And Then There Were None

I had a busy schedule this week so thought of reading 10/20 pages in a day. I started reading, And Then There Were None by AgathaChristie, which is a murder mystery. I knew this was going to be an interesting read but didn’t know that I will have to ditch my sleep to solve the mystery. If I ignore the small technical issue with the climax, this book is really a masterpiece. Not a spoiler, but there will be many deaths because the title says, ‘And Then There Were None.’

The story begins with the introduction of the characters, their different personalities with one thing in common- they all have been invited to the famous Soldier Island. It was all over the news as rumours highlighted new names for the new owner of that island. They all have been invited by their acquaintances, or Mr Owen, which we get to know is some fake name later in the story. On the island, they are received by the caretakers Mr and Mrs Rogers, who inform them that the hosts have delayed their arrival. Mrs Rogers is a great cook, but there was something about her appearance that she seemed frightened. There is a poem hanging in every suite,

Ten little Soldier boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little Soldier boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little Soldier boys traveling in Devon;
One said he’d stay there and then there were seven.
Seven little Soldier boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six little Soldier boys playing with a hive;
A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five little Soldier boys going in for law;
One got into Chancery and then there were four.
Four little Soldier boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little Soldier boys walking in the zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little Soldier boys playing with a gun;
One shot the other and then there was One.
One little Soldier boy left all alone;
He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.

Also, ten little figures, the soldiers, were present at the centre of the round table in the dining room.
Justice Wargrave, Vera Claythorne, Philip Lombard, Miss Emily Brent, General Macarthur, Dr Armstrong, Tony Marston, Mr Blore and Mr and Mrs Rogers are the ten members present at that island. Was it a coincidence, or was something going to happen? They are invited for a luscious dinner after which the gramophone placed in a different room plays a record that asserts some harsh accusations against every person present. So, they all had one more thing to share, they all were accused of murder. Mr and Mrs Rogers were accused of killing their last employer; Mrs Rogers faints on hearing this. Were those accusations reliable? Dr Armstrong urges them to let him treat her, and then they take her to bed to allow her some rest. The members realise that something is fishy and decide to disclose their respective invitations. They needed a boat to leave but the tides rose high in the night; also, there wasn't any boat available. They must wait till the morning. Tony Marston is a reckless human, accused of the murder of two kids, gets up to fill his glass and confesses that this is a thrilling adventure. Little did he know this was going to be his last drink. He chokes himself to death. The next morning, they find that Mrs Rogers had overslept and she lay dead in her bed. Remember the lyrics:

Ten little Soldier boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little Soldier boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were eight.

Every death follows what is said in those verses and after every death, one little soldier present on the table goes missing. They doubt Dr Armstrong as he had checked both the bodies. He informed them that Tony had died of Cyanide poisoning, and the sedative was given to Mrs Rogers by him. When they find no boat to leave the island, they realise that some lunatic is trying to offer them their respective fates. General Macarthur was waiting at the shore for his doomsday and is found dead there. It was lunchtime. They start analysing who amongst them could be Mr Owen. They doubt each other but stick together for they couldn’t leave this island until any help arrived. Dr Armstrong had gone to invite Macarthur for lunch, but he found him dead, is it possible that he knocked him down? Was Dr Armstrong behind this tragedy? Or was it someone else amongst them? It could be some ghost, but no, it wasn’t; I can at least spare you this confusion.

The story ends with an explanation of the events, and it is in those last pages where you meet your murderer offering his ways of executing this in such framed manner. Through her characters, the author has emphasized the recklessness and the selfishness of this society we now live in, who would go on living peacefully, comfortable with stepping on someone’s life, yet some way or the other, the doomsday is always near. No ends were left loose in the story. The suspense got build up with some spooky adventure. It is one of those thrillers that you should read sometime soon. The writing style is commendable; obviously, Agatha Christie wrote it. This story must have required a lot of thinking to maintain the mystery till the climax.

There is nothing as such that might trouble you but make sure you don’t skip anything. Do let me know your views when you are done reading it.