Book Club

Marple Stories

Christie never intended Miss Marple to rival Poirot in the publics affections, but this spinster sleuth soon proved a hit with the public.  Here's the place to discuss her stories - but beware spoilers!

If you can't find your favourite Miss Marple story, don't worry - more will be added shortly.

Warning: These discussions may contain spoilers!

The Moving Finger

Jemma 05 Sep 09 at 12:32 p.m. GMT

The setting of The Moving Finger is idylic. Despite being set in 1941, during the war, there is no mention of the conflict. No mention of rationing or air raids, the only clue being the absence of young men - perhaps gone off to fight. Is this unrealistic or does it simply allow for a greater contrast when the poison pen letters are sent, revealing a darker side to English life?

How does Lymstock compare to St Mary Mead and is it an appropriate setting for Miss Marple?

The illusions to literature are common throughout the story. Elsie Holland is compared to Helen of Troy and Aphrodite. The title is taken from The Rubaiyat, by an 11th century poet - "The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on." Megan Hunter's fascination with Shakespeare and King Lear in particular is explored. Is knowledge of these stories crucial to truly understanding and appreciating the novel?

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39 replies

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Miss_Sherlock 16 May 12 at 8:36 a.m. GMT

I just finished The Moving Finger, and I really enjoyed it. Although I was continually thinking "Is this a MM book or not?"  I liked Jerry Burton's narration, and his observations of village life. I think when I read it next time, I'll pay more attention to the details of the murders, and less about when MM will appear!

riokid 02 Oct 11 at 12:56 p.m. GMT

I have read many Agatha Christie books prior to this one, and recently picked up "Moving Finger' from my local bookstore in idle random.

Imagine my surprise when I enjoyed this story very much, and in fact thought it one of her very best!  On this site I later found out that the author herself thought this book very good.   There is a lack of the usual gossip in the characters and the story is told well, with the usual Christie turn-around and "surprise" for who is the actual murderer.   I thought that the male narrator was just right in his summary, and kept our attention, and I loved the allusion to the blondes --both Johanna his sister, and especially the gorgeous looking Elsie Holland.  The Megan character was a bit disquieting as she was intended to be no doubt, and it was another surprise to find out that the narrator was smitten with her.  

I think what really makes this one memorable is the camafllouge ( of the letter writing) and the fact that the murders (as they both happened) were due to a very simple and direct cause.  A man who wanted to kill his wife, and did it simply , although utilizing an elaborate plan of misdirecting and camaflouge.   It was really a typical murder, but cleverly thought out to fool everyone.   No loose ends in the plot.  Interesting characterization (love those blondes again!!), and a very---very good story.   Christie got us excited and pounding with several suspects, and I think in this one most readers would be absolutely flummoxed as to the real identity of the culprit.  The moving finger of suspicion is truly at its peak in this novel.   The result is a very worth-while book.   One of her best.

pothgulla 27 Sep 11 at 5:14 a.m. GMT

I want to talk about the film (the TV series actually-Marple Moving finger).I think Geraldean McEvan is wonderfull as Ms Marple, Much better than Julia M or others. Pity she gave up the character later.. Still they havent found the best one for Hercule Poirot yet. What do you think?

Mr_west 19 Sep 11 at 6:30 p.m. GMT

I'm not shore why, but I really don't love this novel. 

The narrator wasn't that interesting for me (I think that generally male middle class man aren't Christie's strongest point with the exception of few characters, most notable Michael Rogers from Endless Night), Megan was quite annoying and I think that the only loveable character in this novel is Jerry's sister Joanna. The idea as a whole is very fascinating, I always loved quiet villages which appeared innocence but are in fact evil, but somehow I just couldn't enjoy that.

As I can see, I'm one of the only one who disliked this novel, perhaps it deserve a re-read.

By the way, thanks go leaf! your recommendetion about Dorothy L sayers' Gaudy Night made me buy it, and I'll start to read it soon. Lord Peter Wimsey is such an excellent character! I like Harriet more, though. 

NightRayDuck 18 Apr 11 at 11:20 p.m. GMT

As to the question of Miss Marple appearing late in the story, and there being no concrete murder case at the beginning, and whether Lymstock is featured in another story... I think the matter stands like this:

Miss Marple's novel-length cases each occurs in a different village / town, or at least "that area outside the village", or "the neighboring county where the resort hotels are". I am afraid Lymstock is not featured in another story. This may be one of the reasons that Miss Marple appears very late in the story by being called in when the case had become a serious murder investigation. (I may be over-analyzing, but I think each Marple novel presents a different modus operandi. Miss Marple is, after all, neither a professional sleuth nor an extremely nosey busybody. She might encounter a case by accident, or be consulted by worried friends. If she always happens to be in the town when the crimes started occurring, or if the crimes always start in her village, that would be very awkward...)

