In the quiet village of King's Abbot a widow's suicide has stirred suspicion - and dreadful gossip. There are rumors she murdered her first husband, rumors she was being blackmailed, and rumors that her secret lover was Roger Ackroyd. Then Ackroyd is found murdered - and all the members of the household stand to gain from his death. Hercule Poirot, who has retired to King's Abbot, is reluctantly drawn into finding a clever and devious killer.