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The Invisible Host: A Golden Age Mystery
Guests at a New Orleans party face a mysterious and deadly host in the widely suspected inspiration for Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
When eight guests arrive for a party at a luxurious New Orleans penthouse, their unknown host is nowhere to be found. Then, speaking to them through radio broadcast, he informs them of the evening's chilling every hour, one of them will die.
As the host's prophecy comes horribly true, the dwindling band of survivors grows desperate to escape their fate. To discover their tormentor's identity, they must each reveal their darkest secrets and find the common thread--but confessions may not be enough when they realize that one of them may be the killer.
First published in 1930, this classic mystery was adapted into the Hollywood film, The Ninth Guest. It bears a striking resemblance to Agatha Christie's bestseller And Then There Were None--which appeared nearly a decade later.
When eight guests arrive for a party at a luxurious New Orleans penthouse, their unknown host is nowhere to be found. Then, speaking to them through radio broadcast, he informs them of the evening's chilling every hour, one of them will die.
As the host's prophecy comes horribly true, the dwindling band of survivors grows desperate to escape their fate. To discover their tormentor's identity, they must each reveal their darkest secrets and find the common thread--but confessions may not be enough when they realize that one of them may be the killer.
First published in 1930, this classic mystery was adapted into the Hollywood film, The Ninth Guest. It bears a striking resemblance to Agatha Christie's bestseller And Then There Were None--which appeared nearly a decade later.
189 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1930
39 people are currently reading
401 people want to read
About the author
Gwen Bristow
44 books179 followersGwen Bristow (September 16, 1903 - August 17, 1980) was an American author and journalist. She studied at Columbia University and afterwards wrote for a number of literary magazines and journals. Eventually she moved to New Orleans, and worked at the Times-Picayune. She became interested in longer forms of writing—novels and short stories—through her husband, screenwriter Bruce Manning, and published her first novel in 1929.
Bristow reached the pinnacle of her career with the western romance Jubilee Trail, which became a bestseller in 1950, and was adapted to a moderately successful film in 1954.
Bristow reached the pinnacle of her career with the western romance Jubilee Trail, which became a bestseller in 1950, and was adapted to a moderately successful film in 1954.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
March 22, 2024
This is an old novel with interesting premises. Guests are invited to a penthouse party in a New Orleans high-rise from which they cannot exit. Then, they are murdered one at a time. This book predates Agatha Christi's novel, And Then There Were None, by several years, using the same plot. Did Christi plagiarize The Invisible Host? That has been debated, but no one can say for sure. Certainly, this book is not in the same class as the Christi novel, but it is short and well worth the read.
April 10, 2022
"One by one, you shall die tonight the deaths you merit."
This is a deliciously bonkers little palate-cleanser between more serious reads. Published almost ten years before Christie's more famous And Then There Were None, this features a Bond villain-esque perpetrator who gathers together a group of eight guests in an Art Deco penthouse in New Orleans before picking them off on the hour via fiendish methods of death!
The writing is fluent, though I'd say the female characters are better delineated than the male. Unlike in Christie where the house-party are generally strangers to each other, here the guests are part of the same social circle with established alliances and enmities to be exploited. Speeding up the timescale so that everyone is to die within hours rather than days keeps the tension ramping up - though I'd have to say that a) the ending is one of those where you turn the page and are faced with THE END, and b) the final little flourish is one easy to foresee to today's readers who are likely to be more cynical and ahead of the game than perhaps those of the 1930s.
Short and sharp, some of the explanations are of the WTF? variety but this is huge fun.
Read
June 18, 2023Basically this is the ur-And Then There Were None. Not as good (the smaller cast is nevertheless far less clear), melodramatic, and daft where it needed to be scary, but still the brilliant idea a full decade before Christie used it so there you go.
May 23, 2019
The Invisible Host
I’ve read “And Then There Were None” in the past, and then it was listed in the GAR in 2018. In the PBS GAR show it was mentioned that that Agatha C most likely took the idea from another source and improved upon it. . . .my MORE RESEARCH NEEDED button was pushed! I found a copy of The Invisible Host by one of my favorite authors in the past, Gwen Bristow. Finally procured a copy (and it was difficult), and have now read it.
*Sigh*. It was a good idea, but mediocre. . .maybe even less than mediocre. . . in its execution. I agree with the many reviews in GRs noting the holes in the plot, like a sieve!! Disappointed me all around. AC’s version is tighter and better developed, for sure. So, bottomline, this was historical research into an idea that was born 10 years before someone came along and claimed it for her own and made it famous.
I would love to know what Gwen thought of it when she first read “And Then There Were None”. . . . .was she livid or was she flattered?
2 stars, and that’s being generous.
I’ve read “And Then There Were None” in the past, and then it was listed in the GAR in 2018. In the PBS GAR show it was mentioned that that Agatha C most likely took the idea from another source and improved upon it. . . .my MORE RESEARCH NEEDED button was pushed! I found a copy of The Invisible Host by one of my favorite authors in the past, Gwen Bristow. Finally procured a copy (and it was difficult), and have now read it.
