And Then There Were None

I just finished reading my first Agatha Christie novel: And Then There Were None. It is the best selling murder mystery novel of all time. I found it to be a good read. I would give it a grade of a 'B'. I won't give any spoiler alerts, but I will say that the story keeps you interested, and has at least some thrill to it. The characters are relatable, but only developed to a shallow level. The dialogue, at times, can be a bit confusing because the late author was British and born late in the 19th century. So, she spoke classic English and I found myself having to look up what several terms mean. It contained a brief epilogue which brought some closure. It is reasonable in size and can be read from cover to cover within a week. The plot kept you guessing and it was not easy to predict - which I loved. I was wrong several times before the ending was revealed. If you read it, you need to know it was published in 1939 in order to have a better understanding of things like the culture, technology, and social etiquette before you pronounce it is a poor setting or story. Overall, a good read! Very glad I bought a copy. 😀

Harper Collins delivers another splendid Special Edition with “And Then There Were None.” This is the second in this series I’ve purchased, the first one being “4.50 from Paddington.” The cover art is very modern yet is reminiscent of art deco styling. The inner paper art is attractive, if understated. The typeface is highly legible and easy on the eyes. The book is surprisingly lightweight, owing probably to the somewhat substandard paper which probably won’t hold up over time. It appears to be a heavier stock of paperback paper. There is some bleed through from the backside of pages. At this price point I would have expected a few pen and ink illustrations, but this is text only. These are my favorite two Christie books. I might buy some others in the Miss Marple series if I can find Special Edition versions that match these. Overall, pretty good price value with a handsome hard cover design. I only wish they’d sprung for better paper. Story Review: (Spoiler Alert) The original 1939 title was similar to “Ten Little Soldiers” but in wording that would be deemed highly offensive today, so I won’t present it here. This refers to a table decoration of ten soldiers who mysteriously disappear as the main characters are murdered,. These are related to a nursery rhyme, which was a popular Christie plot device. Unfortunately, the revised title “And Then There Were None” gives away the main plot twist before you read the first sentence: All of the characters are murdered. A better title would have been the politically correct “Ten Little Soldiers.” Curiously, the most popular 1945 movie adaptation also uses the title “And Then There Were None” but the storyline is changed so that two of the characters survive in order to supply the mandated Hollywood romantic subplot. So in the case of the movie, the title makes absolutely no sense. The main weakness of the book, in my view, is none of the characters are appealing. After all, they’ve all committed some kind of crime with no sign of remorse. The convention in most storytelling is to follow a main character but here, equal weight is given to the ten victims in order to tell their back story, so this leads to making reader less likely to connect with any one character. Christie’s earlier book, “Murder on the Orient Express,” which has a similar plot, features a detective as the central character giving the audience an appealing anchor to connect with. I think the average reader can figure out who the main culprit is early in the book, despite the author’s attempts to misdirect us. The pacing is quite good until we get down to the last three victims, then we have a rather odd acceleration in the action. Despite its minor flaws, it’s a good read and is often referred to as Christie’s “masterpiece.” It has enjoyed many movie and TV adaptations over the years and is a good introduction to Christie for those who are not familiar with her work. If you like this story, I think her best work in this style is the short story “Three Blind Mice,” which originated as a radio play in 1947. The stage play version, retitled “The Mousetrap,” is the world’s longest-running play, with more almost 30,000 performances since its debut in 1952. As of this writing, it continues to run in London’s West End.

Physical quality: Brand new and excellent condition. Paper wares easy though Story itself: I finished this book in 2 days it was so addicting good story Note: I noticed a goofy misprint - pajamas is spelled wrong. A photo is taken and posted Great read! 😊

Agatha Christie's best whodunit, in my opinion. Loved the original movie version with Walter Huson et al. The book is even better, AND A DIFFERENT ENDING!! A must read for mystery readers.

I had never read Agatha Christie before, nor have I really read a lot of mystery books. Lately I’ve been interested in popular fiction, curious about books that have sold really, really well historically. So I tried Treasure Island, for example, and I also gave this a try. The edition is fine, nothing is wrong with the physical book itself. The prose is very simple. This means you don’t get much enjoyment out of the style of writing or the language itself, which is a shame, but it does have the effect of making the reading go by quickly. Nothing, in my opinion, is particularly interesting about the characters or setting. This is really a book you read for the plot. The plot is interesting as you try to tease out who the murderer could be. It’s an entertaining book, and I found the ending to be really ingenious. That was probably the most interesting part, that Christie had, after all, a really brilliant solution to the murders. However, this was the peak of my reading experience. I don’t know how worth it it was to sit through 280 okay pages to really enjoy the last 20. All in all, if you’re looking for something to read to just pass the time this is a good pick. But I think if you want characters you really connect with or interesting, quotable language, you probably won't find it here. So not a great book, but not a bad one either, in my opinion.

