REVIEW: The Moving Finger

 The Moving Finger
Author: Agatha Christie

This story was serialized in US and UK magazines in 1942. It was published in book format in the US in 1942, followed by the UK in 1943. 

I read my old paperback copy from 1984 (Berkley Mystery) and listened to an audio book (HarperAudio, 2012, Narrated by Joan Hickson (yay!!), 5 hours 45 minutes long). More on the audio book later in the review....

 I collected many of Agatha Christie's novels and short story collections over the years. They've been on various bookshelves and moved with me from place to place for literally decades. The only problem -- I never got a chance to really read very many of them! 

To solve this problem once and for all -- In 2019, I started a personal reading challenge to read all of Christie's writing in publication order. Only about half way through.....and it has taken me years! Life got in the way. Returning to work. A Pandemic. Divorce. A cross country move. New Job. New Life. How dare life get in the way of my reading aspirations!!

Now that I'm settled into my wonderfully peaceful and happy new life, I'm reading at a slightly faster pace. I'm not in a hurry. Just meandering my way through. I look up references that interest me, watch and listen to all adaptations, and just enjoy spending time with Christie's characters. 

It's going to take me a long time to finish! I think I will be sad once I read that very last word....and know that there isn't any more!! I suppose at that point I will read some of the various knock off books that have come out in the last few years written by other authors. :)

Now, on to the story!!  

 While this is technically a Miss Marple mystery, she doesn't appear until about 2/3 through the story. Once I realized, I thought it would really annoy me, but I found myself really liking the narrator and his sister. It actually set the scene much better with Miss Marple joining in later. 

I enjoy Joan Hickson. She was incredible as Miss Marple in the 80's television series. But I have to admit that I had to switch audio books to another version narrated by Richard E. Grant (HarperAudio, 2013, 6 hrs 23 minutes). It was just too confusing to have Miss Marple's voice narrating for a male character before she was in the story. And, I'm not sure if Joan Hickson was having speech problems later in life or had ill fitting dentures....but something was off that made her really difficult to understand. Her reading pace was also very fast. I've listened to other audio books she narrated and enjoyed her performances very much. This one, for whatever reason, just didn't work for me. Richard E. Grant did a great job. I especially loved his portrayal of Mr Pye -- so over the top and just perfect!! And, although I had to pass on her audio book narration, I loved Hickson's performance in the Miss Marple television episode!! Superb!

 This was the first time I read this story. I'm glad I finally got the chance to enjoy it! The plot was just wonderful, and as usual Agatha Christie built the suspense masterfully. The book kept my attention from start to finish. 

I grew up in a small town. And, I found myself wondering what effect anonymous poison pen letters would have had in my hometown. If the writer was as skillful at hitting nerves like the one in this book, I'm sure it would have been just as big of a scandal. I can see how hitting just the right nerve might lead someone to commit violence, even murder. Thinking back through the years, I remember several scandals that came to light in my hometown and the explosive results. A town of 4000 people may be tiny, but, when everyone knows everyone, hiding anything is next to impossible. Eventually, the truth will come out. And there's nowhere to hide in a small town. Everyone knows. It's not like a large city where you can move to another suburb or blend into the crowd.  That made the plot of this book really hit home for me. And.....made me glad I live in a very large city now. I couldn't go back to the spiteful gossip, nosy busybodies, and judgemental nastiness that hid just under the surface of the town I grew up in. Nope. Never looking back. I haven't been back there in 23 years...and don't plan to ever go back again. Awful place. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! There were definitely enough twists and turns to keep my attention the entire time!  

This story has been adapted several times:

Miss Marple - The TV series starring Joan Hickson (Season One, Episode 2) adapted this tale into a two part episode in 1985. Miss Marple joins the story much sooner in this version, and leads the investigation for the most part. Loved every minute of both episodes! The plot/characters are changed in some minor ways, but it sticks to the book relatively closely. 

Agatha Christie's Marple - Starring Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple, this episode came out in 2006 (Season 2, Episode 2). I love McEwan as Miss Marple, but this episode made too many unnecessary changes to the plot, in my opinion. As in Miss Marple, Jane is added into the story almost from the start, which is a complete change from the book, but I didn't mind that change. But the rest.....not necessary and some changes were just....odd. But, McEwan's performance saved it for me. She's is just delightful as Miss Marple. :) 

Le Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie - In 2009 a French television series had an episode loosely based on this novel. It switches the setting to France and changes the investigators.  

BBC Radio 4 audio drama - June Whitfield voices Miss Marple in this 2009 radio play. It's just about 1.5 hours long. Very enjoyable listen if you like radio drama!! You can find quite a few of these Agatha Christie radio programs here: https://fourble.co.uk/podcast/bbcradio7  

Miseu Ma, Booksooui Yeoshin - Korean television had a show based on Agatha Christie's stories. Episodes 5-8, broadcast in 2018, were an adaptation of The Moving Finger. 

On to the next novel - Towards Zero!  It features Superintendent Battle. I'm trying to feel excited about it, but I really have a hard time liking Christie's lesser known characters. I hope Battle surprises me and offers a very interesting investigation!!