The Moving Finger is the next Miss Marple mystery by Agatha Christie. I loved the fact that Miss Marple didn't show up until 70% into the story (by my Kindle's calculation). I was wondering how Christie was going to continue to knock off people out in the country where Marple lives without things getting too absurd. This mystery also takes place in the country, but not near where Miss Marple resides. She gets called in at the end when the vicar's wife in this village decides to contact Miss Marple, who she somehow knows.
The story is told from the point of view of Jerry Burton, a young pilot who survived a terrible plane wreck. He's out of danger now and just needs six months in a quiet village to convalesce. So he and his sister, Joanna, rent a cottage in the little village of Lymstock. Just as they are getting to know their new neighbors, they receive a curious letter, cut from pieces of words from a book. It says some obscene things that startle them, but then they write it off as some crazy, but probably harmless eccentric in the village. As they continue to socialize with the villagers though they come to realize that many people are getting these frightening letters. The tension builds. Then the wife of the local lawyer is found dead in what is believed to be suicide. A letter was sent to her claiming the couple's second son was fathered by someone else. The plot thickens when a week later, the maid in the household is found dead.
There's a lot of personalities and a couple of romantic story lines going on as well. Miss Marple comes in and cleverly saves the day.
A very satisfying read. For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
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