A review by joyceheinen
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Ten strangers are invited to an isolated island, by a mysterious guest. When they arrive at the island, the host is not there. All the guests get to know each other and soon it’s clear that they’ve all been lured to the island under false pretenses. When they discover each and every single one of them has a secret past, the atmosphere quickly turns darker.
 
One by one the guests are found dead. There is a killer in their midst. But who. A nursery rhyme, that is hanging in each of their rooms, seems to have a pivotal role in these murders.
 
“And Then There Were None” is a dark and mysterious thriller, a classic murder mystery or whodunit. The book has many characters and the story switches between these people very rapid. It’s not like every characters has their own chapter. The way Agatha Christie did this, makes the story very dynamic.
 
Right from the first page, the atmosphere is very present and its immediately sets the tone. The characters are introduced and you’re taking into the story very quickly. It’s very well done how Christie manages to write all these characters and create a solid development for each of them, especially for there being so many of them. Like other Christie books, where for example Hercule Poirot is the main character, there is no leading role in “And Then There Were None”.
 
Locations are always very important for thrillers like this. Here it’s a secluded island and it’s mainly set in the mansion of this mysterious host. This adds to the atmosphere as well.
 
The plot is so strong, it seems obvious and predictable, but it’s anything but that. Christie is the queen of murder mysteries and she proves it with “And Then There Were None”. There are more then one surprise in this story. And I love how, in the final chapters it’s explained what really happened.
 
Agatha Christie’s book are timeless. Once you start reading, it’s hard to stop and you get invested. Christie knows how to create a sinister atmosphere, set on an even more atmospheric location with tons of interesting stories and multiple surprising elements. This is an amazing book, that I would recommend to anyone who loves murder mystery thrillers.