And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

I picked up And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie as it was on the PBS Great American Read list and it finished in the top 25 favorite books.  I read my first Agatha Christie last year, the excellent Murder on the Orient Express.  I delved into And Then There Were None for a spooky Halloween read and for another challenge on the Classics Club as well.

Ten strangers are all invited by various means to the mysterious Soldier Island off the coast of Devon.  Last owned by an American millionaire, not much is known about the new owner of the island, U.N. Owen, and the mansion upon it. The strangers wait for their host and enjoy the quaint node to the Ten Little Soldiers nursery rhyme that is displayed in their room with ten soldiers also as a centerpiece on the dining room table.  At their first dinner together, a record plays accusing them all getting away with murder, and then one of them dies.  Curiously one of the soldiers also disappears from the table. Trapped on the island by a storm, one by one, the guests started to die. Who is the murderer among them and will anyone make it off the island alive?

My copy of this book says it is the world’s number one selling mystery novel and I can see why.  My review will be brief as I don’t to spoil this excellent novel for anyone else.  It was masterfully written, and it kept me guessing until the very end. It wasn’t until the epilogue spilled the secret that I finally understood what had happened on the island.  It was an excellent mystery!

Overall, And Then There Were None is a masterpiece of mystery fiction and is a book that everyone should enjoy for themselves!  I really need to read more Agatha Christie novels!

Book Source:  I purchased this book from Amazon.com