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The Moving Finger Paperback – January 1, 2002
- Print length320 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarpercollins Pb
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 2002
- Dimensions4.37 x 0.75 x 7.01 inches
- ISBN-100007120842
- ISBN-13978-0007120840
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Product details
- Publisher : Harpercollins Pb; Masterpiece Ed edition (January 1, 2002)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 320 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0007120842
- ISBN-13 : 978-0007120840
- Item Weight : 4.9 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.37 x 0.75 x 7.01 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #6,812,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #29,907 in Traditional Detective Mysteries (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Born in Torquay in 1890, Agatha Christie began writing during the First World War and wrote over 100 novels, plays and short story collections. She was still writing to great acclaim until her death, and her books have now sold over a billion copies in English and another billion in over 100 foreign languages. Yet Agatha Christie was always a very private person, and though Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple became household names, the Queen of Crime was a complete enigma to all but her closest friends.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the mystery story thrilling and enjoyable. They enjoy the well-developed characters and appreciate the classic Christie style and beautiful descriptions of the landscape. However, opinions differ on the pacing - some find it readable and charming, while others feel it's slow and uninteresting.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoyed the thrilling mystery story. They found it a good mystery book from Agatha Christie, with extra narrative and suspenseful plot. The characters were interesting and believable, and the clues were present. Overall, they described the book as an example of how to write mystery fiction.
"...One of my favorite Christie novels, The Moving Finger is a compelling read that will keep you guessing until the end." Read more
"...I was not let down by this thrilling mystery story. The solution was a good surprise - one that I definitely didn't see coming...." Read more
"...than one murder, the plot offers not one but two unlikely but delightful romances...." Read more
"A very enjoyable mystery by the Dame herself. I've read it before years ago, but had forgotten most of the plot...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book. They find the characters likable and the story engaging, with a satisfying conclusion. The book keeps readers interested without getting bogged down in details.
"I love mysteries; especially Agatha Christie mysteries. This book was a good one and it held my interest. Glad I bought it!" Read more
"...Reading Agatha Christie is like a visit to England. Wonderful!" Read more
"...Reminded me of Winspear plot construction and rhythm. Fully enjoyable and note that Marple really just an add-on at the conclusion, not an active..." Read more
"One sign of a good book is being able to re-read it and enjoy it anew each time. This is one!" Read more
Customers enjoy the well-developed characters and their lives. They appreciate the charming setting and wonderful portrayal of servants.
"...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...." Read more
"...Likeable characters and moments of suspense keep the reader interested throughout...." Read more
"...two books: it's written from the perspective of an outsider, has no common characters, and is in a different village (town)...." Read more
"...men to energetic ladies to cantankerous servants, are all wonderfully portrayed — Agatha Christie at her best!" Read more
Customers find the book's style engaging with a well-designed puzzle and suspenseful plot. They appreciate the vivid descriptions of the landscape and town, as well as the clever and likeable characters.
"...THE MOVING FINGER is a typically clever and well-plotted Agatha Christie mystery...." Read more
"...It was a beautiful book, filled with suspense and suprises that I have to admit I never would have guessed...." Read more
"...Miss Maple is is a delight. Classic Christie plot and style." Read more
"...With that said, one will experience another well designed puzzle with a lot of good ingredients: anonymous letters, murder, a lot of gossip, even..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the writing. Some find it well-written and readable, while others mention issues like unreadable quotation marks, strange characters, and poor printing quality.
"Writing superb. Characterization unmatched. Really a prototype for how to write mystery fiction...." Read more
"...Not only is there no Marple here, the book isn't even written in same style or tone as the previous two books: it's written from the perspective..." Read more
"I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is an easy read that has a charming setting and we'll delineated characters...." Read more
"This is what I received, which is obviously unreadable...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book. Some find it charming and easy to read, with a great plot and setting in a quaint English village. Others feel the narrative is slow and uninteresting, not maintaining their interest.
""Such a peaceful smiling happy countryside - and down underneath, something evil..." -- The Moving Finger, p. 28..." Read more
"...have to say that although I adore Agatha Christie, this book was a little dissapointing, at least compared to the other novels she has written...." Read more
"...I love the town of Lymstock, and Little Furze; Miss Emily, Partridge, and the rest of the characters...." Read more
"...I was unimpressed with the plot and although I did not guess who the killer was I consider this one of Ms. Christie's weaker books ." Read more
Reviews with images
Livid letters lead to Lymstock murder
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2008"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.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024I love mysteries; especially Agatha Christie mysteries. This book was a good one and it held my interest. Glad I bought it!
- Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2014I chose "The Moving Finger" because it was one of Christie's favorites of her own work and I had never read an Agatha Christie novel with her female detective Miss Marple before. I was not let down by this thrilling mystery story. The solution was a good surprise - one that I definitely didn't see coming. Likeable characters and moments of suspense keep the reader interested throughout.
One thing that I found odd was that this book is named "A Miss Marple Mystery," yet Miss Marple doesn't appear until more than halfway through the book. Even after her brief introduction she is only featured in a few scenes, then wraps up the story by presenting the solution. This didn't bother me much. I found it a bit funny how an elderly woman whom the main characters don't really pay attention to ends up solving everything, even though it seems that Christie originally wanted the main characters to solve the mystery and then added Miss Marple as an afterthought.
Overall, "The Moving Finger" is a book I thoroughly enjoyed and I recommend it to anyone seeking an intriguing mystery novel.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2021Miss Marple only appears towards the end of this book, brought in by the vicar’s wife as an “expert” in wickedness. The village has been troubled by a rash of anonymous letters accusing people of salacious behavior.
Miss Marple arrives just in time to keep the police from blundering.
In addition to lots of nasty letters and more than one murder, the plot offers not one but two unlikely but delightful romances.
The villagers, from professional men to energetic ladies to cantankerous servants, are all wonderfully portrayed — Agatha Christie at her best!
- Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2023A very enjoyable mystery by the Dame herself. I've read it before years ago, but had forgotten most of the plot. That means I got too discover it anew! Reading Agatha Christie is like a visit to England. Wonderful!
- Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2007RAF pilot Jerry Burton, needing a lengthy stint of R&R, moves into the village of Lymstock with his sister Joanna. Peace and quiet aren't necessarily on the local agenda, however. Burton soon finds himself on the receiving end of an anonymous poison pen letter. He's not the only person to get one, either. Though the accusations are wild, gossip and suspicion spread. Matters escalate when one letter prompts an apparent suicide and a murder soon follows. Despite all the nastiness, Christie manages to weave a cute little Cinderella story into the plot and love blossoms in the end.
THE MOVING FINGER is a typically clever and well-plotted Agatha Christie mystery. It's populated with interesting and believable characters and the clues are there for the astute reader to find. It's reportedly one of Christie's personal favorites. I liked it, too, but there are several other Miss Marple mysteries I enjoyed more. Partly, this is because I simply found some of the other cases more intriguing, but it's also because, as others have pointed out, Jane Marple plays only a peripheral role in this one. The story is told in the first person from the perspective of Jerry Burton. Miss Marple isn't even mentioned until about two-thirds of the way through the book, and even then she's only introduced as a house guest of one of the lesser characters. Her only significant role is to explain the details at the end.
THE MOVING FINGER is another quality mystery from Agatha Christie. Miss Marple fans may find this outing disappointing, however, as she plays her most minor role. I liked it, but it doesn't rank among my personal favorites.
Top reviews from other countries
- Maritza RamosReviewed in Mexico on August 16, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Cozy and very well-rounded mystery.
Miss Marple's stories are just so entertaining and cozy and the mysteries are very well-rounded, clear and precise. This particular one was very original and started from something rather simple and became creepier. Loved it !
- Myriam IckxReviewed in France on December 12, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars A rural poison pen
This was the first Agatha Christie book I read that was not a Poirot. Well, I know it's hardly a Miss Marple, since this keen old lady only appears very late in the book. Anyway, I found the reading delightful: the narrator’s perspective is full of humour, the observations concerning the various characters are so accurate you can hear them talk or see them walk about the high street (oh, Miss Aimée Griffith!), and the plot is pleasant to unravel with an unexpected twist at the end and a charming last chapter. This book was like a high tea cake tray, loaded with delicious little things you want to enjoy one bite after another. Very pleasant and I will be back for more!
- jim blackmoreReviewed in Canada on May 6, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars New or never used...
This book is in pristine condition, a lovely facsimile edition and a favorite mystery author. I dove into it immediately - it's one of my fun bedtime reading choices. Thank you!
- IshaniReviewed in India on April 5, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Decent read
It is a decent read. The plot and the characters in it are well built, although it picks up pace slowly.
Only disappointment is that Miss Marple appears almost at the very end of the mystery. Had I known that before, I would have perhaps ordered another one of Christie's books instead of this one.
- fiona kewReviewed in Australia on July 20, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Another classic from the Queen of crime
I never tire of a good Agatha Christie novel.
The plethora of characters. The red herrings.
Have seen this one on T.V but the true written word surpasses the screen.
A pleasure to once again delve into the world of Miss Matple, although the story is told by Mr Burton and Miss Matple doesn't appear to late on in the piece.