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Quick answer: If you loved And Then There Were None, read Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, then try The Hunting Party, One by One and The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. All offer closed circles of suspects and clever twists.
Christie's 1939 novel brings ten strangers to an island where they are killed one by one, following a nursery rhyme. It is the best-selling mystery of all time. The books below share its structure, with a limited cast, a puzzle and a surprise. All are adult mysteries, and all are real, in-print books.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murder on the Orient Express | Agatha Christie | Adult | the classic puzzle |
| The ABC Murders | Agatha Christie | Adult | serial killer puzzle |
| The Murder of Roger Ackroyd | Agatha Christie | Adult | twist ending |
| Death on the Nile | Agatha Christie | Adult | travel mystery |
| The Murder at the Vicarage | Agatha Christie | Adult | cozy village |
| A Murder Is Announced | Agatha Christie | Adult | Miss Marple |
| The Hunting Party | Lucy Foley | Adult | snowed-in suspense |
| One by One | Ruth Ware | Adult | isolated thrills |
| An Unwanted Guest | Shari Lapena | Adult | modern homage |
| The Guest List | Lucy Foley | Adult | ensemble mysteries |
| In a Dark, Dark Wood | Ruth Ware | Adult | isolated settings |
| The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle | Stuart Turton | Adult | puzzle plots |
| Magpie Murders | Anthony Horowitz | Adult | book-loving puzzles |
| The Thursday Murder Club | Richard Osman | Adult | witty cozies |
| The Name of the Rose | Umberto Eco | Adult | historical mysteries |
1. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Hercule Poirot investigates a murder on a snowbound train. Elegant and clever.
Best for: the classic puzzle.
2. The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie
A killer sends Poirot letters and murders victims in alphabetical order. Tense and inventive.
Best for: serial killer puzzle.
3. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Poirot retires to a village and investigates a murder. A famous twist.
Best for: twist ending.
4. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
Poirot investigates a murder on a Nile steamer. Clever and classic.
Best for: travel mystery.
5. The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
The first Miss Marple book, set in a quiet English village. Light and sharp.
Best for: cozy village.
6. A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie
A newspaper notice announces a murder, and Miss Marple investigates. A fun puzzle.
Best for: Miss Marple.
7. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
Friends reunite in a remote Scottish lodge, and a body is found. A tense, Christie-style tale.
Best for: snowed-in suspense.
8. One by One by Ruth Ware
Colleagues on a snowy ski retreat are picked off. Fast and moody.
Best for: isolated thrills.
9. An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
Guests at a remote inn are trapped by a storm, and one by one they die. A modern take on a classic mystery.
Best for: modern homage.
10. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
A wedding on an Irish island ends in murder, with multiple narrators and old grudges. Atmospheric and clever.
Best for: ensemble mysteries.
11. In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
A writer goes to a hen party in a remote glass house, and something goes wrong. Claustrophobic and sharp.
Best for: isolated settings.
12. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
A man wakes in a different body each day to solve a murder. Clever and complex.
Best for: puzzle plots.
13. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
An editor reads a manuscript with a missing ending and finds a real murder. A mystery within a mystery.
Best for: book-loving puzzles.
14. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Four retirees solve cold cases. Warm, funny and modern.
Best for: witty cozies.
15. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
A monk investigates deaths at a medieval abbey. Dense, intellectual and a classic.
Best for: historical mysteries.
How to Choose
For more Christie, begin with Murder on the Orient Express. For modern echoes of Ten Little Indians, try The Hunting Party and An Unwanted Guest. For clever structure, Evelyn Hardcastle and Magpie Murders. For cozy fun, The Thursday Murder Club. Keep notes on suspects as you read, then see whether you guessed right. Closed-circle mysteries reward careful reading. Keep a list of characters, times and motives, and try to name the culprit before the end. A reading group or a friend can turn it into a game. Many of these titles also have audiobooks that suit road trips.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is And Then There Were None about?
Ten strangers are invited to an island, and each is killed in a way that matches a nursery rhyme as they realize one of them is the murderer.
Is it Christie's best book?
Many readers and critics say yes, and it is her best-selling novel.
Was the title changed?
Yes. Earlier editions used a different title, but the current title is the standard one.
Are there film or TV versions?
Yes, including a 2015 BBC miniseries and several films.
Which Christie should I read next?
Murder on the Orient Express and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd are common choices.
How many people die in And Then There Were None?
All ten characters on the island die by the end of the book.
Why is it so popular?
Its clever puzzle, isolated setting and bleak twist have made it a model for later thrillers.
Is it suitable for teens?
Yes, for older teens, with violence but little graphic detail.
Is the ending the same in every adaptation?
No. Christie wrote a different ending for the stage version, and film versions vary.