EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club discussion

I finished reading this one yesterday. I did really enjoy it and it was pretty fast paced. It was my first Agatha Christie book so I am curious to read more of her writing. I think the only thing I didn't like was a specific part of the ending. I was fine with who committed the crimes and why...that all made sense although at first I had the religious woman, Miss Brent, pegged to be the killer. But I absolutely found the bit about how the Judge shot himself and then the string released causing the gun to fall near Mr. Lombard's body. I found that bit too improbable and far fetched. Overall though I really did enjoy the mystery of it all! Great story!

I had a look at some ten covers with a house image but found no one satisfactory.

I absolutely love this book and have reread it many times. However I have never read any other Christie novels. I feel like the ending is a bit far fetched as others have commented. The gun falling right by Lombard is a bit of a push.

I really enjoyed this book. What I found so amazing is how so many current horror films and even some horror video games (Until Dawn) follow such a similar formula. I am not sure if Christie was the first to do this, but it was neat to know this plot line has been around for at least 80 years.

Usually I am pretty good at The Who Dun Its and can guess the bad guy long before the end, but I was totally duped by this one! What a fun change that was.

Ok - I am a little behind but I finished it! I read this many years ago and when I read it again this time, I found it hard to put down. I kept going back and checking the rhyme and then going back to check the introduction of the characters. But this didn’t bother me - I was doing it to see if I could figure out the mystery.
A classic Agatha Christie masterpiece!

Done! I have just finished it and I have to admit I enjoyed this book more than I expected!

So many of us enjoyed this so much... I wonder what makes Christie so popular, and so timeless? One would think that her mysteries would be annoyingly old-fashioned, but it seems that they're not. Hmm....

I just finished it and enjoyed it very much! This was my first Agatha Christie book and I was very pleased. I loved how she was able the build on to the suspense a little each chapter and left me confused throughout. I thought the murderer was going to be Blore at first and was really thrown off with Armstrong's disappearance! I think the trailer for Murder in the Orient Express looks appealing and will probably try to read the book before I see it!

Who writes mysteries nowadays that encourage the reader to try to figure things out? The thrillers my husband reads, he often knows the bad guys right away, but reads to watch the good guys figure it out and take care of things. Also, his books have lots more violence (and sex, too). What writer is following in Christie's footsteps?

Cheryl wrote: "What writer is following in Christie's footsteps?"

I'm no expert on this genre, but Sue Grafton seems a likely candidate.

My wife and I were big fans of the shows Monk and Psych. It became clear as the shows went on that coming up with a mystery each week is hard. It's easier to write some cultural riffs, character drama and a chase sequence (budget permitting).

You see that a lot. It's easy to see that Janet Evanovich has more imitators than Christie. Formula writing is less demanding.

I might try Grafton, then, thanks! I did try one of the Stephanie Plum novels and thought it awful.

I don't read much mystery/suspense these days. I have read one Sue Grafton and would read more. What about Mary Higgins Clark? I used to read some of hers and enjoying. Not sure if they would stand the test of time.

There's a series by Charles Todd (actually written by himself and his mother) featuring Inspector Ian Rutledge, a post-WWI detective who fought in the war and got traumatized - or so. I've read only the first title, A Test Of Wills, really enjoyed it and will read others. But that's it, many possible suspects. :-)

I once was recommended Martha Grimes as a worthy follow-up to Agatha Christie. She writes cosy mysteries, just like our Agatha (And Then There Were None is the odd one out in that respect, I feel).

I read one book by her, which I quite liked. What I didn't like was that the book was twice as long as Christie's generally are, so I didn't read any others.

There is also Sophie Hannah, who has been chosen and authorized by the heirs of Agatha Christie to write new Poirot novels. Supposedly, being faithful to Christie's style. I haven't read any yet, but one is The Monogram Murders.

Marcos wrote: "There is also Sophie Hannah, who has been chosen and authorized by the heirs of Agatha Christie to write new Poirot novels. Supposedly, being faithful to Christie's style. I haven't..."

Also nearly twice as long, I see. And only half as good, if the reviews are to be believed.

Another one that comes to mind is in the range of Scandinavian mystery authors, Camilla Läckberg. I've read the first three and enjoyed them. Many suspects. However, people complain that not enough information is given for a good sleuthing by the reader! This, however, is like most present day mystery TV shows and movies, you don't get it all!

Yeah, see, what I especially liked about this book was that we were given enough clues, and the book was concise (short).

What do you-all especially like about Christie's work?

I loved this book! A slow start on the train getting to know the characters but Once they had reached the island I was hooked and couldn't put it down!

I guessed twice and guessed wrong... I was happy with the ending though and that it summed everything up in a neat little bow. It was also a nice touch to see it from the police perspective and what they thought had happened.

A great murder mystery!

Cheryl wrote: "Yeah, see, what I especially liked about this book was that we were given enough clues, and the book was concise (short).

What do you-all especially like about Christie's work?"

I like that they are well-written cosy mysteries and just the right size, and that she used to keep me guessing until the last page.

