And Then There Were None is not the first Agatha Christie book I read. Although it is the first one I completely fell in love with. It can be tricky to read her books. They were written a very long time ago, and she often uses references to the 30s lifestyle that is foreign to me. While reading it in a different century, some details can go over my head and doom the book as boring. At least, this has been my experience when reading Agatha Christie.

But then, I picked up And Then There Were None. One of her standalone mystery novels. A story with multiple adaptations from movies, to mini-series, to a two-part episode of Family Guy. And I know I’ve seen a few more with different characters while maintaining the same plot, although, for the life of me, I can’t remember where. This is one of her bestselling books and the experience I was always hoping to have whenever I picked one of her books.

Author: Agatha Christie Pages: 250 Genre: Murder Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Horror, Classic First Published: 1939

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Synopsis:

First, there were ten—a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a little private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they’re unwilling to reveal—and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. A famous nursery rhyme will set the pace and before the weekend is out, there will be none.

Ten little boys went out to dine
One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little boys sat up very late
One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little boys travelling in Devon
One said he’d stay there then there were seven.
Seven little boys chopping up sticks
One chopped himself in half and then there were six.
Six little boys playing with a hive
A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five little boys going in for law
One got in Chancery and then there were four.
Four little boys going out to sea
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little boys walking in the zoo
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there was one.
One little boy left all alone
He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.

Thoughts and feelings:

I’ve always liked the idea of strangers trapped on an island with nowhere to run away, being killed one by one without any idea who could be behind it all. And it was a surprise to discover that Agatha Christie was the mastermind behind one of my favourite plots. No matter how much I try, I can’t remember when I was first introduced to this story. I know the Family Guy episode wasn’t the first time I saw it, and I never laid my eyes on any of the adaptations. And not knowing is driving me crazy!

Now coming back to the task at hand, the atmosphere on the island was delicious! It was creepy, unpredictable, suspenseful, intriguing, and slightly scary, especially the last death. I had to take in a deep breath before I could continue reading. It was chilly, and I loved it! Without a doubt, this has some horror elements right up my street focused on pure human evil. The ending on the island is intense, like very intense! And it was the cherry on top of the cake of a murderous weekend.

I was expecting the whole mystery to go in a direction similar to Murder on the Orient Express instead, there were no tricks, nothing hidden from the reader. All the characters are on the island. No outside people nor ghosts. Ten people, all of them die, and someone was behind it all. Pretty straightforward. Even though I got to be surprised, part of me wished it would go differently. That Mr Owen, the host, would be far away from the island and in some way predict every death that would take place that weekend without needing to get his hands dirty. Although the final result is no less impressive.

After everyone on the island is dead, the next chapter is told from the point of view of the policemen called to the scene. Even they can’t make sense of what happened on the island. And while expecting everything to be revealed, I found this chapter to break the story a little. The final guest is dead, time to discover how everything was done, and instead, Agatha takes the reader back to the island to see everything again through another set of eyes. Still, the chapter adds more wood to the fire, although I found it a bit too long. After the intense ending on the island, I wanted the conclusion right there, and instead, I had to wait a little longer, killing part of the mood.

And I guess it should be fun to go back now and find all the breadcrumbs the author left behind because Agatha Christie always leaves them behind. Seeing the clues I missed, how obvious or how well hidden everything was. Without a doubt, this is a new favourite book, and the motivation I need to tackle more of her books to see if I can fall in love once again.