And Then There Were None in Retro Chapter Chicks

Jan 05, 2017 Brina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, agatha-christie

This year I have decided to take part in a women's century challenge in the group catching up on classics where the participants read a book written in ten consecutive decades. I chose to focus on the 20th century and my 1930s selection is And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Although I had previously read some of her Hercule Poirot cases, this is my first stand alone mystery of Christie's that I have read. A suspenseful premise for a case, And Then There Were None left me on edge for th This year I have decided to take part in a women's century challenge in the group catching up on classics where the participants read a book written in ten consecutive decades. I chose to focus on the 20th century and my 1930s selection is And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Although I had previously read some of her Hercule Poirot cases, this is my first stand alone mystery of Christie's that I have read. A suspenseful premise for a case, And Then There Were None left me on edge for the duration of the book.

Ten individuals who committed murder at one point in their lives have been invited to Soldier Island for a supposed holiday. Upon arrival, the participants note the quaintness of the island and the home which they are staying in. Yet, on top of the mantel in each bedroom is the poem "ten little Indians". In the communal dining room are ten salt shakers each representing a person and the same poem. As the group gathers for cocktail hour, a gramophone recording announces the crime each individual is guilty of committing. Shocked at first, each person comes to terms with the accusation and reveals what really happened to the group.

Christie's participants represent a cross section of society including a judge, doctor, Scotland Yard police officer, retired general, mercenary, governess, and spinster. None of these primary participants believes themselves guilty of the crime because after all they were acquitted. Yet one of their party believes them all to be guilty, or they would not have been invited to Soldier Island. One by one the group is murdered, the island is searched, and the dwindling group realizes that there is a murderer in their midst. The death mirrors the poem on the wall, and as each person is killed, another salt shaker breaks. It is up to the remaining people to identify the murder.

Unlike Hercule Poirot cases where Christie allows the reader to crack the case early on only to have Poirot peal back layers and layers to the case, in And Then There Were None, Dame Christie does not clue us as to who the murderer is. Even someone as myself who reads a fair number of mysteries was left captivated as to whodunit, allowing me to read quickly until the end of the book. The participants were also held in suspense, accusing each other of being the murderer. This lead to a revealing denouement, one that had me guessing until the last page.

I have read many mysteries written by women, including many cases starring female private eyes and police detectives. Many of these mystery writers have Dame Agatha Christie to thank for paving their way as early as the 1920s. And Then There Were None first appeared in serial form, leaving its readers in suspense until the next installment appeared. A captivating mystery, I am open to reading more of Christie's stand alone cases, and rate this mystery 4 stars. ...more

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Nov 12, 2018 Candi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-crime, classics-shelf

I read this book ages ago; I believe it was my very first Agatha Christie book. I recall searching through the shelves of the local library in the mystery section trying to find something I hadn’t already read. This was during a phase when all I wanted to read were mysteries and nothing else – I suppose I was attempting to create some sort of balance with the high school required reading curriculum. I have to admit that I don’t think I had ever heard of Agatha Christie until that moment. (My par I read this book ages ago; I believe it was my very first Agatha Christie book. I recall searching through the shelves of the local library in the mystery section trying to find something I hadn’t already read. This was during a phase when all I wanted to read were mysteries and nothing else – I suppose I was attempting to create some sort of balance with the high school required reading curriculum. I have to admit that I don’t think I had ever heard of Agatha Christie until that moment. (My parents and grandparents were non-readers, so I was generally on my own to discover new books and authors – unless it was assigned reading.) Imagine my delight when I noted a whole slew of her mysteries all lined up neatly on the shelf – more to look forward to if I liked my first! To make a long story short, I loved the book and to this day recalled the clever twist at the end.

When one of my book groups chose to read this last month, I didn’t think I would manage to squeeze it in. Then I discovered the BBC audio production. I don’t generally listen to audio books; my mind tends to wander far too easily. However, since I’d read it before I thought this would be a fun option. And it was! But it was far too short! All of a sudden it ended and I thought there was something more to be heard! I know there was something missing… my memory of it all those years ago told me so. I wasn’t even sure whodunit when the audio ended. So I promptly returned to the library and signed out the actual book, which includes both an epilogue as well as a copy of a ‘manuscript’ found in a sealed bottle out at sea. Whew! All my questions were answered and it all came together quite brilliantly once again. What I came to realize was that my ‘audio book’ was more like a recording of a dramatization – missing all the little details I’d have read in the actual book, but with the addition of all the sound effects and plenty of engaging dialogue - ice tinkling in glasses, music fading, doors slamming, different voices for the various characters… but lacking the narration in between that helped make the story solid.

An entertaining and very slick little mystery, And Then There Were None should appeal to most lovers of this genre. I recommend reading the actual book or the true audio book rather than the BBC dramatization, unless you are already familiar with the story. Otherwise, this version would make for great fun! 3.5 stars rounded up ...more

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Nov 02, 2024 Maureen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery

5 shining stars. I just loved it. I have to read more Agatha Christie novels.

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Sep 29, 2012 Book Concierge rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: murder, book-club, movie, 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you, classic, mystery, suspense, concierge, women-writers, crime

Audio book performed by Hugh Fraser
4****

This is perhaps Dame Christie’s ultimate achievement in mystery-writing.

Ten strangers are invited to a private island off the coast of England. On arrival they find that their mysterious host is not in attendance. Instead he has left a recording to be played after dinner, in which each is accused of having committed a murder in their past. Shortly after this revelation, one of them dies after drinking a whiskey laced with cyanide. The next morning another ...more

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Aug 05, 2024 Theresa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-mystery, classics-and-classic-redos, cozy-mysteries, christie, adapted-to-film-tv

I last read this in my 20s, when it was still titled Ten Little Indians. Since then my memory of the actual book has blurred through all the movie and TV adaptations. I thought it was past time to reread the original source material and was very pleased when it featured as part of the Agatha Christie Challenge this year, as a wrap up of the Christies' from the 1930s.

It is simply marvelous! Short, tight, and, even remembering who did it and how, suspenseful, utterly brilliant. I even started doub ...more

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Oct 22, 2021 Flo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-physical, 4-star, mystery-thriller

This book has been on my to-read for quite a while, but I finally got to it because someone gave me a free copy...and it was just as good as everyone said! At first, I was worried that I would get confused because the book introduced so many characters at once, but it actually wasn't so bad and i quickly started figuring out who was who. The story was so filled with tension that I had to keep reading, but it was also a very easy read and I was able to finish it in a couple nights. It had a reall ...more

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Nov 27, 2018 ˜”*°•.˜”*°• Sheri •°*”˜.•°*”˜ rated it really liked it

Shelves: agatha-christie, mystery

Enjoyed. To me the characters are well defined and believable. The first several pages move a bit slowly but then it picks up and the story moves quickly and kept my I interest. I didn’t want to put this book down.

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