Mystery Annotation
And Then There Were None
by Agatha Christie
Genre: Mystery
Publication Date: November 6, 1939
Number of Pages: 264
Geographical Setting: Soldier Island, small isolated island off the coast of Devon, England
Time Period: 1930s
Series (If applicable): None
Plot Summary: Ten mysterious strangers land upon Soldier Island. They are all invited by a mysterious millionaire to enjoy a lavish and wonderful island adventure. However, their host cannot be found. As the strangers begin to interact, they learn about their horrible pasts. Each stranger has committed a crime that has marked them for murder. With distrust hanging in the air, one stranger is responsible for the invitation to the island and is behind all the murders. The strangers are eliminated one by one. The question remains, who is the mysterious billionaire? Soon there will be none.
Subject Headings: Mystery, Murder, Mystery Classics
Appeal:
- Classic - this is one of Agatha Christie’s famous mysteries. Anyone who enjoys an infamous Christie novel will sink their teeth into this one.
- Intricate Clues - Christie gives a poem to guide the reader along the murders, yet leaves them with few details to keep them guessing.
- Whodunnit? - Did everyone truly commit a crime? Who is going to be killed next? Who brought everyone to the island?
Rule of 3:
- Suspenseful - With just a poem to guide the reader along the murders, you wonder who is going to be next!
- Justice - each stranger has committed a crime that will be served justice in time
- Haunting - Christie writes in such a way the reader doesn’t know who will be killed next or who the main killer is.
Elements of Thriller (taken from Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction)
- Murders are committed throughout the novel
- Saricks explains that “the story focuses on the investigator or investigative team” (198). Throughout the novel, different people commune together to discuss the mystery at hand. Each character is unreliable, not knowing which characters are really telling the truth.
- The setting of the story is Soldier Island, which “plays a crucial role” (Saricks, p. 198).
- The novel moves in the direction of “the solution of the puzzle.” The pacing of this story was “relentless, compelling, sometimes slowed by the details of time and place” (Saricks, p. 198). There were moments were the plot was moving slowly, figuring out the minor details, yet it speeds up during the intense parts of the story.
- Saricks explains that the mystery genre is broad and can “involve widely differing classes of characters and historical periods” (p. 198). Even though most of the characters resided in England, each brought a unique perspective and background to the mystery.
Similar Authors and Works:
- The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones
- In a dark, dark wood by Ruth Ware
- Cruel is the Night by Karo Hamalainen
- Any Agatha Christie mystery story if you enjoy her writing, check them out!
Resources
Goodreads. (2018). And Then There Were None. Book image and suggestions retrieved
Saricks, J. (2009). The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction (2nd e.d.). Chicago: American
Library Association.
I read this book in high school and fell in love with it, even though I usually hate mysteries and murder mysteries. There is something about Agatha Christie’s work that makes the story intense but not frightening (at least in this one- I have not read any of her other works, but would like to). It may be because this plot line has been used in movies and TV shows where people are picked off one by one and I never realized that this is where they got their inspiration from. I love how you use haunting to describe this book-it is a good descriptor as the plot is intense and leaves the reader guessing. Wonderful annotation!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Chelsea! The only other Agatha Christie book I've read is Murder on the Orient Express. I listened to the audiobook and it was phenomenal. I just kept wanting to read this book because I wanted to know who really was the killer. I had an idea in mind, which turned out to be right in the end! I haven't seen any of the films made of this book, so I will have to check those out!
DeleteI haven't read any Agatha Christie books but I do love mysteries. I will have to give this book a try it sound very interesting and so do you read alikes. Good job.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Laura! Please try this book out, or any other Agatha Christie novel for that matter. They are quick reads. :)
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI have never read an Agatha Christie novel, but I have always wanted to because they sound so intriguing. This is no exception! From your description, I wished I was currently reading this book! It sounds very edge-of-your-seat interesting.
Hi Kelly!
DeleteAgatha Christie is very descriptive, yet keeps you on the edge of your seat. At the end of the chapter or section, she keeps you wanting to know more...which keeps you reading more! Check out an Agatha Christie novel when you get the chance. She is a great author!
I actually just listened to Dan Stevens read this over the weekend because I love it so much. I prefer this title to "10 Little Indians" because it seems less divisive. But it confused me at one time, because I read the book under both titles :) I think it's a good little mystery. And, I appreciate the suspense without all the violence and sex of some more current books. Great job!
ReplyDeleteEmily,
DeleteI will definitely have to check out the audiobook because I love Dan Stevens! It is interesting to look at the old titles. There was another title it was published under, which was interesting to discover. Check the original published title on Wikipedia. I think it makes sense why they changed it.
Paige,
ReplyDeleteI'm not usually a mystery fan, but you made this one sound intriguing! The suspenseful elements seem like they would make it a good page turner. Would you say that Christie gives us enough information that the reader might be able to figure out the puzzle before the end, or are you kept in the dark until everything is revealed?
Not sure why, but I've never read an Agatha Christie novel. This one sounds extremely interesting though and perhaps a good place for me to start. I really like stories that keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat. I can't wait to read this one.
ReplyDeleteExcellent annotation, to me this is an ESSENTIAL mystery go to. It's a classic that is still great and is the basis and inspiration for so many new titles. Full points.
ReplyDelete