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Ten
It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie are looking forward to two days of boys, booze, and fun-filled luxury. But what starts out as fun turns twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine. And things only get worse from there.
With a storm raging outside, the teens are cut off from the outside world . . . so when a mysterious killer begins picking them off one by one, there’s no escape. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on one another, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?
With a storm raging outside, the teens are cut off from the outside world . . . so when a mysterious killer begins picking them off one by one, there’s no escape. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on one another, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2012
735 people are currently reading
24958 people want to read
About the author
Gretchen McNeil
22 books2,161 followersGretchen McNeil is the author of the YA horror/suspense novels POSSESS, 3:59, RELIC, GET EVEN, GET DIRTY, and TEN (a YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, a Romantic Times Top Pick, and a Booklist Top Ten Horror Fiction for Youth) all with Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins. Gretchen’s first YA contemporary I’M NOT YOUR MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRL, also with Balzer + Bray, hit shelves in 2016, and her next novel will be the horror-comedy #MURDERTRENDING for Disney/Freeform in August 2018.
Gretchen’s novels have been published internationally in Chinese, Spanish, Turkish, and Czech. The film adaptation of TEN starring China Anne McClain (Descendants 2, Black Lightning), Rome Flynn (The Bold and the Beautiful), and Callan McAuliffe (Flipped, I Am Number Four), directed by Chris Robert for Rain Maker Films, premiered on Lifetime on September 16, 2017.
Gretchen is repped by Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown, Ltd. You can find Gretchen on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and on her website.
Gretchen’s novels have been published internationally in Chinese, Spanish, Turkish, and Czech. The film adaptation of TEN starring China Anne McClain (Descendants 2, Black Lightning), Rome Flynn (The Bold and the Beautiful), and Callan McAuliffe (Flipped, I Am Number Four), directed by Chris Robert for Rain Maker Films, premiered on Lifetime on September 16, 2017.
Gretchen is repped by Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown, Ltd. You can find Gretchen on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and on her website.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,378 reviews
February 24, 2019
this isn't going to be one of my two-star reviews where i trash the book and scream and moan about how terrible it was. because it wasn't that it was terrible, it was just...trite. if you have read a million books, like i have, there is nothing here that is going to surprise you (except for the fact that the people in this book put TOMATOES in the FRIDGE!! - why would you ruin a perfectly good tomato???).
it is sortof kindof a retelling of and then there were none, but not really, not at the end of the day. and i have to admit, my memory of ATTWN is somewhat hazy, but there was more tension in christie's book, more surprises.this one just tiredly rehashes the murders and red herrings of a million books and films that came before it. it is a very typical revenge-plot book that relies too heavily on coincidence and "every trap i, the murderer, plan will work out perfectly and in the appropriate order because i am a teenage mastermind murderer and i can anticipate every possible move every single one of these chess-piece characters will make because ...well, they are pretty shallowly-drawn and predictable so it's actually not that difficult after all."
the only true similarity between this and the agatha christie is that there are ten people in an isolated house, who get murdered one by one.it is more closely akin to those christopher pike books i burned through in jr high, where the plausibility of the plot didn't matter as much as the race to the finish.
our heroine is some teenage girl with a serious martyr complex, who is led around by the nose by her effervescent but brittlely shallow and abusive bestie, who has an unrequited crush on a boy and shows it by throwing herself at all his friends so he will notice her. and of course, he likes-likes our martyr-girl, who likes-likes him back but "noooooo, i must sacrifice what i want because even though i am a good girl when it comes to guys and my friend is kind of skanky, her needs supersede my own because she's got mental issues and that exempts her from basic human decency."
and so these three people are some of the ten invited to a remote houseparty on an island without adult supervision, where they discover a crappy student film that delivers the message vengeance is mine right before the bodies start dropping.
this is the thirteen reasons why of horror novels. except, instead of lifelong guilt over how characters' actions drove a girl to suicide, these people are gonna get murdered.
will they discover the murderer in time?
meh.
it's a teen book for a teen audience, and i have been spoiled by too many crossover books that have a wider appeal to old fogies like myself.
but here's a gripe - at one point, one of the characters remarks:
News flash, we're already like halfway through our own Lord of the Flies, people. We've got dead bodies piling up and I don't know about you, but I don't exactly want to be next.
wait, how, exactly, is this like lord of the flies? how is this like an allegory of society where kids succumb to their bestial impulses once the moral codes of civilization have been removed? this is about one person's revenge fantasy come to life. did you only read the cliffs notes??
it's one of those books where we figure stuff out before the characters, particularly the heroine, who is too dopey to realize whose journal she is reading even when all the clues are right in front of her. even though said journal is another example of forced narrative, because the way it is written is bananas. "the girl," "the boy," "my friend,""that jerk from PE"... which is great if you are writing a mystery novel and you want to hide your secrets, but no teenage girl writes like that in her journal. and dopey-heroine is encouraged by male love-interest to voice her thoughts because her "comebacks" are so clever and sharp. they are not. they are just dopey.
this is definitely plot-driven rather than character-driven. no one seems more than theatrically afraid of what is happening, and by the end, it just comes across as blasé:
oh, another one. shrug.
BTW, i would love a YA retelling of clue, please.
but, no - i'm not gonna bitch any more. this is fine, for the younger reader, the teens who don't have a million books on their shelves and are just looking for something quick and unchallenging.
don't listen to me, i am old and stale.
come to my blog!
it is sortof kindof a retelling of and then there were none, but not really, not at the end of the day. and i have to admit, my memory of ATTWN is somewhat hazy, but there was more tension in christie's book, more surprises.this one just tiredly rehashes the murders and red herrings of a million books and films that came before it. it is a very typical revenge-plot book that relies too heavily on coincidence and "every trap i, the murderer, plan will work out perfectly and in the appropriate order because i am a teenage mastermind murderer and i can anticipate every possible move every single one of these chess-piece characters will make because ...well, they are pretty shallowly-drawn and predictable so it's actually not that difficult after all."
the only true similarity between this and the agatha christie is that there are ten people in an isolated house, who get murdered one by one.it is more closely akin to those christopher pike books i burned through in jr high, where the plausibility of the plot didn't matter as much as the race to the finish.
our heroine is some teenage girl with a serious martyr complex, who is led around by the nose by her effervescent but brittlely shallow and abusive bestie, who has an unrequited crush on a boy and shows it by throwing herself at all his friends so he will notice her. and of course, he likes-likes our martyr-girl, who likes-likes him back but "noooooo, i must sacrifice what i want because even though i am a good girl when it comes to guys and my friend is kind of skanky, her needs supersede my own because she's got mental issues and that exempts her from basic human decency."
and so these three people are some of the ten invited to a remote houseparty on an island without adult supervision, where they discover a crappy student film that delivers the message vengeance is mine right before the bodies start dropping.
this is the thirteen reasons why of horror novels. except, instead of lifelong guilt over how characters' actions drove a girl to suicide, these people are gonna get murdered.
will they discover the murderer in time?
meh.
it's a teen book for a teen audience, and i have been spoiled by too many crossover books that have a wider appeal to old fogies like myself.
but here's a gripe - at one point, one of the characters remarks:
News flash, we're already like halfway through our own Lord of the Flies, people. We've got dead bodies piling up and I don't know about you, but I don't exactly want to be next.
wait, how, exactly, is this like lord of the flies? how is this like an allegory of society where kids succumb to their bestial impulses once the moral codes of civilization have been removed? this is about one person's revenge fantasy come to life. did you only read the cliffs notes??
it's one of those books where we figure stuff out before the characters, particularly the heroine, who is too dopey to realize whose journal she is reading even when all the clues are right in front of her. even though said journal is another example of forced narrative, because the way it is written is bananas. "the girl," "the boy," "my friend,""that jerk from PE"... which is great if you are writing a mystery novel and you want to hide your secrets, but no teenage girl writes like that in her journal. and dopey-heroine is encouraged by male love-interest to voice her thoughts because her "comebacks" are so clever and sharp. they are not. they are just dopey.
this is definitely plot-driven rather than character-driven. no one seems more than theatrically afraid of what is happening, and by the end, it just comes across as blasé:
oh, another one. shrug.
BTW, i would love a YA retelling of clue, please.
but, no - i'm not gonna bitch any more. this is fine, for the younger reader, the teens who don't have a million books on their shelves and are just looking for something quick and unchallenging.
don't listen to me, i am old and stale.
come to my blog!
July 20, 2012
A group of teenagers arrive on an isolated island for a party weekend. But one by one, they all start to die...
If I'd never read Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, or as it used to be called, Ten Little Indians , this retelling of that classic mystery might've been a more agreeable surprise with its many twists and turns. Even though my recollection of the specific details of who did what in the original story are fairly fuzzy, it's clear that Ten relies very heavily upon that story's red herrings and plot structure, so the way this story is told is a big factor in whether or not this was an enjoyable reading experience.
Unfortunately, I wasn't keen on the writing style, and I found most of the characters to be pretty annoying. Even if they're supposed to be annoying and I'm supposed to want them offed, it seems as though you should still feel something when they all start dying one by one, no? The protagonist and love interest are just fine, but hardly remarkable in any way, and each of the characters seems like a chess piece that's moved around a board rather than real people that you actually care something about. It doesn't help that everyone talks in annoying teen-speak, or that the book veers between hum drum predictable scenes to campy, shrieky (though non-graphic) violence.
