Reviews with content warning for Medical content - And Then There Were None

Ten Little Soldier Boys went out to Dine, one choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine Little Soldier Boys stayed up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight Little Soldier Boys travelling 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 through a door; One stubbed his toe 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 sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was One.
One Little Soldier Boy left all alone; He went and hanged himself and then there were none.

The initial title of Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’ was perhaps the only fault of this story. The characters could have had a little further development too to engage a greater reader connection but for the premise of the story I would argue it wasn't overly necessary. It was a murder mystery so well crafted to the verses of the old nursery rhyme ‘ten little soldier boys’ that each of the ten people invited to Soldier Island off the coast of Devon died as the soldiers did in the verses of the rhyme. Those ten were the only people on the island, meaning the murderer must be among the cast of victims. Each had committed a murder in their past that was unpublishable by the written law hence the enactment of the deaths was a passing of justice, where in paranoia people are turned against one another in a bestial manner in effort to not be killed like all those around them. It was such an excellent tale of human instinct and morality so cleverly tuned by the rhyme and concluding almost poetically, fate playing its cards. The lack of a detective also enhanced the intensity of the mystery, for the reader became the detective because the murders were ongoing, and to oneself the next victim was always assured but unknown. The red herrings are even plainly spelled out but just slip under ones nose. I cannot doubt the genius of Christie’s mystery and the role it placed I as the reader in perhaps made it the most engaging, well thought out and intense murder mystery stories I have ever read, I absolutely loved it.

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maralyn2215's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

There is a lot of murder and suicide talk

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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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nolongerhuman_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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alexandramiller's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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abicaro17's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

I enjoyed this book! I did guess the murderer early in the book but I couldn't have predicted the twist. A short and enjoyed read although a tad slow in places.

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