A good one, for sure. A lot of guessing with an island full of red herrings. Not so sure about the death of that last herring however. The last chapter describes the whole tale in detail. I think it would have been better without it, to be honest. In many ways, a whodunit can be like a magician's trick. The trick leaves one in wonderment and awe. But, should the magician explain how he did it - well, all is lost. I would much rather be left in a state of amazement. Many a tale's been left that way and the readers are left discussing and pondering and speculating for years and years.

I don’t often read murder mysteries as the thrill of the murder and solving a puzzle is not something I chase, though I enjoy a good who dunnit. I admire the details of the plot and how each murder was orchestrated. I liked the motif of the Ten Soldiers poem, which gave the entire murder mystery a pleasing sense of structure. Some of the stories moved me particularly, especially the one of Vera who let a child drown so her lover could inherit what had gone to the nephew. But it was bittersweet because her lover loved the child and knew in his heart and she had let him die and they could not be lovers again. I also thought the idea of justice for those who are beyond the retributive reach of the law was very interesting. And for that the epilogue at the end where the murderer reveals all was very thoughtful.

This novel has been one of my favourites, since 1989. It's a masterful "whodunit" that is compelling from start to finish. The characters are well laid out, each with a distinct voice and method, through which, the move through the story. This is a masterfully told mystery and one that is almost impossible to ferret out truth. Enjoy

J'ai acheté ce beau livre en anglais car je l'avais déjà en français. C'est un livre bien lisible et intéressant. Je vous le recommande 😊 Merci

For mystery lovers

Superbe!

This is my third Agatha Christie book. 'And Then There Were None' is considered to be the masterpiece and the most successful novel by Agatha Christie. I did had some expectations set on this book after reading two of her books earlier. And i have to say that this was an amazing experience. Such a great plot, to keep the reader hooked and keep guessing the culprit. It was a easy and interesting read, the writing so smooth and precise , the plot keeping the reader engaged, with no un-necessary stuffs. The story begins with eight strangers being invited to an isolated island called the Soldier Island under different pretext. None of them have ever met their host and when these reach the Soldier Island, their hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Owen, are not present to receive them. Instead they are greeted by the butler and his wife. The huge mansion, is well furnished and is stocked with all the things required for these guests. All these people, at some point in their life, were guilty of such act that resulted in the death of some person. These were such actions - cases of deliberate murder - and all quite untouchable by the law. This person knows about the dark secrets of these guests. And there is this old nursery thyme framed and mounted on the walls of all the bedrooms. And all the murders are committed in the same order following this rhyme. First killing is considered as an suicide. But as the killings proceeds, it becomes clear that there is a person with a well planned agenda to commit there murders. But who is he/she? And what is the motive? These ten people are now stuck in this isolated island. There is no chance to escape from here. The characters keep guessing, as the suspicion moves from one person to another. As the suspicion becomes strong on a particular person, that person is murdered. So again the guessing game begin with the persons left alive. After the end of novel, it's difficult to find who is the person behind all there murders and why would someone want to kill these guests for the crime that are now forgotten and could not even be proved guilty for committing these crimes. This is one enthralling mystery that will keep you hooked. You will find answers to all your questions only after reading the manuscript document at the end of the story. "When the sea goes down, there will come from the mainland boats and men. And they will find ten dead bodies and an unsolved problem on Soldier Island."