*Sigh*. It was a good idea, but mediocre. . .maybe even less than mediocre. . . in its execution. I agree with the many reviews in GRs noting the holes in the plot, like a sieve!! Disappointed me all around. AC’s version is tighter and better developed, for sure. So, bottomline, this was historical research into an idea that was born 10 years before someone came along and claimed it for her own and made it famous.
I would love to know what Gwen thought of it when she first read “And Then There Were None”. . . . .was she livid or was she flattered?
2 stars, and that’s being generous.
February 28, 2025
Eight people are invited to a small surprise party that they think is being given in their honour. It seems that the mystery host has other ideas in mind. He or she plans to kill each and every one of them. The tension mounts as the guests start dying.
I wanted to read this book as some say that Agatha Christie “stole” the idea for “And The There Were None” from this book. It is also being discussed next month on a podcast I follow- Tea or Books.
My thoughts- I didn’t feel that it was especially convincing. Why the person wanted to murder these people was not credible…….. How some were murdered was a bit far fetched.
It did not come close to Agatha Christie’s tight plotting of her mysteries. Who knows if she got the idea from this book. If she did, well she definitely pulled it off better.
So, an Ok read but not one I’d be rushing to recommend.
Published: 1930
I wanted to read this book as some say that Agatha Christie “stole” the idea for “And The There Were None” from this book. It is also being discussed next month on a podcast I follow- Tea or Books.
My thoughts- I didn’t feel that it was especially convincing. Why the person wanted to murder these people was not credible…….. How some were murdered was a bit far fetched.
It did not come close to Agatha Christie’s tight plotting of her mysteries. Who knows if she got the idea from this book. If she did, well she definitely pulled it off better.
So, an Ok read but not one I’d be rushing to recommend.
Published: 1930
January 14, 2023
Written before 'And Then There Were None', this book is very similar in plot but much less well executed. The victims are trapped in a penthouse apartment and killed off one by one. The characters are lightly drawn and the book suffers from that and from a lack of tension but is still enjoyable.
October 31, 2020
After being invited to a wonderful dinner party a group of people are tormented by their unseen host and then murdered one by one!
Sound familiar, well this book came 9 years before Agatha wrote up a similar novel with the same plot 🤔
Well written, exciting and kept me hooked! I loved this book, and to have it in a bright, modern Penthouse Apartment with no little nooks for the villain to hide in was a great touch.
A brilliant read!
Sound familiar, well this book came 9 years before Agatha wrote up a similar novel with the same plot 🤔
Well written, exciting and kept me hooked! I loved this book, and to have it in a bright, modern Penthouse Apartment with no little nooks for the villain to hide in was a great touch.
A brilliant read!
Read
July 8, 2022Family here until Sunday (and we play really, really hard!) so my post will have to wait.
for now, another book that while not exactly great, was actually a lot of fun to read and I found myself glued. Eight people are invited to a party by an unknown host; once they are settled in, the partygoers find themselves at the mercy of someone whose presence is made known through a radio broadcast. The host lets them know that this is no ordinary party at all -- that they are there to die, one person every hour, and that there is no escape. My only issue came with the ending, but more on that later.
more soon.
for now, another book that while not exactly great, was actually a lot of fun to read and I found myself glued. Eight people are invited to a party by an unknown host; once they are settled in, the partygoers find themselves at the mercy of someone whose presence is made known through a radio broadcast. The host lets them know that this is no ordinary party at all -- that they are there to die, one person every hour, and that there is no escape. My only issue came with the ending, but more on that later.
more soon.
February 17, 2024
A re-read for me. While I could remember certain parts of the story, as in methods used, I didn't remember the killer or any other real details. Also, I think I may have enjoyed it just a bit more the second time around.
October 18, 2023
In Prohibition-era New Orleans, eight people receive identical telegrams inviting them to a party in the penthouse of a new building. Each telegram congratulates the recipient and says the party is being given in his or her honor. The sender is unnamed; the telegram is signed only “Your Host.”
The party guests are all prominent people, who readily assume that they merit being the guest of honor at an exclusive party. When they gather at the party, each guest assumes that one of the others is the host. But no one admits to it.
The first part of the evening, which includes an excellent dinner, is mysterious but enjoyable. But suddenly, from the radio comes a voice identifying itself as the host. The host tells the guests that they “represent the cream of the city’s wit.” But, the host continues, he has brought them together to challenge them to “an absorbing game—a game with death.” If he wins, as he is confident he will, each guest will die.
The host mocks the conceit that brought each of them to the party. What they really merit is not honor, but death. “But you, my eight friends, are worthy of more gracious death. You are worthy of unique modes of exit from the world that has applauded you. You are worthy of laughing, exquisite death. This is the death I shall give you. One by one, you shall die the deaths you merit.”
