And Then There Were None

by Agatha Christie

264 pages

English language

Published Sept. 23, 2004

ISBN:: 978-0-312-33087-3
Goodreads:: 16299

(153 reviews)

And Then There Were None is a mystery novel by the English writer Agatha Christie, described by her as the most difficult of her books to write. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 6 November 1939, as Ten Little Niggers, after the children's counting rhyme and minstrel song, which serves as a major plot element. The US edition was released in January 1940 with the title And Then There Were None, taken from the last five words of the song. Successive American reprints and adaptations use that title, though Pocket Books paperbacks used the title Ten Little Indians between 1964 and 1986. UK editions continued to use the original title until 1985.The book is the world's best-selling mystery, and with over 100 million copies sold is one of the best-selling books of all time. The novel has been listed as the sixth …

31 editions

nerd teacher [books] reviewed And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Still Interesting

3 stars

It's been a long time since I last read this book, and I remembered liking it. I don't think I caught all the ways in which the movie Clue either references it or uses it as a guide for their detective spoof before, and that was partially the reason for why I wanted to read it again.

I still very much like the idea that the point of the book is to target those who cannot be touched by the law or who haven't done something that can be considered "criminal." It really feels, particularly in an age where so many people in specific positions view themselves as untouchable because they're either "not doing something illegal" or the law refuses to do anything about them, like a concept we should be revisiting in our narrative fiction.

This novel is enough to bring me back to detective works, something which I've …

This novel is enough to bring me back to detective works, something which I've missed quite a bit.

Ed reviewed And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Feels like the template

5 stars

Recommended as a starting point for the authors novels and can’t disagree, it was a quick easy engaging read.

Kieran reviewed And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

I liked it a lot

4 stars

Easy to get into and read, and a fun mystery! It wasn't really scary or thrilling in my experience, but still worth reading and still fun to try and figure out who the mastermind is, etc.

Holly reviewed And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Classic mystery, well done

4 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Agatha Christie did a great job of creating an atmosphere of tension and suspense. I definitely didn't guess the mystery, and it all tied together well.

Satch reviewed And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Review of 'Dieci piccoli indiani' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I'm pretty sure I've never read an Agatha Christie which hasn't been a solid 5 star. This was a reread, but it's been long enough since I last read it to have forgotten who did it. The copy I read is from my own collection of about 50 Agatha Christie books I have, all picked up from garage sales and second hand book shops over the years. This is a 1966 edition, with the original offensive name and rhyme, both pretty jarring to read. There was also a you're/your mispelling which amused me because I associate it with the the noughties and the rise of Internet use.

Peter West Carey reviewed And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Review of 'Dieci piccoli indiani' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Easy to sink into and get enraptured. A lot of times I don’t like trying to figure out mystery novels because I know they are going to tell me in the end, but this one had me guessing (and I guessed wrong). A classic and fun read/listen.

Benjamin Hollon reviewed And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Review of 'And Then There Were None' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Agatha Christie, you've done it again.
This is my eighth Agatha Christie novel, and I still haven't been able to predict the ending.
What I think lifts this book above the others is how there are morals for each of the murderers' original crimes.
For example...
General Macarthur: takes revenge Send's his wife's lover unnecessarily into battle where he gets killed
Anthony Marston: little regard for human life Runs over two kids and has no regrets
Mr. & Mrs. Rogers: neglect Neglect to save their employer's life because they gain much money as inheritence
Once again, this book just has me amazed. She even threw in some wordplay! U. N. Owen (a.k.a. Unknown) invited them to the island
Definitely a five stars (I would do six, but there is no option!)

Zéro Janvier reviewed Dix petits nègres by Agatha Christie (Livre de poche -- 954)

Review of 'Dix petits nègres' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Tout simplement l'un de mes deux romans préférés d'Agatha Christie, à égalité avec Le crime de l'Orient-Express.

Pallas reviewed And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Review of 'And Then There Were None' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

I think I would survive on that island...

pdrbstmnt reviewed And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Review of 'Dieci piccoli indiani' on 'Storygraph'

3 stars

I can't say that I was very excited or thrilled while reading this book but I really liked the conclusion.

Trey Hunner reviewed And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Review of 'Dieci piccoli indiani' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is probably the first mystery novel I've read since reading The Westing Game in elementary school. I'm not usually a fan of mystery, but this one was entertaining. This fit to the murder mystery mold (as I imagine it) very well.

govmarley reviewed And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Review of 'Dieci piccoli indiani' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

10 people go to an island, and none come out alive. I think this is my favorite Agatha Christie novel out of all I have read. This is an amazingly plotted mystery, and it's easy to see why so many people love it. It's so interesting to see how each person is murdered and how it unfolds, and then to hear the how and why by the guilty party when you had no idea. The clues are cleverly laid out, but somehow you are kept guessing until the very end. You quickly find that no one is innocent, and everyone has their dark secrets. A true classic!

Michael @ Knowledge Lost reviewed And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Review of 'Dieci piccoli indiani' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Ten people have been invited to have a holiday on Soldier Island; when they arrived they thought they had nothing in common. Soon they find out all of them have become complacent with the death (or deaths) of other human beings. One by one they all die, but who is the one that is there to seek revenge on the others?

And Then There Were None was originally titled Ten Little (I would rather not say) after the British nursery rhyme. The US edition used this title (which is also the last line of the rhyme) as well as changing the song to Ten Little Indians. Once again the novel was revived and now the song title has been changed to Ten Little Soldiers. Apart from the offensive name of the book originally, this novel was wildly successful and introduced a very common crime trope into the world. Ten people trapped in a house on an island trying to work out who is killing them off one by one. I’m sure you can think of many films, shows and books that have paid homage to this theme.

This classic crime novel looks at the idea of administrating justice; who has the right to judge others, and what happens when the law fails. I’m going to try to avoid spoilers and tell you who the killer is but most people would have read this and probably remember who the perpetrator was. The killer believes the others are complacent and in most facts while they deny being guilty publically are living tormented lives. Not everyone, but it was interesting to see that kind of turmoil and I was a little upset to see that wasn’t explored in greater detail. Having said that, I think the torment played out more in the symbolism and motifs. I’m thinking about the dreams and hallucinations (the guilty consciences of the victims are explored here) or the storm; a symbol of violence that cuts them off from the world.

The killer has set out to commit the perfect crime and it looks good on paper but I never really bought into it. While reading this novel I had a feeling that the cosy crime approach is playing against the story. If you think about the mess made from the violent murders, wouldn’t help the police work out what happened in the end? I’m sure they wouldn’t rely on the handwritten accounts, the evidence would be inconsistent. Making this far from a perfect crime (sorry this is hard to explain without spoilers).

This was my first Agatha Christie novel and while I enjoyed it there is one thing that frustrated me. I hate crime novels that hold back important pieces of evidence and expect the reader to work out what happened. I always feel like the author is trying to be smug but really it is just poorly executed writing. It wasn’t so bad in this novel but I get the feeling it is a common occurrence in all her novels and I can’t stand that. You have to make a great protagonist to make up for the withholding of information. It works better as a first person narrative; the unreliable narrator is more likely to forget to tell you important clues.

I will read some more Christie, I hope I’m mistaken about the withholding of clues. And Then There Were None had no real protagonist but maybe a Hercule Poirot, Miss Jane Marple or Tommy and Tuppence mystery hide this a little better. I suspect Murder on the Orient Express will be my next Agatha Christie read but who knows. I prefer my detectives a little more Hard-Boiled so it might be awhile between Christie novels.

This review originally appeared on my blog; literary-exploration.com/2013/12/29/book-of-the-month-and-then-there-were-none/