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. "Ten people dead on an island and not a living soul on it. It doesn't make sense. We don't know who did it, or why, or how." Regarded as Christie's masterpiece, the most difficult of her books to write and more than 100 million copies sold worldwide to cement the reputation of Christie as the Queen of Crime. Sarah Phelp's recent adaptation of the book was atmospheric and gripping with a stellar cast lead by Charles Dance, Aidan Turner and Sam Neill. The book needed an epilogue to explain who the culprit was and why he had chosen his particular victims for this fantastical crime, "something stupendous-out of the common. Something theatrical, impossible." Sir Thomas Legge, the Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard and Inspector Maine try to piece it together after the discovery of the bodies and can't quite get it right. "Some fanatic with a bee in his bonnet about justice. He was out to get people who were beyond the reach of the law. He picked ten people-whether they were really guilty or not doesn't matter." The manner of their deaths resembled the children's nursery rhyme hung in each of the bedrooms. (Frank Green 1869) Christie decided to include a simple device of a message in a bottle. More formally it was referred to as a manuscript document sent to Scotland Yard by the master of the Emma Jane fishing trawler. This amounted to a confession by the murderer before killing himself. It was enclosed in a bottle, sealed and cast into the sea. It neatly sums up what the police were unable to do and reveals the instability and dangerous nature of the murderer: "I have a definite sadistic delight in seeing or causing death." He wanted it to be on a grand scale and it was! The story is set in August 1939 and centres around an island off the coast of Devon called Soldier Island. The island was engulfed in mystery and was isolated, prone to storms so it proved the perfect venue to carry out mass murder. When there is a south-easterly wind you can’t land on the island. Sometimes it can be cut off for a week or more. An American millionaire, Elmer Robson, had bought the island and he had built a luxurious and modern house where his guests stayed. There were more recent rumours that Gabrielle Turl, the Hollywood film star had bought it. This couldn't be verified. We do know that a Mr and Mrs U.N.Owen had bought the island recently and they had employed a Mr Isaac Morris to invite a number of people to the island. He was able to concoct a suitable bait for each of his victims to entice them to spend a week on the island before killing them, one at a time. The characters are introduced as they are travelling from various destinations to Soldier Island. Justice Wargrave has just retired from the bench after a long and successful career. It seemed that he had been invited by an old friend, Constance Culmington to catch up on the old days and commune with nature. He hadn't seen her for seven or eight years. He thinks that even Constance could have bought the island. He was known as the hanging judge. He had a great power with the juries: “it was said he could make their minds up for them any day of the week.” Vera Claythorne was looking forward to being offered a summer job on the island. She had been teaching games in a third-rate school and had had a strenuous term. Working as Mrs Owen’s secretary sounded enticing. Philip Lombard was a ruthless mercenary. He had been offered a hundred guineas to keep a look-out. He was broke so he accepted the assignment. We are told continually that he moved like a panther and likened to a beast of prey. He is the only guest to carry a revolver which makes him one of the chief suspects once the killing spree begins. Emily Brent is a religious fanatic. She had received a letter from an old acquaintance from Bellhaven Guest House inviting her for a free holiday on the island. Her income had been reduced so a free holiday was always welcoming. She reads from her Bible about the day of judgment: “the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.” General Macarthur seemed to have received an invitation from his cronies. He had mixed feelings when he landed, delight as he climbed the stairs followed by unease. Dr Armstrong was sent a cheque asking him to keep an eye on Owen’s wife without alarming her. Owen’s wife didn’t appear! Mr Blore was using a pseudonym, Davis and had invented a story that he was from South Africa. Lombard spots the deceit immediately. Blore was an ex-detective. Mr and Mrs Rodgers were the butler and his wife, the cook. Dr. Armstrong was in need of a long holiday. He found Soldier Island magical, a world of fantasy. “You lost touch with the world-an island was a world of its own. A world, perhaps, from which you might never return.” Christie throws in plenty of clues to keep us on our guard. Something is very odd. Even the characters feel it. They eyed each erring on the side of caution. Then there was Anthony Marston who came for the drink and the prospect of women. Rich and spoilt. The first to be poisoned. After dinner together, the guests relaxed and started to open up a little with more freedom and intimacy. Marston noticed ten little china figures sitting on the table, looking quite harmless but odd. And then it happened… There was a voice without warning, inhuman, penetrating accusing the guests of crimes committed- causing the deaths of other fellow men, with dates included. They are addressed as prisoners at the bar. There was a petrified silence followed by anger and shock. Then there’s a touch of Lord of the Flies with evidence that a madman (or woman) is out to kill each and every one of them. Suspicion, paranoia, trapped on the island with a madman intent on killing. By the time three survivors remained Lombard suggested heliographing with a mirror, sending out an SOS in the hope of a rescue from the mainland. Some of them kept diaries and notes so it was possible for the police to piece together vital clues. The man, Isaac Morris who had provisioned the island and made all the necessary arrangements died. Was he also killed? “He explained to the people down there (Sticklehaven) that there was some experiment on-some bet about living on a “desert island” for a week-and that no notice was to be taken of any appeal for help from out there.” It’s a clever book and you’ll probably have to read it through right to the end before you discover the murderer. You won’t be disappointed. Publisher: Harper Collins Publisher. ISBN: 978-0-00-713683-4 REVIEW it by Carol Naylor.