2 Bloggers 1 Book - And Then There Were None

So this month Stormi and I decided to tackle a classic. I've always wanted to read an Agatha Christie novel and I do believe the one Stormi picked is one of this author's best. So read on for my thoughts and then go check out Stormi's at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!

TITLE: And Then There Were None
AUTHOR: Agatha Christie
PUBLISHER: Harper
PUBLISHING DATE: November 6, 1939

FROM GOODREADS: 

First, there were ten—a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a little private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal—and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. A famous nursery rhyme is framed and hung in every room of the mansion.

When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale? Only the dead are above suspicion.  

MY THOUGHTS: This mystery was just so much fun to read and I can see why so many people love it.  I thought being an older work I might find it difficult to get in to, but that wasn't the case.
As mentioned, ten individuals meet up as they have all been invited to vacation on a private island.  They have all been brought together under different pretenses but they soon discover there may be an underlying reason they were all brought together.

First of all, I do believe this is one of the first "closed-circle mysteries" and I can fully understand why it's such a classic.  One by one each person falls prey to some kind of demise, leaving the remaining individuals to try to figure out what is going on before another one bites the dust.  A storm is brewing and there is no way off the island.  As the book unfolds, the tension grows and toward the end, I couldn't wait to see how everything played out. I can't say I was ever really attached to any of the characters but it didn't matter.  They all played a part and they all served a purpose.  And at the end of the book, I couldn't have been more pleased, and I admit, somewhat shocked, at the resolution.

I can now see what people mean when other books are now compared to this classic.  And it's nice to now have my own frame of reference.  If, like me, you're one of the last people to pick this book up, then I suggest you do.  I doubt you'll be disappointed, especially if you are a mystery lover.

I also have to add a side note.  I had this book borrowed off of Hoopla but something happened and it disappeared off their site.  So that left me scrambling since none were available on Overdrive. I ended up grabbing a discounted version off of Amazon (not the one pictured above) and man, the formatting was horrible.  I don't know what was going on but it really did damper my enjoyment of the book and I found myself putting it down out of frustration and not because I didn't like the book.  My rating does not reflect this frustration because it wasn't the book's fault, but I did want to mention it because I wish I had caved and bought another edition.

RATING: 5 PAWS