Genre
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
by Agatha Christie

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: Genre 1 key example

Genre
Explanation and Analysis:

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd can be classified as a detective novel, which is a kind of mystery novel. Like other mystery novels, this one centers on a single, main mystery that drives the plot forward. The investigation of the main mystery gives rise to other, smaller mysteries. For instance, Poirot finds a wedding ring of unknown origin that turns out to belong to Ursula Bourne (now Ursula Paton). This secret marriage is not directly relevant to the murder of Roger Ackroyd, but solving it helps Poirot put all the pieces together to identify Dr. Sheppard as the murderer. This structure (a main mystery with intertwined, smaller mysteries on the side) is common in mystery novels in part because teasing out all the relevant details from the irrelevant ones makes for a compelling puzzle. Agatha Christie is especially known for her use of red herrings (irrelevant details that distract) and Chekhov's guns (important details that will prove indispensable to the main plot).