And Then There Were None

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And Then There Were None

Agatha Christie
1939

The Summary
Ten seemingly unrelated individuals have been summoned to Indian Island, a private island off the coast of Devon, by a mysterious benefactor; however, when the group arrives at their destination they find themselves alone and entirely secluded from the rest of civilization.

And then the murders begin.

One among them is not who they seem.

The Good
Agatha Christie will keep you on the edge of your seat. When the murders begin, you will be guessing time and again with the remaining victims about who has committed such atrocities.

It will certainly keep you on your toes - which is obviously a good thing for a murder-mystery novel.

Additionally, Christie remains remarkably inventive with her story. The entire sequence of murders actually follows the course of an old nursery rhyme. Each individual on the island will face the fate of one of the poem's unfortunate characters. So, if you're looking for macabre sort of story, Christie won't disappoint.

But that, of course, leaves one question: who is the ever elusive and mysterious benefactor, U. N. Owen?

Well, the answer just might (and probably will) surprise you.

The Bad
Although Christie has a skill for weaving murder-mystery novels like no other author, And Then There Were None seemingly drags through the first few chapters.  Between providing the initial introductions and setting up the events on Indian Island, the opening chapters can become a real bore.

It isn't until the first murder occurs that the story really picks up the pace.

The Ugly
Well, murder obviously.

Christie sets the stage for unusual and inventive murders, not least among them through suffocation, poison, and crushing. It's amazing how one poem - an old nursery rhyme, in fact - can lead to such a macabre resolution.