And Then There Were None [Paperback]

DO NOT READ IF YOU'RE SEVERELY PARANOID

Because the machinations at the heart of this novel is that there are no secrets, even between strangers. And who knows, maybe one day, someone very evil and demented will happen upon the very thread that linked them all and pull at it. With devastating consequences.

Strangers stranded on an island is nothing new in the literature world, but strangers on a comfy island and getting nicked one by one is new, not to mention when after a while, no one else is left!

Toying with this plot, which Agatha Christie claimed to be the most taxing plot of them all, the story unfolds with a very energetic, very handsome man speeding down a road in a new shiny car with the women swooning after him. A few chapters later we see him choking on his drink while dining, and seconds later died. The first line of the nursery rhyme has been realised, and there are nine more to follow...

Christie's toying with the rhyme is very delightful, albeit cruel and frightening. There was a moment where the characters were discussing about the rhyme and wondering where in the world would their demented tormentor find a red herring or a bear, as suggested in these lines:

Four Little Indian boys going out to sea
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.

Three Little Indian boys walking to the zoo
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.

Without giving anything away, suffice to say that Agatha Christie got her bear and red herring just the way she wanted them. And the ending is simply haunting and depressive. Not your usual Christie, but her best ever.

Now in high school, I look back on a year where I have made quite a dent into Agatha Christie's mysteries. I have been literally gobbling them up and enjoying each and every one. Some I like better than others, and this one will always be at the top of that list. It was my first and it is my favorite.

And then there were none has had an abundance of titles. From 10 Little Indians and something even less appropriate, the title has gradually changed until it settled on this. The story is of ten people, gathered on an island by someone they don't know. One by one they are done away with according to the nursery rhyme Ten Little Indians. (That was the part that really creeped me out but Christie uses the nursery rhyme plot device in quite a few of her mysteries.) The first dies at dinner the first day and everyone else slowly follows suit (according to the rhyme of course). The murders are sometimes quite gruesome. A search of the island reveals that the killer is one of the ten, and tensions mount as ten becomes nine, then eight, then seven...and then there were none.

My favorite character from the beginning was Vera, so I was able to stick with the book until the end. It seems slow at some parts, especially in the beginning, but soon it has you hooked as the murders come faster and closer together. Overall, it is a total masterpiece, and I still don't understand how Christie managed it. The solution was just amazing - a total surprise. I never guessed and I doubt anyone else would either without help.

One more thing: the book has been blamed for bigotry, etc. If you're really really touchy about it you might want to avoid it, but otherwise put up with it. It was the time period, remember. I didn't catch much of it when I first read it, but I was young, and I'll accept that there's probably some there. So be forewarned, but if you decide to buy or read it, enjoy!