I did find the way some of the murders was updated to be kind of interesting (in the original story, the method of each killing paralleled an English nursery rhyme), as well as the overall motivation for the murders. And to be fair, while I thought the idea of a YA retelling of this story seemed intriguing, it is hard to introduce 10 characters and a mystery and to kill everybody off within 300 pages. The charmingly simplistic whodunit Christie structure might also perhaps feel outdated to a modern audience, particularly when . But that's the thing about retellings when they're too faithful to their launching pad and they don't have enough of inspiration or ingenuity on their own: they just don't fly.
This book has very high ratings so far, and may very well end up being popular for readers who aren't familiar with the source material or who are a little more patient with unbrainy horror books or movies. But if you don't fall into one of those two categories, it might be best to give this one a miss.
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for this review.
If I'd never read Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, or as it used to be called, Ten Little Indians , this retelling of that classic mystery might've been a more agreeable surprise with its many twists and turns. Even though my recollection of the specific details of who did what in the original story are fairly fuzzy, it's clear that Ten relies very heavily upon that story's red herrings and plot structure, so the way this story is told is a big factor in whether or not this was an enjoyable reading experience.
Unfortunately, I wasn't keen on the writing style, and I found most of the characters to be pretty annoying. Even if they're supposed to be annoying and I'm supposed to want them offed, it seems as though you should still feel something when they all start dying one by one, no? The protagonist and love interest are just fine, but hardly remarkable in any way, and each of the characters seems like a chess piece that's moved around a board rather than real people that you actually care something about. It doesn't help that everyone talks in annoying teen-speak, or that the book veers between hum drum predictable scenes to campy, shrieky (though non-graphic) violence.
I did find the way some of the murders was updated to be kind of interesting (in the original story, the method of each killing paralleled an English nursery rhyme), as well as the overall motivation for the murders. And to be fair, while I thought the idea of a YA retelling of this story seemed intriguing, it is hard to introduce 10 characters and a mystery and to kill everybody off within 300 pages. The charmingly simplistic whodunit Christie structure might also perhaps feel outdated to a modern audience, particularly when . But that's the thing about retellings when they're too faithful to their launching pad and they don't have enough of inspiration or ingenuity on their own: they just don't fly.
This book has very high ratings so far, and may very well end up being popular for readers who aren't familiar with the source material or who are a little more patient with unbrainy horror books or movies. But if you don't fall into one of those two categories, it might be best to give this one a miss.
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for this review.
July 19, 2023
**3.5-stars rounded up**
On the ferry to Henry Island, best friends, Meg and Minnie, are mostly excited about the weekend ahead.
A private house party with cute boys, plenty of booze and zero adult supervision. It's bound to be a good time.
Meg does have her reservations though. She did have to lie to her parents in order to be there, meaning no one really knows where she is. This makes her nervous.
Minnie just wants to let loose and is hoping Meg will be able to relax enough to join her. They're young, they're momentarily free and it's time to make some memories.
Once dropped off on the remote island, they discover their hostess isn't even there yet; she's stranded on the mainland.
Luckily, there is a group of teens there though, so they won't be alone. The others have already settled in and are beginning to pregame. Meg and Minnie get their bags to their room and promptly join the fun.
There are some tense moments. It's a mixed crew, but overall things are going okay. Then the inclement weather hits and things take a very sharp turn. Tempers flair and now it's not as comfortable as it once was.
It's the middle of the night when the first body is discovered. The teens have no way to contact the outside world because the weather has taken out the phone and wifi. They're trapped on the island with a killer.
Will anyone survive the night?!
Ten is a good old fashioned Teen Scream that I am very happy I finally made time for. It wasn't perfect and definitely reads a little dated, mental health wasn't handled as well as it would be now, but overall, I had fun with it.
Another successful backlist bump!
On the ferry to Henry Island, best friends, Meg and Minnie, are mostly excited about the weekend ahead.
A private house party with cute boys, plenty of booze and zero adult supervision. It's bound to be a good time.
Meg does have her reservations though. She did have to lie to her parents in order to be there, meaning no one really knows where she is. This makes her nervous.
Minnie just wants to let loose and is hoping Meg will be able to relax enough to join her. They're young, they're momentarily free and it's time to make some memories.
Once dropped off on the remote island, they discover their hostess isn't even there yet; she's stranded on the mainland.
Luckily, there is a group of teens there though, so they won't be alone. The others have already settled in and are beginning to pregame. Meg and Minnie get their bags to their room and promptly join the fun.
There are some tense moments. It's a mixed crew, but overall things are going okay. Then the inclement weather hits and things take a very sharp turn. Tempers flair and now it's not as comfortable as it once was.
It's the middle of the night when the first body is discovered. The teens have no way to contact the outside world because the weather has taken out the phone and wifi. They're trapped on the island with a killer.
Will anyone survive the night?!
Ten is a good old fashioned Teen Scream that I am very happy I finally made time for. It wasn't perfect and definitely reads a little dated, mental health wasn't handled as well as it would be now, but overall, I had fun with it.
Another successful backlist bump!
March 23, 2013
I think I need a cold shower, cup of hot choco and a teddy bear to snuggle up with.
This book destroyed my mental stability.
Suck on a thumb much?
This book destroyed my mental stability.
Suck on a thumb much?
September 18, 2012
Have you read And Then There Were None? Congratulations, you've already read this book, except it was better the first time. The plots are identical, except all the vengeance is about high school stuff and this book is even more offensive about mental illness.
On the other hand, did you desperately want Christie's book to end with an entirely unearned happy ending and without the "here's how it all went down in clever detail" chapter? Even then, you don't want to read this book.
Also, and most offensively, Agatha Christie's name isn't mentioned in this book anywhere.
On the other hand, did you desperately want Christie's book to end with an entirely unearned happy ending and without the "here's how it all went down in clever detail" chapter? Even then, you don't want to read this book.
Also, and most offensively, Agatha Christie's name isn't mentioned in this book anywhere.
February 7, 2018
My initial and only thought after finishing this book:
TEN by Gretchen McNeil is a retelling or more appropriately a reimagining of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, only this time it’s about teenagers and as a result wayyyyy pettier.
I read this book super quickly, as I do most mystery/thrillers. The suspense was built really well and it left me on the edge of my seat even though, from the synopsis and my prior knowledge of the original work, I more or less knew what was coming. I really liked the idea of a modern day take on one of my favourite books but I wasn’t a particular fan of a lot of the deviations McNeil took.
- 1) The character’s previously knowing each other before getting to the island. (best friends and exes and crushes)
- 2) People didn’t die for good enough reasons. Yes, I know technically there is never a good reason to murder someone but this is fiction and in Christie’s original work the motivation the murderer had was one of the most satisfying parts of the novel and in that aspect, this novel really fell flat.
- 3) Innocent people dying for no other reason than to further the romance plot
- 4)
- 5) Pointless and annoying addition of romance
- 6) Even more pointless and even more annoying addition of a love triangle and as a result, best friends competing for the same guy. Listen, I’m not against female’s arguing but arguing over a guy? I’m honestly just bored. I’m so sick of reading about it. Girls have bigger things to worry about than “stealing” their best friends crush. The female friendships in my life are the purest things I have ever experienced. @Authors be original. Write about that.
Other than the deviations, I also found myself cringing at some of the passages in this book. It felt like the author was trying way too hard to relate to the teens or whatever and as a result, ended up going way over the top.
For example: “Meg desperately fought the urge to roll her eyes at the nacho-cheesiness of his line, but it was like crack for Minnie.”
“Then he grabbed her around the waist and started to freak her like a dog in heat.” (WTF does that even mean?????)
Also, the way mental illness was portrayed in this was questionable. The way the main character, Meg, talked about her best friends bipolar disorder made me super uncomfortable.
“Meg could hear the panic in her voice and prayed Minnie had actually packed her medications. If she didn’t this wouldn’t end well.” – She’s more worried about avoiding a scene than the well being of her friend the entirety of the novel. She also complained a lot about taking care of her. She would make it seem like she was a burden and it was never disproved or talked about.
All my complaints aside I enjoyed reading what I would classify as the slasher part of this novel. I mean, I love slasher stories and their specific brand of tropey- ness. My only criteria for slasher stories are 1) everything connecting after the big reveal 2) not predictable 3) lots of main character deaths.
Was this book superficial and cringey at times? Yes. Did it also have me on the edge of my seat? Yes, yes it did. This book has its problems but it was also published in 2012. If you can manage to be a little less nitpicky than I am and you like a good slasher story, I’d say give this one a try. Also, as a word of advice, this is way better when you don’t compare it to And Then There Were None.
TEN by Gretchen McNeil is a retelling or more appropriately a reimagining of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, only this time it’s about teenagers and as a result wayyyyy pettier.
I read this book super quickly, as I do most mystery/thrillers. The suspense was built really well and it left me on the edge of my seat even though, from the synopsis and my prior knowledge of the original work, I more or less knew what was coming. I really liked the idea of a modern day take on one of my favourite books but I wasn’t a particular fan of a lot of the deviations McNeil took.
- 1) The character’s previously knowing each other before getting to the island. (best friends and exes and crushes)
- 2) People didn’t die for good enough reasons. Yes, I know technically there is never a good reason to murder someone but this is fiction and in Christie’s original work the motivation the murderer had was one of the most satisfying parts of the novel and in that aspect, this novel really fell flat.