There are several other well-liked Christie stories where the first few chapters, or up to halfway through the book, describe conflicts that are really just the camouflage that the criminal is setting up. I think The Moving Finger has this type of structure. Several Miss Marple short stories and some of the novels also present situations where the rumors widely believed in by the townspeople turn out to be quite wrong and almost the opposite of the truth in the case. The gossips here had been wrong, and interestingly, had been wrong in exactly the same way that the police experts had been wrong.

NightRayDuck 18 Apr 11 at 11:15 p.m. GMT

hi Bluemail.. I have the old US edition and I haven't found the new/restored edition yet, so I cannot comment on it very well.

I think this story is interesting in that all the "deep psychological disturbances" behind poison-pen letters turn out, this time, to be camouflage for a very simple "remove one spouse to marry a younger prettier one". The character Inspector Graves, expert in poison-pen letters, even points out that the letters in this Lymstock case had near-perfect resemblance to the letters in several very different cases. That really means there was no consistent psychological disturbance behind this particular poison-pen letter writer.

I agree Megan was an odd yet adorable character. Thus, Jerry Burton being the first-person narrator raised the emotional tension when he thought Megan was a suspect.

Bluemail 18 Apr 11 at 8:10 p.m. GMT

Continuing my post above... Why do we need to have a 2000 character limit? I admit I write too many futile things sometimes, but...

I think my experience of this book deserves about 3½ stars. The characters are fun and the setting is nice, and the feeling was there. It felt a bit slow in the start, and Marple was a needless addition. The solution could have been better, even if the explanation wasn't disappointing.

I'd like to know if my Finnish edition has the original pages restored like in the new US edition. It starts with nurses taking care of Jerry and Marcus Kent telling him to move to the countryside. Then some thoughts about if he'll be able to fly again and stuff. Does that sound about right?

Bluemail 18 Apr 11 at 8:08 p.m. GMT

This was my third Christie book. I think it loses to And Then There Were None, but is at least as good as Murder at the Vicarage, probably better. I have only read one book about St Mary Mead, which I suppose appears in more Marple stories, but I think Lymstock was more interesting in the end. Is there any other book featuring this town?

I didn't really get into the story much in the beginning, but it got to the more interesting part when Agnes was introduced and killed. Maybe I need a more concrete murder to get interested, as I wasn't sure if Mrs Symmington killed herself or not. But the mysterious atmosphere from gossip and suspicion was well played.

Megan was my favourite character, and I was thrilled by the thought of her being a possible culprit. I like the murderer characters to be done well. I suspected Aimeé Griffith with Megan as accomplice, or Megan alone as my main theory, which I found had nice little clues scattered around. I was confident I had nailed it when Griffith was arrested, and Marple showed interest in Megan, but I was tricked once again. I think it was good the culprit wasn't Griffith, as it would have felt a bit forced though a bit supported. Symmington didn't feel quite right either, as it was quite sudden, though it was well explained. It was in line with the theme of seeing through the suspicious village talk, but at the same time made the theme about the culprit's nature less meaningful. I felt a theme like that existed, as there were several mentions of it. Symmington was necessary to explain well the importance of Elsie Holland and her beauty, though.

I agree with some people around that Marple was really unnecessary. She was even mentioned in the blurb of my Finnish edition, though she had only a brief role in the end. I would have preferred Jerry to solve it himself. Marple seeing through the prejudice born in the town is a good point, though.

Roger_Ackroyd1926 12 Apr 11 at 2:59 a.m. GMT

I’m happy to report that it looks like U.S. readers of THE MOVING FINGER will now get to read it in its original form – the new paperback edition published by HarperCollins US  restores several pages of text preceding the point where the original US edition (and all subsequent reprints) began.

Roger_Ackroyd1926 12 Mar 11 at 3:08 p.m. GMT

Just received my Facsimile Edition of the 1943 Collins Crime Club edition of The Moving Finger, published by HarperCollins UK (thank you, Book Depository!) - there are about four pages of text before the point where the US edition begins, for a start. Nor do the US editions carry Christie's dedication, "To My Friends Sidney and Mary Smith." No response yet to my inquiry to HarperCollins US as to whether their new editions will revert to the UK texts.

