The Local Gossip: The Moving Finger 2.0

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"You see," he said, "crude, childish spite though it is, sooner or later one of these letters will hit the mark. And then, God knows what may happen! I'm afraid, too, of the effect upon the slow, suspicious, uneducated mind. If they see a thing written, they believe its true. All sorts of complications may arise."
-The Moving Finger, p. 15

The Sum of It:

Brother and sister duo Jerry and Joanna have absconded from the city to the quaint village of Lymstock, where Jerry is meant to follow his doctor's orders of rest and relaxation as he heals from injuries suffered when an airplane he was flying crashed. They're renting a fusty little house from an equally fusty old lady, and Joanna, sophisticated city girl though she is, and her brother are trying to take an interest in local goings on #villagelife. 

Shortly after they arrive, however, they receive a so-called "poison pen letter," pieced together from letters cut out of a book, accusing them of being a risque couple as opposed to a perfectly innocent brother and sister, and calling Joanna some rather nasty names. They laugh it off, but find that they are only the most recent of many villagers who have received such letters making vicious but typically unfounded and untrue allegations against the recipients. When one of the recipients is found dead, her letter nearby and an apparent suicide note at her side, the police decide to track down the sender once and for all, as the letters have now begun to result in real injury. However, the case escalates when the dead woman's maid is found quite clearly murdered, having been bludgeoned in the head. Jerry and the police work to track down the letter writer and presumed killer, but run into frustration time and again. Meanwhile Jerry develops a bit of a crush on the dead woman's awkward daughter, and EVENTUALLY, like 3/4 of the way through the book, Miss Marple turns up, asks a few questions, and essentially solves the case. Quite like Miss Marple, really!

The YOA Treatment:

When Audrey read this one during the first go-around, she was adamant that I needed to read it someday, and now that I've finally gotten around to it, I can certainly see why. This book, written during Agatha's prime, is funny and clever, a page turner with a pleasant narrator in Jerry. The village of Lymstock is perfectly painted, and one can just imagine the fluffy old ladies gossiping about the most recent poison pen letter outside the adorable local grocer. Even though Miss Marple honestly barely figures in the story at all, I found this to be one of my favorite Christie reads. 

One of the most enjoyable characters in my opinion was Megan, the awkward young lady Jerry finds himself quite taken with. She's terribly self aware, and makes funny observations about the provincial opinions of the people in town and her own family's inability to figure out what to do with her #notagirlnotyetawoman. I very much enjoyed the scenes when Jerry and Megan take a day trip into the city so he can buy her some clothes befitting a lovely young woman rather than an awkward girl, and they escape themselves and the village for a sophisticated dinner and dance. Even though I have seen the (very good) adaptation several times, I wasn't quite sure who the killer was, and found myself quite satisfied by the build up and reveal. I often enjoy the light, fun mysteries more than the heavier ones, but this one seemed to have a nice balance that would suit any Christie reader, and I'm certain I'll find myself recommending it to many friends!

- E.