- 3) Innocent people dying for no other reason than to further the romance plot
- 4)
- 5) Pointless and annoying addition of romance
- 6) Even more pointless and even more annoying addition of a love triangle and as a result, best friends competing for the same guy. Listen, I’m not against female’s arguing but arguing over a guy? I’m honestly just bored. I’m so sick of reading about it. Girls have bigger things to worry about than “stealing” their best friends crush. The female friendships in my life are the purest things I have ever experienced. @Authors be original. Write about that.
Other than the deviations, I also found myself cringing at some of the passages in this book. It felt like the author was trying way too hard to relate to the teens or whatever and as a result, ended up going way over the top.
For example: “Meg desperately fought the urge to roll her eyes at the nacho-cheesiness of his line, but it was like crack for Minnie.”
“Then he grabbed her around the waist and started to freak her like a dog in heat.” (WTF does that even mean?????)
Also, the way mental illness was portrayed in this was questionable. The way the main character, Meg, talked about her best friends bipolar disorder made me super uncomfortable.
“Meg could hear the panic in her voice and prayed Minnie had actually packed her medications. If she didn’t this wouldn’t end well.” – She’s more worried about avoiding a scene than the well being of her friend the entirety of the novel. She also complained a lot about taking care of her. She would make it seem like she was a burden and it was never disproved or talked about.
All my complaints aside I enjoyed reading what I would classify as the slasher part of this novel. I mean, I love slasher stories and their specific brand of tropey- ness. My only criteria for slasher stories are 1) everything connecting after the big reveal 2) not predictable 3) lots of main character deaths.
Was this book superficial and cringey at times? Yes. Did it also have me on the edge of my seat? Yes, yes it did. This book has its problems but it was also published in 2012. If you can manage to be a little less nitpicky than I am and you like a good slasher story, I’d say give this one a try. Also, as a word of advice, this is way better when you don’t compare it to And Then There Were None.
October 12, 2012
The words were centered on the title page, written in red ink. It should have been ominous. It should have kept Meg from turning the next page.
Not so much.
The word (review) was my own addition.
Who ever listens when told to stop doing something? The words "keep out" aren't much different from waving a red cape in front of an angry bull. It only dares us to charge right in.
You know, I can't even fault her for doing it. If people were dropping like flies all around me (this is not a spoiler...I will try not to go much further than what the summary is going to tell you anyway), I'd probably be looking around for clues myself. Either that, or crafting a fine raft made out of household items to get myself off the damn wretched island. Either/or. It's a toss-up. I'd probably leave the sleuthing to the experts and try to run from the crazy killer.
Vengeance is mine.
If you've read any reviews on this book already, you'll have figured out that the inspiration was Agatha Christie's classic And Then There Were None. Since we can liken Ten to a re-telling of ATTWN, I'll say it wasn't a bad effort. The murder scenarios might not have been as crazy or scary as I would have preferred, but I give credit to the author for tackling the project and pulling it off well enough. In cases like this, I'd love to see what kind of notes the author must have been taking in order to keep track of everything.
The first 25% or so of the book felt a little dead behind the eyes. All of the teens arrived conveniently on the island (because sure...all 10 of them lucked out and were able to go - what a fabulous coincidence!) and some of the mix-n-mingle part of the book had me skimming. Not that it was boring; I just wasn't in the mood for learning about 10 characters who might most likely die. It's probably not a good idea to skim anything that could be laying groundwork for a murder mystery, but I like to take chances. If you have read ATTWN before, you'll sort of know at least part of what's going on, although there are a few twists to change it up just a little.
I'm also going to go out there and say that there had to be a nod to the t.v. show Harper's Island in here as well. The show HI was sort of a very loose interpretation also of Christie's book, except more updated for the new generation of horror movie fans. I smiled at the name Henry Island because that was the name of the lead character from HI. Although, I'd almost wondered if that was a placeholder name because everywhere else in the book, the island was called by another name. A few of the character similarities also echoed the show. NOTE : BTW...if you get the chance, get a hold of a DvD copy or stream this show on Netflix. It's even more fun if you watch the show with other people and place bets on who the killer is.
As well, it was as if every major horror movie that had come from the past couple of decades (especially those appealing to teens) had been picked/borrowed from just a little. One major scene was almost dead on identical to a scene from the movie The Ring. I think this must have been the author's way of paying homage to what has come before because both The Ring and Scream were jokingly referenced in the book.
There's only a few small complaints about an otherwise decent book :
I hated the way the main female character defended her abusive friend (she was so blinded to the truth that it PAINED me).
I thought the gay/racist comments were unnecessary. Making the comments okay because a character was allowed to have a comeback in order to confirm that the jokes were wrong sort of is an "eh" factor for me when the comments really didn't need to be there in the first place. If the story was about bullying or racism, etc. fine. But the comments were just random chatter in the middle of a murder mystery. It was a very small blip though in a conversation, so I don't think any ill intent was meant by the blip.
I could have lived without the "killer vs. victim" scene where he or she (not spoiling of course) stands there and recaps their kills. Every friggin movie and t.v. show has this scene. Is this the standard? There has to be another way to bring the missing details into place without having to do it this way?
Final Analysis : I think this would be a fun read for anyone who hasn't had the chance to read many murder mysteries and would prefer to be eased into the genre with something that's not too taxing. If this had been one of the first murder mysteries I'd ever read, I might have had more positive vibes about Ten. My average rating is only because I've seen this particular story done better before, but not because I think this book was bad or boring.
If you are new to the world of murder mysteries, I'd say give to give Ten a shot. It's murder-mystery-light-beer : great taste, less filling (the book is fairly short and easy to read). But at least it's not incredibly scary or gory. If you can handle Hunger Games, you are perfectly fine to tackle this book.
March 2, 2017
”Shh!!! Don’t Spread the Word!
WHAT: Epic house party
WHEN: Presidents’ Day Weekend
WHERE: White Rock House on Henry Island
WHY: Because if you miss this party you’ll regret it forever.”
Don’t worry sweetheart, I already regret it.
Whenever an author tries to retell a classic, it’s always a hit or miss. The real key is to try and strike a balance between staying true and faithful to the plot while adding something new and exciting in the mix. Some books manage to pull I off (Stone Field, This Dark Endeavor, and The Madman’s Daughter, just to name a few). Other retellings completely crash and burn on arrival (Great, Lock & Mori, and Winterspell).
And then there’s that special category of retellings. Retellings that are so offensive and blatantly disregarding of the original that when a reader of the original tries to read the book, they literally become angry. Unfortunately for me (but fortunately for you, because of the review you’ll be getting), this book falls into that category. If Dame Agatha Christie ever got her hands on this book, she’d probably want to set a big-ass bonfire and burn all existing copies.
Despite what the cover and the blurb fails tell you, this is a retelling of Agatha Christie’s mystery novel And Then There Were None. The plot? Ten people (in this case teenagers), are invited to spend the weekend at an island, and one by one they all die. It’s obvious that someone is out to get them, but who? And why?
So before I let loose on the entire book, let’s acknowledge the one sole positive thing about this book (there was only one, and I’m being generous here). This book is incredibly diverse. We have two characters with mental illness (bipolar and depression), an African American, not one but two (!) Asian MC’s and one Pacific Islander (which is exceedingly rare in a YA book, so props to the author). The fact that the author made it seem natural and not forced was a plus.
Now onto the negative which was... pretty much everything about this novel. Probably the least offensive thing about this book was that every single MC was a stereotype. Not a racial stereotype, mind you (if that were the case this book would be getting zero stars). I’m talking about the typical, high school stereotypes that we see in movies, books, and TV about high school. We have a type-A personality bitch, a handsome, airheaded surfer dude, a manic pixie dream girl with colored hair (because it’s edgy), the massive football player with a heart of gold, the Queen Bee, the quiet, mousy one, the All-American golden boy... you get the idea. It felt like I was reading a novelized version of an early 2000s teen drama on the WB. It got to the point that I had to flip back to the front of the book to see when this was published, because I legitimately thought it was published in the early 2000s (it was published in 2012). It was mildly annoying, but didn’t make me pissed off.
What pissed me off was the fact that the author took one of the greatest murder/psychological mysteries of all time with memorable morally ambiguous characters, a chilling atmosphere, an ingenious plot, and boiled it down to nothing more than two teenagers lusting after each other. This is how the author honored the greatest mystery writer of all time. I can’t fucking believe it.
So buckle your seatbelts, and let’s go down this long, winding, disbelieving road of a literary re-telling gone horribly wrong.
Millie and Meg are friends, They’ve been invited to this wicked-cool party all by their little selves over the long vacation weekend. They decide to go. Well, there are other guests invited, and one of them happens to be T.J. Miller. Thomas Jefferson Miller, to be exact. He’s handsome, he’s gorgeous, he’s athletic, what could possibly go wrong?
Well, the little fact that Minnie and Meg are both in love with him might be the problem. And since Minnie’s mental, it makes it a big problem; one that must be repeated continuously throughout the entire book.
The remaining houseguests putter along and half-heartedly try to find the suspect. Minnie continues to stew because she thinks something romantical is going on between Meg and T.J. Meg denies it but continues to pine after him. More puttering along ensues as more people die. Meg and T.J., who are not only still alive but special snowflakes deemed worthy enough to search the island, traipse along in the rain searching for the killer. But instead of doing that, what do they do?
But wait. IT GETS BETTER.
Two of the houseguests disappear, and once again Meg and T.J. go out in the rain and search for them. They happen upon the only other house on the island besides theirs. And low and behold, they find not one, not two, but FOUR dead bodies (two are partygoers and the others are the people living in the house their searching). So what do these two do after finding four dead bodies? WHAT DO THEY DO, YOU ASK??!!!!
