Roger Ackroyd

Roger Ackroyd, a rubicund and genial man of nearly fifty, was the immensely successful owner of Fernly Park and a central figure in the village. He had been deeply affected by the death of Mrs. Ferrars, with whom he had a secret engagement. She had confessed to him that she poisoned her husband, Ashley Ferrars, and Ackroyd, horrified, saw himself as an accessory after the fact. He promised her twenty-four hours before acting, and later received a letter from her written before her death. That same night, he was found murdered in his study armchair, stabbed in the neck with a dagger. It was later revealed he had cashed a cheque for a hundred pounds, placing the money in a collar box, though forty pounds were later missing. His will left substantial sums to various parties, including his niece Flora, his sister-in-law Mrs. Cecil Ackroyd, and his secretary Geoffrey Raymond, with the bulk of his fortune, including Fernly Park, going to his adopted son, Ralph Paton.

Roger Ackroyd was a rubicund, nearly fifty-year-old man of immense success as a wagon wheel manufacturer and the genial center of village life at Fernly Park. He was deeply affected by the death of Mrs. Ferrars, with whom he had a secret engagement after she initially refused his proposal. The day before his death, she confessed to him that she had poisoned her husband, Ashley Ferrars, making Ackroyd an accessory after the fact; he promised her twenty-four hours before acting and later received her final letter in the evening post. He was astonished to learn his adopted son, Ralph Paton, was in King's Abbot, having earlier told Hercule Poirot he had pressured Ralph to marry his niece, Flora. On the night of his murder, he cashed a cheque for a hundred pounds, placed the money in a collar box in his secretary's presence, and had earlier found fault with his parlourmaid for disarranging his desk papers. He was found stabbed in the neck in his study armchair, having been dead at least half an hour. His very large fortune was left primarily to Ralph Paton, with substantial bequests to Flora Ackroyd, his sister-in-law Mrs. Cecil Ackroyd, his secretary Geoffrey Raymond, his housekeeper Miss Russell, and his cook.

Roger Ackroyd was a successful, nearly fifty-year-old manufacturer and the central figure of King's Abbot. He was deeply affected by the death of his neighbour, Mrs. Ferrars, with whom he had a secret engagement. The day before his death, she confessed to him that she had poisoned her husband and named a blackmailer, leaving Ackroyd horrified and an accessory after the fact. He promised her twenty-four hours before acting and received a letter from her that evening. That same day, he cashed a cheque for a hundred pounds, which he placed in a collar box, and found fault with his parlourmaid, Ursula Bourne. He was determined that his nephew and heir, Ralph Paton, should marry his niece Flora, and had pressured Ralph into the engagement. On the night of his murder, Ursula Bourne revealed to him that she was secretly married to Ralph, leading to a stormy interview where he accused her of entrapping his nephew. Shortly after, he was found stabbed to death in his study armchair.