And Then There Were None is a mystery novel written by Agatha Christie. The story starts off with a total of eight guests receiving invitations to visit an isolated island. On the island, they meet with the cook and the housekeepers--the Rogers couple. Although the host of the abode never arrived, instructions have been left for the group as to how this “party” is going to proceed. The author introduces the story by devoting much time to formally introducing the people who had been invited to the gathering. They are described in great detail for the reader to better understand their personalities and circumstances before the story even begins.

The action starts with the unfolding of a series of mysteries. Ten occupants have noticed that a poem had been placed in each room, telling a story about the “Ten Little Indians.” In this story, all of the characters died in very unexpected ways, and of course, the guests do not take it very seriously, initially regarding this as a joke. Later, as murders and killings occur, they become frightened, wondering who is the culprit or if the missing host, “U.N.Owen”, could be the killer. Eventually, the story ends with the suicide of a guest named Vera, who apparently hung herself with a rope that was left in her room, after she recalled the last line of the poem, which described the suicide by hanging of the last remaining character.  

Throughout the book, the tale of the “Ten Little Indians” is referenced. Although the ten people on the island have all asserted their innocence, each was guilty of some misdeed, and their crimes went unpunished by the courts or other authorities. The owner of the island, Morris, has decided to use his own ways to punish these people he assembled, to make sure they pay the penalty. 

The author spends substantial amounts of time describing something seemingly tiny and insignificant, such as soldier figurines missing from a table. Even the reader does not notice this until the story has advanced. The twist at the end of the book surprises the reader. In a way, the story itself pulls the reader into the mental world of U.N.Owen, telling the story from his perspective or even from the perspective of a godlike figure.