AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

WARNING: There is dark content and a couple uses of language.

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BACKGROUND

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It was a mystery who the American millionaire sold Indian Island to, but the island was rumored to now be owned by a Mr. and Mrs. Owen. This financial action was however later concealed by Mr. Morris (who the killer gave tampered sleeping pills to before the island trip).

 

Fittingly, a few of the 10 guests that got invited to Indian Island was invited through a letter signed “U.N. Owen” (which can be expanded to “Unknown”). 

 

The guest list is as follows: 

 

• Mr. and Mrs. Rogers are a married couple who gets invited to the island a couple days before everyone else (to get everything in the mansion set up for the rest of the guests). Mr. Rogers is a handyman/ butler, and Mrs. Rogers is a good cook.

  • ​​​​Past: They “murdered” one of the previous employers (who was a rich old lady) not by doing something to her, but by not doing something for her. They supposedly withheld medicine from her so that she would die quicker (since they were in line for inheriting a lot of money from her). The lady’s doctor suspected that Mr. and Mrs. Rogers had withheld her medicine, but that’s a difficult thing to prove.

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• Anthony Marston is a rich, handsome, strong man in his peak. He likes to drive recklessly and shows no remorse for his wrongdoings.

  • Past: He ran over two kids with his car while he was speeding through town. 

 

• General Macarther was a commanding officer in the war. His wife died a few years ago, and after he arrives to the island, he accepts the fact that he lived a long life and thus resigns himself to death.

  • Past: He sent his lieutenant and close friend (Arthur Richmond) to his death during war because he found out that his wife was cheating on him with Arthur. This had been going on for awhile, but Macarther only found out about it when one day his wife accidentally mixed up her letters to him and Arthur (by putting the letters into the wrong envelopes). General thought that he had gotten away with it since it wasn’t uncommon for commanding officers to sometimes unnecessarily sacrifice personnel, especially during the chaos and confusion of war.

 

• Emily Brent is an elderly, self-righteous woman who reads her Bible daily. 

  • Past: She fired her servant (Beatrice Taylor) as soon as she found out that Beatrice was pregnant out of wedlock. After Emily shut her out, Beatrice committed suicide. Emily doesn’t feel guilty for how she treated Beatrice because she believes that the outcome was solely due to Beatrice’s sin (and that none of it would have happened if she would have exercised more restraint).

 

• Lawrence Wargrave is known as “the hanging judge” because he sends a lot of criminals to the death penalty. 

  • Past: One of Wargrave’s cases was for a young man named Seton. Seton was an attractive young man who was accused of murdering an old lady. With the help of his charm and an excellent lawyer, he nearly wins over the jury (until Wargrave’s final words sways the jury the complete opposite direction, towards a guilty verdict).

 

• Dr. Armstrong is a physician with extensive medical knowledge. He got called in by a worried Mr. Owen who wants someone to give a consultation to his wife.

  • Past: He once accidentally killed a patient during surgery because he was operating her while he was drunk. It would have been a simple, straightforward procedure if he was sober, but the alcohol caused him to severely mess up.

 

• William Blore is a former CID policeman (which is the British Criminal Investigation Department). 

  • Past: He framed a man named Landor (who later died in jail), which landed him a job promotion.

 

• Philip Lombard is a cunning, confident, resourceful man who has been known to brush up against the law with various suspicious activities. He got promised a hefty load of money if he pulled through with some supposedly shady business on the island.

  • Past: As a soldier, he once abandoned a whole group of men in Africa by taking all the food for himself and running away (out of self-preservation).

 

• Vera Claythorne is a governess who got called in by Mrs. Owen to fill in for her secretary over the holiday.

  • Past: A little boy under her care (Cyril) drowned while trying to swim out to a rock while she was distracted. The boy was killed and the man who Vera loved (Hugo) abandoned her after the incident.

 

During dinner the first night, Mr. Rogers plays a record (as was instructed in a letter), but a voice suddenly booms from the gramophone, announcing everyone’s past sins. 

 

Each guest gets killed off one by one  in a manner that lines up with a nursery rhyme that’s framed inside the house. Each time this happens, an Indian figurine on the dining room table disappears…

 

Ten little Indian boys went out to dine;

One choked his little self and then there were nine.

 

Nine little Indian boys sat up very late;

One overslept himself and then there were eight.

 

Eight little Indian boys traveling in Devon;

One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.

 

Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks;

One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.

 

Six little Indian boys playing with a hive;

A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.

 

Five little Indian boys going in for law;

One got in Chancery and then there were four.

 

Four little Indian boys going out to sea;

A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.

 

Three little Indian boys walking in the zoo;

A big bear hugged one and then there were two.

 

Two Little Indian boys sitting in the sun;

One got frizzled up and then there was one.

 

One little Indian boy left all alone;

He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.