The guests quickly discover that there is no escape from the penthouse. The host has thought of everything. And as he promised, one by one, hour by hour, the guests die. The atmosphere becomes more and more tense, as the guests suspect one another of causing the deaths.
The Invisible Host is a very clever story. In my opinion, it’s at least as clever as Agatha Christie’s later And Then There Were None, for which this book is often credited as the inspiration. The securely locked penthouse and the radio voice create a creepy, tense atmosphere. And each death is indeed a “unique mode of exit” that’s appropriate to the life and character of the deceased.
I think the ending of the story is a bit of a letdown. I didn’t guess the identity of the killer, but I thought the way it’s revealed is somewhat clumsy. Nonetheless, The Invisible Host is an entertaining story and well worth the short time it takes to read it.
The party guests are all prominent people, who readily assume that they merit being the guest of honor at an exclusive party. When they gather at the party, each guest assumes that one of the others is the host. But no one admits to it.
The first part of the evening, which includes an excellent dinner, is mysterious but enjoyable. But suddenly, from the radio comes a voice identifying itself as the host. The host tells the guests that they “represent the cream of the city’s wit.” But, the host continues, he has brought them together to challenge them to “an absorbing game—a game with death.” If he wins, as he is confident he will, each guest will die.
The host mocks the conceit that brought each of them to the party. What they really merit is not honor, but death. “But you, my eight friends, are worthy of more gracious death. You are worthy of unique modes of exit from the world that has applauded you. You are worthy of laughing, exquisite death. This is the death I shall give you. One by one, you shall die the deaths you merit.”
The guests quickly discover that there is no escape from the penthouse. The host has thought of everything. And as he promised, one by one, hour by hour, the guests die. The atmosphere becomes more and more tense, as the guests suspect one another of causing the deaths.
The Invisible Host is a very clever story. In my opinion, it’s at least as clever as Agatha Christie’s later And Then There Were None, for which this book is often credited as the inspiration. The securely locked penthouse and the radio voice create a creepy, tense atmosphere. And each death is indeed a “unique mode of exit” that’s appropriate to the life and character of the deceased.
I think the ending of the story is a bit of a letdown. I didn’t guess the identity of the killer, but I thought the way it’s revealed is somewhat clumsy. Nonetheless, The Invisible Host is an entertaining story and well worth the short time it takes to read it.
December 13, 2021
A very creepy but also very wordy sort of proto-"And Then There Were None." How does a novella with so much bonkers plot to get through still manage to be so verbose?
Eight people gather for a mysterious dinner party where no one appears as host. That is, until a weird voice starts speaking to them over the radio, inviting them to play a game of wits with death as the penalty. They will all, the voice predicts, be dead by morning.
It's somewhat of an interesting period piece... May be worth visiting if you're interested in fiction trends from the 1930s. But trying to read it for its own merits, I found it over-strained itself and didn't always play fair. The voice on the radio promises no tricks, but there are tricks all over the place.
Eight people gather for a mysterious dinner party where no one appears as host. That is, until a weird voice starts speaking to them over the radio, inviting them to play a game of wits with death as the penalty. They will all, the voice predicts, be dead by morning.
It's somewhat of an interesting period piece... May be worth visiting if you're interested in fiction trends from the 1930s. But trying to read it for its own merits, I found it over-strained itself and didn't always play fair. The voice on the radio promises no tricks, but there are tricks all over the place.
May 20, 2012
This is bascially Ten Little Indians in a modern (for the early 20th Century, that is) high rise apartment building. The thing to realize though, is that this one was written first, about nine years earlier. It is hard to find but well worth a read.
October 18, 2021
Eight people are invited to a penthouse party presumably being held in their honor. Each person has a reason for believing this a possibility. However, when the guests show up an invisible host tells them that they have been gathered together for some kind of game. The stakes are deadly. No one can leave and everyone must play.
The Ninth Guest also goes by the title "The Invisible Host". It was first published in 1930. Agatha Christie took inspiration from it for And Then There Were None. There are a lot of similarities but in this book the characters know from the start that people will die. It is also a lot shorter and doesn't have a lot of character depth.
It isn't exactly clear what the "game" is but the authors do a great job showing the terror of the situation. I got a good sense of being trapped along with the characters. There are things to pick up on that I missed. It was a little frustrating at times when I wanted the characters to try different things but it was an interesting, quick read.
The Ninth Guest also goes by the title "The Invisible Host". It was first published in 1930. Agatha Christie took inspiration from it for And Then There Were None. There are a lot of similarities but in this book the characters know from the start that people will die. It is also a lot shorter and doesn't have a lot of character depth.
It isn't exactly clear what the "game" is but the authors do a great job showing the terror of the situation. I got a good sense of being trapped along with the characters. There are things to pick up on that I missed. It was a little frustrating at times when I wanted the characters to try different things but it was an interesting, quick read.
