By now, just about everyone has heard of Agatha Christie, The Queen of Mystery. If you haven’t heard of her, then let me tell you about a series of books she has written. This series, published back in 1939, is quite a few decades old. “And Then There Were None,” starts off unassuming, going through and introducing each of the characters. For those of you who enjoy true crime, this is the perfect book for you. Be warned; this book may not be suitable for some readers. It can get incredibly violent and should not be read by the ill-hearted.

The murders in this book follow the lines of a poem by Frank Green in 1869. It goes a little something like this, “Ten little soldier boys went out to dine;/ One choked his little self and then there were Nine./ Nine little soldier boys sat up very late;/ One overslept himself and then there were Eight./ Eight little soldier boys traveling in Devon;/ One said he’d stay there and then there were Seven./ Seven little soldier boys chopping up sticks;/ One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six./ Six little soldier boys playing with a hive;/ A bumble bee stung one and then there were Five./ Five little soldier boys going in for law;/ One got in Chancery and then there were Four./ Four little soldier boys going out to sea;/ A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three./ Three little soldier boys walking in the Zoo;/ A big bear hugged one and then there were Two./ Two little soldier boys sitting in the sun;/ One got frizzled up and then there was One./ One little soldier boy left all alone;/ He went and hanged himself/ And then there were None.”

Simply reading that poem can give you the chills. Now, there is a reason behind each person’s murder. At the beginning of the book, when all the characters come together, you find out that they each committed or took part in the murder of one or more people. You think, why did they all come together? Why can’t they run? Well, they were all tricked into traveling to an island with nothing but a giant house on it. They have all their necessities, such as food and running water, but there is no outside contact. Remember, this is back in the 1930s, so television and cellphones had not been invented yet. I don’t want to add too much information because that would spoil the surprise of how each person dies! (Spoiler: Each person will die, but you find out they are threatened in the first couple of chapters.)

The timeless attitude of Christie’s books adds to the allure of the mystery; that’s why they call her The Queen of Mystery. Christie knows how to mislead and confuse the readers on who the killer is. Out of all her books that I have read, this one gives me the chills every time.