2nd March 2025 - And Then There Were None
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My latest book through a period of not reading very much is 'And Then
There Were None' by Agatha Christie. This was in fact my first Agatha
Christie book. I had avoided her work as it felt so twee and seemed to
lack excitement. Kindle deals of 99p made me consider a couple of her
work and I am sort of glad they did.
A group of strangers are invited to a strange island just off the
coast of Devon for a weekend. As they meet one another, they realise
they have no connection and know very little about their host. Even
the staff are unaware of what is going on, hired just for the event.
Strange events occur and you are plunged into a mystery. Well, what
did you expect, eh?
This strange island, referred to in the book as Soldier Island, is
clearly Burgh Island. It is well known for Agatha Christie's links and
is one of many locations in Devon which she used as inspiration. I
know the area thanks to being a great location for walking the dogs
after the summer. A huge tidal beach which is sandy and so perfect for
dogs to go wild. Burgh Island sits off the coast, reachable during low
tides by a strange huge wheeled tractor and trailer. There is an art
deco hotel on the island and I occasionaly wonder about visiting. It
was a pleasant surprise to stumble across a location I know in this
book.
The writing style is engaging and fairly to the point. You have to
expect this. The characters are all stereotypes. There are the humble
serving folk, dodgy chap from the empire, grumpy and senile elderly
general, overly formal spinster and so on. We end up with a judge,
policeman, spiv and a doctor too. Everyone seems defined by their job
and station in life. This is a great example of the British class
system. There is a little bit of racism thrown in when the general
discusses a group of soldiers from the old British Empire. Expected
from a book written in the 1930s really.
The mystery unfolds in an interesting manner and it is hard to work
out. There are crumbs left which rely on your being aware of a nursery
rhyme which is of the archaic and probably never to be told to a child
again sort. I certainly didn't know it. Who knows, it might even have
been made up for the book. We find the members of the group dropping
like flies and Christie does well in getting the reader to feel some
drama. There is a sense of inevitability though. Of course, this will
end with everyone dead. It is in the title!
The end of the book felt a bit like a slap in the face. We hear a
discussion between some members of the police. They confirm the
reader's knowledge and essentially are just as baffled. The mystery is
only resolved through a message in a bottle. Yes.. a bloody message in
a bottle. The killer apparently has taken to confessing thoughts
through messages in a bottle through out their life and so we get a
rather long confession. I think this is where we see how mystery
writing has progressed. The evidence is laid out and clues are written
up in this final chapter, almost as a guide for how to ruin the book
for others. Odd, odd, odd. It almost feels like the author is saying
to the reader that they are too stupid to work this all out and so
here are the notes.
It is a fun read and I feel I will probably read some more Agatha
Christie. It helps knowing what you are letting yourself in for but it
should be a fun ride.