At this point, I thought it couldn’t get any worse than that (spoiler; it does). Then we get to the part where the actual killer and motive are revealed. And to be perfectly honest, compared with the motives of the killer in the original source, it was quite petty and kind of ‘meh’. The methods of killing, and how they were decided, were laughable and the villain itself was whiny, selfish, and frankly, unbelievable. At this point, it was going to take a miracle from Jesus to impress me, and that didn’t happen.
And then we get to the ending of the book. Spoiler: both Meg and T.J. survive (in accordance with all retellings of Christie’s tale cause let’s face it; all the characters dying is kind of depressing). As they’re standing there in all their teenage hormonal glory, they reflect on their harrowing experiences and the lessons they’ve learned.
‘This is it,’ I thought to myself. ‘This is the chance for the book to redeem itself, to show that these characters are more than just hormonal little brats; they can reflect on their experiences. What could possibly go wrong?
Needless to say, I hated this book. It crapped all over Agatha Christie’s beloved classic and watered it down to nothing more than two hormonal, lovestruck teenagers. It was a travesty that made me boiling mad and heading immediately for my beloved copy of And Then There Were None (and the masterful TV miniseries to go along with it) for some damage control.
If you love the original, stay far away from this book. If you’re not, stay far away from this book. It’s not worth your time.
WHAT: Epic house party
WHEN: Presidents’ Day Weekend
WHERE: White Rock House on Henry Island
WHY: Because if you miss this party you’ll regret it forever.”
Don’t worry sweetheart, I already regret it.
Whenever an author tries to retell a classic, it’s always a hit or miss. The real key is to try and strike a balance between staying true and faithful to the plot while adding something new and exciting in the mix. Some books manage to pull I off (Stone Field, This Dark Endeavor, and The Madman’s Daughter, just to name a few). Other retellings completely crash and burn on arrival (Great, Lock & Mori, and Winterspell).
And then there’s that special category of retellings. Retellings that are so offensive and blatantly disregarding of the original that when a reader of the original tries to read the book, they literally become angry. Unfortunately for me (but fortunately for you, because of the review you’ll be getting), this book falls into that category. If Dame Agatha Christie ever got her hands on this book, she’d probably want to set a big-ass bonfire and burn all existing copies.
Despite what the cover and the blurb fails tell you, this is a retelling of Agatha Christie’s mystery novel And Then There Were None. The plot? Ten people (in this case teenagers), are invited to spend the weekend at an island, and one by one they all die. It’s obvious that someone is out to get them, but who? And why?
So before I let loose on the entire book, let’s acknowledge the one sole positive thing about this book (there was only one, and I’m being generous here). This book is incredibly diverse. We have two characters with mental illness (bipolar and depression), an African American, not one but two (!) Asian MC’s and one Pacific Islander (which is exceedingly rare in a YA book, so props to the author). The fact that the author made it seem natural and not forced was a plus.
Now onto the negative which was... pretty much everything about this novel. Probably the least offensive thing about this book was that every single MC was a stereotype. Not a racial stereotype, mind you (if that were the case this book would be getting zero stars). I’m talking about the typical, high school stereotypes that we see in movies, books, and TV about high school. We have a type-A personality bitch, a handsome, airheaded surfer dude, a manic pixie dream girl with colored hair (because it’s edgy), the massive football player with a heart of gold, the Queen Bee, the quiet, mousy one, the All-American golden boy... you get the idea. It felt like I was reading a novelized version of an early 2000s teen drama on the WB. It got to the point that I had to flip back to the front of the book to see when this was published, because I legitimately thought it was published in the early 2000s (it was published in 2012). It was mildly annoying, but didn’t make me pissed off.
What pissed me off was the fact that the author took one of the greatest murder/psychological mysteries of all time with memorable morally ambiguous characters, a chilling atmosphere, an ingenious plot, and boiled it down to nothing more than two teenagers lusting after each other. This is how the author honored the greatest mystery writer of all time. I can’t fucking believe it.
So buckle your seatbelts, and let’s go down this long, winding, disbelieving road of a literary re-telling gone horribly wrong.
Millie and Meg are friends, They’ve been invited to this wicked-cool party all by their little selves over the long vacation weekend. They decide to go. Well, there are other guests invited, and one of them happens to be T.J. Miller. Thomas Jefferson Miller, to be exact. He’s handsome, he’s gorgeous, he’s athletic, what could possibly go wrong?
Well, the little fact that Minnie and Meg are both in love with him might be the problem. And since Minnie’s mental, it makes it a big problem; one that must be repeated continuously throughout the entire book.
”She had to get over him. Had to. He was a player- as Minnie brought up repeatedly- they were going to college a thousand miles apart, and her best friend was in love with him. She had to move on.”Because he’s SOOOOO handsome; he’s the best thing since Swiss cheese.
”His dimples- the left one slightly deeper than the right- taunted her. So many times she’d dreamed about running her fingers over them, feeling the soft indentations with her fingers, then tracing the strong, square line of his chin. ”Following the plot of Christie’s novel, one by one the guests begin to die. Meg being the special snowflake that she is, tries to help them with her mad computer skills. It almost works. But Meg isn’t exactly thinking about that in the moment, BECAUSE T.J.
”She felt a collective sigh of relief, including someone’s breath against her cheek. Not just someone, T.J. So close that she could have turned her face and their lips would have touched...Yes, it is most inappropriate.
Stop it. Of all the inappropriate times to think about kissing T.J., this had to be the worst.”
The remaining houseguests putter along and half-heartedly try to find the suspect. Minnie continues to stew because she thinks something romantical is going on between Meg and T.J. Meg denies it but continues to pine after him. More puttering along ensues as more people die. Meg and T.J., who are not only still alive but special snowflakes deemed worthy enough to search the island, traipse along in the rain searching for the killer. But instead of doing that, what do they do?
”Faster than Meg could react he reached down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, then whirled around and headed back up the hill.SERIOUSLY? The houseguests are dying. This is NOT the time to be thinking about whether he kissed or licked your face.
Several thoughts filled Meg’s head simultaneously.
Number one- she was quite possibly going to pass out from joy.
Number two- had he meant to kiss her? Had it been a mistake? No, that was silly. How could it possibly have been a mistake unless she was trying to lick something off her face?”
But wait. IT GETS BETTER.
Two of the houseguests disappear, and once again Meg and T.J. go out in the rain and search for them. They happen upon the only other house on the island besides theirs. And low and behold, they find not one, not two, but FOUR dead bodies (two are partygoers and the others are the people living in the house their searching). So what do these two do after finding four dead bodies? WHAT DO THEY DO, YOU ASK??!!!!
”She unbuttoned his coat and had a hand up his sweater before she could even register what she was doing. His skin was hot and smooth, and she wanted to feel every inch of it, right then and there regardless of what was going on around them. Or perhaps because of it? Meg had no idea. She only thought of T.J. and how desperately she wanted him. She didn’t care about anything else- not the murders not being stranded on the island not the strange writing on the bathroom mirror that seemed oddly similar...”THEY MAKE OUT AND HAVE A STRIPTEASE. YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT. BECAUSE WHEN YOU FIND FOUR DEAD BODIES, ONE THAT WAS BLUDGEONED, AND THREE THAT WERE SHOT, YOU MAKE OUT WITH THE NEAREST MALE SPECIMAN NEAR YOU. WHAT THE FRACKITY FRACK FRACK WERE THEY THINKING. THERE ARE FOUR DEAD BODIES.
At this point, I thought it couldn’t get any worse than that (spoiler; it does). Then we get to the part where the actual killer and motive are revealed. And to be perfectly honest, compared with the motives of the killer in the original source, it was quite petty and kind of ‘meh’. The methods of killing, and how they were decided, were laughable and the villain itself was whiny, selfish, and frankly, unbelievable. At this point, it was going to take a miracle from Jesus to impress me, and that didn’t happen.
And then we get to the ending of the book. Spoiler: both Meg and T.J. survive (in accordance with all retellings of Christie’s tale cause let’s face it; all the characters dying is kind of depressing). As they’re standing there in all their teenage hormonal glory, they reflect on their harrowing experiences and the lessons they’ve learned.
‘This is it,’ I thought to myself. ‘This is the chance for the book to redeem itself, to show that these characters are more than just hormonal little brats; they can reflect on their experiences. What could possibly go wrong?
”But as nightmarish as the whole weekend had been as horrifying and painful and life-altering in a way that even years of therapy wouldn’t be able to cure her of, it had done one beautiful thing: It had brought her and T.J. together.”ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Needless to say, I hated this book. It crapped all over Agatha Christie’s beloved classic and watered it down to nothing more than two hormonal, lovestruck teenagers. It was a travesty that made me boiling mad and heading immediately for my beloved copy of And Then There Were None (and the masterful TV miniseries to go along with it) for some damage control.
If you love the original, stay far away from this book. If you’re not, stay far away from this book. It’s not worth your time.
September 19, 2012
The last time I remember seeing this setup - a seemingly random group of people is lured to a remote mansion where they’re killed one by one in ever more gruesome fashion in a half-crazed bid for revenge, it was an episode of Family Guy. Seth MacFarlane cribbed the plot from Agatha Christie, sure, but it was still a damn funny parody. In Ten, Gretchen McNeil takes that exact same well-worn story of horror and revenge, but adds nothing new to it really.
