And Then There Were None

Dan Stevens is genius

This Is Agatha at her best! Very intriguing, very wicked...but I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it nearly as much with a lesser narrator.
I knew Dan Stevens was a good actor, but I had no idea he was a GREAT actor. Clearly he has worked on his voice and vocal characterisations so much so that he has become incredibly facile and believable as so many diverse characters in this book. I might go so far as to say he is the best I have ever heard.
This was worth a credit, even though I got it on sale.

70 of 74 people found this review helpful

Stevens deserves higher than 5-star rating!

Wow...what a thriller. I don't think I've ever been made so nervous in a murder mystery before. And I had little clue the entire way through, until something mentioned in passing by the police in the penultimate chapter perked up my suspicions- but even then I hadn't put it all together (I had really stopped trying very hard to figure it out once the doctor was found... just waiting it out until the unveil at that point). Sent shivers down my spine nearly the whole 6 hours. That nursery rhyme was well selected; I still feel a little haunted by it... The constant murder countdown, one by one slowly and inevitably...

Dan Stevens, hats off to you! If I hadn't known better, I could have thought there was a full cast reading this, rather than a single person supplying over a dozen voices. Stevens is one of the only male narrators I have heard able to voice multiple female characters so well and consistently, without trouble distinguishing between them or sounding too high-pitched or forced. Masterfully done, seamless character transitions, and fantastically carried out the emotion of every scene -not just of individuals, but the atmosphere. From the initial curiosity and disbelief, to the suspicion and weariness, he made it palpable, as if you were right there on the island with them... It was one of the most marvelous performances I have ever heard, rivaled only by Stevens' own narration of Murder on the Orient Express. If I could give him more than 5 stars, I would!

A wonderful chilling suspense mystery. Gotta love the timing of a thunderstorm as I read the last chapters... A great read, which I will gladly revisit in future, especially since my heartbeat has returned to normal now...

83 of 92 people found this review helpful

Powerful reading to a great story

By far Christie's most intriguing work is carried neatly by an an intense reading. The mystery presented is both enthralling and enticing and Dan Stevens manages to capture the ever spiraling feeling of fear that encapsulates those on the island. Whether you have read the story or not this is by far a grand way to experience it.

18 of 21 people found this review helpful

Loved ❤ It

I'd expected this old classic to feel dated and stale, but was very pleasantly surprised to see how well it holds up. Even though I'd read it as a kid, and remembered the identity of the murderer, I didn't recall how the murderer did it, and it was still a suspenseful and thoroughly engaging listen. I was actually disappointed when it was over, and had to immediately purchase another Agatha Christie title, because suddenly no other book would do. Who knew old Dame Agatha could still feel fresh and new after so much time? Jeez, she was good. And Dan Stevens is such an amazing one-man voice chameleon that he really makes this mystery come alive. I especially loved his voices for the judge, the general, the soldier of fortune, and the governess. I definitely will be looking for more books narrated by him.

Grade: A. Bechdel Test: Pass.

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

Timeless

Agatha Christie was a master storyteller, Even though many of her most well known books were written over 60 years ago, the stories are still riveting for me. "And Then There Were None" is no exception.

One movie version of this story was made in the 1940's. I've seen it on TV and I knew how who the murderer was. I was still captivated by this book.

One of the outstanding features is the narration by Dan Stevens. The first time I was aware of this actor was his performance in Downton Abbey. The tone of his voice is pleasing, his diction is perfect. He doesn't overdo the character voices. There is just enough distinction so it is clear who is speaking, but not so much that it is distracting.

Thanks to Audible for making this a "Deal of the Day".

14 of 17 people found this review helpful

Literally gave me chills

I have read Agatha Christie in the past for school. This was the first I had read on my own, as an adult. The tale was gripping and kept me finding excuses to keep listening. And, at the end, I actually got chills when all was revealed. I have never experienced that with a story before. I will definitely be listening to more Agatha Christie!

23 of 29 people found this review helpful

Wonderful, classic reading

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Loved the narration by Dan Stevens ! He has a wonderful voice that he used to define each character. Bravo !

18 of 24 people found this review helpful

One of the best Christie books

First time I listened to this book. I could not stop listening to it even though I knew the story very well. Great performance!! Well done!

20 of 27 people found this review helpful

Phenomenal performance!

One of the best Agatha Christie books ever written, read by one of the best narrations I've heard. Dan Stevens portrayed the book's incredible suspense, along with creating wonderfully accurate, engaging voices for each of the 10 main characters. Wonderfully done!!

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

THEY OPENED A TIN OF TONGUE

Entertaining from start to finish. With 10 minutes left, my wife and I stayed in the driveway to see how it finished. Written in 1939 it has some interesting details about life in those days.

The low rating in story is due some unbelievable stupidity by the characters. It always bothers me when listening, reading or watching a mystery and the characters don't ask the right questions or do the most logical things. For Example: Ten people are lured to and stranded on an Island. One by one they are killed. Posted in the house on the Island is a child's nursery rhyme about ten soldiers who are killed one by one. There is even a board with the statues of ten soldiers. Each murder happens just as the nursery rhyme says it will and after each murder a statue goes missing. Often when looking back on a murder the characters will compare it to the nursery rhyme, yet not once do they look at the rhyme to see how the next murder will take place. Even though they are killed one by one and usually at night, they all go to separate bedrooms at night. Early in the story a man's wife dies in the night and the next morning he is cooking breakfast, cleaning up after the guests and chopping wood. I suppose it has to do with when this was written, I really don't think a Mystery Writer would get by with that today.

The actual mystery is a good one and I doubt if many people figure it out a head of time. Unfortunately this is because once again of the idiot characters, something we could not guess since we would not expect people to be that stupid. I can not tell you where they went wrong without giving away they mystery, but it has to do with a guy breathing.

Narrator is excellent and makes the story worth buying.

41 of 57 people found this review helpful