January 2, 2024
The Invisible Host first caught my eye as the novel's tagline intimated that it might have been an inspiration for Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. Then it caught my eye a second time as the author is Gwen Bristow… I thought she only wrote historical fiction (that I happen to love!)! This locked room mystery was good and kept me guessing even if a few the scenarios were a bit implausible.
April 28, 2025
I found this book among old books inherited from my grandparents. It was a fun read.
March 12, 2022
If you're a fan of the locked room troupe, then this is a very special book for you. The Invisible Host, by Gwen Bristow and Bruce Manning, is a 1930 murder mystery that may look very familiar to fans of the murder mystery genre.
Picture it, a group of people are invited to a penthouse in a tall building high above the city of New Orleans. There's a thunderstorm brewing outside as well as inside. As the guests arrive they all seem to know each on in some way, but when their unknown host comes to them through the radio, things take a sudden turn for the worst. They find themselves locked in the penthouse, unable to escape. The doors have been charged with voltage, the fire sprinklers have been filled with poisonous gas, and it seems that every hour, one guest will end up dead. By morning, all the guests will be dead, unless they can match wits at the host's demented and murderous game!
If this sounds familiar, it's because it is. Nine years after this book was published, Agatha Christie penned her most famous novel, And Then There Were None, which has many of the basic elements that this mystery has. Whether or not she stole the concept is unknown, but it's safe to say that Christie's is a true masterpiece.
But I don't think we as readers should base our judgments on the work it's mostly compared to. On its own, The Invisible Host is a fun and demented read. If you're looking for something realistic, this book isn't for you, but if you allow yourself to let loose and be invited into the warped narrative, it's a fun ride. It reminds me more of the films Clue, Murder by Death, or the Saw franchise (only far less gory). There's an element of fun to this novel, that I think is either overlooked or underappreciated.
The backstory to this book is fascinating. Bristow and Manning were newlyweds, both worked as reporters and decided to spend their nights devising this novel, their first, together. Before it was even published, famous playwright Owen Davis, adapted the story into a murder mystery melodrama play, called The Ninth Guest, which was eventually turned into a film with the same name in 1934. I'd be curious to read the play script. I think it would make for a wonderful high school or community theatre production.
The main issue I had with The Invisible Host is the pacing. It felt at times to run really smoothly, but other times it dragged on account of the explanations were drawn out. I think if it had been more back and forth and stayed consistent in its pacing, it would have made for a more readable story. Other than that, I think it's a fun read and very interesting considering its age and comparison. For fans of locked room mysteries, over the top mystery movies, The Invisible Host is one you'll enjoy for sure. My rating - 4/5
Picture it, a group of people are invited to a penthouse in a tall building high above the city of New Orleans. There's a thunderstorm brewing outside as well as inside. As the guests arrive they all seem to know each on in some way, but when their unknown host comes to them through the radio, things take a sudden turn for the worst. They find themselves locked in the penthouse, unable to escape. The doors have been charged with voltage, the fire sprinklers have been filled with poisonous gas, and it seems that every hour, one guest will end up dead. By morning, all the guests will be dead, unless they can match wits at the host's demented and murderous game!
If this sounds familiar, it's because it is. Nine years after this book was published, Agatha Christie penned her most famous novel, And Then There Were None, which has many of the basic elements that this mystery has. Whether or not she stole the concept is unknown, but it's safe to say that Christie's is a true masterpiece.
But I don't think we as readers should base our judgments on the work it's mostly compared to. On its own, The Invisible Host is a fun and demented read. If you're looking for something realistic, this book isn't for you, but if you allow yourself to let loose and be invited into the warped narrative, it's a fun ride. It reminds me more of the films Clue, Murder by Death, or the Saw franchise (only far less gory). There's an element of fun to this novel, that I think is either overlooked or underappreciated.
The backstory to this book is fascinating. Bristow and Manning were newlyweds, both worked as reporters and decided to spend their nights devising this novel, their first, together. Before it was even published, famous playwright Owen Davis, adapted the story into a murder mystery melodrama play, called The Ninth Guest, which was eventually turned into a film with the same name in 1934. I'd be curious to read the play script. I think it would make for a wonderful high school or community theatre production.
The main issue I had with The Invisible Host is the pacing. It felt at times to run really smoothly, but other times it dragged on account of the explanations were drawn out. I think if it had been more back and forth and stayed consistent in its pacing, it would have made for a more readable story. Other than that, I think it's a fun read and very interesting considering its age and comparison. For fans of locked room mysteries, over the top mystery movies, The Invisible Host is one you'll enjoy for sure. My rating - 4/5
March 23, 2023
Discounted | Unrealistic and verbose | Nobody can say for certain whether Agatha Christie used this book as inspiration for And Then There Were None. Similar plots get formed in isolation all the time, and there are letters from Dorothy Sayers discovering that she and a fellow mystery novelist were simultaneously working on novels with very similar plots, but she wasn't concerned because the details and style were different. We may be seeing an example of the same thing here.
