And Then There Were None | Teen Ink

And Then There Were None MAG

By Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
1044 articles 0 photos 1 comment

     Dear Agatha Christie,

Although your novels have often been described as thrillers rather than actual mysteries, your opus And Then There Were None (previously published as Ten Little Indians) is a clever combination of both genres. This book has every ingredient for the ideal murder mystery with a pinch of exotic elements. It made me understand that humans are paradoxically good and evil.

Every page is engaging, making your message more discreet. You splash the plot with suspense, so that it is impossible to stop reading even for a moment. Incorporating the nursery rhyme “Ten Little Indians” is a brilliant foreshadowing technique, and the enigmatic qualities of each character - especially during the exposition - add to the suspense. The classic whodunit question includes several suspects so that the reader is forced to think more than in most mysteries.

Additionally, your characters are realistic, with clear and believable motives. For instance, General Macarthur is driven by jealousy. His wife is unfaithful and secretly sends love letters to a soldier in his regiment. Their affair continues for three years until Macarthur discovers its existence and murders his wife's lover.

The novel is disturbing yet sophisticated, without cheap scares or silly ghosts. Instead, the story is set in a plausible location with characters we've all stumbled on: the pious old maid, the gullible fool, the innocent pawn, the rugged adventurer, the back-stabbing fiend, the dedicated lover, the jealous spouse, the born leader, the lady's man, and the puppeteer who purposely knots the strings of his marionettes, leaving the job of untangling to someone else. Your strokes of imagery paint an unsettling scene - a nightmare not confined to slumber. In the end, you choose to frighten the reader with reality.

And Then There Were None is a mystery heaping with generous portions of conundrum, betrayal and eeriness. Underneath it all, I found a message that will guide me through life: Never trust anyone.


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This article has 6 comments.


i love this !

Cade_ SILVER said...
on Sep. 2 2016 at 10:37 pm
Cade_ SILVER, Brooklyn, New York
9 articles 0 photos 4 comments
Had to read this in Middle School- it was so invigorating I finished the entire book in a week, way ahead of our class' schedule. Great review!

on Feb. 11 2014 at 6:30 pm
CrystalClear99 BRONZE, Newark, Delaware
3 articles 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
You never know what you have, until it's gone. -Unknown

Love this book! I was terrified but that's what made it amazing!

on Aug. 21 2013 at 4:28 am
FireThief PLATINUM, Kotte, Alabama
37 articles 13 photos 13 comments
I read this book about 2 years ago and I loved it! In a terrified sort of way. I forgot whodunnit- I better reread it.......

cookfin said...
on May. 22 2010 at 5:14 pm
cookfin, Ames, Iowa
0 articles 0 photos 3 comments
I beg to differ - I loved all of the suspense.  I loved the plot, and I loved how the killer is a complete mystery until the end.  I know no other authors that could pull that off as well as Christie did!

on Apr. 13 2010 at 8:45 pm
sunnyhunny PLATINUM, Litchfield, New Hampshire
22 articles 3 photos 329 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.&quot;<br /> -Ghandi

I really liked this book, but i didn't really like how the reader was never even introduced to the muderer until the very end.  the guy isnt in the book at all, and there are no hints or mysterious clues leading up to the explanation.  this novel was thrilling, but i didn't like the plot.  great review, though.