The only thing this book doesn’t lack for is strong writing, McNeil’s White Rock House is the quintessential house of horrors, isolated, foreboding, all bleak lines and sharp angles. A perfect roost for a would-be murderer. But the actual plot, though, I’m being very diplomatic when I say almost the entirety of the book consists of nothing but a string of horror movie cliches. There are the ten dinner… er weekend guests, each one besides protagonist Meg and love interest T.J. suffering from ever worsening character flaws that just beg for them to be offed for their bad behavior. Meg, and to a lesser extent T.J., is the saint whose flaw is being too nice and caring and thus deserve to survive a little longer than the first couple of victims so she can discover the identity of the murderer and rant about how unfair and crazy the killer’s entire plan is. And since the whole thing is entirely by the books, deciding whether Meg and T.J. survive or not was one of the easiest things I’ve ever done.
But I wouldn’t be nearly as frustrated with Ten if the characters weren’t so genre savvy, if they weren’t so acutely aware of all these horror tropes, yet still insist on falling into all these cliches anyway. Dead man walking Nathan points out how the black character’s usually the first one to die in a horror film, but that is like the only trope this book successfully avoids. There’s the initial staged suicide that leaves everyone wondering whether there really is a murderer, or if it was just an accident. Yeah, after the previous, I don’t know, three or four creepy and suspicious scenes, I’d at least look into it, but no. Don’t know what these guys are doing. And after the second death, it becomes incredibly frustrating, like McNeil has this checklist of horror tropes and she’s just checking them off as she goes along. Mistrust and suspicions fall on each other Lord of the Flies style. Check. Details about the killer are slowly revealed through intentional breadcrumbs. Check. People are idiots and wander off to their deaths. Check. At this point, I feel like I’m reading a handbook on how to write horror rather than an actual horror novel, and I’m not even spoiling the massive cliche of an ending.
Maybe the by the books plot could’ve been saved by some actually decent characters, but that didn’t happen, so I’ll never know. Most of the characters, Vivian, Minnie, Kenny, are, no surprise, written as completely unlikable tools since they deserve to die, basically, but even the ones who arguably didn’t, Gunner, Kumiko, I really wish they hadn’t been written with such flat characterizations because it seems to me like this book is more concerned with who did what with whom during Prom, even if that is important to the plot, than fleshing out the players. None of them were really all that interesting. Even Meg ends up being such a weak and needy character and T.J. such a blank slate that the ending, rather than being emotional, fell really flat. I’m more pissed at the way everything (predictably) went down than who the killer was, what his motives were, or which characters survived the ordeal.
I guess what I’m saying is that I got nothing new out of this book. The plot ran off a formula, the characters fell flat, and the ending, this isn’t my first horror show, I’ve seen it all before.
Tldr: Just watch And Then There Were Fewer. Family Guy does it better.
The only thing this book doesn’t lack for is strong writing, McNeil’s White Rock House is the quintessential house of horrors, isolated, foreboding, all bleak lines and sharp angles. A perfect roost for a would-be murderer. But the actual plot, though, I’m being very diplomatic when I say almost the entirety of the book consists of nothing but a string of horror movie cliches. There are the ten dinner… er weekend guests, each one besides protagonist Meg and love interest T.J. suffering from ever worsening character flaws that just beg for them to be offed for their bad behavior. Meg, and to a lesser extent T.J., is the saint whose flaw is being too nice and caring and thus deserve to survive a little longer than the first couple of victims so she can discover the identity of the murderer and rant about how unfair and crazy the killer’s entire plan is. And since the whole thing is entirely by the books, deciding whether Meg and T.J. survive or not was one of the easiest things I’ve ever done.
But I wouldn’t be nearly as frustrated with Ten if the characters weren’t so genre savvy, if they weren’t so acutely aware of all these horror tropes, yet still insist on falling into all these cliches anyway. Dead man walking Nathan points out how the black character’s usually the first one to die in a horror film, but that is like the only trope this book successfully avoids. There’s the initial staged suicide that leaves everyone wondering whether there really is a murderer, or if it was just an accident. Yeah, after the previous, I don’t know, three or four creepy and suspicious scenes, I’d at least look into it, but no. Don’t know what these guys are doing. And after the second death, it becomes incredibly frustrating, like McNeil has this checklist of horror tropes and she’s just checking them off as she goes along. Mistrust and suspicions fall on each other Lord of the Flies style. Check. Details about the killer are slowly revealed through intentional breadcrumbs. Check. People are idiots and wander off to their deaths. Check. At this point, I feel like I’m reading a handbook on how to write horror rather than an actual horror novel, and I’m not even spoiling the massive cliche of an ending.
Maybe the by the books plot could’ve been saved by some actually decent characters, but that didn’t happen, so I’ll never know. Most of the characters, Vivian, Minnie, Kenny, are, no surprise, written as completely unlikable tools since they deserve to die, basically, but even the ones who arguably didn’t, Gunner, Kumiko, I really wish they hadn’t been written with such flat characterizations because it seems to me like this book is more concerned with who did what with whom during Prom, even if that is important to the plot, than fleshing out the players. None of them were really all that interesting. Even Meg ends up being such a weak and needy character and T.J. such a blank slate that the ending, rather than being emotional, fell really flat. I’m more pissed at the way everything (predictably) went down than who the killer was, what his motives were, or which characters survived the ordeal.
I guess what I’m saying is that I got nothing new out of this book. The plot ran off a formula, the characters fell flat, and the ending, this isn’t my first horror show, I’ve seen it all before.
Tldr: Just watch And Then There Were Fewer. Family Guy does it better.
January 11, 2018
3.75* I am so conflicted on how I felt about this book!! On one hand, I LOVED it. It was gripping, heart pounding, addictive and so intense, a lot more so than I'd expected. It genuinely had me freaked out at points and kept me guessing until the last page which is everything I want in a thriller and something I rarely find. Yes it was incredibly cliche but in such a fun way, that it didn't take away from the enjoyment (although there was a questionable moment when a couple decided the perfect time to have a full on make out session, was after finding a house full of murderer bodies because, of course?...) On the on the hand, Ten was utterly littered with ableism and specifically ableist language, which was so incredibly disappointing. I understand that it was written in 2012, when people maybe weren't so understanding but oh my gosh, the ableist language was heavy. The cast was pretty diverse, out of the ten teens a minor character was Samoan, two were Asian and a main character black. (Although I'm not in a position to say wether or not the representation was harmful in anyway.) Another main character was described as having crippling anxiety and bipolar disorder but I personally wasn't a fan of the way she was portrayed at all. She was a pretty nasty character, which was consistently blamed on her mental health, which was more than frustrating. So yes, conflicted is definitely how I'd describe my feeling on Ten. I flew through it, couldn't put it down and I can't tell you how refreshing it was to read a YA thriller where I hadn't guessed 'whodunit' within the first few pages. Unfortunately, I can't ignore the blatant and fairly regular ableist language used and therefore can't give it as high of a rating as I would have, had that not been there. I'm definitely intrigued to read more from Gretchen McNeil, as (other than the ableism mentioned) I loved her addictive writing style and I just hope whatever I read next from her, isn't quite so heavy on the ableist language!
December 2, 2020
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
“You know what?” Minnie said with a dramatic pause. “This is how horror movies start.”
The only thing you need to know for this review is that I will read every retelling/reinterpretation of Agatha Christie’s . . . .
Every. Single. One.
Ten was a Young Adult option of this old time standard featuring a group of kids who get together on a private island (in the middle of a squall, of course) because . . . .
And then the guests start dropping like flies at the hands of a killer who leaves little confessions of their wrongdoings a la . . . .
Completely enjoyable.
“You know what?” Minnie said with a dramatic pause. “This is how horror movies start.”
The only thing you need to know for this review is that I will read every retelling/reinterpretation of Agatha Christie’s . . . .
Every. Single. One.
Ten was a Young Adult option of this old time standard featuring a group of kids who get together on a private island (in the middle of a squall, of course) because . . . .
And then the guests start dropping like flies at the hands of a killer who leaves little confessions of their wrongdoings a la . . . .
Completely enjoyable.
October 28, 2011
I just had the amazing opportunity to read Ten ... and that's a feat in itself, because (as I've told Gretchen one hundred times) "I don't do horror!" But this book was perfect. It had just the right amount of romantic tension, character quirks, and mystery thrown in with the horror elements to keep me from cowering under my blankets with all of the lights on. Okay. Maybe I did cower under the blankets with a couple lights on. Shh, don't tell anyone.
The twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end, and I loved how Gretchen wove in hints that you never even realized WERE hints until much later. Definitely pick this book up when it comes out!
The twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end, and I loved how Gretchen wove in hints that you never even realized WERE hints until much later. Definitely pick this book up when it comes out!
July 29, 2018
Diez negritos de Agatha Christie con adolescentes y cutre a más no poder.
Huye.
Huye.
March 15, 2016
I didn't expect a mystery / horror novel will put me out of the reading slump. The summary is intriguing but I wasn't that sure if I'm going to love it or not because mystery/thriller/horror books aren't really my type of genre. I started this one last night and it totally gave me goose bumps. It is fast-paced, intriguing, creepy and it made me nervous. I just couldn't put this book down.
Ten teens. Three Days. One Killer.
