The Murder of Roger Ackroyd audiobook vs book: which should you choose?
Roger Ackroyd is found stabbed in his study, and the village doctor helps Poirot find out why. A full cast of twelve on Audible US tips it towards listening.
Content note: sources list a death by overdose described as suicide, and blackmail, among the novel’s themes. This page does not describe them.
Listen on Audible
Listen to The Murder of Roger Ackroyd for The Online Stage’s full cast of twelve, with a performer for each character, from David Stifel’s Poirot to John Burlinson’s Dr Sheppard, across a complete 7 hours 36 minutes. It is sold on Audible US only and has just two ratings so far. In the UK, look for Hugh Fraser’s unabridged reading for HarperCollins, rated 4.78 for performance.
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The audiobook at a glance
| Recording | Full cast (Audible US), our verdict | Hugh Fraser (Audible UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Narrator | The Online Stage, full cast of 12 | Hugh Fraser |
| Length | 7 hours 36 minutes (7h 36m), unabridged | 6 hours 54 minutes (6h 54m), unabridged |
| At 1.5x | about 5h 4m | about 4h 36m |
| At 2x | about 3h 48m | about 3h 27m |
| Audio publisher and date | Spoken Realms, 22 November 2022 | HarperCollins, 25 August 2006 |
| Sold on | Audible US only | Audible UK and US |
| Audiobook price | $17.43 on Audible US | £13.78 on Audible UK |
| Kindle price | Not listed | £2.99 on Amazon UK |
| Not checked (US) | HarperCollins paperback, 336 pages, 2013 | |
| Listener rating | Performance 5.0 from 1 rating | Performance 4.78 from 1,550 ratings |
The Online Stage’s recording is the only full-cast, full-text English recording on either store, so it is the one scored. As of November 2026 it is sold on Audible US only, with two ratings.
UK listeners will find Hugh Fraser’s unabridged reading for HarperCollins on Audible UK (6h 54m). Other UK recordings include John Lee and John Rubinstein (Blackstone, 2023), Mike Vendetti (Spoken Realms, 2025) and Roger May (Saga Egmont, 2026). The BBC full-cast version (1h 27m) is a radio dramatisation and isn’t scored. Ratings and prices checked 6 November 2026. Prices change often. US Kindle prices are left out, as Amazon only shows them to US visitors.
Lengths checked 6 November 2026. Speed times are calculated.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Agatha Christie
- Genre
- Classic crime
- Series
- Hercule Poirot, book 4
- First published
- June 1926
- Length
- 336 pages (UK paperback)
- On audio
- 7 hrs 36 mins, full cast (US); 6 hrs 54 mins, Hugh Fraser (UK)
- On screen
- ITV Poirot episode, 2000
On this page
Why we reached this verdict
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.
Checked, not a factor here (12)
A full cast of twelve (10) gives listening 10 points, and nothing scores for reading. That puts it at 70%, leaning to audio. A clear-cut verdict needs more than 10 points on one side.
Every book gets the same thirteen checks, set in advance. Verdicts are never paid for or influenced by affiliate links. Last edited 6 November 2026, and rechecked every year as editions and narrators change. Read the checks in full · Is listening the same as reading? See what the research says.
The recording in detail
- Scored
- The Online Stage, full cast, Spoken Realms, 2022, 7h 36m, unabridged
- Critic review
- No critic review of this recording found
- Alternatives
- Hugh Fraser, HarperCollins, 2006 (6h 54m), on Audible UK; Richard Armitage (7h 30m) and Simon Jones (7h 45m), Audible US only
- What you miss
- A rough plan of part of Ackroyd’s house, printed in the 1926 text (we couldn’t check the current UK paperback)
What this book actually is
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is Agatha Christie’s 1926 Hercule Poirot mystery, set in the village of King’s Abbot. Roger Ackroyd is found stabbed in his study the day after the woman he meant to marry has died of an overdose, and the village doctor, James Sheppard, tells the story as he helps Poirot.
The Crime Writers’ Association voted it the best crime novel ever in 2013, and it is famous for its late twist. ITV adapted it for Agatha Christie’s Poirot, with David Suchet, in 2000. It includes a stabbing, a death by overdose and blackmail.