Roger_Ackroyd1926 25 Feb 11 at 2:04 p.m. GMT

Roger_Ackroyd1926

I'm a US Christie fan who's re-reading this for the first time since 1976. THE MOVING FINGER was apparently the very rare instance that US publication of a Christie book actually preceded publication in the UK, by several months, in fact.  Now I've learned that there were actually differences between the two published versions!    I'm reading an original Dodd, Mead edition from 1942, and the recent hardcover reprint by Black Dog and Leventhal appears to have the same text.  The novel's first US appearance was actually as a serialization in Collier's Weekly prior to the hardcover publication - is it possible that the version prepared for that serialization was the version then published here?  I really don't like reading books in abridged or altered forms.  Has anyone read both versions and can tell me how they compare?

John Curran's theory backs-up mine - looks like that's what happened.  So it's possible that characters I thought were 'added' for the Hickson film were there all along!

Roger_Ackroyd1926 23 Feb 11 at 1:10 a.m. GMT

I'm a US Christie fan who's re-reading this for the first time since 1976. THE MOVING FINGER was apparently the very rare instance that US publication of a Christie book actually preceded publication in the UK, by several months, in fact.  Now I've learned that there were actually differences between the two published versions!    I'm reading an original Dodd, Mead edition from 1942, and the recent hardcover reprint by Black Dog and Leventhal appears to have the same text.  The novel's first US appearance was actually as a serialization in Collier's Weekly prior to the hardcover publication - is it possible that the version prepared for that serialization was the version then published here?  I really don't like reading books in abridged or altered forms.  Has anyone read both versions and can tell me how they compare?

trembath 30 Jun 10 at 1:32 a.m. GMT

my favourite. have reread it many times. agree that MM seems almost irrelevant.  i wish AC had returned to the Jerry Burton character as i would love to know how it all worked out megan, his sister marrying the doctor etc. new to this forum and delighted to find so many AC fans out there.thought it was just me.

xrysoula 29 Jun 10 at 11:40 p.m. GMT

Only for someone who has already been accustomed to AC 's novels, I think.The moving finger was one of my first, and I remember I was quite shocked in the end.I should agree though, that Miss Marple "felt" completely unnesessary and, according to my opinion, the character of Mr Pye (the man with the antiques' shop, if I remember correctly the name) needed more work.

Lone_Wolf 26 Jun 10 at 11:39 a.m. GMT

I actually like major characters in an occasinal cameo role, that's why I liked the very late appearance of miss Marple. It kinda shows us that the Marple universe is not centered on only her.

Besides, that novel, along with the "Pale Horse" establishes that Poirot and Marple do indeed inhabit the same universe.

I agree, however, that the deception strategy imployed here isn't that ingenious - Christie already used such a strategy before she wrote that book. And suspecting the spouce is the standard thing for the reader to do anyway.

Mr_Graves 26 Jun 10 at 6:59 a.m. GMT

Loved this book! I am embarrassed to report that I was adamant that Megan was her mother's killer. I was just so sure! It just goes to show that AC is indeed the master of deception. I feel so guilty now, as I did love Megan's personality. A very clever plot, and although I was surprised to read of Miss. Marple's appearance, I thought the way she was introduced into the story was great. I also got a little thrill to see Inspector Graves there, as that is my name. All in all, a fantastic read!

MissQuin 28 Apr 10 at 5:36 p.m. GMT

Although Miss Marple isn't in this much, her appearnce doesn't detract in any way from the story. This was an exciting one. I didn't work it out. I liked Jerry as a narrator and Megan's character. Everyday secrets were raked over, how malicious gossip can be fatal, yet set against a backdrop of quaint English cotttages.

Nessie 06 Feb 10 at 10:08 p.m. GMT

I think the fact that Symmington turns out to be the murderer is h er attempt to show that the police can be wrong, and sometimes their first assumptions can be correct. On a lot of crime shows and in books, it's almost insinctive protocol when the wife dies to say, "Could it have been the husband and why?" He was my first suspect, but Nash was able to convince both me and Jerry Burton that the killer was a woman, and when they found the evidence against Aimee i thought it seemed rational until finally they got Symmington. Although i will admit the explanation of why he did it was a little confusing, it made more sense than Aimee. In the end, i think there were probably alot of people slapping themselves on the forehead saying "Of course! I should have seen it all along!"  

MissQuin 01 Feb 10 at 3:52 p.m. GMT

Its been many years since I read this one, but I was really gripped. So gripped that I was rushing towards the end to find the killer. I didn't guess the murderer.

