Iain McChesney

This is an interesting "re-telling" of "And Then There Were None," by Agatha Christie. The general idea of both books is of ten(ish) strangers trapped on an isolated island encountering unexpected death in a creepy way.

The tone of McChesney's book comes across as frantic and chaotic. I think that the story would still surprise readers, considering that many people who will read this have read Christie's masterpiece.

It reads very quickly. It has been modernized in that the characters have cell phones, but they quickly become useless once out on the island. Other modern touches seem to be thrown in as the only factors to define the modernity of the story.

Like the original, there is an epilogue at the end. Overall, it is different enough to be interesting, and similar enough to be interesting.

**eARC netgalley**… (more)

This is a book about a curse, cast by a vindictive witch, on the Malenfer family generations ago. Far be it from me to say that she didn’t have her reasons, for she certainly did; however, this book isn’t one dimensional in that it doesn't focus on just the curse. This book is also a war story, a ghost story, and a love story. Completing this book is a complement of elements: a threatening mystery, the witch, an ancestral curse, a creepy graveyard, hidden rooms, an angry mob, murders, greed, revenge, regret, but above all, a story of redemption and renewal, with a wicked twist. This, to me, is a true Gothic novel, complex in plot, with quite a few subplots branching out that leave you guessing until the very end…”WHODUNNIT?”
The descriptions of the people and places are very vivid, yet subtle. The author didn’t get carried away. His characters are superbly written to fit into this story. There isn’t one that is extraneous; everyone has a purpose to fulfill. Not one of them feels "innocent" throughout the book. They all feel like they are slightly off, some downright nefarious, and therein lies the twist. The two main actors in this tale have such dimension, without a lot of fluff. Dermot is haunted by what he did and saw during WWII and is especially distraught over the death of his friend. Arthur, who happens to be a ghost, is haunted by the loss of his family to the curse and enlists Dermot to try and make sure it doesn’t happen again. What you don’t get at first is that Dermot is actually haunted by not only the war, but with the guilt he feels about how Arthur died. Imagine his surprise when he is in a café drinking away his pain, and Arthur walks by. And thus it begins…
There is so much I want to say about this one. I hesitate because I don’t want to write a spoiler. So much happens in this book that it is also difficult to focus on one aspect of the story. Contrary to what you would think with this many side stories, it is not a jumbled mess. I love the way each component fits into the other. It just feels complete to me. All the story lines are wrapped up at the end, leaving you feeling satisfied. I saw a description in a review recently that this was sort of a ghostly French Downton Abbey. I would go a little further and say a French Downton Abbey that meets the creepiness of The Woman in Black.
If you are looking for an engaging, seat of your pants, gothic ghostly creeper of a story for Halloween, this is it!

XOXO
~Michele
Book Geeks Unite!… (more)

First two things before I review the book: 1)I received this book from Goodread's 'Read 'Em & Reap' groups & 2)I debated between 3 & 4 stars.

This is a modern spin on Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" which I love. It says modern but really about the most modern thing in the story is the addition of cell phones otherwise as I read I felt the story had the mood of a classic. The story was supposed originally to be entitled "Nine Green Bottles" and I wish the author would have followed his instinct and stayed with the original title.

9 characters are introduced at the beginning of the story - all coming to meet Mr. Black, a very rich man, who lives on a remote island in Scotland. All these guests are hoping to get money from Mr. Black. But rather than money they have been brought together to be judged. Soon after finding this out they also find out they have also been brought to the island to die.

I know almost from the beginning who did it but I wanted to know more about why these people had to die. And that's where I'm torn from a 4 star review to a three star review because with some of the characters it was clear why the mysterious Black wanted to kill them but others is was glossed over until the epilogue. It was almost as if the author felt the book was going to be too long (or the editor chopped) and that's a shame because I think those characters who had a quick ending could have benefited from the author's words. The author does a great job with describing scenes - it's where the book excelled. I will read more of this author's work.… (more)