by Agatha Christie

Given that the only other Agatha Christie mystery I’ve had the pleasure of reading was Murder on the Orient Express, I can’t really help but compare it to And Then There Were None. While I definitely enjoyed Orient Express, And Then There Were None was a very clear improvement over it, though not necessarily a long enough stride to place it next to my favourite literature.

In And Then There Were None, ten strangers arrive at Indian Island under mysterious circumstances. The host is nowhere to be found, and the guests start being viciously murdered, one by one. The killer is among them, but can they stop him before he finishes his macabre mission?

Much like with Murder on the Orient Express, the characters in And Then There Were None don’t necessarily have a great deal of depth to them, but, given the brisk story and the large number of them, I’m not entirely surprised. That being said, each character has a wicked secret from her past, a crime that went unpunished––the killer intending to rectify the situation with his warped justice. With the intense suspicion with which they regard each other and the guilt many feel about their pasts, the fleeting glimpses we’re afforded into each of the characters gives all of our victims a great deal of personality, so And Then There Were None was a definite step-up in this regard. As well, while I had no major issues with the plot of the Orient Express mystery, this one is undoubtedly better, moving forward with plenty of action, intrigue, and very effective pacing. Top it all off with a final explanation that offered a much more satisfying conclusion and I think we have a winner.

So, if you liked Murder on the Orient Express, I can’t imagine that you’ll dislike And Then There Were None. And, if you have yet to sample an Agatha Christie mystery, this is probably a good place to start.