A house party on a secluded island wherein teens should have been having a blast turned out to be their worst nightmare or I should say their final destination. It scared the heck out of me and I couldn't sleep because the setting is definitely creepy. These teens have no way out because they have no source of communication and electricity. Plus, it's storming and each of them starts to die. Everyone thinks its an accident or probably suicide but Meg isn't convinced with this whole mess. One of them is the murderer/suspect and she's about to figure it out.
I made my guesses of who the killer is. This suspect gets really tricky and suspicious. I really enjoyed how Gretchen McNeil put the twists and guessing though I wasn't 100% sure I got my guesses right. When I get to the last part.. I was like: Well played scheme, Killer! Unfortunately, my guess is wrong. Bleh. It's indeed a fun mystery, chilling read. If you're looking for a light mystery novel and will give you goose bumps, try this one.
Ten teens. Three Days. One Killer.
A house party on a secluded island wherein teens should have been having a blast turned out to be their worst nightmare or I should say their final destination. It scared the heck out of me and I couldn't sleep because the setting is definitely creepy. These teens have no way out because they have no source of communication and electricity. Plus, it's storming and each of them starts to die. Everyone thinks its an accident or probably suicide but Meg isn't convinced with this whole mess. One of them is the murderer/suspect and she's about to figure it out.
I made my guesses of who the killer is. This suspect gets really tricky and suspicious. I really enjoyed how Gretchen McNeil put the twists and guessing though I wasn't 100% sure I got my guesses right. When I get to the last part.. I was like: Well played scheme, Killer! Unfortunately, my guess is wrong. Bleh. It's indeed a fun mystery, chilling read. If you're looking for a light mystery novel and will give you goose bumps, try this one.
October 26, 2015
5 terrifying stars!
This book was a teen version of And Then There Were None mixed with the television show Harper's Island, and I loved it! From the first page I was riveted, but I made the awful, stupid mistake of reading the bulk of the book at night once everyone else in the house (including the dog) had gone to sleep. This was a bad, BAD idea as the smallest sounds while I was reading it had me jumping in my seat. What I liked most about the book was I really did not guess who the killer was, not until the page they were revealed, so major props to McNeil because I am normally very good at figuring out that sort of thing.
I also liked that this book broke young adult and racial stereotypes (in the horror/mystery genre). Sure, some aspects were full of YA angst, but that's to be expected. I mean, the book IS about teens. But it doesn't distract from the overall story. The romance was very sweet and a slow build (thank goodness, teen insta-love irks me), and I think T.J. should be added to the ever growing list of best book boyfriends.
Overall, I'm really glad I read this book even though it's not my usual choice of genre. I look forward to reading more books written by Ms. McNeil in days to come.
This book was a teen version of And Then There Were None mixed with the television show Harper's Island, and I loved it! From the first page I was riveted, but I made the awful, stupid mistake of reading the bulk of the book at night once everyone else in the house (including the dog) had gone to sleep. This was a bad, BAD idea as the smallest sounds while I was reading it had me jumping in my seat. What I liked most about the book was I really did not guess who the killer was, not until the page they were revealed, so major props to McNeil because I am normally very good at figuring out that sort of thing.
I also liked that this book broke young adult and racial stereotypes (in the horror/mystery genre). Sure, some aspects were full of YA angst, but that's to be expected. I mean, the book IS about teens. But it doesn't distract from the overall story. The romance was very sweet and a slow build (thank goodness, teen insta-love irks me), and I think T.J. should be added to the ever growing list of best book boyfriends.
Overall, I'm really glad I read this book even though it's not my usual choice of genre. I look forward to reading more books written by Ms. McNeil in days to come.
October 24, 2017
In all fairness I didn't think this book was half bad (comparatively and in its own right).
Naturally it's not and can never live up to Agatha Christie's original tale (And Then There Were None) but the author definitely did the book justice by being able to mould it to the Young Adult genre.
Mystery aside this book was pretty much a character piece as we tried to suss out who the killer was through analysing everyone's behaviours. Minnie and Meg (Why both beginning with M though?! That was so confusing in the beginning!) I thought made a really good 'best-friend' pair with their conflicting personalities and harboured issues. That being said, out of ten suspects, the audience automatically focused their attention on four, maybe five characters, as everyone else was severely under developed. I was glad when the filler characters got killed off because it meant I didn't have to keep flipping back to remember their generic names and instant-spray personalities.
The fact that it's teenagers dying instead of adults automatically makes this book a little more morbid and upsetting in the senselessness of young lives ending too soon. The reason's behind the deaths seemed a little shallow, but then again, they were all just regular self absorbed kids so it would be a little far fetched if they were all secretly gangstas and killers who actually 'deserved' to die.
It was a shame that was no correlation made to the 10 Indians rhyme from the original story, I was really looking forward to an inventive take on that, but I guess if you know you can't do it justice, don't bother at all right?
Like I said, I thought this book was alright. It was a quick read and personally I love a retelling - but bloody hell, in the end it's always just a love story isn't it *Rolls eyes so hard I have a seizure*.
Sidenote: I totally guessed whodunit.... Well I was right then I was wrong then I was right again lol.
Naturally it's not and can never live up to Agatha Christie's original tale (And Then There Were None) but the author definitely did the book justice by being able to mould it to the Young Adult genre.
Mystery aside this book was pretty much a character piece as we tried to suss out who the killer was through analysing everyone's behaviours. Minnie and Meg (Why both beginning with M though?! That was so confusing in the beginning!) I thought made a really good 'best-friend' pair with their conflicting personalities and harboured issues. That being said, out of ten suspects, the audience automatically focused their attention on four, maybe five characters, as everyone else was severely under developed. I was glad when the filler characters got killed off because it meant I didn't have to keep flipping back to remember their generic names and instant-spray personalities.
The fact that it's teenagers dying instead of adults automatically makes this book a little more morbid and upsetting in the senselessness of young lives ending too soon. The reason's behind the deaths seemed a little shallow, but then again, they were all just regular self absorbed kids so it would be a little far fetched if they were all secretly gangstas and killers who actually 'deserved' to die.
It was a shame that was no correlation made to the 10 Indians rhyme from the original story, I was really looking forward to an inventive take on that, but I guess if you know you can't do it justice, don't bother at all right?
Like I said, I thought this book was alright. It was a quick read and personally I love a retelling - but bloody hell, in the end it's always just a love story isn't it *Rolls eyes so hard I have a seizure*.
Sidenote: I totally guessed whodunit.... Well I was right then I was wrong then I was right again lol.
August 22, 2024
“How much time had she wasted living in fear? Living for others? How much of her life would she continue to let slip away without enjoying a single moment?
That ended. Here and now.”
― Gretchen McNeil, Ten
I really liked this. I mean..alot. Way more then I thought I would.
With books like this you are always taking a chance. But you know what? This book managed to take a topic that has been done SO MUCH..and make it so interesting! I mean I have got to read more from this writer.
I have heard this is a young adult remake of Agatha Christie's "And then there were none". I would not know as believe it or not I have not read the original! But I sure loved this book.
SPOILERS:
I did NOT figure out the killer. I DID get creeped out. And I read all night. It was a good and very well written thriller and I cannot stress how GOOD and REFRESHING it was to read such good writing on a subject that has been written about so much. And it is great to actually be in the dark, not knowing who the killer is. Nothing is given away here. I could not put this book down.
One really pleasant surprise. Four stars. Read it!
That ended. Here and now.”
― Gretchen McNeil, Ten
I really liked this. I mean..alot. Way more then I thought I would.
With books like this you are always taking a chance. But you know what? This book managed to take a topic that has been done SO MUCH..and make it so interesting! I mean I have got to read more from this writer.
I have heard this is a young adult remake of Agatha Christie's "And then there were none". I would not know as believe it or not I have not read the original! But I sure loved this book.
SPOILERS:
I did NOT figure out the killer. I DID get creeped out. And I read all night. It was a good and very well written thriller and I cannot stress how GOOD and REFRESHING it was to read such good writing on a subject that has been written about so much. And it is great to actually be in the dark, not knowing who the killer is. Nothing is given away here. I could not put this book down.
One really pleasant surprise. Four stars. Read it!
March 28, 2019
This was a fast-paced YA thriller. The setting was fantastic. A lot happens in a small amount of time...just a few days. I felt like I was in the middle of a B-rated horror movie...it was exciting and kept my attention. I was a little too happy to see a few of the annoying teenagers killed off 😂.
I took down the rating because of the ending, which was a little to unbelievable for me...and several grammatical errors. An ARC with errors doesn’t bother me, but a final copy does. Anyone who enjoys YA thrillers will probably enjoy this quick read.
I took down the rating because of the ending, which was a little to unbelievable for me...and several grammatical errors. An ARC with errors doesn’t bother me, but a final copy does. Anyone who enjoys YA thrillers will probably enjoy this quick read.
October 8, 2012
2.5 stars
I’m not familiar with And Then There Were None, though I understand that it served as the basis for this contemporary story of teen murder during a weekend house party. Now I kind of wish I’d read the Agatha Christie first, and not completely spoiled myself with Ten, as I have it on good authority that the original is brilliant.
Which is my roundabout way of saying that this was not brilliant.
But not terrible either. Being unaware of the plot twists made me curious enough to read Ten quickly, though I suspect if you’ve read Christie’s novel you’ll find it far less compelling. There’s a great, creepy atmosphere in the setting and use of the elements -(okay, so the storm was an obvious choice, but still, it works) and McNeil does a decent job of injecting some unease into the story from the get-go. Everything feels slightly wrong, off kilter, as Meg and her best friend embark on what’s meant to be a weekend of youthful debauchery. And truth be told, I kind of love the teen-slasher-flick vibe, where you know it’s going to be slightly be ridiculous, but find yourself sucked in by the mounting tension anyway. Seem I can’t resist a bit of “OMG the power’s out!” style panic.
