The Moving Finger

by Agatha Christie

Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Ginasbookreport Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Mystery / Cozy Mystery 
Read This If You Love: Miss Marple series

“No smoke without fire.”

Anonymous letters start showing up throughout the town of Lymstock. Even Jerry and his sister Joanna, who moved to the town to assist in Jerry’s recovery from an airplane accident, receive a letter full of disdainful accusations…all untrue. While the town is rolling with gossip and speculation, the crescendo builds until one of their own is found dead. Who is writing the letters? Did they cause the death? Just what is happening in this “sleepy” little town?

“But a lot of people do tell lies.”

I read this novel as part of ReadChristie2023 for the March prompt of Anger. The Moving Finger is a Miss Marple novel that was first published in 1942. Although I know that the excuse of “it is of the time” would be used, I still found the amount of misogyny in the book to be off putting. It really made certain sections drag along for me. However, when I hit the last 50 pages, I was much more invested. I don’t think this is by accident as this is when Miss Marple enters, the story itself picks up in activity, and the women take a strong center stage while exercising their own agency.