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And Then There Were None

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Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE should be very close to the top of any mystery fan's "must read list." The novel concerns a group of ten previously unacquainted people who are lured via various pretexts to Indian Island, a resort home off the coast of Devon--and are promptly accused by their unseen host of having escaped punishment for past crimes. Cut off from the world and fighting rising panic, they scramble to unmask the killer even as their number is reduced in macabre accordance with the "Ten Little Indians" nursey rhyme displayed in rooms throughout the house.

Agatha Christie was already famous when AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (also known under the title TEN LITTLE INDIANS) was published--but this book put her career well over the top: nothing like it had seen before, it proved a sensation, and writers and film-makers continue to use Christie's basic idea to this very day. Some critics argue the novel is mechanical rather than organic, but I say if this is mechanical, let's have more of it! It is truly a can't-put-it-down, non-stop read, a spectacular turn by the genre's single most celebrated author.

The success of the novel inspired Christie to adapt it for the stage, where it was a tremendous success, and there have been several film versions (most notably the 1940s Rene Clair-directed AND THEN THERE WERE NONE) over the years. If you know the story only from stage and film versions, however, you are in for a surprise. Christie felt the novel's conclusion did not translate well to the stage, so she re-wrote it--and most film versions follow the stage script, not the novel. But whether you've seen the play and films or not, get ready for a shock!

Dame Agatha makes a jarring departure in this grim and intricate tale. There is no sleuth, the pace is fast, frenzied and breathless, and rather than "types," she takes pains with characterizations. The body count is high, and the mode of death frequently untidy. "And Then There Were None" is among the most favored of Christie's books. It has gone through a few title changes; I knew it as "Ten Little Indians," and before that it had even a more politically incorrect title. Be forewarned, Ms. Christie is neither enlightened nor tolerant. Some of the passages and references are bigoted and might offend some readers.

A group of ten strangers is invited or hired for a long weekend on Indian Island, a mile off the Devon coast. It is somewhat improbable that these ten would all accept such a vague invitation from a host they do not know to a place they have never seen before, but each for his or her own reasons accepts. They include a doctor, a games mistress, a soldier of fortune, a rich playboy, a retired policeman, a judge, a spinster, a retired general and a married couple who are to be the servants. They arrive on a bleak rocky island to a completely modern house with all the amenities. The fires are welcoming, there is an ample supply of food, the servants are impeccable, but their host is absent. In each of the bedrooms, the Ten Little Indians nursery rhyme is posted on a prominent wall. It begins:

"Ten Little Indian boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self, and then there were nine.---

Drinks are served, and one guest chokes, turns blue and falls over dead. The tension builds, the fright of the stranded people is palpable as one by one, they are picked off, each in accordance with the nursery rhyme. As the number of victims increase, the survivors' suspicions of each other reach a frantic pitch. In an epilogue, the police arrive and find them all dead. Who is the murderer who has to be among the victims?

"And Then There Were None" is told in short choppy chapters that build suspense and tension. I would call this Christie's one and only thriller. None of the characters are even likable and once again (see "ABC Murders"), Christie toys with the idea of the serial killer long before such an animal was even heard of. She is a good profiler too! This is an excellent story, and the author is miles ahead of you at all times, If you can figure out "who" and "how" before she lays it out for you, you deserve the Sleuth of the Year Award!

Set on an isolated island without contact of the outside civilization, Agatha Christie's novel And Then There Were None is the story of tem strangers invited to an island by a mysterious host.

The book starts out with an introduction to the Ten characters. Although this is effective in telling the characters, it is also boring and does not catch your attention right away. But as soon as the guests arrive on Indian Island, this boredom disperses and an exciting thriller breaks through. What is also exciting about this novel is you have no idea who is committing these strange murders.

The first night these people are at the house they are greeted with an eerie voice that accuses them of murders that were committed but were never convicted of in the past. When the guests arrive there is no trace of U.N. Owen, but as the guests start to die this mysterious figure reveals his ugly face.

This book shows fear in peoples conciences, the guilt that lies within, and the hate among strangers. Anyone who wants to read a suspenseful murder mystery, and wamts to stay on the end of their seats, should read this wicked novel of horror and fear...

Surely everyone in the world has read this book by now! Surely it tops the best-selling list of a best-selling author! Older readers may not recognize it by its current title, its original and a later replacement having been deemed too racist. Nothing racist, I hope, was picked up in my school English classes, where I used it to help develop pupils' appetite for reading.

Agatha Christie's achievement is remarkable. She creates ten characters, all suspected of murder, who are lured to an island. She has them meet their deaths one by one as nominated in the nursery rhyme "Ten Little Indians" which is displayed in their rooms. She has each murder occur in a situation where almost all the other island guests might have had opportunity to commit it. As if devising all this were not enough, she also frequently takes us into the minds of the various characters - something that the whole nature of detective fiction usually prohibits. This construction is not only intricate but also compact; it is one of her shorter novels. Built on this scheme, the book must exclude Mrs Christie's regular sleuths, Poirot and Miss Marple. Instead, the dwindling number of island guests generate their own investigation.

So here is a book that offers double the pleasure that murder mysteries provide. As well as challenging you to solve the mystery, it also amazes you that so ingenious a mystery could be contrived.

As I sat down to read this book the afternoon I received it in the mail, many questions passed through my mind. I had never read any of Agatha Christie's mystery novels, and I wondered, would I like this one? Looking down at the first page somehow I knew that I would.

The first chapter sets the stage for the wonderful story to come, and every puzzle piece is set there for the finale.

The book is brilliantly written, and masterly crafted by Agatha Christie. Now, do not sit down exspecting to solve this one, because that feat seems entirely impossible. I don't believe she gives enough clues for that to be done, however I guess there might be someone who figured it out.

