This month’s theme for Read Christie 2026 is ‘Best According to Agatha’, with the option of choosing any of the books on Christie’s own list of her top 10 favourites which she compiled in 1972. My choice was easy as the only one I hadn’t already read was The Moving Finger.
First published in 1942, this is a Miss Marple mystery, although Miss Marple herself doesn’t appear until near the end. The book is narrated by Jerry Burton, a pilot who has been injured in a plane crash. He and his sister Joanna have decided to rent a house in the small market town of Lymstock so he can get away from London for a while and finish recuperating in peace and quiet. However, life in Lymstock proves to be much less quiet and peaceful than he’d expected! Almost as soon as they arrive, Jerry receives an anonymous letter containing the accusation that he and Joanna are not brother and sister. Knowing this is untrue, they aren’t too concerned and destroy the letter, but later learn that several other people in the town have also been receiving them.
As the letters become the main topic of conversation in the town, some people begin to speculate that there’s no smoke without fire and maybe some of the accusations are true. When Mrs Symmington is found dead after receiving a particularly nasty letter, it’s assumed that she has committed suicide. Now that the writer has had some success, will they stop sending the letters? No, they don’t – and when another death occurs, the vicar’s wife decides to call in an expert, “someone who knows a great deal about wickedness”. The expert, of course, is Miss Marple!
The Moving Finger is a very enjoyable novel. I loved the portrayal of a small community where everyone knows everyone else’s business – the ideal setting for a poison pen letter mystery. I was reminded of Fear Stalks the Village by Ethel Lina White but I think this one is a stronger novel. Despite the book being published in 1942, there are no mentions of the war and the residents of Lymstock seem to be completely untouched by it, something I’ve noticed in other books of hers from that period (N or M? is the main exception). The assumption is that Jerry is an RAF pilot whose plane was shot down, but that’s never actually made clear and there are only the vaguest references to his accident, which happens before the novel begins.
I didn’t manage to solve the mystery – I had narrowed the suspects down to two but neither was correct. Of course, Miss Marple has no difficulty identifying the culprit, using her powers of observation, perception of human nature and knowledge of village life. I’m not sure that there was really any need for her to appear in this book at all, though. She doesn’t arrive on the scene until chapter ten (of fifteen) so it could probably have worked just as well as a standalone novel with a different character, maybe Jerry himself, solving the mystery. Still, it’s always nice to see Miss Marple, even if only briefly!
I’ve now read all of the Miss Marple novels, although I still have one of the short story collections to read. I’ll be returning to the Tommy and Tuppence series for Read Christie in October.
Reviewed for RIPXXI hosted by @perilreaders
I love a good poison pen mystery, but I haven’t read this in ages and fortunately have forgotten who the culprit was!!
Sounds like it could be time for a re-read, then!
I’m not sure I’ve read this one but it’s one of my favourite on tv, I must read an AC soon, I really miss her! Well done for finishing the Miss Marple’s too!!
I’m glad I left such a good Miss Marple novel until last! I still have the Miss Marple’s Final Cases short story collection to read, but it will probably have to wait until next year.
So glad you enjoyed this – one of my favourites! I love the romance in it, though I’m not sure it works quite as well today as it did then. Fortunately I first read it back in the ’70s, when masterful men seemed much more appealing… 😉
Yes, I think it’s one of the strongest Miss Marples. I found the romance a bit disconcerting as I kept thinking Megan was about fifteen rather than twenty!
I enjoyed this immensely when I read it back in 2021. The brother/sister combo where a great pair of characters and I liked them a lot. Their relationship felt very real I thought. It was a bit strange (though I guess understandable considering) that although written during the war that the conflict was only hinted at. I guess that places relatively untouched did exist outside the larger cities and, no doubt, people got on with their lives as best they could, but still.. As we’ve suggested before the reader at the time hardly needed being reminded that there was a war on and, no doubt, enjoyed the escapism.
I *thought* that I’d worked things out about 3/4 of the way through but it turned out I had the wrong person – although my idea of motive turned out to be correct, so that’s something!
I need to finish my Miss Marple reading as I’ve been slacking there. Maybe I can manage TWO of her books next year?
Yes, Jerry and Joanna are great characters, and very likeable. I also got the right motive, but the wrong person. Even though I’ve read so many of Christie’s books now, I’m not getting any better at solving the mysteries!
I hope you have time for some more Miss Marple books next year.
This was the first Miss M novel I read after my disappointing experience with Nemesis in the 1970s and I remember it being very engaging (https://wp.me/p2oNj1-5HU). I’m glad to see we both picked up on a couple of the same aspects, such as the lack of any sense of the war still going on.
I’m glad you got on better with this one – it’s a much stronger novel than Nemesis! I’ve found that most of Christie’s novels from that period have few, if any, references to the war.
Ooh, when I saw the title, I was sure I had read that one, but the plot doesn’t sound familiar, so another one to look forward to! I am just starting to catch up on some of the blog posts from before I got my internet back.
It’s a really good one!