A group of people are all individually invited to an island for a summer holiday in Devon. None of them 100% sure who their mysterious host is. Things become even more peculiar when their host isn’t there when they arrive, and doesn’t show themselves at all.
One by one the guests are killed, picked off, leaving the others terrified and paranoid. It was a fantastic mystery throughout. As tension becomes hysteria, the guests wonder who will be next, who is responsible for these murders and why?
The premise is intruiging, and early on, the reader is made aware tangentially of some sinister events in each guests’ past. Some crime they may purportedly have committed, but they have not been brought to justice.
Throughout, we keep looking for the avenging angel, some singular and mysterious person or entity which has taken it upon itself to bring the other guests to justice. In fact, the guests themselves keep searching unsuccessfully for just such an entity. The big reveal of the killer(s), with little clues which manifest on a second read, is the climax.
This is an outlier amongst Christie’s works. The premise, as well as the general layout of the story is unique. There is no master detective who has to unravel the mysteries, but it is the author themselves who are cast in that role. An engaging read.