And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie

Summary

Ten strangers, each harboring a dark secret, are lured to a secluded island mansion off the coast of Devon, England. Each guest has received an invitation from a mysterious host, U. N. Owen, who is ostensibly a wealthy eccentric. Upon arrival, they are greeted by a butler and cook, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, but the host himself is absent. During dinner, a gramophone recording suddenly plays, accusing each guest, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, of committing a murder that was never punished by law. The guests realize they are trapped on the island when a storm cuts off communication and transportation. One by one, they begin to die in ways that mirror the verses of a nursery rhyme, "Ten Little Soldier Boys," which is displayed prominently in each guest's room. As the body count rises and their numbers dwindle, the survivors realize that one of them must be the killer, and paranoia, fear, and suspicion engulf the group, leading to further deadly confrontations until only an empty island remains, leaving the authorities baffled.

Book Sections

Section 1: The Invitations and Arrival

Ten individuals travel by various means to the mainland village of Sticklehaven, then are ferried to the isolated Soldier Island off the Devon coast. Each has received an unusual invitation. Some believe they are visiting old friends, others are hired for tasks, and some are simply curious. Upon arrival, they find a luxurious, modern house, but no host. They are greeted by the housekeeper and butler, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, who inform them that Mr. Owen is delayed but has left instructions. The guests settle in, unaware of the sinister purpose behind their gathering.

Character	Characteristics	Motivations (for coming to the island)
Justice Wargrave	Retired judge, authoritarian, calculating	Invited by a supposed friend, Lady Constance Culmington, for a holiday.
Vera Claythorne	Former governess, practical, a bit jumpy	Hired as a temporary secretary by Mrs. Una Nancy Owen.
Philip Lombard	Mercenary, charming, amoral, resourceful	Offered a discreet job for which he will be handsomely rewarded.
Emily Brent	Elderly, pious, rigid, judgmental	Invited for a free holiday by an old acquaintance she cannot quite place.
General Macarthur	Retired military general, haunted, melancholic	Invited by a supposed old friend, Owen, to talk over old times.
Dr. Armstrong	Physician, successful, nervous, gullible	Hired by Mr. Owen to discreetly check on his wife's health.
Tony Marston	Wealthy, reckless, arrogant, young socialite	Invited by a friend, Badger Berkeley, to a party.
Mr. Rogers	Butler, quiet, professional, a bit fearful	Hired as staff with his wife through an agency.
Mrs. Rogers	Housekeeper/cook, frail, easily frightened	Hired as staff with her husband through an agency.
William Blore	Former police inspector, burly, observant	Hired to watch the other guests, claiming to be "Mr. Davis" from South Africa.

Section 2: The First Evening - The Gramophone and U.N. Owen

The ten guests and two servants gather for dinner. The atmosphere is initially cordial, though some find their fellow guests a strange assortment. After dinner, a booming, disembodied voice emanates from a gramophone record, accusing each person present of a specific murder, committed in the past, for which they were never brought to justice. The voice states that they are all "guilty" and will pay for their crimes. Panic erupts. The record is titled "Swan Song." Mr. Rogers confesses he was instructed to play it without listening. The guests, horrified, discover that the host's name, U. N. Owen, sounds like "Unknown." They realize they are trapped by a storm, with no boat and no way to contact the mainland.

Section 3: The First Deaths

Soon after the gramophone recording, Anthony Marston chokes and dies after drinking a gin and tonic, his face turning purple. The others suspect suicide, but Dr. Armstrong notes the smell of cyanide. This death mirrors the first line of the nursery rhyme: "Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; One choked himself and then there were nine." The next morning, Mrs. Rogers is found dead in her bed, having apparently died in her sleep. Dr. Armstrong notes a strong sedative would have caused this, though she had been given a mild one. Her death aligns with the second verse: "Nine little soldier boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight." The guests realize the nursery rhyme figures on the mantelpiece, ten initially, now two less, correspond to the deaths. Fear and suspicion intensify, as some guests begin to suspect a supernatural element, while others believe one of them is the killer.

Section 4: Investigation and Growing Suspicion

The remaining eight guests begin a frantic search of the island and the house, hoping to find the mysterious U. N. Owen or discover a way off the island. They find nothing. They are truly isolated. Justice Wargrave takes charge, suggesting they share information about the accusations. Each guest reluctantly reveals details of the crimes they were accused of, some admitting guilt indirectly, others maintaining their innocence. General Macarthur, deeply troubled, withdraws from the group, spending his time staring out to sea. He confesses to Vera that he deliberately sent his wife's lover to his death. Later, during the day, he is found dead, struck on the back of the head. His death aligns with the rhyme's third verse: "Eight little soldier boys travelling in Devon; One said he'd stay there and then there were seven." The survivors are now certain a murderer is among them.

Section 5: More Deaths and Escalating Fear

The morning after Macarthur's death, Mr. Rogers, who had been diligently tidying up the house, goes out to chop firewood. He is found dead in the woods, his head split open by an axe. His death corresponds to the fourth verse: "Seven little soldier boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were six." The remaining guests are now terrified, their trust in one another completely eroded. They lock all doors and windows at night and try to stay together. During breakfast, Emily Brent, who had fallen asleep, is found dead. A hypodermic needle is discovered nearby, and Dr. Armstrong realizes someone injected her with cyanide. Her death aligns with the fifth verse: "Six little soldier boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five." The guests discover that Dr. Armstrong's hypodermic syringe and Philip Lombard's revolver are missing, deepening their paranoia.

