And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - Blog by Connor Guarnieri

 And Then There Were None is a murder mystery written by the long dead author of Agatha Christie. You may have heard of her other works, like Murder on the Orient Express,  or have gone into this blog blindly. Either way, I think you could enjoy this book more than 80 years after it's publishing date. Also, it has been adapted into a movie, as well as a TV show, but I have yet to check them both out.

I found this book in sixth grade, when our english teacher read this book aloud every day in class. My class was not true to the story, as most of them looking up the killer, and I was the one of the only people who were surprised with this twist. You could feel the shock in the air, and the construction of such a good murder mystery was felt throughout the classroom. Even now, after I reread the book, I had the pain of knowing the killers name and identity, but could only watch the countless murders (There is a lot of death), and still enjoyed every moment of it. 

The book opens with an erie rhyme which goes as follows:

Ten little boys went out to dine;

One choked his little self and then there were nine.

Nine little boys sat up very late;

One overslept himself and then there were eight.

Eight little boys traveling in Devon;

One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.

Seven little boys chopping up sticks;

One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.

Six little boys playing with a hive;

A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.

Five little boys going in for law;

One got in Chancery and then there were four.

Four little boys going out to sea;

A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.

Three little boys walking in the zoo;

A big bear hugged one and then there were two.

Two Little boys sitting in the sun;

One got frizzled up and then there was one.

One little boy left all alone;

He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.

This is quite an attention grabber, and hooked little sixth grade me from the start. The next scene introduces the main characters, who are all on a train headed to the famous Soldier Island. They will soon find out the mysterious circumstances in which they were brought here, and soon learn some suspicious things that each person has done. Things then take a turn when the first person dies...

This book is an interesting mesh of ideas. The twist is very good, but a little far fetched. I felt that the character development was rushed, but I understand because it would have dragged on with the sheer amount of characters and names to remember. Also, there is a lot of blood and gore, but being a murder mystery, I think you would expect that. Overall, it was a good murder mystery that you should check out.