Ten was a wonderful modernization/retelling of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. You learn very quickly and Meg and Minnie’s friendship has issues. Meg is smart and looking forward to her future, but Minnie’s ultra clinginess is starting to really drag them both down. That glimpse into a not so stable relationship sets the tone for a short trip that quickly turns into a nightmare. A lot of mystery writing is in the art of foreshadowing and Ten does a good job of bringing that foreboding feeling when setting up the story. As each guest is introduced into the story, I got that wonderfully creepy feeling that something really bad was going to happen. It’s the best part of reading a mystery, in my opinion.
Ten introduces a story that is probably not as well known as it once was and gives it a modern and slightly more gory twist. Gretchen McNeil does a fabulous job of setting the stage for a weekend party that goes terribly wrong. The remote island setting is spooky enough, but the way that the weather plays a role in cutting off the desperate house guests lends a very desperate feel to the whole thing. Whereas, in the past, it only took a downed phone line to be disconnected, modern times provide us with more ways to get in touch with others. One thing I liked about the story was the way that each modern convenience was slowly stripped away until there was no way to reach the outside world. This was a fast read since the action moves nicely and never seems to stall and the ending was twisty and dark with just the right touch of the macabre and just a bit of romance. I think fans of YA mystery and horror will be very pleased with this worthy retelling of a modern classic.
I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
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I want this one so bad. Jealous! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Great review. I am really looking forward to reading this one. Thanks for sharing it.
Jenea @ Books Live Forever
Eep! I am definitely looking forward to reading this book. It sounds SO CREEPY and I loved the trailer!
Thanks so much for the review! 🙂 I’m glad you liked this one and I’m really glad this is so creepy 🙂 Gretchen seemed to have put a lot of thought into creating her setting just right and making it seem really spooky so I can’t wait to get my hands on this one! 🙂
Nicee! This sounds like an AWESOME read, and im glad it had an awesome mystery because i LOVE mystery books! Lovely review dear!
– Farah @MajiBookshelf
I had no idea that this was like an Agatha Christie book. It’s on my wishlist. Would you suggest reading both books then to compare?
So glad that you enjoyed Ten! It sounds like a really great read.
I love mystery books! I can’t wait to read Ten!