What we do know is that there's a reason Christie's novel remains a classic that keeps getting read and printed and adapted, and there are reasons The Invisible Host can't say the same. The authors here seem uncertain whether they want to focus on fiddly, nonsensical trick methods of death, or on eight people who mostly can't stand each other losing all inhibitions and saying what they really think. In endlessly switching between those two poorly written aspects, the book doesn't feel rooted in reality. Would eight people trapped and at risk spend just ten minutes lightly searching a bedroom, a bathroom, and a patio, decide there was nothing to find, and then spend hours sitting together, smoking, watching each other die, and talking? After hours of accusing each other of being the true culprit, would no one barricade themselves alone into bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen? Speaking of hours, the time taken does not make sense. Someone dies at twelve, the rest of them go around saying hateful things for five minutes, the clock strikes one and someone dies. Limiting the space and the time limits the possible actions characters can take, which means the suspense can't really ratchet up much. One of the strengths of Christie's novel is that although there are more characters, you get to know them enough to be interested in whether they truly deserve death, but here there's no real insight, you only know what their antagonists think of them, not whether it's a true view. Makes it hard to care whether they die. Admittedly, I thought the true culprit was clear from the start of the party, and I was right, but that was logic and behavior, the killer's motive was a real letdown. And the ending was very disappointing.
I've gone for 3 stars because it was a quick read and it may have helped inspire a much better book, but 2 stars would also be reasonable.
What we do know is that there's a reason Christie's novel remains a classic that keeps getting read and printed and adapted, and there are reasons The Invisible Host can't say the same. The authors here seem uncertain whether they want to focus on fiddly, nonsensical trick methods of death, or on eight people who mostly can't stand each other losing all inhibitions and saying what they really think. In endlessly switching between those two poorly written aspects, the book doesn't feel rooted in reality. Would eight people trapped and at risk spend just ten minutes lightly searching a bedroom, a bathroom, and a patio, decide there was nothing to find, and then spend hours sitting together, smoking, watching each other die, and talking? After hours of accusing each other of being the true culprit, would no one barricade themselves alone into bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen? Speaking of hours, the time taken does not make sense. Someone dies at twelve, the rest of them go around saying hateful things for five minutes, the clock strikes one and someone dies. Limiting the space and the time limits the possible actions characters can take, which means the suspense can't really ratchet up much. One of the strengths of Christie's novel is that although there are more characters, you get to know them enough to be interested in whether they truly deserve death, but here there's no real insight, you only know what their antagonists think of them, not whether it's a true view. Makes it hard to care whether they die. Admittedly, I thought the true culprit was clear from the start of the party, and I was right, but that was logic and behavior, the killer's motive was a real letdown. And the ending was very disappointing.
I've gone for 3 stars because it was a quick read and it may have helped inspire a much better book, but 2 stars would also be reasonable.
January 17, 2018
152 pages in and dropped, around halfway, though I did read the end of who the culprit was. I hate how unbelievable some things are. For example, what if the first victim had not tried to poison the other 7? If he had not, how would the killer have guaranteed "the first to die would be the one who least deserved to live"?
And the second death is even more ridiculous "I'm your ex-husband and will come to kill you if you don't kill yourself" so the lady commits suicide...seriously? Not even gonna try to meet the so-called ex-husband? What if the lady didnt choose to suicide? Its ridiculous.
And then there's how they dont even search the waiters/waitresses/perform some sort of basic body search or autopsy and how the killer doesnt outline rules for the game, plus they could throw notes or papers over the rooftop. Instead, they spend their valuable time talking of their pasts and grudges against each other, which while useful, is poor timing when searches can be more pertinent and pressing.
I dont honestly think "And Then There Were None" is a good mystery, but its at least done a bit better as a mystery and more entertaining, even if this predates it.
Other issues: Jean and Peter could've tortured the location of the exit out of Hank, and the two of them + the servants would be enough testimony to leave safely, there's no way to guarantee Sylvia would commit suicide, if they'd searched the place thoroughly, they may have found the two guns, there's no need to follow Hank's orders with writing the note/poison, its not revealed how Hank selected which voice recording to play at what time. If they had done a body search and stripped everyone naked, he would have absolutely no control I believe too, etc.
Some small things I liked: Hank was the only one the voice responded to, he pulled up the chair the second murder happened in for the person who was whispered to, Peter was clever with how he asked a question right after Hank did and noticing Hank's fake stomach issue.
And the second death is even more ridiculous "I'm your ex-husband and will come to kill you if you don't kill yourself" so the lady commits suicide...seriously? Not even gonna try to meet the so-called ex-husband? What if the lady didnt choose to suicide? Its ridiculous.
