Boek

And Then There Were None

And Then There Were None

Auteur Agatha Christie
Eerste Uitgave1939
Uitgave1964
UitgeverijWashington Square Press
Vormroman
TaalEngels
Bladzijden173 bladzijden
Gelezen1988-06-12
Score9/10

Inhoud

Previously published as And Then There Were None. Agatha Christie has been honored by the Queen of England with the title "Dame Agatha Christie," and The New Yorker has observed of her works that they "have probably been outstripped in sales only by Shakespear and the Bible." There can be little doubt that the more than 80 novels she has written are all considered significant contributions to the field of detective fiction. However, Ten Little Indians is regarded by most critics to be her masterpiece. In this extraordinary mystery story, ten bodies are found by Scotland Yard inspectors on a deserted island - ten murder victims, yet no murderer in sight, and no way the murderer could have escaped! It is not only the solution, but the construction, of this ingenious novel that accounts for its tremendous ongoing popularity.

Bespreking

A detective masterpiece

Off the coast of Devon lies an island clouded in mystery. It carries the name of Indian Island because its form resembles an Indian. The silence surrounding the mansion is suddenly disturbed when eight guests arrive. Both Thomas and Ethel Rogers, the butler and the cook, are awaiting the guests. But they already have a problem. Their host hasn't arrived yet. And even stranger: there's a framed copy of the nursery rhyme "Ten Little Indians" hanging on the wall. They decide to go ahead with dinner in absence of their host. But when suddenly a gramophone record starts to play, it becomes clear that it is dangerous to trust anyone on this forsaken island.

And Then There Were None is arguably one of the best works by Agatha Christie. Originally published in 1939 under the title Ten Little Niggers, it still hasn't lost a single bit of its attractive power. The basic idea is as simple as it gets, but the denouement is simply a showcase of the inventiveness that is so characteristic of the English author. I have read this novel now for the third time and still I discover new aspects that show the ingenuity of the plot. Never will the reader feel unfairly treated, although it requires a very astute sleuth to predict the outcome at a first reading. The characters are quite stereotypical, but that cannot be avoided if you require that the reader keeps track of ten possible suspects and as such is easily forgiven.

And Then There Were None is simply a must read for anyone with a liking for a good detective novel.