And Then There Were None, Anyone?

[CADY GRANDT]

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE,
Anyone?!

If you haven't read And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie, I would say that you haven't read one of the best mystery books of all time.

But, if you haven't read the book, I'll give you a (mostly) spoiler free summary:

Eight guests get invited to an island by the mysterious U.N. Owen. Each was promised a different job/has a different reason for being on the island estate. The night they arrive, a giant storm hits, leaving them stranded on the island for days.

That night, after dinner, a record is playing, accusing each of the ten total people staying in the house of a different crime. The record closes by threatening the guests that they will each be given just punishment.

A poem also hangs ominously over the fireplace:

"Ten little Soldier boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.

Nine little Soldier boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were eight.

Eight little Soldier Boys travelling in Devon;
One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.

Seven little Soldier Boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.

Six little Soldier Boys playing with a hive;
A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.

Five little Soldier Boys going in for law;
One got in Chancery and then there were four.

Four little Soldier Boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.

Three little Soldier Boys walking in the zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.

Two Little Soldier Boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there was one.

One little Soldier Boy left all alone;
He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."

Soon, events on the island start to eerily follow the poem...

Characters (Okay, these will include MASSIVE spoilers, so if you want to read the book, GO START NOW GO GO GO... and then come back here xD)

The Guests:

Anthony James Marston: The youngest of the guests, Mr. Marston is what you'd call ZEFRON LEVEL HOT. He is built, athletic, and practically too rich to function. He loves to drive fast cars and oops. Run over children. The crime he is accused of by Mr. Owen is killing two little kids, John and Lucy Combes. He has little to no regret (the man owns a lot of material things, you see, but regrettably, doesn't own a conscience). Because of his reckless and ultimately remorseless attitude, he is the first to be killed. He chokes on potassium cyanide that someone slipped into his drink when enjoying another of his favorite things, alcoholic beverages.

General John Gordon Macarthur (Mackenzie, in some versions of the book): Macarthur is a slightly kooky World War I veteran. All he can think about is the war and his deceased wife; he is constantly moaning of how he misses her, and wishes to be dead along with her. The man has little will to live, especially after Mr. Owen's record presents his crime: sending one Arthur Richmond to his death during the war. Allegedly, Macarthur sent Richmond on a suicide mission because he believed Richmond was having an affair with his beloved wife. Macarthur is the only guest to accept his fate, waiting on the beach in a mix of grief and guilt to be killed. Soon after, he becomes the third victim, put out of his misery; struck repeatedly in the head with a wooden board.

Emily Caroline Brent: This woman is a class A P.O.W. Think a mix of SNL's Church Lady and Michelle Bachmann. Maybe a bit of our Becket's very own Mary Anne Spencer. She dresses as modestly as humanly possible without wearing a head to toe burlap sack. She is completely set in stone when it comes to here beliefs-- she governs her life (and everyone else's) using her strict ethical and moral principles. She uses the Bible (which she reads everyday) to justify any of her wrong-doings, and even implies that the Bible is the reason for her LACK of compassion to others. Why should she show kindness to those who don't uphold her standards? That's simply preposterous!
In fact, the crime held against her is the murder of Beatrice Taylor, a young maid that Ms. Brent dismisses after she found out Ms. Taylor was pregnant out of wedlock. Taylor then committed suicide, depressed at having no way to care for the child. Emily Brent feels strongly that she committed no such crime. She was simply following the will of the Lord.
Her hobbies include sewing, lecturing, reprimanding, and berating. She is deathly afraid of bees, she is horridly allergic to bee stings.
Naturally, when she becomes the fourth victim of the mysterious killer, it appears because of a nasty bee sting. Turns out it's actually a lethal injection of potassium cyanide, but eh, you know, same thing, practically.

