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CostasNarrativeXP 2026 June feature
"The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" by Agatha Christie
Originally published in June 1926

Set in the village of King’s Abbot, the story follows Dr James Sheppard as Hercule Poirot investigates a suspicious death that exposes a tightly woven network of secrets, motives, and deception.

Chapter 11-14
00:29 11 Poirot Pays a Call
13:35 12 Round the Table
28:56 13 The Goose Quill
40:30 14 Mrs. Ackroyd

Characters
Hercule Poirot – retired private detective, living in the village
Dr James Sheppard – The village doctor and narrator, observant and socially embedded in King’s Abbot, whose perspective frames the events that follow
Caroline Sheppard – Dr Sheppard's unmarried sister, sharp, inquisitive, acts as a local source of gossip and interpretation
Roger Ackroyd – A wealthy widower of Fernly Park whose private affairs and recent revelations set the central mystery in motion
Mrs Ferrars – A recently deceased wealthy widow whose suspected past and secret confession cast a shadow over the unfolding case
Mrs Cecil Ackroyd – widow of Roger's brother Cecil
Flora Ackroyd – Ackroyd’s niece, engaged to Ralph Paton, emotionally driven and deeply invested in protecting him
Captain Ralph Paton – Ackroyd’s stepson and Flora’s fiancé, with his good looks and charm, covets his heredity
Major Hector Blunt – Ackroyd's friend, a quiet, observant guest at Fernly Park
Geoffrey Raymond – Ackroyd's personal secretary
John Parker – Ackroyd's butler
Elizabeth Russell – Ackroyd's housekeeper

Costa's Wordbook
Bartolozzi - Francesco Bartolozzi (1727–1815), a wildly celebrated Italian artist who spent most of his career in London as the "Engraver to the King."
Winning adj persuasive, charming
Émigré n (fr adopted) a person who has migrated out of their native country, specifically because of political turmoil, revolution, or war (Emi gray)
Bien entendu - fr, of course
Amour propre - fr, self love
Pas de blagues - fr, no jokes
C’est dommage - fr, its a shame
Diamorphine hydrochloride - the pure, medical-grade formulation of diamorphine, which is more commonly known by its illicit name, heroin (Dyer morphine)
Go phut - phr inf to break down, stop working completely, or fail (Futt)
Elucidation n explain, clarify, or cast light upon an obscure or complex subject (E lu ci dation)
In extremis adv latin, in an extremely difficult, dire, or desperate situation; point of death (extreme mis)

2026 Selections
Brave New World, The Little Prince, Songs of a Dead Dreamer, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Anne of Green Gables, Wuthering Heights, East of Eden, The Stranger, The Godfather, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Inferno, The Two Towers, Den of Thieves, Winnie the Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner.

Milestones
2021: 0 Full soundtrack, no editing, wife commentary, summary outline, irregular release
2022: 2.0 DaVinci editing, wordbook, book intro, AI intro + thumbnail, chapter summary, scheduled release
2023: 2.1 Descript, CapCut, Suno score, character intro, weekly release
2024: 2.2 Standard condenser mic, Audacity, ChatGPT annotation + illustration, timestamp, 1-hour content
2026: 2.3 Gemini definition, JP, CN, PT subtitles on selected YouTube videos

Platforms
YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Reddit, Amazon Music, Firstory, Pocket Casts, KKBOX, Castbox, Noice, Podcast Addict, SoundOn, Castro, Player FM