AND THEN THERE WERE NONE: The best-selling murder mystery of all time (The Agatha Christie signature edition, 11)

I love Agatha Christie. I read her books sparingly, because despite there being so many, I can’t quite bear the thought of having gone through them all - so opening a new one is always a treat.I know that this is one of her best. I know of the history, the original (awkward) title and the challenge that she presented to herself with this tale. So, like ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, I wasn’t surprised to zip through this in one sitting.The fun here is that I was sent the book by the publisher… but with the last chapter missing. Which, if you are familiar, is the conclusion that reveals exactly what’s been going on. Without that epilogue: everybody’s dead. The killer isn’t found. Police are baffled. Author wins!The week before publication of this special edition (in which that final chapter is tucked into the rear of the volume in a sealed envelope!), I finally got an email with a link to read the final piece of the puzzle for myself. But first, I had to participate in a poll to see if I guessed the killer correctly.Reader, I did not. But I absolutely adored all these games, making me part of the mystery itself! To coin a very modern term, this seemed a beautifully ‘meta’ approach to a classic novel, and I do hope Ms Christie would approve (and perhaps laugh at our expense).This mystery deserves its praise. It is so very clever, but without overstaying its welcome or over-confidently showing its hand. There’s no hints; if anything, I did get the impression that the author was going out of her way to wrong-foot the reader by omitting key details that would’ve pointed us in the right direction.I was worried that I’d get the characters confused, as they’re all introduced in quick succession and aren’t terribly relatable - in that they reminded me of any group of teenagers in a modern horror movie, who are just there to be picked off! In fact, I soon saw the tendrils of this tale reaching down the years to genre-spanning modern movies, from ‘Glass Onion’ to ‘Saw’ (say what you like, it’s a perfect modern whodunnit that owes a lot to books like this).The Ten all have clear motivations and histories, some more likeable than others, which meant that every chapter (and every ‘soldier’ taken off the board) meant that my theories could change from moment to moment.My only quibble was the occasional internal monologue, one of which seemed to go against the final reveal. But the journey was so much fun, it wasn’t really a problem.Yes, it’s a recommend. If you enjoy a good game of ‘Cluedo’, you have this book to thank - and this publisher for reissuing it in such a way that we can enjoy taking part without any of the potential for an unpleasant demise!I was kindly sent a copy of this book by the publisher, but the above opinions are entirely my own.

1939 -- ten strangers are invited to a near-inaccessible island off the English coast. Enticed by money and a free holiday, they all accept. The host is not present. At their first dinner, a hidden gramophone broadcasts details of their past crimes. They are all murderers, either by intent or neglect. But their crimes could never be prosecuted. Vera, a young governess, for example, allowed a child in her care to drown. Though she was a strong swimmer, she never did make quite the effort to save him. Doctor Armstrong operated, while he was drunk, on a patient. The patient died. Judge Wargrave presided over a trial where he convinced a doubtful jury that the accused was guilty.One by one the residents are found dead - murdered - and there seems no explanation other than that one of them is a fanatic for justice, seeking to avenge deaths which the law could not. Why, then, did all the islanders die? They are discovered some weeks later by the police and it seems a completely unsolvable mystery has transpired. The solution comes from a totally unsuspected source.Christie's work here is genius. The way that the murders are arranged without any apparent perpetrator; the psychological disintegration of the remaining victims as their numbers are whittled down, one-by-one; the use of a sinister nursery rhyme to predict the manner of their deaths; the minutes of heart-stopping suspense as certain victims are lured to their deaths - all of this is masterfully written in clean and simple prose. The character development is not complex but it is enough to balance the peerless plot. At the end of the book, you feel that your world has been shifted in the same way that much more 'classically developed' literature achieves.Who am I to suggest a fault in a Christie plot? In the best tradition of mystery novels, I shall not reveal my hand ... only to hint - 'who will judge the dead?'

I.think this is one of the best, if not the best story written by Agatha Christie; the number of films, adaptations and stories along similar lines are attest to that.This is a well written and superbly crafted story, the characters are thrown together and then pitted against each other as one by one they are killed in a manner appropriate to the rhyme.I read the kindle version, so the final chapter of the book, telling you the who, the how and the why is accessed on line, with the reader first submitting their guess. So you can’t cheat by just reading the last chapter.Excellent read.

My first Agatha Christie book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Takes you back in time and has you guessing right up until the end.

I have read this book before and I know I’ve seen a couple movies from it. That being said, I guess getting older has finally paid off. I didn’t remember any specific details. Including the ending or the culprit, making this a great reread. Always happy to read (or reread) Agatha Christie. Recommend to mystery lovers everywhere.

Os livros da Agatha Christie são sempre interessantes. Este, em particular, é engenhoso e o final é muito interessante.

Just received it. I love the story and am very anxious to start reading.

Muy entretenido

Le classique murder mystery par excellence.À lire, à apprécier et à relire !