And then there's how they dont even search the waiters/waitresses/perform some sort of basic body search or autopsy and how the killer doesnt outline rules for the game, plus they could throw notes or papers over the rooftop. Instead, they spend their valuable time talking of their pasts and grudges against each other, which while useful, is poor timing when searches can be more pertinent and pressing.
I dont honestly think "And Then There Were None" is a good mystery, but its at least done a bit better as a mystery and more entertaining, even if this predates it.
Other issues: Jean and Peter could've tortured the location of the exit out of Hank, and the two of them + the servants would be enough testimony to leave safely, there's no way to guarantee Sylvia would commit suicide, if they'd searched the place thoroughly, they may have found the two guns, there's no need to follow Hank's orders with writing the note/poison, its not revealed how Hank selected which voice recording to play at what time. If they had done a body search and stripped everyone naked, he would have absolutely no control I believe too, etc.
Some small things I liked: Hank was the only one the voice responded to, he pulled up the chair the second murder happened in for the person who was whispered to, Peter was clever with how he asked a question right after Hank did and noticing Hank's fake stomach issue.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2024
Avvincente giallo da camera chiusa che dà da subito la sensazione di trovarsi di fronte a qualcosa di unico.
Otto commensali tra cui esistono storie di astio pregressi per le motivazioni più varie, si ritrovano in una dimora d’epoca invitati tramite telegramma da un misterioso anfitrione.
Scoprono subito di essere prigionieri e che sono sottoposti ad una sfida che metterà alla prova le loro capacità nel rimanere vivi fino al mattino successivo.
La capacità narrativa è da subito fuor di dubbio.
Non riuscivo a staccarmi dal libro per sapere non solo come sarebbe finito, ma cosa sarebbe successo subito dopo, perché è un susseguirsi di eventi imprevisti e colpi di scena che tengono col fiato sospeso.
La soluzione si basa sulla semplice osservazione deduttiva di elementi sotto agli occhi di tutti fin dall’inizio ma da cui gli avvenimenti ti distraggono disorientandoti al punto da non vederli, fino a che viene da esclamare “ed è tutto qui? Come ho fatto a non arrivarci io?”
Unica pecca che ho trovato è stata la sensazione di disturbo per il fatto che fosse già finito, a causa della brevità del libro che sembra ancora accentuata da come scorrono velocemente le pagine.
Peccato che ne abbiano scritti così pochi!
Otto commensali tra cui esistono storie di astio pregressi per le motivazioni più varie, si ritrovano in una dimora d’epoca invitati tramite telegramma da un misterioso anfitrione.
Scoprono subito di essere prigionieri e che sono sottoposti ad una sfida che metterà alla prova le loro capacità nel rimanere vivi fino al mattino successivo.
La capacità narrativa è da subito fuor di dubbio.
Non riuscivo a staccarmi dal libro per sapere non solo come sarebbe finito, ma cosa sarebbe successo subito dopo, perché è un susseguirsi di eventi imprevisti e colpi di scena che tengono col fiato sospeso.
La soluzione si basa sulla semplice osservazione deduttiva di elementi sotto agli occhi di tutti fin dall’inizio ma da cui gli avvenimenti ti distraggono disorientandoti al punto da non vederli, fino a che viene da esclamare “ed è tutto qui? Come ho fatto a non arrivarci io?”
Unica pecca che ho trovato è stata la sensazione di disturbo per il fatto che fosse già finito, a causa della brevità del libro che sembra ancora accentuata da come scorrono velocemente le pagine.
Peccato che ne abbiano scritti così pochi!
July 12, 2022
I liked it. Written by a young married couple who, I think, were newspaper writers at the time. They live in New Orleans and apparently had a neighbor who played the radio loudly. So the radio figures into this precursor to And Then There Were None.
This one takes place in the penthouse of a luxury apartment building in New Orleans. Everybody knows each other - that's the thing with a small city. All the prominent people know all the prominent people. They all receive a telegram announcing a party held in their honor - and none of them doubt that would happen. A party full of swelled heads.
After dinner, the servants sink into a bottle of drugged brandy to put them out of the way for the evening. And the radio starts talking to all of the guests and informs that in all likelihood they are not going to survive the evening.
And it is a fun romp to see how true that is (or not).
This one takes place in the penthouse of a luxury apartment building in New Orleans. Everybody knows each other - that's the thing with a small city. All the prominent people know all the prominent people. They all receive a telegram announcing a party held in their honor - and none of them doubt that would happen. A party full of swelled heads.
After dinner, the servants sink into a bottle of drugged brandy to put them out of the way for the evening. And the radio starts talking to all of the guests and informs that in all likelihood they are not going to survive the evening.
And it is a fun romp to see how true that is (or not).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2024
And Then There Were NoneThis book was written by American journalists in 1930, and so was a forerunner of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. One of the differences were there were only 8 invited in this as opposed to 10 by Christie.