The case for reading it
The case for reading is thin. The 1926 text prints a rough plan of part of Ackroyd’s house in chapter 5, and chapter 2 is headed “Who’s Who in King’s Abbot”, both easy to study on the page. We couldn’t check whether the current UK paperback includes the plan.
The story runs in order and the UK paperback is 336 pages, so it is a quick read. If you like to hunt for clues yourself, print lets you turn back to them.
The case for listening to it
The full-cast recording gives every character a performer of their own: twelve in all, credited role by role on Audible US, with David Stifel as Poirot, John Burlinson as Dr Sheppard and Lillian Rachel as Caroline Sheppard. In a village full of suspects, hearing each one in a different voice makes it easy to follow.
It is the complete text, unabridged, at 7 hours 36 minutes. You can’t buy it on Audible UK, where Hugh Fraser reads the HarperCollins audiobook alone in 6 hours 54 minutes, and listeners there rate his performance 4.78.
The audiobook in detail
The Online Stage performs the scored recording for Spoken Realms, released on 22 November 2022, unabridged, in 7 hours 36 minutes. The cast: David Stifel (Poirot), John Burlinson (Dr Sheppard), Lillian Rachel (Caroline Sheppard), Tyler Hyrchuk (Geoffrey Raymond), Amanda Friday (Flora Ackroyd), Lance Rasmussen (Inspector Davis), Andy Harrington (Major Blunt), Jeff Moon (Inspector Raglan), Tim Sailer (Parker), Liz Blackett (Mrs Ackroyd), Anna Grace (Ursula Bourne) and Josh Innerst (Roger Ackroyd).
It is sold on Audible US only, has two ratings so far, and we found no critic review. On Audible UK, Hugh Fraser’s HarperCollins reading (2006) is the best-known recording; Audible US also has solo readings by Richard Armitage and Simon Jones, among others. No PDF comes with it.
Who should ignore this verdict
This verdict rests on a recording you can only buy on Audible US. In the UK, Hugh Fraser’s solo reading is the audiobook to look for, though it doesn’t have the full cast that earns the verdict. If you want to hunt for clues and study the house plan, read it.
Kindle
- 336 pages (UK paperback)
- Turn back to check the clues
- About 5½ hours to read (our estimate)
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Start hereHow we decide
The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.
Questions people ask
Who narrates The Murder of Roger Ackroyd audiobook?
On Audible UK, Hugh Fraser reads the unabridged HarperCollins audiobook. Audible US also sells a full-cast recording by The Online Stage and solo readings by Richard Armitage, Simon Jones and others.
How long is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd audiobook?
The full-cast recording runs 7 hours 36 minutes: about 5 hours 4 minutes at 1.5x and 3 hours 48 minutes at 2x (calculated). Hugh Fraser’s reading runs 6 hours 54 minutes.
Is there a full-cast version of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd?
Yes. The Online Stage’s unabridged full-cast recording (Spoken Realms, 2022) is on Audible US. The BBC’s 1 hour 27 minute full-cast version is a radio dramatisation, not the full text.
Can I get the full-cast Murder of Roger Ackroyd audiobook in the UK?
It is listed on Audible US only. As of 6 November 2026 Audible UK did not sell it; there, Hugh Fraser’s HarperCollins reading is the main recording.
Is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd audiobook abridged?
No. The Hugh Fraser, Richard Armitage and full-cast recordings are unabridged. Only the BBC dramatisation and a learners’ edition are shorter.
How many pages is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd?
The UK HarperCollins paperback (ISBN 9780007527526) has 336 pages.
Who tells the story in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd?
Dr James Sheppard, the village doctor in King’s Abbot, tells the story as he helps Poirot.
Where does The Murder of Roger Ackroyd come in the Poirot series?
Audible lists it as book 4 of the Hercule Poirot mysteries.
Is there a TV version of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd?
Yes. David Suchet starred in an Agatha Christie’s Poirot episode on ITV, first shown on 2 January 2000, and Japan’s Fuji Television made a version in 2018.
Why is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd so famous?
The Crime Writers’ Association voted it the best crime novel ever in 2013, largely because of its late twist.
Should I read or listen to The Murder of Roger Ackroyd?
Listen. The Online Stage gives each of twelve characters a performer of their own in a complete, unabridged recording, though it is on Audible US only. In the UK, Hugh Fraser’s solo reading is the one to find.
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