And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie (1939)

And Then There Were None, written by Agatha Christie and published in 1939, is one of the most acclaimed and best-selling mysteries in literary history. As one of Christie’s most iconic works, it stands outside her famous Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple series and is widely celebrated for its ingenious plot, psychological tension, and masterful suspense.

Plot Summary

On a mist-veiled island off the Devon coast, ten strangers arrived, drawn by mysterious invitations. They were a curious assortment – a retired judge, a governess, an adventurer, a spinster, a general, a doctor, a reckless young man, a police detective in disguise, and a married couple hired as servants. The island’s house stood stark against the sea, modern and imposing, its rooms adorned with a strange nursery rhyme about ten little soldier figures, each meeting an untimely end.

The guests gathered, each harboring questions about their elusive host, U.N. Owen, who never appeared to greet them. That evening, as they dined in uneasy camaraderie, a gramophone record crackled to life, and a chilling voice accused each guest of murder. Silence thickened the air. Some protested, others fell into grim reflection, but none could deny the creeping sense that the island was no ordinary retreat.

Anthony Marston, the golden young god with his roaring car and careless charm, was the first to fall. As he lifted his drink, he choked and collapsed, his face fixed in astonishment, his life snuffed out as swiftly as his laughter. Panic rippled through the group. Upstairs, the frail Mrs. Rogers never woke from her sleep, leaving her husband, Thomas, pale and shaken, to serve breakfast with trembling hands.

The guests scoured the island, but there was no trace of a boat or their host. Trapped, they turned to each other, suspicion igniting like dry tinder. General Macarthur, once a proud officer, gazed seaward with vacant eyes, speaking of old betrayals and the inevitability of death. Hours later, he was found slumped by the shore, a man reconciled to fate.

Inside the house, the solemn nursery rhyme seemed to come alive, a cruel prophecy etched in verse. Each morning, another little soldier figure vanished from the dining room, its absence marking another life claimed.

The deaths came like a cold wind through a cracked window – steady, unstoppable. Mr. Rogers, faithful in duty yet shadowed by past guilt, was found with an axe wound to his head while chopping firewood alone. Emily Brent, unyielding in her righteousness, met her end with a needle’s prick, a bee buzzing faintly in the stillness of the room as if mocking the rhyme.

Dr. Armstrong, once confident in the rational world, began to unravel. His polished calm splintered, and as night fell, the alliances among the survivors cracked. Philip Lombard, ever the panther in the group, eyed the others with a predator’s wariness. Vera Claythorne, haunted by the memory of a drowned boy and the man she loved, felt guilt tightening its grip like a noose. William Blore, the ex-police inspector, clung to his suspicions, but even his solid pragmatism could not stop the slide toward chaos.

Sleep turned treacherous, the house whispering with footsteps and muffled cries. Dr. Armstrong vanished into the dark, lured by promises or fears unspoken. Blore’s heavy steps ended at the foot of a stone bear, his skull crushed by its weight. Lombard’s revolver, once a safeguard, fell into Vera’s trembling hands. She shot him by the sea, the waves whispering secrets only she could hear.

Alone now, Vera stepped into the house, her pulse echoing in the hollow halls. The poem’s final line hung heavy in her mind as she walked upstairs, drawn to the noose prepared in her room. The air was thick with the scent of the sea and old guilt. And then there were none.

When the sun rose over Indian Island, it revealed a silence more profound than mere absence. Fishermen, drawn by curiosity and duty, found ten lifeless figures arranged across the house and grounds, ten guests bound together by death and a riddle no one could solve.

Days later, a bottle washed ashore, its message penned by the meticulous hand of Justice Wargrave. The judge had orchestrated the grim theater, weaving punishment for crimes the law had left unavenged. Unseen, he had played god, dispatching his fellow guests one by one, leaving himself to die in a final, flawless performance. His confession revealed the perfect crime, executed with the precision of a master and the cold detachment of a man convinced of his own justice.

Indian Island stood empty under the changing skies, the sea erasing footprints from the sand. The little soldiers were gone, the rhyme complete, and the world beyond the waves would never fully untangle the mystery left behind.

Main Characters

• Justice Lawrence Wargrave – A retired judge with a sharp, calculating mind and a taste for control. Throughout the story, he remains analytical and aloof, subtly orchestrating events from behind the scenes with chilling precision.

• Vera Claythorne – A young, intelligent former governess haunted by guilt over a child’s death. Vera struggles with her past and becomes increasingly fragile as paranoia builds on the island, unraveling into desperation.

• Philip Lombard – A resourceful, confident adventurer with a murky moral code. Lombard’s cool demeanor and readiness for danger make him both an ally and a potential threat, as he navigates the deadly puzzle on the island.

• Emily Brent – A rigid, judgmental spinster whose piety masks a cold and unyielding nature. Brent’s self-righteousness blinds her to her own cruelty, and she faces the unfolding horror with stern moralism.

• General John Macarthur – A retired army general tormented by his role in sending a subordinate to death. Macarthur sinks into fatalistic resignation as he senses the inevitable doom closing in.

• Dr. Edward Armstrong – A respected but insecure physician with a history of alcoholism. Armstrong’s trust in reason is gradually shattered, and his fear makes him both a victim and an unwitting pawn.

• Anthony Marston – A wealthy, reckless young man whose charm conceals a careless attitude toward life and death. His arrogance makes him one of the first to fall, underscoring the novel’s critique of moral indifference.

• William Henry Blore – A former police inspector posing under a false name. Blore’s suspicion and practicality drive his actions, but his moral compromises ultimately leave him vulnerable.

• Mr. and Mrs. Rogers – The subdued butler and his frail wife, hired to serve the guests. Their fear and guilt over past misdeeds mark them as tragic figures swept up in the storm of justice.

Theme

• Justice and Guilt – The novel explores the idea of ultimate justice beyond human laws. Each character faces judgment for past crimes, and the island becomes a stage where guilt is exposed and punished without escape.

• Isolation and Paranoia – The physical isolation of Indian Island mirrors the characters’ psychological isolation. Cut off from the world, suspicion and fear corrode alliances and push each character into existential loneliness.

• Moral Responsibility – Christie probes the complexity of moral responsibility, forcing characters (and readers) to confront the difference between legal innocence and moral guilt, raising haunting questions about accountability.

• The Power of Fear – Fear operates as a driving force, eroding reason, civility, and trust. As fear escalates, the thin veneer of social order disintegrates, revealing the primal instincts beneath.

• The Nursery Rhyme Motif – The “Ten Little Soldiers” rhyme structures the entire plot, with each murder mimicking a verse. This chilling device turns a childlike rhyme into a death sentence, underscoring the inevitability of fate.

Writing Style and Tone

Agatha Christie’s writing in And Then There Were None is taut, economical, and masterfully plotted. She employs a close third-person perspective that shifts seamlessly between characters, allowing readers to glimpse private fears and suspicions while maintaining an omnipresent tension. Christie’s precision in detailing settings, gestures, and dialogue gives the novel a cinematic quality, where every clue matters and every word builds toward the final, devastating twist.

The tone of the novel is chilling, suspenseful, and increasingly claustrophobic. From the initial intrigue to the tightening spiral of fear, Christie sustains an atmosphere of dread and fatalism. The gradual shift from polite civility to raw desperation is handled with expert control, making the novel not just a whodunit but a profound exploration of human nature under pressure. Christie’s tone is detached but merciless, providing no moral safe haven for characters or readers alike.