Paperback, 320 pages
English language
Published March 3, 2002 by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
The Moving Finger is a detective novel by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the USA by Dodd, Mead and Company in July 1942 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in June 1943. The US edition retailed at $2.00 and the UK edition at seven shillings and sixpence.The Burtons, brother and sister, arrive in the small town (or village) of Lymstock in Devon, and soon receive an anonymous letter accusing them of being lovers, not siblings. They are not the only ones in the village to receive such letters. A prominent resident is found dead with one such letter found next to her. This novel features the elderly detective Miss Marple in a relatively minor role, "a little old lady sleuth who doesn't seem to do much". She enters the story in the final quarter of the book, in a handful of scenes, after the police …
The Moving Finger is a detective novel by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the USA by Dodd, Mead and Company in July 1942 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in June 1943. The US edition retailed at $2.00 and the UK edition at seven shillings and sixpence.The Burtons, brother and sister, arrive in the small town (or village) of Lymstock in Devon, and soon receive an anonymous letter accusing them of being lovers, not siblings. They are not the only ones in the village to receive such letters. A prominent resident is found dead with one such letter found next to her. This novel features the elderly detective Miss Marple in a relatively minor role, "a little old lady sleuth who doesn't seem to do much". She enters the story in the final quarter of the book, in a handful of scenes, after the police have failed to solve the crime. The novel was well received when it was published: "Agatha Christie is at it again, lifting the lid off delphiniums and weaving the scarlet warp all over the pastel pouffe." One reviewer noted that Miss Marple "sets the stage for the final exposure of the murderer." Another said this was "One of the few times Christie gives short measure, and none the worse for that." The male narrator was both praised and panned.
I never got into this story or any of the characters. It’s only technically a Miss Marple story as she has such a small part in it. Written in 1942, it’s very dated now with respect to gender and relationships.
I was actually a bit disappointed by this book. Miss Marple isn’t even mentioned until I think 60 or 70% in. Basically doesn’t appear after that either. She ends up solving the crime but it is more a story of Mr. Burton.
This is probably the worst Agatha Christie I have read. Miss Marple didn't show up much before page 190... and then she did not do much. Horribly disappointing.
Life in a small town can be the best thing and the worst thing. Everyone is up in your business and this can be a source of comfort, support, and family or it can be a complete invasion of privacy, misunderstandings, and judgments. And when brother and sister Jerry and Joanna Burton move to Lymstock, they encounter the best and the worst of village life. Anonymous letters of the "ransom note" style are sent to various members of the community, inferring secrets best left hidden. It seems like the culprit will never be uncovered and lives will never be the same. Enter the delightfully charming Miss Marple. She comes in with her innocent, unassuming style and see the details missed by others. Look for the classic Christie twist and the mostly happy ending.
