Whew. That is about all I have for this one! Rebecca's friend Emily got me hooked on this book and I must say it was quite a change from my usual reading material. First of all, it is not classified as my lovely "Christian fiction." Secondly, it was originally written in 1939, the same year my dad was born. And finally, it was written in good old "English English" with properness all over it.
All in all, it was a really good book. I do love me some mysteries and this one is completely loaded with it. All the way to the end you are wondering "whodunnit??" Even the last sentence "...kicked the chair away" makes you want to scream ..... BUT WAIT....WAIT...WAIT .... like a movie whose ending you are left to figure out for yourself. (I hate those, for the record. I like closure!) Luckily there is an epilogue with the police and examiners, and even they are stumped after going over every shred of evidence ... but then.... well I'm not giving it all away ....
I could not find a good summary on Amazon, but I found this at Wikipedia (no comment....) :
Eight people – Lawrence Wargrave, Vera Claythorne, Philip Lombard,
General John Macarthur, Emily Brent, Anthony Marston, Dr Edward
Armstrong and William Blore – are en route to Indian Island, off the
coast of Devon. Each person has an invitation, most in writing, in some
cases seemingly from actual friends or acquaintances, tailored to his or
her personal circumstances, i.e. ranging from offers of employment for
some to an unexpected late summer holiday for others. The island,
although remote, had been the subject of some relatively recent news
gossip, with differing, mostly false, reports about its purchase by a
new owner. After arriving on the island, the guests are informed by the
butler and cook, a married couple, Thomas and Ethel Rogers, that their
hosts, Mr and Mrs Owen (Ulick Norman Owen and Una Nancy Owen) are not
present but will arrive soon, which the guests all find odd. They find a
framed copy of the nursery rhyme "Ten Little Soldiers" ("Niggers" or
"Indians" in respective earlier editions) hanging on the wall.
After the evening meal, guests notice ten soldier figurines on the
dining room table. When a victim dies as described in the rhyme, one
figure will go missing or be found broken into pieces. Each guest was
lured by an individually tailored pretext, none can leave without the
boatman, who has been instructed not to return to the island. As
instructed by Isaac Morris, the servant for "Mr and Mrs Owens", the
manservant Rogers plays a gramophone recording as he had been instructed
to do which accuses each person in the house of having intentionally
caused the death(s) of another (others), but had evaded earthly justice.
I'm ready to go back to my sweet little pioneer Christmas stories now!!
O:)
Melissa
When choosing a book for Book Club this month I was in a bit of a dilemma. Our lovely Books-a-Million where we hang out had a very pitiful collection of Christmas books. Lifeway, on the other hand, had tons, but I wasn't sure if my friends had read any of them or not. So, before our November meeting I searched our stacks for what we had on hand. I found this little gem, which was a nice break from action/mystery and Christian love twists. Ends up, of course, that this is a series book and this one is #6. And there are 14. However, since I still have the stack beside my bed, I'm pretty sure these series is going to have to go on hold for now.
As the spirit of the season spreads through the seaside hamlet of Cape
Light, town mayor Emily receives an unexpected and precious Christmas
gift: a baby girl tucked away in a decorative cradle set up outside the
church, with a note begging whoever discovers the child to take care of
her. Now, in the midst of the year's most joyous season, Emily must come
to terms with her duty to her family, her own feelings of regret and
loss-and what her heart truly desires. (picture and description from amazon.com)
O:)
Melissa
This is another book from my nightstand. At first it started out a little odd, but probably because I have not had someone really close to me die before. It's so hard for me to relate to stories that involve death like that. (Not that I'm complaining ...) But in the end I stuck with it and this really turned out good. It won't be on my list of favorites (I do have one for anyone interested) but it is now off my nightstand and moved to the church library.
Angels eagerly watch over Ann Fletcher's every move. She just doesn't know it yet.
Ann
Fletcher has returned to Charleston to see her younger sister Sarah
receive her master's degree. But she soon finds herself riding in the
back of an ambulance, watching helplessly as Sarah fights for her life.
As they race to the hospital, Sarah talks to someone who is not
there...and hums a melody Ann has never heard before.
That
unfamiliar, unearthly beautiful melody keeps finding Ann--first in the
hospital chapel, then in her dreams, and finally in Sarah's empty house.
Two
neighbors have a profound effect on Ann. Ethan McKinney lends her a
shoulder to lean on. And as a carpenter, he volunteers to help Ann get
the Fletcher family home into shape for selling. His strong presence is a
pleasing distraction. Ann's twelve-year-old neighbor, Keith, has Down
Syndrome and the guile to believe he can actually see and hear angels.
In fact, he insists they are looking out for her in ways she's never
imagined.
God begins to reveal himself to Ann--both in her
newfound friends and through supernatural events. As she discovers the
very real presence of angels around her, will she finally open her heart
to receive God's healing love? (picture and description from amazon.com)
O:)
Melissa
