Link to Marginalia: https://www.reddit.com/r/bookclub/comments/rwpvq3/marginalia_the_murder_of_roger_ackroyd_agatha/

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Schedule:

- Jan 28: Chapters 21-24

- Jan 30: Chapters 25-end

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Characters up to Chapter 24:

- Dr. James Sheppard - our main character, a doctor and brother to Caroline. He spends a lot of time pretending not to care for gossip but secretly loves it.

- Caroline - the whip-smart older sister of Dr. James, also a gossip.

- Poirot - detective

- Roger Ackroyd - deceased, described as the life of the town

- Mrs. Cecil Ackroyd - the sister-in-law to Roger, widowed. She prevented Roger from marrying his housekeeper. Has expressed interest in money and the property. She also dislikes being asked things directly and tends to shriek instead of answering them.

- Mrs. Ferrars - suicide victim who poisoned her husband, Mr. Ashley Ferrars, a mean drunk

- Captain Ralph Paton - the step-son of Roger Ackroyd, close friend of Dr. James. He is suspected by the police to be the murderer. Poirot suspects Flora knows where he is. He is secretly married to Ursula, nee Bourne, the parlourmaid.

- Flora Ackroyd - step-cousin to Ralph but not related by blood, engaged. She is described by Dr. James as being attractive but he notes that she is generally disliked. She has something going on with Hector Blunt.

- Major Hector Blunt - Friend to Roger Ackroyd, the deceased, and well known as a big game hunter. He seems to have a crush on Flora, and is absolutely useless at flirting.

- Mr. Hammond - the family solicitor, or, lawyer.

- Mrs. Folliott - the previous employer of Miss Ursula Bourne - she was hiding something. Has no ability to lie.

- Miss Gannett - a Mah Jong party guest who doesn't play the game as well as the others, and overestimates her ability.

- Colonel Carter - a Mah Jong party guest. Dr. James thinks he is less worldly than he pretends to be, but he and Caroline indulge in him. He also pretends not to care for gossip, but loves it (much like Dr. James).

- Charles Kent - detained for potentially being the mysterious man Dr. James saw the night of the murder.

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Staff

- Miss Russell - the housekeeper Ackroyd likely would have wed if it were not interfered with. She insists something is wrong with her knee to get time with Dr. James to ask about poisons.

- Parker - the butler, described with suspicious behaviour and appearance. Poirot is absolutely convinced that he is innocent.

- Raymond - the secretary, described in extremely likeable terms. Poirot thinks he is hiding something.

- Miss Elsie Dale - a short term as a maid at the Ackroyd home. Dr. James described her as looking a bit stupid when we first met her, but later describes her as 'an exceedingly handsome girl'.

- Miss Ursula Bourne/Paton - the parlourmaid, who moved things in the study not to the liking of Roger Ackroyd, and gave her notice the day of the murder. We find out later that she was actually telling Roger about her marriage - she is revealed to be married to Ralph.

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Police

- Inspector Davis - the one who arrived on scene first, seems to be like Poirot joining the case

- Colonel Melrose - the Chief Constable and is well known to Dr. James. His initial reaction to Poirot is concern that he will interfere with the investigation

- Inspector Raglan - Flora described as 'weaselly'. He seems to want recognition for solving the case, and takes great strides to do so quickly. He has dismissed evidence out of hand, and does not think out of the box. Dislikes Poirot (or any citizen) trying to take over the case.

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Ch21

- Caroline is not surprised about the newspaper article about Ralph being found in Liverpool. (We know this is fabricated information.)

- Caroline believes Poirot was visited by a Home Office expert - quick preliminary search determines that this is essentially akin to the FBI, a specialized unit in Britain at that time.

- Poirot needs a collection of people to come to his home: Mrs. Ackroyd, Flora, Major Blunt, Mr. Raymond, Dr. James and himself.

- Dr. James starts with Mrs. Ackroyd, who quickly confirms that Flora and Hector Blunt have gotten engaged. (Did Flora even break it off with Ralph first?)

- Mrs. Ackroyd reveals that Raymond is absolutely shaken by the newspaper news, going so far as to ring up the police. She also reveals that at one point she was worried that Raymond and Flora would become involved.

- Ursula Bourne, the parlourmaid, has randomly turned up at Dr. Jame's while he was out, and insists on speaking to Poirot at once. Poirot reveals her to be not Ursula Bourne, but Ursula Paton - Mrs. Ralph Paton.

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Ch22

- Urula Paton has shown up to ask Poirot for help, thinking that Ralph has been arrested. She reveals that her sister was the "previous employer" from whom she got her references, and that she wanted to work to make money.

- Ralph was determined to do what it took to be with Ursula and so agreed to marry Flora, a business-like marriage that would (theoretically) suit both of them well. Except that he didn't tell Ursula about this lie. When she found out, they met in the woods to discuss it - and this was the conversation that Caroline overheard.

- Ursula speaking to Roger about her marriage, being honest with him, in the study the day of the murder. Dr. James notes that Roger would immediately have amended his will, which is very damning evidence against Ralph.

- Later that night, she and Ralph argued in the summerhouse just before the murder was discovered. Poirot prods her about the exact timing of everything.

- She can't remember what Ralph's footwear was that night.

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Ch23

- Ursula is told she should come to the fete at 9pm, and leaves.

- As Poirot admits he feels that he misses written impressions of the case, Dr. James comes forward with his own. Poirot reads them (and compliments on Dr. James for not speaking too much about himself).

- Dr. James, Ursula, and Poirot go to the sitting room, where Poirot arranges the room extensively.

- Poirot introduces Ursula as Mrs. Ralph Paton, much to Mrs. Ackroyd's frustration.

- Poirot interrupts the reaction to have everyone sit. Raymond appears jovial but comments that he is sure Poirot knows where Ralph is, in perhaps a not-too-polite way that could seem polite enough to perpetrate the impression that he is jovial and likeable.

- Poirot confirms some details - that the white cambric is a maid's apron, that he discovered the empty goose quill, and that Ursula had no alibi.

- Poirot notes that the timeline of some things didn't match. This confirmed the two separate meetings, and demonstrated that Ralph and Ursula had the most motive for killing Roger Ackroyd - on the surface.

- Raymond is protesting. This is unusual behaviour for him. He goes far out of his way to be smiling and laughing at every opportunity.

- Poirot explains that he thinks Roger Ackroyd was reading aloud a letter to someone in the room - an unknown person. Or not! He was actually reading to a dictaphone!

- HOLY CRAP THERE'S RALPH

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Ch24

- Our little narrator has proven, yet again, to be a lying sneak! How is it that he hides details from us, the reader? Horrid little narrator.

- Ralph was mascarading as the 'unfit nephew', hidden by Dr. James in a nursing home. This is the stranger who hid in Poirot's house early yesterday morning, much to Caroline's consternation.

- Poirot makes it clear to everyone in the room that Ralph is absolutely implicated as the murderer, as he had motive and no alibi, unless the murderer confesses.

- At this moment, Poirot gets a telegram. He announces to the room that it is from a steamer 'now on her way to the United States', and that "the truth goes to Inspector Raglan in the morning'. With that, he leaves.