3. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) — Hercule Poirot — 3. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) — Hercule Poirot

This village case is best approached with as little advance knowledge as possible. Its apparent calm allows Christie to control attention with remarkable precision, while Poirot's temporary retirement gives the familiar detective a slightly altered setting.

It is foundational, clever, and unusually rewarding to revisit after the solution is known.