And then there were none
And Then There Were None
Author:
This touching Crime Story was written by Agatha Christie, also known as the queen of crime. She was born in Torquay, Devon in 1890 and became the probably best-selling novelist in history. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, introduced the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who would appear in about 25 of Christie's later novels. The other principal detective, Ms. Jane Marple, an elder spinster, first appeared in Murder at the Vicarage, in 1930. Following these, she wrote 66 of the most popular detective novels ever written.
To take a break from murder, Christie wrote six romance novels under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott; two memoirs and an autobiography
She saw her work translated into more languages than Shakespeare and her books have sold over 100,000,000 copies throughout the world. Agatha Christie captivated her readers by mysteriously disappearing in 1926. The details of this disappearance were never released.
In recognition of her achievements she was created a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1971. Five years later, when she died, Dame Agatha was, and still is, the most successful murder mystery writer in the world.
The Book:
And Then There Were None was first published in Great Britain under the title Ten Little Niggers in 1939.
But while reading this crime story you don’t realise that it was written 60 years ago.
The Plot:
Eight people with apparently little in common are invited to Nigger Island in the South of England by the mysterious U.N.Owen: the judge Justice Wargrave, Vera Claythorne – a young, powerful woman, Phillip Lombard, Miss Emily Brent – an elder woman, General John Gordon Marcathur, Dr. Edward George Armstrong, Anthony Marston and William Henry Blore – a police officer. None of them has the slightest idea who the owner of the villa and the romantic island is.
Vera Claithorne finds the poem “Ten Little Niggerboys”, signed by U.N.Owen, in her bedroom but she doesn’t pay attention to it.
Brought to the island by ferry, they are greeted friendly by two servants. They enjoy the first hours but over dinner a record begins to play and the voice of the unseen host accuses each person of having killed somebody. The voice they heard was a recording Rogers had to put up in order of his employer.
After the shock the guests compare their invitations and all of them are signed with U.N.Owen, unknown! Justice Wargrave figures that 'Owen' must know a lot about each one of them. Everyone tells his or her story about the committed “murder”, everyone pretending not to feel guilty. Wargrave suggests to leave the island in the morning. At this moment Anthony chokes his drink and drops dead.
Dr. Armstrong discovers that the drink of Marston was poisoned. When Rogers is clearing the table he notices that one of the ten china figures on the table is missing. Vera realises how the nursery rhyme resembles the situation on the island. The next morning Mrs. Rogers is found dead and another china figure is missing.
The guests also have to give up the expectation, that a motor boat would come and take them away. This isolation from the mainland and the absent possibility of escape puts up a high tension. After a thorough search on the island they know that one of them must be the murderer. General Marcathur is found with a deadly head-injury and another china figure is missing.
The next morning there is no breakfast served and Rogers is found dead outside, killed with an axe. Vera gets hysterical and knows the nursery rhyme is working out.
The victim after Rogers is Miss Brent; killed by a deadly injection. The needle and the sixth china figure are found outside.
The remaining 4 people decide to lock up the drugs but Lombard's revolver is missing. Everyone´s frightened of the fact that one of them is a murderer and he or she could kill them anytime! They all stay together and just one person leaves the room at the time. When Vera goes to her room she is touched by seaweed, hanging down from a hook. Because of her cries the others come for help.
Afterwards Justice Wargrave is found downstairs, shot in the head. At night Blore hears footsteps; Dr. Armstrong and another china figure disappear. Vera, Blore and Lombard go outside in the morning to be safer. When Blore goes to the house to get some food he´s killed by a heavy marble block. Vera and Lombard find the body of Armstrong among the rocks in sea.
Vera goes hysterical, manages to steal Lombard's revolver and shoots him. When she finds a rope attached on a hook in her room, she hangs herself.
The police doesn’t have a clue about what happened until a manuscript is found in a bottle. It tells the story of the murders. Justice Wargrave suffered from an incurable disease and wanted to punish these people, who were really guilty but were found innocent. He wasn't really shot but after everyone else was dead, he shot himself.
My opinion
The eleven people have all done some kind off sin in their past and Justice Wargrave thinks that these people must deserve capital punishment. The name of Justice resembles him bringing justice to this affair. He’s a very intelligent person who always stays calm.
Wargrave shows his intelligence with this perfect murder of ten people – including him – without being unmasked by the others.
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