start adding up. Dr. Sheppard always seems very genuine, trustworthy, and wanting to get to the bottom of finding the killer. The greatest irony is when Dr. Sheppard turns out to be the killer, responsible for Aykroyd's murder and indirectly responsible for Miss for Ferrars suicide as he is the blackmailer, who else but the attending physician would have known Mrs. Ferrars husband was poisoned, but then in the end Poirot reveals to him that he Dr. Shepherd is the murderer, he is only left with his own suicide by sleeping