By Agatha Christie
(1939) ISBN 0312330871
This is one of the most intriguing of the books that have the fortune to be included in the mystery genre. Written by one of the major masters of mystery books, this tale has been presented on the stage and on the screen. The most satisfying means of enjoying this story however is in the reading of it.
Reading the recounting of how ten people invited to an island by an unknown host are then killed one by one, by person or persons unknown, and with each upcoming death, all the remaining guests, by now fully unwilling guests, the level of terror climbs higher and higher. It does not seem to matter what means the guests take to protect themselves. They can’t seem to hide or to protect themselves and forming alliances with one another is totally out the question inasmuch as no one can conjure up sufficient trust of one another. This book truly presents the ultimate in pleasurable reading for hardcore mystery genre aficionados.
What makes this particular mystery so perfect is that at the end, it is almost impossible to guess the identity of the person responsible for the deaths. It is clearly established that there are no survivors and even the police detectives are baffled. Christie however is not that heartless and there is an explanation that makes perfect once the reader is led to it in a postscript.
Tweens can especially have a wonderful time reading this well written murder classic and in the process will have the opportunity to learn a great deal about human motivations that are quite complex.
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