Dr. Edward George Armstrong: Dr. Armstrong isn't exactly what one would think of when picturing the distinguished medical field type. The man tries hard to be responsible, and know what he's talking about, but he just kind of--bumbles along. Desperate for a good reputation and to be well liked, being gullible is one of Dr. Armstrong's biggest flaws. His most despicable tendency however, is his alcoholism. In fact, crime Armstrong is accused of is killing one of his patients, an elderly woman by the name of Louisa Mary Clees, because he was operating on her while under the influence.
Of course, though Dr. Armstrong has a fair share of problems, he likes to cover it up with a know-it-all, "Don't worry, bro, I got this" type demeanor until more and more of the guests are killed off. Then he breaks down into the lost puppy type of guy he truly is. His desire to follow and not lead, along with his complete inability to read others, ultimately results in his demise. He becomes the seventh victim when he gets pushed off the edge of a cliff by the killer. He trusted the killer. The killer told him to peer over the edge. He did. Bye, Dr. Armstrong.

William Henry Blore: Mr. Blore is a retired police inspector, now private eye. He becomes a leader and one that the others turn to when the crisis on the island grows more dire. Like Armstrong, he has a kind of Know-It-All personality, but unlike Armstrong, he succeeds more often in leading. The others turn to him for advice, but he still makes his far share of blunders.
For example, his accusation: knowingly sending an innocent man, James Landor, to a life in prison, where he died. He at first shows no remorse, and even feigns ignorance of his crimes. Later, however, he confides his acceptance of the wrongdoing and guilt to Lombard.
He is most known for making rash accusations, and boldly calling out the suspicions he has of others-- he has a bit of a loud mouth. His days of police work have made him paranoid, but no clueless, and good with weaponry. His is charismatic and a relatively good leader, until, that is, his skull is smashed by a marble bear clock that is thrown off a balcony. He is the eighth victim.

Philip Lombard: Philip Lombard is younger than most of the guests on the island, with the exception of Marston. He served in the military, travelling the world until committed his crime: causing an African tribe to starve after raiding their village and taking all there resources. He is the only guest to admit that his accusation is accurate, but, like many of the others, shows little to no guilt. He is the most cunning, resourceful, and perhaps intelligent of the group, Lombard knows how to handle weaponry, like Blore, and also like the detective, Lombard is bold with accusations and not afraid to take the lead.
Lombard is a golden boy. He appears to have no weaknesses-- that is, his old fashioned attitude towards women. He is very chivalrous and kind to them-- but at the same time underestimates their intelligence and physical fitness. Vera ends up tricking Lombard and obtaining the revolver he brought to the island-- and then, when it appears it is just the two left, Vera shoots him, believing him to be the killer. Lombard fulfills the ninth couplet of the rhyme.

Vera Elizabeth Claythorne: Vera Claythorne is intelligent, capable, and beautiful. However, she is not at all wise and emotionally stable. She kind of reminds me of Meg from Hercules, actually. Her story/accusations goes as follows:
Vera was a governess for a spoiled brat named Cyril Hamilton. She feel in love with his cousin (? I think, or some relative) Hugo. The two wanted to marry, but Hugo wasn't rich enough for a wedding, much less to support a wife. Vera was distraught. However, she finds out if Cyril were ever to die, Hugo would receive his large inheritance. And well, you can infer the gist of what happens next. She allows him to drown on the beach one day, and then runs to Hugo, hopeful he'll allow them to marry. Unfortunately, Hugo catches onto her selfish plan and refuses to come in contact with her ever again. The guilt of this crime haunts her, and she often feels the presence of both Hugo and Cyril, watching her. Though she outwits Lombard, her guilt become too much, and she fulfills the last part of the rhyme by hanging herself in her room after going in and finding a noose waiting for her. She is the last to die... kind of...

Justice Lawrence John Wargrave: A retired judge, Justice Wargrave presents himself to the other guests as a sensible, wise man with a strong reasoning ability. He has a reputation of being cold towards those who were tried in his courtroom. He is known as a "hanging judge" because he sent so many to the gallows. He is accused of murdering a man named Edward Seton, who he supposedly sent to be hanged despite reasonable doubt in his case.
Justice Wargrave fakes his death (as the fifth victim) with the help of Dr. Armstrong, making the other guests believe he died of a gunshot wound.
It is later discovered, however, that Wargrave himself is a sick, sadistic man with an inflated sense of justice. Wargrave wants nothing more than to bring justice to those who deserve it--and that he did by staging everything that occurs on the island. He is the mysterious killer, U.N. Owen, and his plan coincides perfectly with the poem, as he wanted it. He has a sort of God-complex-- taking it upon himself to punish others as he sees fit. Playing on all of the guests weakness/fears, he kills them all--some not even directly at his hand-- and then actually commits suicide after writing a letter explaining his actions and throwing it into the sea.

