What makes one of my favorite novels of all time so
compelling and addicting to read, are because of these terms that you mentioned: Red
Herrings. As cited in the above answer, a Red Herring is often used in either suspense
or mystery novels, to keep the reader guessing and on the edge of their seat. As this
novel did for me, the Red Herrings in And Then There Were None, are not only well placed
in the book, but they completely throw off the reader: exactly what they are meant to
do.
Although there are many in this book, three Red
Herrings in this novel would be first, the confusion and suspense of who the murder
actually is. In the beginning, we start off with 10 suspects. As they get murdered one
by one (remember that they were all brought to the island because of murders they
committed), they grow increasingly paranoid of each other and afraid that they will be
the next to be murdered. However, in the end, we realize that none of the ten were ever
the murderer. That person was actually the man who invited them all: Mr. Owen. This
would be the second Red Herring.
The third Red Herring that
could be considered, is the admitting of each character to their crime. For instance,
Dr. Armstrong reluctantly gave way to the details of his murder, while Blore admits to
Lombard about his as well. This revelation of truths throughout the novel is really
something that not only catches the reader off guard, but also throws the story in a
completely different direction as well.
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