YVO’S SHORTIES #155 – And So It Begins & The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd

Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time around two detective stories; one modern and one a classic and both excellent reads. And So It Begins by Rachel Abbott was my first experience with her work and I’m definitely looking forward to more. The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie was already my fifth meeting with Hercule Poirot and another very satisfying read.

Title: And So It Begins
(Stephanie King #1)
Author: Rachel Abbott
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
First published: October 11th 2018
Publisher: Black Dot Publishing
Finished reading: March 29th 2020
Pages: 302

“The truth is, Cleo, that however close we are to someone, we never truly know what’s in their heart.”

I’ve been meaning to try one of her books for ages now, and the blog tour for the Stephanie King sequel this month was a perfect excuse to finally do so. There is no doubt that I enjoyed my first experience with Rachel Abbott‘s writing, and And So It Begins was a more than satisfying thriller read. While I do confess I was surprised to find a story that was more dark psychological thriller than detective thriller (then again, I went in blind and didn’t check the blurb first), it was a most pleasant surprise and I wasn’t disappointed at all. And So It Begins is the first time we meet main character Stephanie King, and although we don’t get to learn all that much about her background in the first book, references are made that will make you more than curious to find out more in the sequel. Like I said before, And So It Begins can mostly be classified as a dark psychological thriller, and the focus is mainly on the victim and those close to him rather than Stephanie herself. Both Chloe, Evie and Mark are in the spotlight, and it is our task to slowly unravel the truth about both past and present as all three seem to have more than one secret to hide… The story is well written and the use of suspense and plot twists simply spot on. It’s a highly entertaining as well as suspenseful read, and I’ll definitely be looking forward to the sequel now.

Title: The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd
(Hercule Poirot #4)
Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
First published: June 1926
Publisher: William Morrow
Finished reading: April 1st 2020
Pages: 286

“Hercule Poirot does not run the risk of disarranging his costume without being sure of attaining his object. To do so would be ridiculous and absurd. I am never ridiculous.”

I’m trying to read more Agatha Christie books and I’ve been slowly working my way through the Hercule Poirot books… I really like his character and each meeting so far has without doubt been successful. The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd is no exception, and another very satisfying detective read. Although this story is mostly told by a new character, neighbor Dr. Sheppard, as soon as Hercule Poirot makes his appearance you will feel the story is on the right track. His way of talking and observing the world is simply unique, and as soon as he utters his first sentence you know you have encountered an old friend again… It was interesting to see him investigate the case of Roger Ackroyd’s murder, and I definitely didn’t see the ending coming. Both the plot twists and the writing are excellently developed and The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd is definitely one of my favorite Hercule Poirot stories so far. I’ll be looking forward to the next one!