276 pages
Kindle edition
First published November 6, 1939
Book Club read February 2023
Blurb
First, there were ten - a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a 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. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion.
Review
Ten little soldier boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were Nine.
Nine little soldier boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were Eight.
Eight little soldier boys travelling in Devon;
One said he’d stay there and then there were Seven.
Seven little soldier boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves ad then there were Six.
Six little soldier boys playing with a hive;
A bumble bee stung one and then there were Five.
Five little soldier boys going in for law;
One got in Chancery and then there were Four.
Four little soldier boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three
Three little soldier boys walking in the Zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.
Two little soldier boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there was One.
One little soldier boy left all alone;
He went and hanged himself and then there were None.
From the Author’s Note:
I had written this book because it was so difficult to
do that the idea fascinated me.
As for me, I was fascinated from the opening few paragraphs describing several people making their way to a place called Soldier Island. Their destination may be the same, but they don’t know each other, aren’t aware others are making the same journey, or that they’ve all been invited under a different pretence.
As the blurb suggests, the guests are in for one or two unpleasant surprises. And chief among those is the fact that one by one they will be killed as punishment for deaths they have caused in the past but gotten away with.
I do not want to spoil this book for anybody who may not be familiar with the story or for those who, like me, read it so long ago that they've forgotten every single detail. Suffice to say that I was mesmerized by this tale and not just because it appeared to be an impossible crime. Once it becomes clear that the eight guests and two servants are the only people on the island, we know that the only possible explanation is that one of them has to be the deranged murderer. But if all of them die, how can that possibly be the case?
It's not just the mystery of who and how that kept me captivated. The slow but steady slide from disbelief via fear and anger to utter paranoia was fascinating. It was also very cleverly executed because Christie has a very light touch. In fact, if I had to pick one facet of this story that stood out over all others it would be her ability to show her reader darkness without ever spelling it out or layering it on with heavy strokes.
I have to hand it to Agatha Christie. Yes, the idea for this story is fascinating and it reads like an impossible-to-resolve mystery (even) more than her other stories. Yet, once all was revealed at the end of the story—and therefore much too late to save anybody’s life—it did makes sense and both motivation and means of execution convinced me. I’m not sure why that should surprise me; they don’t call Christie the Queen of Crime for nothing. 😊 In fact, if it hadn’t been for the wonderful and in-depth All About Agatha podcast, I would have been oblivious about the one plotting ‘mistake’ in this story.
I
am delighted I picked this book for my book club and can’t wait for the
discussion. Reading And Then There Were None also has made me even more determined
to revisit more Agatha Christie mysteries. I rarely re-read any books but I’m
looking forward to making an exception for her mysteries.
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