"Peter Schulze"

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And Then There Were None

Author:
This touching Crime Story was written by Agatha Christie, also known as the queen of crime.
She was born in Torquay, Devon in 1890 and became the probably best-selling novelist in
history. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, introduced the Belgian detective
Hercule Poirot, who would appear in about 25 of Christie's later novels. The other principal
detective, Ms. Jane Marple, an elder spinster, first appeared in Murder at the Vicarage, in
1930. Following these, she wrote 66 of the most popular detective novels ever written.
To take a break from murder, Christie wrote six romance novels under the pseudonym of
Mary Westmacott; two memoirs and an autobiography
She saw her work translated into more languages than Shakespeare and her books have sold
over 100,000,000 copies throughout the world. Agatha Christie captivated her readers by
mysteriously disappearing in 1926. The details of this disappearance were never released.
In recognition of her achievements she was created a Dame Commander of the British
Empire in 1971. Five years later, when she died, Dame Agatha was, and still is, the most
successful murder mystery writer in the world.

The Book:
And Then There Were None was first published in Great Britain under the title Ten Little
Niggers in 1939. But while reading this crime story you don’t realise that it was written 60
years ago.

The Plot:
Eight people with apparently little in common are invited to Nigger Island in the South of
England by the mysterious U.N.Owen: the judge Justice Wargrave, Vera Claythorne – a
young, powerful woman, Phillip Lombard, Miss Emily Brent – an elder woman, General John
Gordon Marcathur, Dr. Edward George Armstrong, Anthony Marston and William Henry
Blore – a police officer. None of them has the slightest idea who the owner of the villa and the
romantic island is. Vera Claithorne finds the poem “Ten Little Niggerboys”, signed by
U.N.Owen, in her bedroom but she doesn’t pay attention to it.
Brought to the island by ferry, they are greeted friendly by two servants. They enjoy the first
hours but over dinner a record begins to play and the voice of the unseen host accuses each
person of having killed somebody. The voice they heard was a recording Rogers had to put up
in order of his employer. After the shock the guests compare their invitations and all of them
are signed with U.N.Owen, unknown! Justice Wargrave figures that 'Owen' must know a lot
about each one of them. Everyone tells his or her story about the committed “murder”,
everyone pretending not to feel guilty. Wargrave suggests to leave the island in the morning.
At this moment Anthony chokes his drink and drops dead.
Dr. Armstrong discovers that the drink of Marston was poisoned. When Rogers is clearing the
table he notices that one of the ten china figures on the table is missing. Vera realises how the
nursery rhyme resembles the situation on the island. The next morning Mrs. Rogers is found
dead and another china figure is missing. The guests also have to give up the expectation, that
a motor boat would come and take them away. This isolation from the mainland and the
absent possibility of escape puts up a high tension. After a thorough search on the island they
know that one of them must be the murderer. General Marcathur is found with a deadly head-
injury and another china figure is missing.
The next morning there is no breakfast served and Rogers is found dead outside, killed with
an axe. Vera gets hysterical and knows the nursery rhyme is working out. The victim after
Rogers is Miss Brent; killed by a deadly injection. The needle and the sixth china figure are
found outside.

"Peter Schulze"

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The remaining 4 people decide to lock up the drugs but Lombard's revolver is missing.
Everyone´s frightened of the fact that one of them is a murderer and he or she could kill them
anytime! They all stay together and just one person leaves the room at the time. When Vera
goes to her room she is touched by seaweed, hanging down from a hook. Because of her cries
the others come for help. Afterwards Justice Wargrave is found downstairs, shot in the head.
At night Blore hears footsteps; Dr. Armstrong and another china figure disappear. Vera, Blore
and Lombard go outside in the morning to be safer. When Blore goes to the house to get some
food he´s killed by a heavy marble block. Vera and Lombard find the body of Armstrong
among the rocks in sea. Vera goes hysterical, manages to steal Lombard's revolver and shoots
him. When she finds a rope attached on a hook in her room, she hangs herself.

The police doesn’t have a clue about what happened until a manuscript is found in a bottle. It
tells the story of the murders. Justice Wargrave suffered from an incurable disease and wanted
to punish these people, who were really guilty but were found innocent. He wasn't really shot
but after everyone else was dead, he shot himself.

My opinion
The eleven people have all done some kind off sin in their past and Justice Wargrave thinks
that these people must deserve capital punishment. The name of Justice resembles him
bringing justice to this affair. He’s a very intelligent person who always stays calm.
Wargrave shows his intelligence with this perfect murder of ten people – including him –
without being unmasked by the others.