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 Words, the Most Dangerous Weapons of All June 25, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
"Such a peaceful smiling happy countryside - and down underneath, something evil..."
-- The Moving Finger, p. 28
After a wartime plane crash, Jerry Burton's doctor advises him to find a nice, quiet country village and "live the life of a vegetable" to speed along the recuperation process. Jerry and his sister Joanna settle in Lymstock, an idyllic country town that is three miles from a main road. It is a place where, as an astonished Joanna observes, "People really call - with cards!"
Jerry's peaceful, vegetative life in Lymstock is, however, soon shattered. A few days after their arrival, Jerry receives a malicious anonymous letter. The letter alleges that the Burtons are not brother and sister, but an unmarried couple living in sin. Jerry and Joanna are initially quite amused by the novelty of receiving such a letter, but they soon view the letter as a sign of something much more sinister.
All of Lymstock, it seems, has been receiving these letters. When a woman apparently commits suicide after receiving a letter, the search for the writer intensifies. After another character is murdered, presumably by the anonymous writer, a palpable fear settles over the community. Neighbor suspects neighbor and the whole of Lymstock wonders who amongst them could be capable of such despicable acts.
The indomitable Miss Marple makes her first appearance in the last quarter of the novel. For a less skillful writer than Dame Christie, the lack of the primary character could have made this story very tedious for the reader, but Christie's characters are so well-drawn and compelling that the reader does not notice the loss. The primary sleuthing has been done by Jerry and a few of the other residents of Lymstock, but only Miss Marple is able to connect the myriad of clues and bring the killer to justice.
The Moving Finger was originally published in the United States in 1942. For a novel that is over sixty years old, it has aged incredibly well. Agatha Christie's extraordinary understanding of human nature gives her characters and her stories a timeless quality.
One of my favorite Christie novels, The Moving Finger is a compelling read that will keep you guessing until the end.
WILL SOMEONE LET THE WOMAN SPEAK? April 28, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
What "improvements" have been made for the Black Dog & Leventhal edition? There are already major differences in punctuation, word choices, and scene breaks between the original Collins and Dodd Mead editions of this novel. There are further differences between the Dodd Mead editions republished by Random House/Avenel and the Dodd Mead editions republished by Simon & Shuster/Pocket. There are further additions still in the Signet, Bantam, and Berkley editions. For every publishing house putting out her works, there seem to be a new batch of editors altering Agatha Christie's words and the sound of her voice. What's the matter with these publishers? Whose voice do they think we want to hear when we sit down to a novel by Agatha Christie? And what will she sound like twenty years from now? It's frightening that her estate has failed to see the importance of guarding her words as she wrote them. Please tell me I'm not the only one here who senses that a crime has been committed.
One of Christie's better titles February 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
While a bit of a slow starter, one ultimately sees the necessity of this caveat as the story evolves. This one features great wallpaper and superior character development.
Following a plane crash, a young bachelor aristocrat, along with his sister, temporarily escape to the country that he might heal blissfully while savouring the mundane activities of a small village. But, much to his doctor's consternation, this is not to be.
Vulgar and accusatory anonomous letters have been circulating about the village and the protagonists, for all their nobility, are not spared. Soon following their arrival, the accusation is that the two are not brother and sister, but rather, lovers. But since this is clearly an erroneous assertion, the letters are laughed off -- until one letter apparently hits a nerve in this sleepy little hamlet and the result is a tragic suicide.
The plot thickens and twists and, finally, Miss Marple is brought in by a concerned resident as a consultant in the case. But even Miss Marple has difficulty in seeing her way clear to prove that this was in fact murder, and not suicide. But the aged spinster-sleuth is forced to take a huge risk and act fast, teaming up with the local police inspector, before more murder occurs.
I wouldn't reccomend this as a first Christie novel to read (go to "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" for that, her first mystery), but fans will clearly enjoy this one. If the work has a flaw, it appears that Miss Marple may have been brought in as an afterthought on Christie's part.
Agatha Christie Fooled Me Again! October 3, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A young man and his sister from London rent a house in a country town so he can recover from his injuries. Shortly after arriving, they receive an anonymous letter accusing them of not really being siblings. They soon find out that people all over town have been receiving such letters. This leads to two deaths.
The detectives, this man and his sister do most of the sleuthing. Toward the very end of the book, the vicar's wife calls in Miss Marple who is able to put the final pieces together.
Agatha Christie usally "gets me" about half the time (as far as guessing, "who done it,"), and she got me on this one! A pleasant read.
Pointing Around August 18, 2007
"The Moving Finger" by Agatha Christie begins somewhat enigmatically, with an unknown narrator telling the story in first person, which is unusual for Christie's mysteries. The narrator turns out to be a pilot, injured in a plane crash, who has been adviced by his doctor to seek out some quite countryside where he can peacefully continue to heal. The narrator and his sister, Jerry and Joanna Burton, take a house in the seemingly quiet and quaint town of Lymstock, but soon learn that the town isn't quite what it seems.
Shortly upon arriving in the small town, Jerry and his sister receive a vile letter, accusing them of not really being brother and sister. They take little notice of it until they learn that other townspeople have received similar letters, which don't contain much truth, but lots of suspicion. When one of the letters causes someone to commit suicide, further light is shed upon these nasty accusations; and when a young maid is found murdered, Jerry begins to think that the first death might not have been suicide. While the police are searching for the most-likely female perpetrator, the pastor's wife calls in Miss Marple to solve the mystery, as all of the townspeople are ready to think of the worst of whoever might be singled out next.
"The Moving Finger" is a classic Christie mystery, even if the first-person storytelling is a departure from the norm. It has a fast-paced intriguing plot with a subtle twist at the end of the story. Jerry never quite touches upon the real perpetrator of these crimes, but is shown the light by Miss Marple, as is any character in Christie's works, and as is usually the reader.
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