2021 EDIT: Still a great book. As well as being a creative, thrilling and suspenseful mystery, 'And Then There Were None' is very addictive. It holds no less power or entertainment even when I know who the murderer is (spotting the clues clearly this time has been fun!). It's easily Agatha Christie's magnum opus. I probably would have finished 'And Then There Were None' in one day were it not for work commitments.
Just be wary of the occasional instances of racism and antisemitism (to say nothing of its original title and concept) in this 1939 publication.
Lastly, I feel I have to comment on this passage:
'That fellow Lombard now, he was a queer chap.
Not straight. He'd swear the man wasn't straight.' - page 51
Oh, how hilariously quaint. How meanings of certain words change over the decades, and to see them used side by side like that in classic lit.
Final Score: 5/5
Original Review:
Wow! What a pleasant surprise. My first Agatha Christie novel and I loved it.
I'm not that big a mystery reader. For years I'd been made to watch murder-mystery/detective TV shows with my father around dinner and night time, and I'd grown fairly bored of the same-old-same-old stories and misdirections and red herrings, because I was convinced I'd seen it all. I love a good plot twist and satisfying revelation, but not when I don't care about the plot itself or the characters who are either the detectives or the suspects.
But I knew that, as a avid reader, it was my solemn bibliophilic duty to read a certain amount of mystery novels, especially the classics. Maybe books can convey more interesting and insightful twists and turns (tricks of the page, as it were) better than the visual medium can.
Agatha Christie's most famous stand-alone title and arguably her masterpiece, 'And Then There Were None', was one I knew I had to try soon. And luck comes and there was a copy in my local library.
'And Then There Were None' is a surprisingly quick read for a classic mystery tale. It is easy to devour in a few sittings; the characters and what is happening to them on the island they are invited to kept me turning the pages. It is addictive and short, just the perfect length.
It is strange how much I grew to care about the characters and their individual personalities and backstories, when at the same time I was eager to find out who was going to die next, and how. Deaths on the island (called Soldier Island in recent editions) happen based on the content of a subsequent verse in an old nursery rhyme, called "Ten Little Soldier Boys" in later versions of the novel (the original name, and that of the novel's title first published in 1939, are extremely offensive nowadays and I don't wish to type them up here. I would never even dare say them out loud. To those reading this review who don't know what I'm talking about, find out more about 'And Then There Were None' online). The idea of a childlike-yet-morbid song being the basis of a multiple-murder mystery plot is ingenious; sweetly unsettling, and a gateway to creativity on the part of the murderer.
One by one the trapped ten people - each believed by the concealed killer to be guilty of murder impossible to prove and thereby untouchable by law - begin to kick it: by poison, blows to the head, gunshot... All in the name of so-called justice.
I won't say more in terms of plot and characters, because they are just too good to spoil. I'll only say that when it comes to applying twists and turns, good characterisation, grounded reality and logic - all of which are important in any murder-mystery - 'And Then There Were None' excels in masterclass levels. More than a great mystery, it is an immensely well-plotted story and a fascinating read. It could even serve as a reference to a psychologist's thesis on human behaviour and how we deal with guilt and the past gaining up on us to deliver fatal blows, figuratively and literally. Throughout reading, when I thought I'd figured out who the killer is and was prepared for a disappointing ending as a result, the novel works to throw my expectations right out the window with another twist - one that's both sensible and inevitable in view of the bigger picture. At the same time, the psychological theories I thought 'And Then There Were None' was representing in its narration and themes turn out to be so, but it conveyed even cleverer ideas in relation to those theories. I'm jealous that I had not thought of them on my own.
At the end of the day (to use an irritatingly cliched phrase; now I feel like I'm on 'The Jeremy Kyle Show'), each of the ten little soldier boys (including three women) are victims of their own downfalls and devices - lured into a trap on an island of isolation with equally guilty people who they cannot trust. 'And Then There Were None' reminded me of the Jean-Paul Sartre play 'No Exit' in that regard.
Overall, an excellent mystery that hits the mark in all the right places. Well-written, unpretentious, engaging and hard to put down, a classic at its finest. Sure, looking back I see some of the events as being a tad too contrived and convenient, but I honestly don't think they are worth caring about. The flaws cannot ruin anything in this opus.
There is nothing else quite like it. I adore 'And Then There Were None': "adore" being a bizarre word choice to associate with a novel about fear and distrust awakening as people get murdered, but there you go. I cannot recommend it enough, especially to non-mystery lovers like myself. There is something in it for everyone.
And there are more Agatha Christie books in my library. I hope I'll enjoy at least a few of them as much as I did this.
Final Score: 5/5
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