I had the killer pegged fairly quickly, although to McNeil’s credit she threw me off the scent a couple of times with some well executed red herrings. That said, there are also some broad hints as to why the killings might be happening, and I was surprised it took Meg so long to cop on. Coupled with a few clunky horror allusions which weren’t necessary to dial up the tension, the novel at times feels like it’s trying too hard to hammer home the scariness. I think this could have been demonstrated more subtly through stronger writing, as opposed to simply signposting the moments we’re supposed to find tense with obvious, telling statements.
The writing in general felt a little like first person narration dressed up in third-person. There were some awkward sections of exposition that seemed better suited to Meg’s internal voice. Given that there’s also a relatively large cast of characters (ten! Surprise!) for a short novel, there’s not a lot of time for deep characterisation. That means that we get amplified, shorthand versions of each character, their personalities cranked up as loud as possible for maximum impact in an abbreviated amount of time. It’s not completely successful either. I found myself briefly thinking ’who the heck is Lori again?, which somewhat lessens the effect of the later scenes.
Also, the “silver lining” mentioned at the end of the novel? Seriously? No. I’m willing to suspend all manner of belief in terms of the killer’s action and motivations, but I still expect realistic responses from the characters. And the whole “look on the bright side!” element of the ending really annoyed me. Not that I’m opposed to that particular eventuality, just that it seemed distasteful to plonk it down it right there in the aftermath of a murderous rampage.
Gripes with the execution aside, this was actually pretty diverting and kept me turning pages quickly.
I’m not familiar with And Then There Were None, though I understand that it served as the basis for this contemporary story of teen murder during a weekend house party. Now I kind of wish I’d read the Agatha Christie first, and not completely spoiled myself with Ten, as I have it on good authority that the original is brilliant.
Which is my roundabout way of saying that this was not brilliant.
But not terrible either. Being unaware of the plot twists made me curious enough to read Ten quickly, though I suspect if you’ve read Christie’s novel you’ll find it far less compelling. There’s a great, creepy atmosphere in the setting and use of the elements -(okay, so the storm was an obvious choice, but still, it works) and McNeil does a decent job of injecting some unease into the story from the get-go. Everything feels slightly wrong, off kilter, as Meg and her best friend embark on what’s meant to be a weekend of youthful debauchery. And truth be told, I kind of love the teen-slasher-flick vibe, where you know it’s going to be slightly be ridiculous, but find yourself sucked in by the mounting tension anyway. Seem I can’t resist a bit of “OMG the power’s out!” style panic.
I had the killer pegged fairly quickly, although to McNeil’s credit she threw me off the scent a couple of times with some well executed red herrings. That said, there are also some broad hints as to why the killings might be happening, and I was surprised it took Meg so long to cop on. Coupled with a few clunky horror allusions which weren’t necessary to dial up the tension, the novel at times feels like it’s trying too hard to hammer home the scariness. I think this could have been demonstrated more subtly through stronger writing, as opposed to simply signposting the moments we’re supposed to find tense with obvious, telling statements.
The writing in general felt a little like first person narration dressed up in third-person. There were some awkward sections of exposition that seemed better suited to Meg’s internal voice. Given that there’s also a relatively large cast of characters (ten! Surprise!) for a short novel, there’s not a lot of time for deep characterisation. That means that we get amplified, shorthand versions of each character, their personalities cranked up as loud as possible for maximum impact in an abbreviated amount of time. It’s not completely successful either. I found myself briefly thinking ’who the heck is Lori again?, which somewhat lessens the effect of the later scenes.
Also, the “silver lining” mentioned at the end of the novel? Seriously? No. I’m willing to suspend all manner of belief in terms of the killer’s action and motivations, but I still expect realistic responses from the characters. And the whole “look on the bright side!” element of the ending really annoyed me. Not that I’m opposed to that particular eventuality, just that it seemed distasteful to plonk it down it right there in the aftermath of a murderous rampage.
Gripes with the execution aside, this was actually pretty diverting and kept me turning pages quickly.
October 18, 2012
I can't even begin to explain how much I love TEN! TEN is a fast-paced thriller, with jump-out-of-your-seat moments, secrets that will shock you, and an ending that will terrify you until the very last page.
I should start off by saying that i read TEN in one night: start to finish. I couldn't put it down! McNeil composed a mystery novel in which all of the events in this book actually made sense. She did a terrific job with this novel, and I would recommend it to anybody -- mystery lover or not!
Our main protagonist Meg is a very likeable character. She's always there for her friends, always wants to help out, and is always sharp on the tack. Especially when it comes to murders around her. I never once found her to be annoying or idiotic, like some characters are in books that feature murders. Minnie, on the other hand, is a very completely different story. She's quick-tempered and will push anybody aside to get what she wants. Minnie is definitely not the best of friends in YA literature.
And the whole thing with a serial killer murdering these ten teens on an island cut off from the rest of the world . . . mind equals blown. If you don't know, TEN is an inspired story by Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. I thought that Gretchen did a great job at tackling that very popular mystery novel, and I wanted more and more after I read the last page! Fantastic!
THE. ENDING. No spoilers here, but GUYS. WOW. My jaw was literally open for the entire final fifty pages. McNeil had me on the edge of my seat; I was even checking over my shoulder to make sure the killer wasn't standing behind me! Love it when a book makes me do that! And like I said before, everything makes sense in the end! Didn't see a bunch things coming in this novel.
One last thing before I end this review: somebody in Hollywood, PLEASE buy the movie rights to TEN! This would make a killer movie! (no pun intended) Thrilling, captivating and scary; TEN deserves to be on the big screen!
Overall, TEN is one of my favorite novels of 2012! If you want a novel with secrets and betrayals, shocking moments and terrifying conclusions, TEN is definitely the book you should buy!
I should start off by saying that i read TEN in one night: start to finish. I couldn't put it down! McNeil composed a mystery novel in which all of the events in this book actually made sense. She did a terrific job with this novel, and I would recommend it to anybody -- mystery lover or not!
Our main protagonist Meg is a very likeable character. She's always there for her friends, always wants to help out, and is always sharp on the tack. Especially when it comes to murders around her. I never once found her to be annoying or idiotic, like some characters are in books that feature murders. Minnie, on the other hand, is a very completely different story. She's quick-tempered and will push anybody aside to get what she wants. Minnie is definitely not the best of friends in YA literature.
And the whole thing with a serial killer murdering these ten teens on an island cut off from the rest of the world . . . mind equals blown. If you don't know, TEN is an inspired story by Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. I thought that Gretchen did a great job at tackling that very popular mystery novel, and I wanted more and more after I read the last page! Fantastic!
THE. ENDING. No spoilers here, but GUYS. WOW. My jaw was literally open for the entire final fifty pages. McNeil had me on the edge of my seat; I was even checking over my shoulder to make sure the killer wasn't standing behind me! Love it when a book makes me do that! And like I said before, everything makes sense in the end! Didn't see a bunch things coming in this novel.
One last thing before I end this review: somebody in Hollywood, PLEASE buy the movie rights to TEN! This would make a killer movie! (no pun intended) Thrilling, captivating and scary; TEN deserves to be on the big screen!
Overall, TEN is one of my favorite novels of 2012! If you want a novel with secrets and betrayals, shocking moments and terrifying conclusions, TEN is definitely the book you should buy!
June 8, 2017
Weird book. Not written very well. Totally predictable.
One of the main character was a total asshole, and of course she was mentally ill!!! Can horror authors stop using mentally ill characters in a negative way please? I don't care if .
And phrases like "sympathizes suddenly with Eskimos, mummies and women in burkas"? This book was written a few years ago and Eskimo is known as an offensive term. And really, lumping indigenous peoples and Muslims in with dead people? I don't even get the comparison (in the context of the scene, she was cold)... Also the author misuses "literally," which really took me out of the story. In the scene, the aforementioned mentally ill character trashes a room and the mattresses are described as being literally torn apart. Except they're not torn at all, just off their frame. Come on.
I know I sound super nitpicky but I'm tired of seeing these types of characterizations and errors in books, especially the horror genre. They totally take me out of the story. That said, even if the book didn't have what I just criticized in the above paragraph, I wouldn't change my star rating because the characters and dialogue were not good. Kids are turning up dead left and right and they're just like "Oh man! Oh by the way can we talk about Homecoming?"
One of the main character was a total asshole, and of course she was mentally ill!!! Can horror authors stop using mentally ill characters in a negative way please? I don't care if .
And phrases like "sympathizes suddenly with Eskimos, mummies and women in burkas"? This book was written a few years ago and Eskimo is known as an offensive term. And really, lumping indigenous peoples and Muslims in with dead people? I don't even get the comparison (in the context of the scene, she was cold)... Also the author misuses "literally," which really took me out of the story. In the scene, the aforementioned mentally ill character trashes a room and the mattresses are described as being literally torn apart. Except they're not torn at all, just off their frame. Come on.
I know I sound super nitpicky but I'm tired of seeing these types of characterizations and errors in books, especially the horror genre. They totally take me out of the story. That said, even if the book didn't have what I just criticized in the above paragraph, I wouldn't change my star rating because the characters and dialogue were not good. Kids are turning up dead left and right and they're just like "Oh man! Oh by the way can we talk about Homecoming?"
