And then there were None by Agatha Christie

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, aka Agatha Christie is considered to be the Queen of Mysteries in literature for all the obvious reasons.She continues to hold this title even after her death due to her phenomenal work in literature, most of which are categorised under Suspense and Mystery genre. 

And then there were None is one hell of a thriller. The whole book is based upon a nursery rhyme which is a modified version of an American's children counting rhyme. It's disturbingly funny how a plot of a book revolves around a childish rhyme which doesn't seem crazy at first but when you dive further into this mystery, a macabre series of murders is related to it. The rhyme goes like :

"Ten little soldier boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little soldier boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little soldier boys travelling in Devon;
One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.
Seven little soldier boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six little soldier boys playing with a hive;
A bumblebee stung one of them and then there were five.
Five little soldier boys going through the door;
One stubbed his toe and then there were four.
Four little soldier boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little soldier boys walking in the zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little soldier boys sitting in the sun;
One got all frizzled up and then there was one.
One little soldier boy left all alone;
He went and hanged himself and then there were none."

 The novel carries a story of 10 people, once culprits are now turned victims, who have committed atleast one murder throughout their life, which has gone unnoticed in the eyes of the law. Eight people who are strangers to each other are lured to the soldier island(an island that claims lavishness yet it is very mysterious). Upon arrival, they are greeted by the butler and his wife(the housekeeper). The identity of the host is unknown(and hence his initials U.N Owen, pronunced together sounds like unknown). These ten characters are very distinctive in themselves yet they share the burden of committing a sin of the same category- MURDER and so are binded together by same fate yet in different ways. All the murders in the book are foreshadowed through this poem.

The most charismatic thing about this novel, according to me, is that these characters as well as the readers know very well the ways murders are to happen but nobody could tell who is the murderer until the end. The story is well-spun and gripping. The language of the book is extremely comprehensible and it promises the readers to keep them on their toes without a slightest of disappointment. No doubt this novel stands out to be an all time International Bestseller. This book was written in 1939 and it became so popular that a movie of the same name based on the book got released in 1945. Even after 70 years of the release of the movie, the audience still could not get enough of this story so in 2015, a television serial came out by the same name based upon this book. The show too was an instant hit. This is the kind of book which one shouldn't miss reading. I assure you this book will make you want more of Christie. 

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