The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie

The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie

2011, Harper Collins

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Rating

Synopsis: Narrator Jerry Burton, wounded pilot stumbling on two sticks, hopes to recuperate in quiet Lymstock with loyal fashionable London-loving sister Joanna -- until vicious letters spread suspicion, then death. Mrs Symmington is not the type to panic, but drinks cyanide, leaves a crumpled accusation of infidelity in the fireplace, and a torn scrap with "I can't go on". Her two boys are cared for by buxom blonde governess Elsie more than her lawyer husband.

His childish step-daughter Megan intrigues Jerry, while shy awkward Dr Griffith asks Joanna to help deliver a newborn. Eccentric vicar's wife Mrs Calthrop invites sweet white-haired knitter Miss Jane Marple to assemble the clues that Jerry recognizes when he dozes.

Why read: Reading all of Christie's mysteries

What impressed me: I did not see that mystery solution coming. I was so caught up in the where the story was leading me, I didn't see the other possibilities, much like the other characters. Jerry and Joanna made for great protagonists, especially with their complete lack of knowledge as to the workings of small village life.

What disappointed me: The book was moving along nicely, with Jerry in the thick of the investigation, seeming as though he could easily have solved it without help, when Miss Marple shows up. Now, I enjoy Miss Marple, usually, but her appearance towards the end of the book to wrap things up felt completely unnecessary.

Recommended: Yes, but not highly. A good signature Christie twist at the end, but this was not a book without flaws.