47 pages • 1 hour read
Agatha ChristieThe Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1926A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 6-11Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 6 Summary: “The Tunisian Dagger”
Based on the initial inquiries, Parker is the primary suspect in the murder. Sheppard and the inspector on the scene (named Raglan) discuss the possibility that Parker killed Ackroyd, locked the door, and snuck out the window. Sheppard is unconvinced because of the time—he does not believe that Ackroyd would have waited one hour to confront Parker. While investigating the weapon used to kill Ackroyd, Raglan notes that the dagger is unique and calls for Raymond to identify the object.
Raymond recognizes it as a Tunisian curio given to Ackroyd by Major Blunt. Blunt is called in and confirms that the dagger is from Tunis, that he gave it to Ackroyd, and that it usually resides in the drawing room silver table. Questioning then turns from who was near Ackroyd’s study to who was near the silver table. However, everyone recognizes that there is little more they can do that evening, and Sheppard departs.
Chapter 7 Summary: “I Learn My Neighbor’s Profession”
The next day, Flora approaches Sheppard and asks that he come with her to his neighbor’s house—famed detective Hercule Poirot. Flora wants him to investigate her uncle’s murder. They talk to Poirot, who agrees to come out of retirement and take the case on one condition: once he starts investigating, he will not stop until the whole truth is revealed, no matter how unsavory.
Poirot and Sheppard go to the police station. Raglan does not believe there is much mystery, but he goes with Poirot and Sheppard to Fernly Park to let Poirot investigate the crime scene. In Ackroyd’s study, Poirot wants to know if anything has been moved. Parker notes that a chair in the corner has been moved, but nothing else is amiss.
Chapter 8 Summary: “Inspector Raglan Is Confident”
Poirot wants to know more about the stranger who asked Sheppard for directions to Fernly Park the night before. Geoffrey Raymond and Parker are called in to answer questions about visitors. Poirot moves the chair to where Parker indicated it previously was and hides behind it when they enter the room. Raymond and Parker confirm that a stranger visited Fernly Park, and the visitor did not match Sheppard’s description.
Raglan and another inspector (Davis) arrive, and Raglan boasts that he has already sorted out the case and knows who murdered Ackroyd. Using a timetable that accounts for everyone’s locations the night before, the account of a neighbor who said they saw Paton coming up the drive, and a footprint like Paton’s found outside the manor, Raglan is certain Paton is the murderer. Poirot asks about the other prints in the area, but Raglan does not believe they are essential.
Inspectors Raglan and Davis leave the premises, and Poirot walks with Sheppard along the pathway Paton supposedly took the night before. They find a disused summerhouse. Poirot discovers a pressed piece of fabric and a goose feather quill, which he keeps for evidence.
Chapter 9 Summary: “The Goldfish Pond”
Sheppard and Poirot discuss who will inherit Fernly Park now that Ackroyd has died. They walk around the grounds and end at a clearing above a goldfish pond. They find Major Blunt and Flora talking about the inheritances; Flora mentions the usefulness of the 20,000 pounds Ackroyd left her. She then asks if Blunt will bring her back skins from his hunts, which he agrees to do. Blunt feels he does not belong in society and wants to leave, but Flora asks him to stay for her sake. Blunt notices a shiny object in the pond and tries to retrieve it but cannot.
The conversation shifts to the investigation, and Flora compliments Poirot’s skills. Poirot accepts the praise. He then reaches into the goldfish pond to retrieve the object Blunt failed to grab, though he does not let Flora and Blunt know he got it. He shows it to Sheppard—a woman’s wedding band engraved “From R., March 13th” (110).
Chapter 10 Summary: “The Parlourmaid”
Sheppard talks with Mrs. Ackroyd and finds that she is in denial that Ackroyd was murdered. As the conversation progresses, she reveals that she is upset by Ackroyd leaving all the money to Flora and none to her. Financial discussions continue throughout the day, and it comes to light that Ackroyd had 100 pounds sitting in his bedroom. Inspector Raglan, Poirot, and Sheppard go to check on that money and find that £40 is missing. They interview the staff, and Poirot has suspicions about Ursula because her story is the only one that cannot be confirmed by others. Poirot then asks Sheppard to visit Ursula’s previous employer.
Chapter 11 Summary: “Poirot Pays a Call”
The next day, Sheppard makes the trip to Ursula’s former employer. The woman seems hesitant to talk about her, and Sheppard detects that the information she gives him is a lie. However, he does not pursue it further and takes his leave. When he returns home, Caroline informs him that Poirot visited her to discuss the case. Poirot now has a full accounting of patients Sheppard saw the morning of the murder, which includes Miss Russell.
Chapters 6-11 Analysis
This second grouping of chapters encompasses the Discovery phase of detective fiction. Poirot and Sheppard conduct interviews and gather clues that appear to lead nowhere. Poirot does not suspect Paton, because he is too obvious, but no evidence points to any other suspect. The primary evidence—lack of fingerprints, a woman’s wedding ring, a dagger, a piece of fabric, and a goose feather quill—do not make sense to Sheppard. Nor do they make sense to Poirot, whose goal is to understand the entire story of the evening, not solely determine the guilty party.
Agatha Christie has added a new layer to the mystery of Roger Ackroyd—the theme of The Human Capacity for Evil. Poirot discovered stolen money, a symbolically broken relationship, murder, and deceit. Everyone has withheld information from him, and the cracks in the façades are slowly coming to light. Though the only evil act revealed thus far is murder, Poirot is confident that everyone is telling lies and withholding secrets.
Further, Christie closes out this section by introducing the gossip motif into the investigation. Prior to this moment, Sheppard’s sister, Caroline, remained separate from the murder investigation. Now, though, Poirot finds it necessary to consult a local authority on the comings and goings of everyone in King’s Abbott. Caroline can perfectly recount all the patients that Sheppard saw the morning of the murder.
As Caroline discusses her conversation with Poirot, Sheppard observes that she “was exactly like a cat that is full to overflowing with rich cream. She was positively purring” (133). Where Sheppard discredits the information Caroline provides, Poirot reacts differently. He tells Caroline she “had the makings of a born detective […] and a wonderful psychological insight into human nature” (133). His approach is unusual in the genre of detective literature. Police and detectives talk to witnesses, and cases are solved based on facts. Poirot also does this, but in a less direct manner than the standard detective. He gives credibility to rumors and trusts intuition to help uncover the truth. He further notes that “[w]omen observe subconsciously a thousand little details, without knowing that they are doing so. Their subconscious mind adds these little things together—and they call it intuition” (148).
Caroline notes details that Sheppard would otherwise not pay attention to. Poirot manages the conversations with Caroline so they occur when Sheppard is absent to ensure he cannot intimidate or silence her. If asked about his patients that morning, Sheppard may only discuss those that he believes are relevant to the case—his implicit bias. Sheppard makes judgments about what information is relevant, whereas Caroline does not. Poirot complicates the motif of gossip by proposing that these conversations are not superficial. Instead, Poirot views them as a different form of psychological analysis.
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