And Then There Were None
And Then There Were None Book Review by Agatha Christie
Who knew a book published in 1939 could have me white-knuckling the edges of my seat and trying to remember if I’d accidentally committed a crime at some point in my life?
I finally read And Then There Were None by the queen of murder herself, Agatha Christie, and—wow. This book goes. The action starts almost immediately and doesn’t stop until the last page.
It’s like watching a domino line fall, except every piece is a person getting murdered on a creepy island and you have no idea who’s pushing them over.
Christie wastes no time. No meandering intros or slowly-building suspense here. From the moment the ten strangers arrive on the island, you’re already looking sideways at every single one of them and questioning everything.
Did he really used to be a judge? Is she just a harmless old lady? Is anyone telling the truth?
(Spoiler: no. Definitely not.)
The mystery is tight, tense, and masterfully done. It’s one of those stories where every time you think, Okay, now I know who it is, someone else drops dead and you’re back at square one. I couldn’t stop reading—each chapter practically demands you to keep going just so you can try (and fail) to outsmart Christie.
That said, with ten main characters, I did find myself flipping back a few times trying to remember who was who.
A little character chart in the front would’ve gone a long way, especially because half of them are old white British men with jobs like "retired general" or "doctor of something." But once the bodies start dropping, it gets easier to tell them apart (yikes).
And then, just when you think it’s over and you’re about to Google a plot summary to figure out what just happened—boom.
Christie hits you with a prologue that’s actually the epilogue (don’t ask me why it’s named that) where everything is explained in a perfectly chilling way. I loved it. I needed that closure and she delivered.
Honestly? I liked this more than Murder on the Orient Express. The pacing was sharper, the stakes felt higher, and the mystery was just more fun to unravel. This was the rare book where the hype actually felt deserved.
I know I didn’t get into the plot too much, but this book is better off this way—trust me. Read and enjoy.
Recommendation: If you’ve somehow managed to avoid spoilers all this time like I did, do yourself a favor and read this book immediately. Preferably in one sitting, preferably with a hot drink, preferably when you’re somewhere... not murder-y.
Score: 8/10
