And Then There Were None in Bound Together

Apr 15, 2018 PattyMacDotComma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-crime-thriller, aa-ce, kindle, aa

4★
“So far the murderer has had an easy task, since his victims have been unsuspicious. From now on, it is our task to suspect each and every one amongst us. Forewarned is forearmed. Take no risks and be alert to danger. That is all."

I had never read this classic “locked-room” mystery, which is actually an isolated-island mystery. Written in 1939, nearly 80 years ago, it’s obvious there will be no helicopters doing either retrievals or midnight drops of surprise visitors. And there’s no telephone 4★
“So far the murderer has had an easy task, since his victims have been unsuspicious. From now on, it is our task to suspect each and every one amongst us. Forewarned is forearmed. Take no risks and be alert to danger. That is all."

I had never read this classic “locked-room” mystery, which is actually an isolated-island mystery. Written in 1939, nearly 80 years ago, it’s obvious there will be no helicopters doing either retrievals or midnight drops of surprise visitors. And there’s no telephone communication, so when the weather turns, the island is truly isolated from the mainland.

At one, point, a few (“remaining”) characters decide to heliograph the mainland, hoping someone will notice mirrors flashing code. But Christie has that covered, too. The island used to belong to an eccentric American, so mainlanders are used to ignoring the antics of the quirky parties held there.

The story. Ten people have received personal invitations to holiday on Indian Island as the guests of someone from their past. When all finally arrive by boat and begin to compare notes, it’s obvious that nobody is quite sure who their host is.

To greet them, there are figurines of ten little Indians on the dining table, and in each room there hangs a copy of a nursery rhyme, somewhat adapted for the occasion. It tells what happens to each little Indian until the last one is gone – and then there were none.

As each “guest” succumbs to a different fate—well, no, the same fate, murder most foul—the remaining suspects/victims try to figure out how to stay together while staying safe from each other. One has a revolver (he’s an ex-copper, invited to keep an eye on things, he says).

It’s a fiendishly clever plot with good reason to suspect everyone. Each of them has a secret in their murky past, and I must admit when I found out what they were, I reckoned they deserved to be scared out of their wits. And they were!

“The candle was burning down. Looking to see if the matches were within easy reach of his hand, he blew it out. Strangely enough, he found the darkness disquieting. It was as though a thousand age-old fears awoke and struggled for supremacy in his brain.”

I probably wouldn’t have finished them off, but the killer was determined to carry out his or her plan. I did have to suspend disbelief a bit, but then I have to remember when this took place and where, and how absolutely terrified the suspects/victims were.

Worth a read if you’ve never read it. ...more

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Jul 28, 2008 Angie crosby rated it really liked it

Shelves: alex, mystery, re-read, checkedout-library, cozy-mystery-challenge, reread-challenge

This was a good Book. I Guessed The Killer Towards The End Somewhere. Still It Was A Good Book. Read awhile ago for high school. I Enjoy Agatha Christie Books. They Are Short And Fast Paced. I Like To See If I Can Guess The End. I would Buy It If It Was On Clearance Somewhere.

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