Tommy_A_Jones 01 Feb 10 at 3:13 p.m. GMT

I thought the Killer was all through the book quite clearly.

aquaflute 31 Jan 10 at 10:14 p.m. GMT

Attica76

Tommy_A_Jones

I liked the book but thought it didn't need Miss Marple

This is one of my favourites but funnily enough I hardly ever think of it as a MM book. Miss Marple feels like an afterthought to me, I think the main character could have solved the mystery himself.

That is one thing I did not like about this book, I think she should either introduce Marple earlier, or not at all! It was not like some other cases where Marple appeared late, but played a significant role.

Another thing I did not like is the killer, he was barely part of this story. And in the end he conveniently turned out to be the killer. It is not what you might expect, but I found little to no shocking value when he was revealed.

Nessie 25 Jan 10 at 6:42 p.m. GMT

She does indeed seem so harmless! That is what i like about her. No one would suspect such a nice, genteel old woman to solve murders!

go_leafs_nation 24 Jan 10 at 3:14 a.m. GMT

Au contraire, no village mystery is complete without a busybody old lady to solve it! Miss Marple, so nice and harmless at first glance, provides a point of view that is unaffected by the recent events of the village. While others are caught up in the excitement of having a REAL murder occur, she stands by and identifies the killer.

Nessie 23 Jan 10 at 11:46 p.m. GMT

The setting may have been idylic but i had no clue that it was set anywhere in 1941 i just assumed it was a very small village with a lack of men.

I particularly like the allusion of Elsie Holland to the "matchless, deathless perfection that belonged to ancient Greece" (p200).

I also partially agree with Tommy A Jones on the random appearence of Ms. Marple. It seemed awful spontaneous when Nash could have solved it. I just finished reading it for a second time, and i guess with the way she wrote it, w/o her appearance they would have gotten the wrong person and that would have been bad for Aimee and Ownen. I wonder why she needed to add her?

Tommy_A_Jones 03 Jan 10 at 4:18 p.m. GMT

IMHO It would have been better without her, having her come at the end and solving it dsidn't make sense to me.

bookworm_2010 03 Jan 10 at 4:08 p.m. GMT

AC probably didn't mean to put her in at all - I imagine it to be the publisher's idea/wish. He was probably afraid it wouldn't sell so well otherwise..

Tommy_A_Jones 03 Jan 10 at 3:54 p.m. GMT

I agree, totally, I felt she was an afterthought, her involvement didn't seem crewdible to me.

Attica76 03 Jan 10 at 3:51 p.m. GMT

Tommy_A_Jones

I liked the book but thought it didn't need Miss Marple

This is one of my favourites but funnily enough I hardly ever think of it as a MM book. Miss Marple feels like an afterthought to me, I think the main character could have solved the mystery himself.

Puffinjill 06 Oct 09 at 7:04 p.m. GMT

Thanks for the tip, go_leafs! I am never happier than when I can track down these treasures.

go_leafs_nation 06 Oct 09 at 11:26 a.m. GMT

Yes, Carr's books are very hard to find, which is why I began to buy them. Unlike Agatha's books, which nearly every library or bookstore has, their rarity was at first a contributing factor for my love of his books, as every found book was a special one.

Out of those three novels, I can't single out a "better" or "worse" one. Each is extremely strong and has different points of interest.

At any rate, I recommend ABE Books for those looking for older/out-of-print books. Carr's Night at the Mocking Widow, by the way, was written under the pseudonym of Carter Dickson. And enjoy The Hollow Man, Frndorfoe! I know I certainly did.

Frndorfoe 06 Oct 09 at 8:44 a.m. GMT

I totally agree, go leafs and Puffinjill! It is like the letters come alive with their venomous words ready to strike their intended victims. The atmosphere of the story is definitely imbued with evil.

As for John Dickson Carr I'm right in the middle of his most famous work, The Hollow Man. So far, it is pretty good.

Puffinjill 06 Oct 09 at 8:10 a.m. GMT

Well said. There is something about the lingering spite behind such letters that seeps into those they touch and their surroundings. I think Dorothy L Sayers conveys that extremely well in Gaudy Night due to it being, in all respects, a closed community. AC's Lymstock is given the same feeling by the authoress stressing it isolation. In a lonely village and in a Universty, everyone is supposedly pulling together and working towards the greater good of each other, whether that be academic learning or daily life. Suddenly having such a poisonous undermining person amid them pulls at the fabric of their serene existance.

