I really liked the Agatha Christie book I’ve read before and I have always been interested in reading more. My mom owns quite a lot of them and as a mystery lover they are a must read. After seeing And Then There Were None mentioned in a Youtube video, I decided to just go for it and I listened to the audiobook. And today I want to share my thoughts with you all, so let’s dive in!
First, there were ten—a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a little 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. A famous nursery rhyme is framed and hung in every room of the mansion:
"Ten little boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there then there were seven. Seven little boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in half and then there were six. Six little boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."
When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale? Only the dead are above suspicion.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
on 06/11/1939
Pages: 264
Goodreads
The premise of this book is really interesting and I loved the concept. 10 People are invited to an island and are then killed one by one. They are the only ones there and therefor one of them is probably the killer. Every single one of them has a secret and you learn more about them throughout the novel.
This book is only 264 pages and is a super quick read. I finished the audiobook in one sitting. The killer kills everyone in order by a nursery rhyme. We got an updated version of this book, the title even changed. Because the original nursery rhyme was pretty racist, as was the original title of the book. There are still some passages in the book that made me uncomfortable and while it fits with the time the book is set in and when it was written, it is something to be aware of.
Ten little boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little boys traveling in Devon; One said he’d stay there then there were seven. Seven little boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in half and then there were six. Six little boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.
I really liked that the killings were following the nursery rhyme and I was trying to figure who did it before we got the reveal. Murder on the Orient Express was the first Agatha Christie novel I read and I loved the reveal at the end of that one. So I was trying to think outside of the box but I never figured out who did it in this book. The reveal was for sure a surprise to me!
In summary I enjoyed the book and will for sure pick up more Agatha Christies. They have good mysteries but aren’t really scary. You have to keep in mind that there might be some uncomfortable (and probably racist) moments in the books, I’m not sure if they will be in the other books but I expect they will be. Other than that I think the book was enjoyable! Have you read any Agatha Christie before? Which one should I pick up next? Let me know down below!