Section 6: The Alliance and Further Murders

With only five left (Wargrave, Lombard, Vera, Armstrong, Blore), the survivors form a tense alliance, agreeing to stay together and keep watch. They decide to search the house for the missing items. During the search, Blore, Wargrave, and Armstrong go upstairs, while Vera and Lombard wait downstairs. Suddenly, Vera goes to her room for a glass of water, and a piece of seaweed is hung from the ceiling, causing her to scream, distracting the others. In the confusion, a gunshot is heard from the living room. They rush back to find Justice Wargrave dead, shot in the head, dressed in his judge's robes with a wig made from Emily Brent's wool. His death corresponds to the sixth verse: "Five little soldier boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four." The missing revolver is now back in Lombard's possession, but he claims he found it after Wargrave's death. The remaining three are now convinced Wargrave was not the killer.

Section 7: The Final Survivors

The three remaining survivors – Philip Lombard, Vera Claythorne, and Dr. Armstrong – are consumed by suspicion. They huddle together, constantly watching each other. They find Wargrave's body and confirm his death, but it's not clear who killed him. During the night, Dr. Armstrong, fearing for his life, leaves the house, presumably to get help or to investigate something outside. The next morning, he is nowhere to be found. His disappearance aligns with the seventh verse: "Four little soldier boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three." Lombard and Vera spend the day trying to signal for help, but the storm persists, and they are utterly alone. They eventually discover Armstrong's body washed up on the beach, confirming his death by drowning.

Section 8: The Climax and End

With Armstrong's death, only Vera and Lombard remain. Vera is convinced Lombard is the killer, while Lombard also suspects Vera. They are the last two soldier figures. As they move to retrieve Armstrong's body, Vera spots Lombard's revolver lying on the ground. She quickly snatches it and points it at him, believing he intends to kill her. She shoots him, killing him. His death fulfills the ninth verse: "Two little soldier boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one." Vera returns to the house, now the sole survivor. Exhausted and traumatized, she goes to her room. She finds a noose hanging from the ceiling, and a chair placed beneath it. The last verse of the rhyme comes to mind: "One little soldier boy left all alone; He went and hanged himself and then there were none." Overcome by guilt and the psychological torment, she climbs onto the chair and hangs herself.

Section 9: The Manuscript in the Bottle

The police arrive at Soldier Island days later, finding ten dead bodies and no living soul. They are baffled by the impossibility of the murders, as there was no boat, no communication, and no obvious killer among the victims. The puzzle remains unsolved until a fisherman discovers a bottle containing a detailed confession. The manuscript is written by Justice Wargrave. He reveals himself as the mastermind behind the killings. He had a lifelong desire to commit a perfect, undetectable murder and felt a perverse sense of justice in punishing those who had escaped the law. He orchestrated the entire scheme, faking his own death with Dr. Armstrong's unwitting help, then eliminating Armstrong, Lombard, and finally prompting Vera to hang herself. His elaborate plan, meticulously detailed in the confession, finally reveals the truth behind the horrifying events on Soldier Island.

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Literary Genre

• Mystery Fiction
• Whodunit
• Crime Fiction
• Thriller

Author Information

Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was an English writer known for her sixty-six detective novels and fourteen short story collections, particularly those featuring her fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, The Mousetrap, and six romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. Christie is the best-selling fiction writer of all time; her novels have sold an estimated 2 billion copies, and she is widely considered one of the most important and innovative writers in the development of the mystery genre. Her meticulous plotting, ingenious twists, and memorable characters set a high standard for detective fiction.

Morale

The "morale" or underlying message of And Then There Were None is complex and multi-layered. It explores themes of justice, guilt, and the nature of evil. The book questions the effectiveness and fairness of the legal system, as Wargrave takes justice into his own hands, becoming judge, jury, and executioner. It delves into the psychology of guilt, showing how past misdeeds can haunt individuals and lead to paranoia and self-destruction. The isolated setting and the systematic elimination of the characters highlight the fragility of human trust and the dark depths of human nature when pushed to extremes. Ultimately, the story suggests that escaping legal consequence does not absolve one from moral culpability, and that a twisted sense of justice can be as terrifying as the crimes it seeks to punish.

Curiosities

• Original Title Controversy: The novel was originally published in the UK under the title Ten Little Niggers, derived from a minstrel song and nursery rhyme. In the US, it was published as And Then There Were None. Due to changing sensibilities, the original UK title was later changed to Ten Little Indians, and eventually to And Then There Were None globally, which is now its most common title.
• Christie's Favorite: Agatha Christie herself considered And Then There Were None to be one of her most difficult books to write and one of her personal favorites. She said it was a challenge to construct the plot and keep the reader guessing until the very end.
• Ingenious Plot Device: The novel is famous for its intricate plot and the clever use of the nursery rhyme to structure the killings. It's often cited as one of the most ingenious "closed circle" mysteries ever written, where the killer is one of the limited group of characters trapped in an isolated location.
• Best-Selling Mystery: It is one of the best-selling mystery novels of all time, with over 100 million copies sold worldwide, making it one of the top-selling books of any genre.
• Adaptations: The novel has been adapted numerous times into films, television series, radio plays, stage plays (including a successful adaptation by Christie herself), and even video games. The stage version made a significant change to the ending to make it more palatable for theater audiences, allowing two characters to survive.