The House Staff:

Thomas Rogers: He is the butler at the Owen estate, and was given specific instructions as to how to care for the guests. He has never met Mr. Owen, curiously. He seems to be rather controlling of his wife, Ethel Rogers. He and his wife are charged with the same crime: the murder of Jennifer Brady, the two's former boss, by keeping her off of her required medicine to eventually receive her inheritance. Rogers is polite, yet blunt, and rather quiet, except when it comes to his wife, who he clearly intimidates and controls.
He becomes the killer's fourth victim when he is beheaded with an ax while chopping wood for the fireplace.

Ethel Rogers: She's a mouse of a woman; quiet, nervous, and rather twitchy. She is described as ghost-like, with her eyes continually moving about. She goes into shock after hearing the accusations on the record, and ultimately after Marston is killed, and her husband orders her to bed. She is given a mild sedative by Dr. Armstrong-- but is also somehow given a lethal dose of choral hydrate. (I know, I know--WHAT, DOES WARGRAVE OWN A CHEMISTRY LAB?! REALLY?)

Minor Characters:

Fred Narracott: A sailor that takes the guests over to the Owen estate. He has a bad feeling and rushes back to the island after the storm is over, only to find ten dead bodies.

Isaac Morris: He's only mentioned at the beginning of the book, and he's already dead. Though supposedly, he was a seedy sort of man that was contacted by "Owen" and did his bidding: purchased the island, arranged for some of the guests to come, etc, after being promised a hefty sum. Then, surprise surprise, "Owen" murders him, taking advantage of the fact that Morris was a hypochondriac and sending him a medicine that would alleviate his on-going symptoms. What a smart one, taking medication sent to him by a man he's never seen.

Sir Thomas Legge: An inspector investigating the murders of the ten found on Soldier Island.

Inspector Maine: Also investigating the crime. Very baffled as to how it occurred, along with Legge.

Potential Relations/Plottage:
Just to get a feel for the character interactions, I'm listing some dynamics between the major characters. If you've already read the book, you probably will recognize/see what I'm saying. This is to get the muse/inspiration going as well :D

VERA CLAYTHORNE & PHILIP LOMBARD: They have a pretty interesting romance thing going on, flirting with each other nonstop amid the chaos. Oh, that is until Vera kills him, but you know, it was nice while it lasted... right...

PHILIP LOMBARD & DETECTIVE BLORE: These two have a love-hate relationship. They both try to be leaders, and are constantly competing to be the most intelligent, most resourceful, etc. in the eyes of the other guests. But when they team up and actually cooperate, they make a good team.

DR. ARMSTRONG & JUSTICE WARGRAVE: Dr. Armstrong is Wargrave's little beotch. Armstrong will do whatever he says, and moreover, Wargrave can manipulate him into doing anything he wants.

GENERAL MACARTHUR & VERA CLAYTHORNE: Macarthur confides in Vera, she seems to be the only one that the paranoid man can trust. Vera's the only one that puts up with his craziness and shows him some compassion as well.

THOMAS ROGERS & ETHEL ROGERS: Abusive relationship right here. Thomas is going all alpha male superiority-complex on Ethel, and she just squeaks into submission.

Emily Brent and James Marston are basically just assholes to everyone. Though they don't have much interaction in the book, putting them together in threads could be great fun, because they are such polar opposites but yet both so condescending and rude in their own respective ways.

Let me (Piper) know if you have anything to add/ any interest in this potential plot. It would be fun if we got a lot of the characters xD (I may be calling dibs, if possible, on Blore or Lombard...I can't decide..) *shifty eyes*