And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
5 stars to Agatha Christie‘s And Then There Were None. This is the book that started my absolute love of the mystery genre. I was addicted and must have read it 3 or 4 times over the course of the year. Between the poem, the deserted island, the plot twist, the count-down, the pure clandestine suspense… it couldn’t get any better.
Story
Ten people receive a mystery letter from someone they don’t know that indicates they should come to a remote island. Why would they go????? After arriving, they try to figure out the connection between all of them while waiting for their mysterious host. After coming across a cute little poem about how ten little indians die, they decide they will wait it out until the next morning when the ferry comes back to take them home. But it will never come! Each guest suddenly dies matching the line from the poem… resulting in alliances and mistrust. Pure fun.
In a masterful conclusion, the reader understands all the connections, learns why the killer chose them to die and develops a very distinct opinion on who was right and who was wrong in this story.
Amazing!
Strengths
1. Plot – can you get any better than telling the reader that 10 people will die and then guessing the order and the weapon?
2. Characters – All walks of life, all personalities. You’ll love some and hate some.
Weaknesses
1. Only that there wasn’t a follow-up…
Final Thoughts
If you are a mystery fan, you must read this. If you’ve never read Agatha Christie, this must be your first – before you tackle Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot. You must understand the master before getting hooked on any specific protagonist in one of her other series.
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