Shelf Control #158: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Wednesday, the 3rd of November, and time for Shelf Control once again! Shelf Control is a weekly feature hosted by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies, and celebrates the books waiting to be read on your TBR piles/mountains. To participate, all you do is pick a book from your TBR pile, and write a post about it–what its about, why you want to read it, when you got it, and such. If you participate, don’t forget to link back to Lisa’s page, and do also leave your links in the comments below as I’d love to check out your picks as well!

Today’s pick is from one of my favourite authors whose books I have read multiple times and reviewed many times on this blog as well (most recently Endless Night)–the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie. And the book is one of her best known as well–And Then There Were None. Christie is an author who needs no introduction, and I’ve been reading her books since my teens. With her intricate plotlines with plenty of details to entertain one even on rereads and puzzles that one cannot guess even though she always gives her reader enough clues, there is rarely a Christie I do not enjoy.

And how is it that I haven’t read And Then There Were None? The answer to this one is a bit complicated because honestly I can’t remember if I ever read it. I have seen versions of this plot by other authors, in movies, and TV detective stories/shows, and so many times, that I actually can’t remember what the original story was like at all. I hadn’t got a copy of this one, so ordered it some months ago and so it came to be on my TBR.

First published in 1939 under an un-PC alternative title, in And Then There Were None, ten strangers are invited to Soldier’s Island, off the Devon Coast where they find their generous but mysterious host absent. The island is cut off from the mainland, and each of the guests is accused of a terrible crime. Then one of the guests dies, and they realise there is a murderer in their midst, with no knowing who will be the next target. And in each of their rooms is a macabre nursery rhyme–with an omen of death for each of them!

Reading this description (from the blurb behind my copy), I already see details like the ominous nursery rhymes, which I don’t recall from versions I’ve seen (I haven’t seen the most recent Christie adaptation, and the ones I remember seem to be from adaptations by other authors). What I’m most excited to see reading the book is that since I have a general idea of the plot, will Christie still manage to send me down the wrong path?

Have you read this one before? How did you like it? Which is/are your favourite Christie titles? Looking forward to your thoughts!

Cover image from Goodreads; description from the blurb behind my copy.

Lisa’s pick this week is Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip

P.S.: Apologies for the absence of regular posts recently; the laptop gave out midweek last week and by the time I got it back from the repair shop I got the sniffles (weather changing and all that). I have been reading but need to catch up on writing reviews.

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