By J.E.
I was looking forward to reading The Moving Finger because it’s a Miss Marple mystery. I mentioned in my review of The Body in the Library that I was disappointed at how Miss Marple was barely even involved in the investigation. She didn’t appear in the novel until almost halfway through, and she operated on the fringes rather than taking center stage like Hercule Poirot.
Well, apparently that seems to be the way Agatha Christie handles Miss Marple mysteries, because the spinster detective was again hardly a factor in this title. Fortunately, as with The Body in the Library, the basic plot of The Moving Finger was solid enough and interesting enough to keep me turning the pages despite Miss Marple’s absence.
Plot summary (with possible spoilers): The novel is told from the point of view of Jerry Burton, a former pilot who is recovering from injuries suffered during World War II. On the advice of his doctor, Jerry and his sister Joanna move away from the hustle and bustle of London to the more rural setting of Lymstock. There, Jerry is sure to find the peace and quiet he needs to help his injuries heal up quickly.
Soon after their arrival in Lymstock, however, Jerry and Joanna find that things aren’t as idyllic in the town as they first thought. Someone has been sending anonymous letters to various residents, accusing them of various moral transgressions. The accusations are often vague, but nevertheless set the recipients on edge. Not even Jerry and Joanna are immune from the writer’s wrath, as they soon get a letter of their own insinuating that they’re actually lovers, not siblings.
At first, most people were willing to pass the letters off as a nasty prank, but then a woman commits suicide soon after receiving one of these missives. That puts a much more serious spin on things, so the police are called in to investigate.
The investigation really leads nowhere, which frustrates Jerry. He takes it upon himself to start finding out as much as he can about the letters and the people who received them in an effort to root out the writer. He’s able to make some headway, but it’s not until Miss Marple is called in by a friend that the pieces of the puzzle start falling into place.
My Reaction: As I said above, I really enjoyed this book despite the fact that Miss Marple plays such a limited role in it. I found Jerry Burton to be an extremely likable narrator, so it was easy to get drawn into the story. I was immediately curious about the anonymous letters, and couldn’t wait to find out what the writer’s real motive was.
I thought the plot development in this story was very believable, what with Scotland Yard initially getting involved and then going away as the months passed and no new clues turned up. Usually in mystery novels, the police stay on a case until it is solved, but here their involvement was intermittent.
It was great that Jerry stuck with the investigation and was instrumental in helping Miss Marple solve the crime. I just wish more of the solution had come about “on stage” so to speak, instead of occurring in scenes that the reader wasn’t privy to.
I really could have done without the Jerry/Megan subplot, but I know that Christie likes these little romances, so the resolution of that particular story was predictable.
Nevertheless, I thought The Moving Finger was a very good read, and I rate it as one of my favorite Agatha Christie books so far. It’s fast-paced and interesting, with a viable solution to a believable murder. I recommend it!
