Reviews with content warning for Religious bigotry - Eikä yksikään pelastunut

The first detective story I ever read was Anthony Horowitz's I Know What You Did Last Wednesday, which directly spoofs the plot of this novel, so it was inevitable that And Then There Were None would hold a special place in my heart. This is one of Christie's darker, more misanthropic novels, lacking the familiar comforting presence of Poirot or Marple. Ten strangers, each with a guilty conscience, trapped on an island, with an unknown killer picking them off one at a time. It's the ultimate locked room mystery, and there's no escape, as the tension, paranoia, and suspicion all swell to an unforgettable crescendo.

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petriichor's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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aubzilla's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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jcreads85's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was my first Agatha Christie novel. I didn’t hate it, but neither was it a 4 or 5 star either. It was intriguing but her tales don’t age well in some ways. I do think I’ll give her work another chance; however, I'm not part of the camp who will say she’s top notch. At least, not yet. I can say, though, that I see how her books and writing style transfer well to the screen.

I’m grateful for the list of the cast of characters at the beginning. I just wish I hadn’t needed to reference it so much. I also loved the mini parts, basically a shift in perspective, within each chapter. However, this really started out slow and I almost put it aside. I was just so determined to get it read this month as it was so short.

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kwichris's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

For as much as I enjoy older literature, I can't believe it took me this long to read Agatha Christie! She truly is in a class above the rest in making murder mysteries that truly keep you guessing. It's easy to see how later films, shows, and books have used this novel in particular as a framework (i.e. the movie Clue opens and has very similar scenes in the beginning for instance). While I did find the story captivating and thrilling to read through, there were a few things I took issue with. I've always disliked when authors insert obscure or rarely used words despite the rest of their writing being wholly different in tone and style (i.e. Christie uses "verisimilitude" for instance as something a character says, which even an educated person would probably have used other verbiage in this time/setting). I also dislike when an author continuously uses ONE adjective repeatedly for EVERYTHING. Christie does this with the word "queer" (the older version of the word mind you), and she makes every character say or think practically everything is "queer." There are dozens of other words that she could've used to broaden the diction of her characters and world, but, alas, it's the one she stuck with until the very end. Overall, I did quite enjoy the story and the surprise at the end, demonstrating her aptitude for mystery writing that is hard to match, and I do recommend it to anyone considering it. Now, to check out some other Christie novels and see what other mysteries she has in store!

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