I do think it started well and captured the atmosphere and hopelessness of the people invited to the so-called party. I did find it quite scary at the start and it was going well as a mystery, but towards the end I felt it got a bit silly. A good read but obviously the Christie (The Queen of Mysteries) improved on the plot no end.
I do think it started well and captured the atmosphere and hopelessness of the people invited to the so-called party. I did find it quite scary at the start and it was going well as a mystery, but towards the end I felt it got a bit silly. A good read but obviously the Christie (The Queen of Mysteries) improved on the plot no end.
July 3, 2023
It helps that I’m not a wild fan of Agatha Christie and haven’t yet read And Then There Were None (it’s up to be read next), but this is wild and silly and full of zippy dialogue, between the endless exposition. I’m probably not alone in feeling a little bit that I wished the villain had won, because it does seem that the authors only really bothered creating one actual character of note here. What’s more interesting than whether Christie plagiarised bits of this is the weird influence it’s had on torture porn films like Saw and even stuff like Seven. It rattles along at quite a pace and never takes itself seriously and I enjoyed it very, very much
August 19, 2025
Entertaining little mystery novel about a group of guests who are invited to an isolated location (a skyscraper penthouse), where they are confronted by a voice of their host from the radio set and are then killed one by one. Slowly they begin to suspect that a killer is one of them. Written 9 years earlier than Christie's "And then there were none" it rather reminded me of the "Saw" movies. The murders are based on the guests' character defects and are mostly done through ingenious contraptions.
May 7, 2017
Relativ schmales Buch im Stile von Agatha Christies Zehn kleine Negerlein.
Habe gerade in einem anderen Review gelesen, dass diese Geschichte sogar VOR Agatha Christies Buch geschrieben wurde.
Ein mysteriöser Gastgeber lädt mehrere Personen zu einer Party ein und Stunde um Stunde muß einer davon sterben...
Hat mir gut gefallen, gerade weil es nette kleine Wendungen gab, die dann manchmal doch sehr überraschend waren.
Habe gerade in einem anderen Review gelesen, dass diese Geschichte sogar VOR Agatha Christies Buch geschrieben wurde.
Ein mysteriöser Gastgeber lädt mehrere Personen zu einer Party ein und Stunde um Stunde muß einer davon sterben...
Hat mir gut gefallen, gerade weil es nette kleine Wendungen gab, die dann manchmal doch sehr überraschend waren.
January 26, 2023
Sinceramente mi aspettavo di più.
Dopo aver letto che questo fosse il famoso originale da cui la Christie dovrebbe aver copiato "Dieci piccoli indiani", mi immaginavo un gran capolavoro.
Il finale è ad effetto e devo ammettere piuttosto inaspettato ma in parte anche incoerente con la storia.
Un inizio forse troppo macabro per un giallo e un finale forse troppo soft per un thriller.
Sa soltanto quello che non è.
Dopo aver letto che questo fosse il famoso originale da cui la Christie dovrebbe aver copiato "Dieci piccoli indiani", mi immaginavo un gran capolavoro.
Il finale è ad effetto e devo ammettere piuttosto inaspettato ma in parte anche incoerente con la storia.
Un inizio forse troppo macabro per un giallo e un finale forse troppo soft per un thriller.
Sa soltanto quello che non è.
October 4, 2021
This novel may have been the inspiration for a famous book by Agatha Christie. Well, when it comes to murder mysteries, I prefer one that's clever like this one is. My full review can be found here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2021/10/0...
January 7, 2022
Not everyone dies? Only a 63.6% death rate (including the servants). Disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2022
NEW ORLEANS, LA / 15 MAR 30 / YOU ARE INVITED TO A MURDER STOP BRISTOW AND MANNING, FORMER NEWSPAPER REPORTERS, WROTE THIS MYSTERY STOP PUBLISHED IN 1930 AND MADE INTO A MOTION PICTURE, "THE NINTH GUEST," IN 1934 STOP IT IS THE STORY OF EIGHT VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE INVITED BY TELEGRAM TO A POSH PENTHOUSE PARTY IN NEW ORLEANS STOP THEY ARE LOCKED IN ON THE 23RD FLOOR AND TOLD THAT NONE WILL SURVIVE THE NIGHT STOP IF THIS PLOT SOUNDS AT ALL FAMILIAR, YOU MAY RECALL DAME AGATHA CHRISTE'S NOVEL "AND THEN THERE WERE NONE" STOP IT WAS PUBLISHED IN 1939 AND WENT ON TO GREAT SUCCESS STOP A COMPARISON OF THESE TWO MYSTERIES IS EDIFYING AND RAISES UNCOMFORTABLE QUESTIONS STOP THIS BOOK WAS OUT OF PRINT FOR A VERY LONG TIME STOP DAME AGATHA'S BOOK HAS NEVER BEEN OUT OF PRINT STOP FOR AFICIONADOS OF THE GENRE, THIS IS A FUN READ STOP IT CAN BE READ IN AN EVENING STOP AND ONE CAN LEARN EXACTLY WHAT CAFÉ BRÛLÉ IS (OR WAS) STOP
July 31, 2022
The novel that apparently inspired Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" which is currently titled "And Then There Were None". I say "apparently", but it's pretty obvious to me that Agatha took this plot and fleshed it out with more details and admittedly a more devious ending. However, as much as I like Agatha's plots, her writing style doesn't do much for me, but this little novel was well paced and couldn't-put-it-downable. The details are different enough that you won't guess the ending if you've read Agatha's version, and I like that it was set in a 1930s penthouse of a highrise in New Orleans. Eight guests trapped in a fancy new high-tech penthouse with a mystery host who is determined to kill them off one by one before sunrise! Great fun.
