And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Reviewed by Ellen

“He picked up his drink and drank it off at a gulp. Too quickly, perhaps. He choked--choked badly. His face contorted, turned purple. He gasped for breath--then slid down off his chair, the glass falling from his hand.”

Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None tells a thrilling story of ten people on a peculiar island, with a murderer. Ten strangers each receive a letter from an unknown “U.N. Owen” inviting them to a mansion on Soldier Island. At dinner one night, each of the ten people are revealed to have committed a crime, and by evening, one of them is dead. Soon, each of them begin to die off one-by-one, each death similar to those in an eerie nursery rhyme. Which one of them is the killer? Will anyone survive?

One thing I really liked about this book is how the point of view was written. I enjoyed knowing what each character was thinking. Agatha Christie even put everyone’s thoughts together at times, not telling us who was thinking what. That’s exactly what happened at one point in the book, and it almost felt like Christie was teasing me by not giving me any clues. While every other character’s thoughts were (mostly) innocent, one really stood out to me: “‘The damned fool, he believed every word I said to him. It was easy… I must be careful, though, very careful.’”

Another thing I enjoyed about this book was that it scared me. It might sound strange, but I enjoyed feeling that cold shiver come up my spine and make me look over my shoulder every once in a while, just to make sure no one was watching me. Whenever someone made even the slightest noise, I would nearly jump out of my skin, my heart pumping. At the most suspenseful moments, I felt like someone was right there in my room, sneaking up on me like a predator, and waiting for the best time to strike.

I really enjoyed And Then There Were None, and I would rank it a 10/10. It’s really a great book, and I really recommend it. Agatha Christie has many other books, and though this one isn’t part of a specific series, I advise you to take a look at many of her other mystery books. But wait! You may not really enjoy this book if you aren’t exactly immune to nightmares. This book is on the darker side, with many deaths, so do whatever you need to do to keep yourself from getting clammy hands at night. But otherwise, go give it a read. Now!!!

HarperCollins Publishers, 300 pages