Review: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

One summer, eight strangers receive a mysterious invitation to spend a holiday on Soldier Island. They have nothing in common with one another— except that each has a dark secret lurking in their past.

When they arrive at the island, they find things are not as they expected; their mysterious host and hostess are absent, and nobody— not even the staff, limited to a butler and his wife— have ever set eyes on them. To add to the mystery, there are copies of an ominous children’s rhyme framed in every room.

On the very first night of their stay, things begin to go awry; dark secrets begin to surface, matters buried in the past begin to come to light— and the island’s inhabitants start to die mysterious deaths, one by one.

Nobody knows which of the ten is to blame; is it the Doctor with the questionable past? The governess who lost her young charge to the sea? The pious, harsh old woman? The detective ostensibly sent out by the host to keep an eye on them all? 

One thing is for sure, the suspect pool is getting steadily smaller; and as the shrinking group are left stranded on the island, they can’t help but wonder, will any of them ever leave?

And Then There Were None is possibly my favourite Christie novel, and one of my favourite novels in the mystery genre. Fascinating and tense, I finished it in the space of 24 hours (despite having several tasks calling for my attention).

The unique and outstanding plot makes this a mystery for the ages; it had to be an excellently crafted and written plot, or it would not have held together or been effective, but Christie managed it masterfully. The sinister note and the tension are maintained right from the start, and the reader gets the sense that things are not quite as they should be, but the mystery remains unsolved and keeps you guessing right up until the epilogue. 

The writing style is easy to read, and even though there are many characters and the viewpoint constantly switches, I found the book was not crowded, confusing or cluttered. Rather, each character is individual and easy to remember, their backstories well constructed.

In addition, I liked that the book had a conclusive ending and didn’t leave you guessing or confused like some others do (I personally much prefer for mystery novels to end in this way). The conclusion also managed to be both believable and unpredictable, which, given the structure of the plot, is remarkable.

I also liked that the novel was short and sweet— not drawn out unnecessarily, but a shorter book perfect for a holiday or a weekend read.

Personally, there wasn’t anything I disliked about this book. Other readers have complained that it had too many characters and was hard to follow as a result, but I found this only to be a minor issue; they were individual enough that I found myself able to keep track, and I didn’t mix them up in my head. 

Another common criticism is that none of the characters was likeable— but in this novel, I found it didn’t bother me, as it fit with the plot and overall tone of the book.

However, if you don’t like books that have multiple viewpoints, frequent internal monologues, flawed characters, and uncomfortable depictions of justice, this book might not be for you.

Without a doubt, And Then There Were None has been one of my favourite books I have read this year; there wasn’t really anything about it I could find not to like. As a writer myself, I can recognise the absolute genius that would have to go into putting together a storyline like this, and it increased my appreciation of the plot, characters and tension even more. 

I recommend this book for fans of tense, mind-bending mysteries, and those who like Christie’s books and other good old-fashioned mystery novels.