This novel was so good I could literally not put it down. I finished it in about 4 hours, and was very pleased at the end of the day.

I highly recommend this book, even if you are not a fan of the mystery genre, because the book itself is a literary classic.

I am pleased I decided to read this book because now I know I like Agatha Christie and will read more of her books, and I hope you do too.

" There are ten of us in this room. One of us must be the murderer." So says Judge Wargrave, one of the ten main characters in And Then There Were None, a thrilling story by Agatha Christie. I chose this book because my father used to read her books and he mentioned a book about ten people who were all mysteriously killed on an isolated island. The ten strangers are gathered together on an isolated island by a mysterious host. One by one the guests share the dark secrets of their pasts. And one by one they die... How each character is murdered is known from the beginning, by a seemingly innocent poem, but yet the story is chilling and suspenseful; knowing one's fate is more disturbing than uncertainty. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a great book filled with mystery and suspense.

If you ever wondered why Agatha Christie has gotten such acclaim and praise, read this book and you'll find out why.

Ten strangers, completely unknown to each other (except for one couple) are invited to attend a party at the mysterious new mansion built on Indian Island by a Mr. and Mrs. U.N. Owen, who is unknown to all of the guests. When they get there, they discover that the host and hostess are nowhere to be found. They soon realize that they have been tricked into coming to the island, a mistake that will ultimately cost their lives.

When I first started reading this, I have to admit I was a little bored with the exposition. In fact, I stopped reading it after Chapter 1 for a few days, uninterested. But, I eventually decided to try reading more, and thankfully, I got hooked. As soon as the first person dies, your eyes become instantly glued to the pages, not wanting to put the book down. I know that's what happened to me. And when the killer is finally revealed, it's one of those moments when you hit your forehead and say, "Oh my God, I can't believe I didn't realize that!" All of the other 270 pages definitely pays off with the last 5 pages.

If you love whodunit mysteries, or if you loved the show "Murder in Small Town X", I highly suggest you read this. It's heart-pounding excitement at its best.

I really enjoy the tension and suspense the book creates especially in the last few chapters (from Ch 13 onward when the few people left were so frightened and alert). That I think is the strongest point of the book.

The confession of the murderer(s) in the epilogue is ok, though I did expect something more surprising and ... convincing. There are a few points in the murderer(s)'s plan and in the story development itself that are not very believable. [The butler still prepared breakfast after the second murder, as if there's nothing particularly unusual happen???] That is, the book is a bit too contrived.

But over all, if you have 5, 6 hours to spare and like detective stories, why not?

And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie is a mind bending, and thought provoking murder mystery. Eight guests are invited by seperate but mysterious invitations to spend their holiday together on Indian Island. While each guest is different in many ways all have one thing in common, which you will find out as you read. An old nursery rhyme of Ten Little Indian Boys leads a scandalous curiosity throughout the book. I've never read a book like this, it's almost like playing the board game Clue. You must play close to every chapter and detail if your ultimate goal is to solve the mystery before you're done with the book. Agatha Christie did an excellent job creating different characters all playing key roles to the mystery of Indian Island. This book his different because it is written with thoughts coming straight from the characters rather then just telling the events. The reactions of the characters help develope a good flow and clear up any confusion you might have while reading. "It is lovely here. The hills and the red earth and everything so green and luscious looking."-pg18 said by Vera Claythorne You wouldn't have guessed that this novel was going to be any kind of mystery. Agatha Christie leaves no description out, at the beggining of the novel. Although the title may sway your oppinions, her description of a what seems to be vacation island is the last thing Indian Island is. Many of the guest who would be staying on Indian Island first viewed it as a welcoming of oppurtunities, that was also assured in their invitations to the island. What the guest do not know is their beautiful beach resort island is going to be the setting of a huge murder scene. The vocabulary that arises in this novel is not too difficult but does take some time to analyze as you read. This book is for anybody who wants a good suspensful mystery. And Then There Were None has many main characters and is often hard to follow. If you have trouble with this, I do not reccomend this book for your choice.

An action packed murder mystery thriller, Ten Little Indians is a one of a kind story. Written by the legendary Agatha Christie, Ten Little Indians excites, perplexes, and unnerves the readers to make them feel like being one of the persons being stalked by an unknown psycho. The story starts when 10 people are asked to come to a resort island named Indian Island off the shores of Devin. All of the people oblige, and make to the island. From there on, certain unexplained events start manifesting themselves. Slowly at first, but increasing as the time flies, one by one people start dying, all by quite obvious and different methods of murder. But the most baffling thing about these deaths is that the death count and the type of murder correspond with the lines of the child's poem Ten Little Indians. I personally enjoyed this book because it had all of the elements of an action adventure, but with all of the shrouding mystery of a murder mystery novel. Examples of these things can be found all over the book. An interesting part with both action and mystery is near the end, when only three people are living. A statue us dropped on one of the three. People suspect the doctor, who had disappeared the night before. The two living were shocked to find the doctor's body at the shoreline, where he had drowned. In these types of books convincing characters are hard to come by. Most are full of dull personalities. In this book each person has their own personality. The people have their own Ideas, they each have their own backgrounds, and their own styles of putting up with things. Making a even more convincing novel. An interesting thing that Christie did in this book is that she had semi chapters inside of main chapters, just on a single person. This was a plus in a sense, because it gave you each characters perspective on events that happened throughout the book. A perfect example of this is in chapter 10, another person had been killed, and everybody suspected everybody else. It was sort of enjoyable, seeing what the peoples' thoughts were. If you haven't read a mystery in a while, or ever, this is the perfect choice to start, or continue reading murder mysteries. Graham Dougherty