I haven't read Night at the Mocking Window. I'm finding increasingly difficult to lay my hands on any John Dickson Carr book. All out of print, I suppose.

go_leafs_nation 05 Oct 09 at 11:17 p.m. GMT

The Moving Finger is one of a trio of similar novels that I admire immensely by literary giants in detective fiction. The novels are:

• Agatha Christie's The Moving Finger
• Dorothy L. Sayers' Gaudy Night
• John Dickson Carr's Night at the Mocking Widow

In all three of these novels, anonymous letters tear apart a community: a village in Carr's and Christie's books, and a school in Sayers'. These authors all wrote their respective books wonderfully, injecting a sense of malice and evil into an otherwise tranquil comminuty. Agatha's villages are often nice and cosy; here, the village feels as threatening as any secret organization Tommy and Tuppence come against. This departure from her usual style makes for a far more interesting read, and that might be why it stands the test of time so well. The characters are also far more complex and memorable than many of AC's others, and the anonymous poison pen letter writer becomes a character of his/her own, with evil penetrating through their hateful words.

Puffinjill 05 Oct 09 at 7 p.m. GMT

But it's interesting that AC could see village life from different angles and use the atmosheres this would bring to her plots. Most authors would, I think, have played safe with Miss Marple and kept the books comforable and cosy. But by moving Miss Marple to other locations she is able to show how her understanding of people and their problems is universal.

Tommy_A_Jones 05 Oct 09 at 3:36 p.m. GMT

It was my 5th or 6th, I read 4.50 From Paddington first many years ago and then read the others before ITV were doing each one even though I knew who all the Murderers were in them as I have had the JH video's for years and saw them on Television before that, 4.50 From Paddington is the only one I read before seeing the JH series, even though ITV have done it the only one left to read is At Bertram's Hotel and one of the short-story books.

Frndorfoe 04 Oct 09 at 8:41 p.m. GMT

Puffinjill

Lymstock, to me, has a slightly less comfortable feeling than St Mary Mead. Unhappiness seems to be simmering just under the surface at all times. They are mostly conventional people with conventional lives (except the Dane Calthrops, who are a delight) but none of it sits comfortably.

You are right. Lymstock is less comfortable than St Mary Mead. But I found Lymstock to be really interesting. It had a very fascinating atmosphere of menace. But The Moving Finger was only the third Miss Marple I read so I probably had not grown all cozy and comfortable with St Mary Mead and even subsequent re-reads didn't change my opinion of Lymstock.

Tommy_A_Jones 04 Oct 09 at 5:15 p.m. GMT

The Mention of King Leah is something that passed me by, I didn't know that about Villages fareing better than Towns but I should have  as Children were evacuated to the Country not to big Cities and Towns. I am sure all the women in the Village were able to survive quite well on thewir own resources - Both their brains and their Gardens would have helped them to survive. I agree Lymstock has a much less Comfortable feeling about it than St Mary Mead but although I like the book it gave me a less Cozy feeling than other Miss Marple Books.

Puffinjill 04 Oct 09 at 1:31 p.m. GMT

Yes, Jerry Burton was home due to crashing his bomber, so in a roundabout way the war was alluded to. True, there is no mention of air-raids and rationing, but in a secluded rural area such as Lymstock these things wouldn't affect everyday life as they would have done if the novel had been set in a city. Small villages fared better than urban areas with food rations due to local farms and the use of gardens for vegetable growing. I would have expected a mention of evacuees, if anything, as Lymstock strikes me as the kind of place children would have been sent to.

Lymstock, to me, has a slightly less comfortable feeling than St Mary Mead. Unhappiness seems to be simmering just under the surface at all times. They are mostly conventional people with conventional lives (except the Dane Calthrops, who are a delight) but none of it sits comfortably.

As for the allusions to King Lear, I don't think a deep understanding of the play is important. AC never seemed to hang her plots solely on the knowledge of others works - that may lead to alienating many of her readers. I think most people would have some idea of the themes in King Lear, but, even if they did not, it wouldn't stop the reader from becoming engaged with the plot. It may spur them on to read their Shakespeare, but they are never made to feel less 'worthy' than those who know the Bard and other classics. 

Read more about this story: The Moving Finger

Tommy_A_Jones 03 Oct 09 at 4:45 p.m. GMT

I liked the book but thought it didn't need Miss Marple, If I remember rightly the War was mentioned in a Round about way because Jerrry who should have been the sleuth was invalided out of the Army wasn't he? The other men were the Doctor who was probably too important to society and Edward Symmington who I should think was too old but he was a Lawyer wasn't he? so maybe his job was too important. I prefer St Mary Mead to Lymstock but I do like Lymstock.