Yeah, that puts into words what I've been trying to think of, thanks.

wow, The computer ate my last post.

I am doing discussion catchup. I cant help comparing this to Murder On The Orient Express.

They both have the common theme of punishing those who gotten away with something.

Does anyone know if this a common theme for Christie. I do enjoy it. I find something satisfying when those who escaped get caught.

The post that disappeared was much better written. Picture what I said here as written by Shakepeare. LOL

This is the July 2019 BOTM catch-up selection. Welcome readers!

I've been read one Agatha Christie book a month for a few months now, but I have to say this is surely the best one yet! I read it in one sitting, because it was so entertaining and such a page-turner. I loved it! It's definitely the darkest Agatha book I read so far and I even put it on my horror shelf, because it was so suspensful and the entire story gets more and more terrifying as it unfolds. I've read about 10 Stephen King's books and none of then was as terrifying as this one. Some of his books don't even clasify as horror compared to And Then There Were None, IMHO. Did anyone else see it as horror? It was so psychological, Christie really put all she had into it.

I did not see it as horror, only suspense and psychological. Kinda like the suspense and psychological angle of Alfred Hitchcock movies (which I love - The Birds had me looking above a lot when I was little lol). It was a really good book, but there were clues to who was U.N. Owen. I thought this was a great book and look forward to reading more by Agatha Christie.

I re-read this so I can't really say my opinion about this as a book (I already knew who was the murderer :D). I read this now because I wanted to see how Christie has built up the story and see the clues. It really is amazing how someone can have made up this kind of plot. I remember when I read this as a teen and this was something unbelievable. THIS was the book that made me realize I have lost my heart to mystery books.

This book was exciting! Such a suspenseful page turner! This was my first Agatha Christie book, and it exceeded my expectations. I was dumbfounded myself. I kept saying there must be someone else on the island. At the end I felt cheated because the killer wasn’t revealed...until I read the letter. I would never had figured that out myself. She is such a clever author.

Question: I think I read this... does a mustard sandwich give the killer away?

Melinda wrote: "This book was exciting! Such a suspenseful page turner! This was my first Agatha Christie book, and it exceeded my expectations. I was dumbfounded myself. I kept saying there must be someone else o..."

It was my first one as well and I agree, she is very clever!
Enough twists to keep you guessing.

I read it last year and had NO idea who dunnit or how. And the copy I had was missing a last page or two, so I had to track it down or I'd have been left wondering forever. :)

I did review it here.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Catherine wrote: "How's everyone enjoying this book so far?"

I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this and how quickly I read it! Definitely would recommend for someone who is looking for an interesting mystery.

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "I read it last year and had NO idea how dunnit or how. And the copy I had was missing a last page or two, so I had to track it down or I'd have been left wondering forever. :)

I did review it here..."

That would have driven me crazy! I’m glad you tracked it down.

Melinda wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "I read it last year and had NO idea how dunnit or how. And the copy I had was missing a last page or two, so I had to track it down or I'd have been left wondering forever....

That would have driven me crazy! I’m glad you tracked it down. "

It did drive me crazy. Luckily it's so popular that it was easy to find.

This was my second time reading it. This was the book that made me fall in love with Christie books (it was my first read of hers). I've never known of anyone who guessed the culprit and the sticking to the rhyme is so clever. Reading it the second time allowed me to see some new clues and I enjoyed it just as much even knowing who-dun-it.

Edmund wrote: "I've been read one Agatha Christie book a month for a few months now, but I have to say this is surely the best one yet! I read it in one sitting, because it was so entertaining and such a page-tur..."

It was definitely suspenseful, but I could see the horror in it as well. It was a real page-turner for me, although I had some difficulty "putting myself into the story." I think if I was fully vested in it, it would have definitely screamed horror! I enjoyed it so much, though. I can't wait to read more of her books.

I loved this book! Complete side note--as I read about the second death, it dawned on me that this story seemed familiar. When I was in college (15+ years ago), my roommate was in the play "Ten Little Indians." She played the maid. I only vaguely remember the play, but I think it's hilarious that it took me about 1/4 of the book to realize I'd heard the story before.

I really loved this book. I am a bit of a fan of Agatha Christie in general, and I love that I couldn't spot the killer. As others have said, the final chapter seemed a bit unbelievable, but I didn't find it detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book - great from start to finish!

How funny, Lensey!

It's fascinating to see the amount of positive reception this book has received. I found it very hard to get into for some reason. I think knowing all the twists detracted from the suspense and thrill of reading to find out what's going to happen. Storm, how did you get past knowing the plot and ending?

Did you guys feel cheated that Vera never gets to know who the killer is? Do you think there could have been a stronger ending rather than a tell-all in a letter form of summary?

I love a good locked room mystery, This is one of my favorites. I love the fact that I kept being fooled over and over.

I first rea the book when I was 16. At that age I admired that all the crimes were punished, I was of an age where everything was wrong or right.

This time I had a little more smyphathy for the motives. I think as we age we see more shades of gray.


