Dear Agatha Christie,
Although your novels have often been described as thrillers rather than actual mysteries, your opus And Then There Were None (previously published as Ten Little Indians) is a clever combination of both genres. This book has every ingredient for the ideal murder mystery with a pinch of exotic elements. It made me understand that humans are paradoxically good and evil.
Every page is engaging, making your message more discreet. You splash the plot with suspense, so that it is impossible to stop reading even for a moment. Incorporating the nursery rhyme “Ten Little Indians” is a brilliant foreshadowing technique, and the enigmatic qualities of each character - especially during the exposition - add to the suspense. The classic whodunit question includes several suspects so that the reader is forced to think more than in most mysteries.
Additionally, your characters are realistic, with clear and believable motives. For instance, General Macarthur is driven by jealousy. His wife is unfaithful and secretly sends love letters to a soldier in his regiment. Their affair continues for three years until Macarthur discovers its existence and murders his wife's lover.
The novel is disturbing yet sophisticated, without cheap scares or silly ghosts. Instead, the story is set in a plausible location with characters we've all stumbled on: the pious old maid, the gullible fool, the innocent pawn, the rugged adventurer, the back-stabbing fiend, the dedicated lover, the jealous spouse, the born leader, the lady's man, and the puppeteer who purposely knots the strings of his marionettes, leaving the job of untangling to someone else. Your strokes of imagery paint an unsettling scene - a nightmare not confined to slumber. In the end, you choose to frighten the reader with reality.
And Then There Were None is a mystery heaping with generous portions of conundrum, betrayal and eeriness. Underneath it all, I found a message that will guide me through life: Never trust anyone.
Although your novels have often been described as thrillers rather than actual mysteries, your opus And Then There Were None (previously published as Ten Little Indians) is a clever combination of both genres. This book has every ingredient for the ideal murder mystery with a pinch of exotic elements. It made me understand that humans are paradoxically good and evil.
Every page is engaging, making your message more discreet. You splash the plot with suspense, so that it is impossible to stop reading even for a moment. Incorporating the nursery rhyme “Ten Little Indians” is a brilliant foreshadowing technique, and the enigmatic qualities of each character - especially during the exposition - add to the suspense. The classic whodunit question includes several suspects so that the reader is forced to think more than in most mysteries.
Additionally, your characters are realistic, with clear and believable motives. For instance, General Macarthur is driven by jealousy. His wife is unfaithful and secretly sends love letters to a soldier in his regiment. Their affair continues for three years until Macarthur discovers its existence and murders his wife's lover.
The novel is disturbing yet sophisticated, without cheap scares or silly ghosts. Instead, the story is set in a plausible location with characters we've all stumbled on: the pious old maid, the gullible fool, the innocent pawn, the rugged adventurer, the back-stabbing fiend, the dedicated lover, the jealous spouse, the born leader, the lady's man, and the puppeteer who purposely knots the strings of his marionettes, leaving the job of untangling to someone else. Your strokes of imagery paint an unsettling scene - a nightmare not confined to slumber. In the end, you choose to frighten the reader with reality.
And Then There Were None is a mystery heaping with generous portions of conundrum, betrayal and eeriness. Underneath it all, I found a message that will guide me through life: Never trust anyone.
This piece has been published in Teen Ink’s monthly print magazine.
cookfin
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