December 3, 2022
This is definitely an And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie) inspired story. The main character Meg and her bestie Minnie are invited to a party on an island off the coast of Seattle. The hostess is not there when they arrive, although there are several other guests already there. They settle in and get to know the other guests, eat supper, and head to bed sometime later. By the time they wake the next morning, there has already been a death. And things only get worse from that point on.
I don’t mind the plot. It’s one I have enjoyed in the past. What I do not like is how a bipolar character with anxiety is written. I get that she’s probably not meant to be a likable character, but it just irks me.
At least I didn’t guess the murderer.
I don’t mind the plot. It’s one I have enjoyed in the past. What I do not like is how a bipolar character with anxiety is written. I get that she’s probably not meant to be a likable character, but it just irks me.
At least I didn’t guess the murderer.
April 13, 2023
4.5 rounded up to 5
June 7, 2015
Going into this book, be warned...once you get past page 60, you won't be able to put it down! Both shivering with fear and my heart pumping loudly, my eyes never left the pages of Ten. YA horror fans must read this book!
January 23, 2012
I read this. And it was so effing good that I'm jealous of MYSELF for having read it.
October 10, 2021
Admittedly, I watched the Lifetime Original Movie Ten: Murder Island when it was released in 2017 without realizing it was based on a book. So here I am four years later, reading the book.
I enjoyed the movie and I enjoyed the book. However (and it's a pretty BIG however) this book is a blatant rip off of And Then There Were None. I enjoy locked room mystery and they all, in there own way, are inspired by Christie's novel. But this book doesn't make any qualms about the fact that it is retelling the exact same story but through the lens of teenagers rather than adults. The deaths are even identical. How is this not plagiarism?
This book is fine. It's a good YA version of the classic and if you are a fan of 'And Then There Were None' you may like this though you won't be shocked by anything that happens because you've already read it. I wish the writer had taken inspiration from her predecessor rather than copying her. It just makes this book kind of sad and uninspired.
I enjoyed the movie and I enjoyed the book. However (and it's a pretty BIG however) this book is a blatant rip off of And Then There Were None. I enjoy locked room mystery and they all, in there own way, are inspired by Christie's novel. But this book doesn't make any qualms about the fact that it is retelling the exact same story but through the lens of teenagers rather than adults. The deaths are even identical. How is this not plagiarism?
This book is fine. It's a good YA version of the classic and if you are a fan of 'And Then There Were None' you may like this though you won't be shocked by anything that happens because you've already read it. I wish the writer had taken inspiration from her predecessor rather than copying her. It just makes this book kind of sad and uninspired.
June 7, 2014
3.5.
Una novela entretenida que engancha muchísimo. La historia de amor quizá es algo precipitada, pero es un buen atenuante de las tramas. Me ha sorprendido la historia de Claire y su diario; no me esperaba eso para nada, y ha sido lo que más me ha gustado de la novela. Pero vamos, se puede resumir en entretenida y adictiva.
Una novela entretenida que engancha muchísimo. La historia de amor quizá es algo precipitada, pero es un buen atenuante de las tramas. Me ha sorprendido la historia de Claire y su diario; no me esperaba eso para nada, y ha sido lo que más me ha gustado de la novela. Pero vamos, se puede resumir en entretenida y adictiva.
October 22, 2020
My Rating: 2 Stars
Genre Young Adult | Murder Mystery
TEN by Gretchen McNeil is a young adult murder mystery. Normally I love this genre, but this book just didn’t do it for me. There were too many times that the characters had me rolling my eyes that I contemplated not finishing it. However, I trudged on because the book was fast paced. Ultimately though, I just couldn’t find many things that I enjoyed about it. You can see my specific likes and dislikes below.
𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 𝗜 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞
💣 Well, I guess I loved that it’s a 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗙𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗗 read. Even though I wasn’t really enjoying it while I was reading it didn’t take me long to finish.
💣 This is a 𝗠𝗨𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗠𝗬𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗬 novel. I absolutely love the genre, so I was really excited to read one within a young adult world.
💣 The setting is 𝗔𝗧𝗠𝗢𝗦𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖. A secluded house on an island, during a major storm. No way to contact the outside world, no one to help. The setting was absolutely perfect for the story.
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗡'𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞
🚫 The characters were juvenile. Normally I can read a young adult novel even if the kids act their age, but these kids were more like middle schoolers rather than high school seniors. The MC was more concerned with whether she was going to get kissed by her crush instead of the body hanging from the rafters… 🙄 Seriously? I just couldn’t help but roll my eyes.. a lot!
🚫 None of the characters had depth. NONE.
🚫 We were essentially thrown into the mystery without any backstory. I don’t like being thrown into a novel without a little bit of information or build up to the big even so obviously this didn’t work for me.
𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗨𝗠 𝗜𝗧 𝗨𝗣
Clearly, this wasn’t the book for me but that doesn’t mean that others won’t enjoy it. I think this book would be better suited for a younger crowd (lower high school) rather than adults. Perhaps a younger reader will better be able to connect with these characters and enjoy the story for what it is, a plain old murder mystery.
𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐
Genre Young Adult | Murder Mystery
TEN by Gretchen McNeil is a young adult murder mystery. Normally I love this genre, but this book just didn’t do it for me. There were too many times that the characters had me rolling my eyes that I contemplated not finishing it. However, I trudged on because the book was fast paced. Ultimately though, I just couldn’t find many things that I enjoyed about it. You can see my specific likes and dislikes below.
𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 𝗜 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞
💣 Well, I guess I loved that it’s a 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗙𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗗 read. Even though I wasn’t really enjoying it while I was reading it didn’t take me long to finish.
💣 This is a 𝗠𝗨𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗠𝗬𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗬 novel. I absolutely love the genre, so I was really excited to read one within a young adult world.
💣 The setting is 𝗔𝗧𝗠𝗢𝗦𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖. A secluded house on an island, during a major storm. No way to contact the outside world, no one to help. The setting was absolutely perfect for the story.
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗡'𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞
🚫 The characters were juvenile. Normally I can read a young adult novel even if the kids act their age, but these kids were more like middle schoolers rather than high school seniors. The MC was more concerned with whether she was going to get kissed by her crush instead of the body hanging from the rafters… 🙄 Seriously? I just couldn’t help but roll my eyes.. a lot!
🚫 None of the characters had depth. NONE.
🚫 We were essentially thrown into the mystery without any backstory. I don’t like being thrown into a novel without a little bit of information or build up to the big even so obviously this didn’t work for me.
𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗨𝗠 𝗜𝗧 𝗨𝗣
Clearly, this wasn’t the book for me but that doesn’t mean that others won’t enjoy it. I think this book would be better suited for a younger crowd (lower high school) rather than adults. Perhaps a younger reader will better be able to connect with these characters and enjoy the story for what it is, a plain old murder mystery.
𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐
March 9, 2017
Pretty much a ripoff of Agatha Christie, but the plot adaptation and storyline behind the murders was decent and it was entertaining to read.
December 15, 2025
What can I say about this book that hasn’t been said already in a multitude of reviews… very little, I think. Thus, bear with me if you find my review a tad unoriginal.
There is the reimagining of a novel, and there is the transposing of it, as in changing nothing but the names and the places. Ten does exactly that, it transposes “And Then There Were None…” from a mysterious island off the coast of Devon in the 1940s, to a mysterious island off the North Pacific Coast of the United States somewhere in the 2010 without adding anything to set this version of the story apart from its predecessor.
If the place and the dates I’ve mentioned for this book are incorrect, that should tell you something about how generic the setting feels, as in being really hard to pinpoint accurately because all of it feels as if taken from any Saturday afternoon B-movie, involving teens without supervision, alcohol, and a psychotic murder on the loose.
Not even the title of McNeil’s is creative, as it is directly taken from the original US title of Christie’s novel: Ten Little Indians (the British title hasn’t been usable for decades).
Now, one of the best parts of any Agatha Christie’s novel is the explanation of how the murders occurred. That’s totally missing from this retelling, un-cleverly replaced by a terrible misrepresentation of mental health issues, lots of horny teens, and what McNeil may think are thrilling chases.
It should be clear by now that I didn’t enjoy this book, especially not since I knew who the killer was (because I have read the original work once), but I endure in reading it to have full-complaining rights.
There is the reimagining of a novel, and there is the transposing of it, as in changing nothing but the names and the places. Ten does exactly that, it transposes “And Then There Were None…” from a mysterious island off the coast of Devon in the 1940s, to a mysterious island off the North Pacific Coast of the United States somewhere in the 2010 without adding anything to set this version of the story apart from its predecessor.
If the place and the dates I’ve mentioned for this book are incorrect, that should tell you something about how generic the setting feels, as in being really hard to pinpoint accurately because all of it feels as if taken from any Saturday afternoon B-movie, involving teens without supervision, alcohol, and a psychotic murder on the loose.
Not even the title of McNeil’s is creative, as it is directly taken from the original US title of Christie’s novel: Ten Little Indians (the British title hasn’t been usable for decades).
Now, one of the best parts of any Agatha Christie’s novel is the explanation of how the murders occurred. That’s totally missing from this retelling, un-cleverly replaced by a terrible misrepresentation of mental health issues, lots of horny teens, and what McNeil may think are thrilling chases.
It should be clear by now that I didn’t enjoy this book, especially not since I knew who the killer was (because I have read the original work once), but I endure in reading it to have full-complaining rights.
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