This second read I knew what would happen. I llookked for all the clues and they were there Christie is genius

My first Agatha Christie book. Gobbled it up in one sitting. Whodunits are not usually my faves, but this one was darn good, fast-paced and psychological, without the usual know-it-all detective.

Renata wrote: "My first Agatha Christie book. Gobbled it up in one sitting. Whodunits are not usually my faves, but this one was darn good, fast-paced and psychological, without the usual know-it-all detective."

I also liked that it was fast-paced. There were too many characters for her to have spent a lot of time on back stories for them all, and the bodies dropped pretty quickly!

At the start of the summer I decided that I should read The Complete Sherlock Holmes. Not straight through though. Just one story here and there in-between other books. I've read the two first (A Study in Scarlet & The Sign of Four) so far. They were real solid. I enjoyed them a lot.

And Then There Were None though. What more can I say than WOW? It's my first Agatha Christie book and I really enjoyed it. Such a gosh darn good whodunit and it made me want to read more of her works.

This month is also my first read-along with this group (well, with any group to be honest) and I'm so happy I joined. *And Then There Were None* has been on my to-be-read list for a while now and it probably would've stayed there for quite a while longer if it hadn't been picked as a re-read here.

I never thought about the lack of a detective Renata, but now you mention it, that is original.

Patty, you're right about it being a positive element that the characters were killed off pretty quickly. I would have been very bored if we got all the unnecessary backstories for each character, but along those same lines, I found the writing horribly blunt (in regards to Vera's flashbacks and guilt).

I'm so happy to hear that this group helped get this book into your hands sooner, Patrik.

Renee, you bring up a great question. I'd like to open it up to the group. Why, as you age, do you start to see things in shades of grey? Or in what ways does age affect judgment?

I finished this book a while ago. I don't normally read mysteries, so I don't know how common it is to be able to guess who the murderer is before the end of the book, but with this book I had no clue at all. I thought there must have been some unknown eleventh person on the island (despite all the searching around that was described in the book), because of all possibilities by the end of it I thought that one most likely. Well, I'm glad that wasn't the case because that would have made a very unsatisfying story, but I think it goes to show how well written this plot is. With the final reveal at the end, everything suddenly made sense, and a lot of details I didn't notice the first time stood out to me.

Something I really enjoyed was the Ten Little Soldier Boys theme (although I've seen that the name has a history). I thought it was very clever the way the story was spun around this children's song, and it created a lot of suspense as to who would die next and how.

This was my first mystery book and honestly I had no idea who the killer was. It was a shock in the end and it made some sense. I’m really glad I found this book club and get to enjoy these masterpieces of work. Again I’m really new into books and I’m enjoying the diverse of genres this book club offers

Nelson wrote: "This was my first mystery book and honestly I had no idea who the killer was. It was a shock in the end and it made some sense. I’m really glad I found this book club and get to enjoy these masterp..."

Welcome to the world of mysteries, Nelson! Agatha Christie's stories are not modern, of course, but the clues are things that we should be able to find and figure out (but usually don't). There's no DNA sampling or phone data to help find killers and time of death here!

This story is one-of-a-kind, and I certainly enjoyed it!

I loved this book so much! It was so suspenseful and unique in the way it was written. What I enjoy about Agatha Christie's books is that they're usually short enough to read them in one sitting but never feel rushed.
While the stories aren't modern per se, human nature didn't change all that much so her stories still feel relevant.

This was my first Agatha Christie book. It has been a while since I have read such a suspenseful, psychological thriller. (I had to listen to it early in the day so that my brain would not be spinning at bedtime.) I can see why some might classify it as horror. It was so well done.

I love being tricked by a great whodunit. I seriously considered four different characters off and on throughout the story. Of course, just when I was convinced that the judge was the murderer and not there to distract us, he was shot. It never occurred to me that the murderer would fake his death, or especially that he would convince someone else to help him do so.

The discussion about whether or not we are meant to feel sympathy for the characters is quite interesting. I was too wrapped up in trying to figure out who was the murderer to give it much thought at the time. My reaction to each character was a bit shallow. I knew they would all die, so I didn't get give them too much thought beyond, why were they invited to the island and who could have known their stories well enough to bring them all together.

This would be an interesting book to re-read with the above question in mind, as well as to watch the clues unfold now that I know who did it and how.

Shelley wrote: "This was my first Agatha Christie book. It has been a while since I have read such a suspenseful, psychological thriller. (I had to listen to it early in the day so that my brain would not be spinn..."

Same here, Shelley, about not caring about the characters. It was just the figuring it out that was interesting, hardhearted reader that I am!

This was my first Agatha Christie and really first true mystery I've ever read. Wasn't sure she would be my cup of tea but it's a classic and after watching the Great American Read program last year I remembered it was a favorite of many readers so thought I'd try it. Finished it last night. I enjoyed her style of writing and the story was definitely a page turner. As someone else mentioned, I also did not care per se for the characters themselves but just about the mystery of their deaths. But I do need to read the epilogue and the letter at the end again. I feel like I missed something in how it all played out with the Judge and all. He did kill himself, correct? But made it look as though he was shot by another?