"Agatha Christie is a staple of the mystery genre for a reason"
Having heard of this far too often, my 15-year-old self decided to leave Enid Blyton's Famous Five and Secret Seven behind, and delve into the world of beautifully crafted murder mysteries, with one of Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie's best-known stand-alone novels, "And Then There Were None", which turned out to be one of the best decisions that I have made in the past 19 odd years.
The Plot
Ten strangers, that seem to have nothing in common, are invited to Soldier Island, an isolated rock near the Devon coast by a certain Mr and Mrs Owen. Cut off from the mainland, with their generous hosts mysteriously absent, they are each accused of a terrible crime. When one of the guests dies suddenly, they realize they may have a killer among them. The tension escalates as the survivors realize the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again, and again.
There is something enticing about morally suspect characters: they seem perfectly capable of doing absolutely anything, from making the most heroic sacrifices to the darkest betrayals.
While the nursery rhyme, Ten Little Indians, is the biggest plot theme, there’s another underlying theme: every single one of them is accused of murder; some of them admit freely to killing, and yet they are all so afraid to die. While each person had a different background story, which makes none of the characters loveable, if I might add, there was always the same conclusion: no justice had been served for their actions. I had my doubts about being able to clearly understand the storyline, with so many characters and so much going on, but that's the beauty of an Agatha Christie novel, her writing style helps you understand the characters, so much so that their deepest thoughts are left exposed to the reader.
Agatha Christie's novels always progress like a slow-burning temptation that just keeps growing with every page you turn. She makes you believe that you have it all figured out and then boom! A twist appears out of nowhere and gets you to question everything you thought you knew about the plot.
What I loved most about "And Then There Were None" is how the murders follow the theme of the rhyme, which makes you think you can predict what's coming next, but you're always wrong, and every theory you come up with is as wrong as each of the characters. Agatha Christie closes every door, one by one, until you think it's an impossible case, and then she points to the one window she left open. It's an absolute masterpiece.
I've read many other books by Agatha Christie since, but 'And Then There Were None', will forever be my favourite. It's gripping, it's surprising, it definitely keeps you on edge and glued to the book. I've recommended this book to everyone I know because I genuinely believe that, whoever hasn't read this work, is missing out on a surreal experience.
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