Ten people are invited to an island off the Devon coast by a Mr. and Mrs. U.N. Owen, who however never make an appearance themselves. One by one, the invitees meet their death; not before, however, it is revealed that they themselves all have someone else’s death on their hands in turn and have gotten away with it. – One of Agatha Christie’s most famous mysteries: certainly her most-read nonseries book, and a hot contender with the likes of Murder on the Orient Express for the place of the one book that solidified her reputation as the Queen of Crime more than any others. This one’s really got it all: a locked room puzzle (or several, actually), a sinister, secluded island location, Christie’s trademark use of nursery rhymes (this wasn’t the first such occurrence in her writing, but it’s unquestionably the most notable one), a cast that – in the absence of any recognizable “detective” character – seems to consist of ambiguous, unreliable characters only, and a turntable conclusion of the sort that only Christie could have come up with.
24 Festive Tasks: Door 5 / Bon Om Touk reread post: HERE.
4 thoughts on “Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None”