July 31, 2022
Very campy but very tense. I found myself reading this book with a smile, especially the first half of the book, imagining this adapted into a Hollywood play (which it briefly was), into a contemporary (for the time) movie, or adapted into the modern day. Picture this! A bunch of famous YouTubers/TikTokers/Instagramers are gathered into a penthouse for what they think is a congratulatory party/networking opportunity but they all die one by one. Or make it more in line with the book and include a bunch of famous politicians, creative artists, businessmen/women, lawyers, donors, etc… The strength of this book is that all the characters are connected to each other in some way - no one is a complete stranger, unlike Christie’s more famous work And Then There Were None.
I feel like the people do have a zest for life and adventure (that is why they were gathered together after all) but not much common sense. They all keep talking out loud, in the living room or drawing room or whatever you want to call it, so that the voice on the radio can hear them. I suppose it keeps the plot going but if I knew someone could listen in on me, I would communicate in whispers, in hand signals, in notes, etc… There has to be some suspension of disbelief but I think some people do have the ability to rise above the situation and think critically. And then there are others who decide to hell with it all and try to kill everyone and fail, hilariously. It is very scary to be stuck in an enclosed space as the people around you drop dead, with the bodies literally feet away from you. Unlike Christie's novel, there is no option to leave the space and at least get some fresh air. They are all stuck until the morning.
There is a lot of classism and “crimes” of the day - lady lawyer must be a shyster, accidental bigamist (to be fair, her first husband seems to have abandoned her), a teacher with communistic leanings (aka something slightly off the straight and narrow), etcetera. And the poor servants left passed out in the kitchen - like, let them have the bed you pricks.
The book is very much of it’s time - everyone is smoking (so between the dead bodies, the cigarette smoke, and the natural perspiration of people under intense stress, that penthouse must have reeked by the end of the night), being “low-born” and/or Irish = BAAAD in high society (like this famous kingmaker in New Orleans who comes from Irish descent selected to sit in a chair that was in bad taste, like the murderer knew he would, like come the fuck on - unintentional comedy), and the height of technology at the time was a radio and a dictophone. But how in the hell was all this controlled by (spoiler alert) one person!?
The ending is thorough, perhaps a bit too thorough. The dastardly devil putting the people through this misery is eventually revealed and spends a long time spelling out their reasoning, with one the intended victims writing out their confession. Then the book ends abruptly with a “THE END”; still, it was a romp.
I feel like the people do have a zest for life and adventure (that is why they were gathered together after all) but not much common sense. They all keep talking out loud, in the living room or drawing room or whatever you want to call it, so that the voice on the radio can hear them. I suppose it keeps the plot going but if I knew someone could listen in on me, I would communicate in whispers, in hand signals, in notes, etc… There has to be some suspension of disbelief but I think some people do have the ability to rise above the situation and think critically. And then there are others who decide to hell with it all and try to kill everyone and fail, hilariously. It is very scary to be stuck in an enclosed space as the people around you drop dead, with the bodies literally feet away from you. Unlike Christie's novel, there is no option to leave the space and at least get some fresh air. They are all stuck until the morning.
There is a lot of classism and “crimes” of the day - lady lawyer must be a shyster, accidental bigamist (to be fair, her first husband seems to have abandoned her), a teacher with communistic leanings (aka something slightly off the straight and narrow), etcetera. And the poor servants left passed out in the kitchen - like, let them have the bed you pricks.
The book is very much of it’s time - everyone is smoking (so between the dead bodies, the cigarette smoke, and the natural perspiration of people under intense stress, that penthouse must have reeked by the end of the night), being “low-born” and/or Irish = BAAAD in high society (like this famous kingmaker in New Orleans who comes from Irish descent selected to sit in a chair that was in bad taste, like the murderer knew he would, like come the fuck on - unintentional comedy), and the height of technology at the time was a radio and a dictophone. But how in the hell was all this controlled by (spoiler alert) one person!?
The ending is thorough, perhaps a bit too thorough. The dastardly devil putting the people through this misery is eventually revealed and spends a long time spelling out their reasoning, with one the intended victims writing out their confession. Then the book ends abruptly with a “THE END”; still, it was a romp.
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