Hercule Poirot retires from sleuthing and moves to a cottage in a small country town, King's Abbott. His old friend, the industrialist Roger Ackroyd lives there and he soon makes friends with some of the other townsfolk too. One day a widow, Mrs Farris, (apparently) commits suicide, almost a year after her husband died. Then, soon after a dinner party that Poirot attended, Mr Ackroyd is found murdered in his study. Suspicion immediately falls on Ralph Paton, Mr Ackroyd adopted son, the inheritor of his estate and a man who had large debts with Mr Ackroyd. Poirot is reluctant to get involved but then the investigating officer from Scotland Yard turns out to be an old friend and ally, Chief Inspector Japp. Poirot and Japp, the old firm, get on the case.
Intriguing but a bit more straightforward than most of episodes in this series. The murderer can be largely figured out through seeing whom the scenes draw most attention to. You can't be 100% sure though (I wasn't) so there is still a large degree of mystery to it.
The journal also adds a new dimension to the story, as we see Poirot reviewing the case after the event through reading the murderer's journal.
Also a decent degree of sentimentality and nostalgia, with Poirot giving up London for the country. This is made most clear when Poirot briefly goes back to his London home and reminisces.
Overall, reasonably entertaining and interesting.
Intriguing but a bit more straightforward than most of episodes in this series. The murderer can be largely figured out through seeing whom the scenes draw most attention to. You can't be 100% sure though (I wasn't) so there is still a large degree of mystery to it.
The journal also adds a new dimension to the story, as we see Poirot reviewing the case after the event through reading the murderer's journal.
Also a decent degree of sentimentality and nostalgia, with Poirot giving up London for the country. This is made most clear when Poirot briefly goes back to his London home and reminisces.
Overall, reasonably entertaining and interesting.