And Then There Were None

I actually learned about this book through the video game of the same title (which is awesome and I recommend you play it if you like puzzle games), but the book was just as awesome. I have always loved mystery books, I have a huge collection of Nancy Drew book, but this was the first novel I have read by Agatha Christie and I have to say that I love it. The story line is wonderful, I love the twists and turns, and the fact that it is from all the characters point of view really made me love this novel. It is a rather quick read and even though this was my second time reading through the novel, I still found it hard to put down.

Ten people are invited to Indian Island by various friends for a free summer holiday. All accept, yet when they arrive on the island no one is there to great them except a married couple who have been hired to be the butler and the maid. That evening after they all dine it is revealed that all ten of them have committed some act that resulted in a persons death. Soon after this announcement one of the guests dies in the same manner as the nursery rhythm "Ten Little Indians" which is hanging up in all the rooms of the house. A little Indian figurine is also missing from the center piece of the dining room table. Soon more guest dye in the same manner as the poem suggests and it is a race to find out who the murder is before they are all killed.

The ending is absolutely wonderful and I really don't know how she thought of it, but then again she isn't one of the best known mystery writers for nothing. Even though this was my second time reading through the novel I had a hard time picking up on all the clues that were left for the reader to use to figure out who the killer was. However Agatha Christie also used the multiple points of view to hide certain events from the readers to make the novel suspenseful as well as the ending very unpredictable. It is just a wonderfully put together book and I am going to read more of her books in the future for sure since I am a giant fan of mystery novels. 

The idea that guilt is such a powerful emotion that it can drive people mad is a rather interesting idea that is lightly touched on this novel in the form of Vera Claythorne. She did not directly kill anyone yet the death cost her everything and in the end it is what causes her demise. How does a person live with the knowledge that they killed someone? It is probably a very hard burden to bear no matter how the death came about. I really don't understand how people can go around killing people everyday in the form of crime, gang wars, and other instances. It is hard to imagine what someone with the type of guilt feels, thinks, and does everyday.