The Tale of Jerry and Joanna: The Moving Finger | 1943

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"The great thing in these cases is to keep an absolutely open mind. Most crimes, you see, are so absurdly simple. This one was. Quite sane and straightforward—and quite understandable—in an unpleasant way, of course." - Miss Jane Marple, The Moving Finger, p. 180

The Sum of It:
The Moving Finger has always been one of my favorite Agatha stories (incidentally, it was one of her favorites too!): the plot is very clever, it has a lot of romance (always a plus), and has some very Tommy and Tuppence-esque witty characters in brother and sister protagonist duo Jerry and Joanna Burton.

Recently-injured-and-now-convelescing Jerry Burton (also this book's narrator) and his sister Joanna begin the book by moving to the small country village of Lymstock for some quality R&R. ALAS they find the village quite twitterpated because someone has been sending nasty anonymous letters to nearly every resident. Jerry and Joanna aren't really bothered by the whole thing, but are quite fascinated to know who is behind them. As they settle into their new house (called Little Furze #namegoals) they make nice with the neighbors, namely:

The Symmingtons: lawyer dad, neurotic mom, spacey yet lovable older daughter, two little boys, and a hot nanny.
Mr. Pye: eccentric bachelor who knows all the town gossip
The Dane Calthrops: Vicar and fairly terrifying wife
Miss Emily Barton: Jerry and Joanna's landlady (Bartons AND Burtons - that won't be confusing at all…will it?)
The Griffiths: Dr. Owen and nosy sister Aimee.
There is also an appropriate sprinkling of housekeepers and housemaids, etc.

The anonymous letters seem to just be an in-bad-taste prank until Mrs. Symmington is found #DEAD, apparently having committed suicide after reading one of the letters. It all seems a straightforward deal, but at the same time, something about it seems fishy and Jerry has more questions than the detectives are willing to ask. Things REALLY heat up when the Symmingtons's maid, Agnes Waddle, is found #MURDERED in a cupboard under the stairs (#notHarry'scupboard). Now that there's an actual murder to solve, a Superintendent Nash shows up to sort it all out. Or at least tries to...

BUT WAIT, you might ask (I certainly did), isn't this a Miss Marple book? Where is Miss Marple? Fear not, she does show up quite near the end as a seemingly random guest of the Dane Calthrops, knits unobtrusively during teas and get-togethers, chats with Jerry, and comes up with a sneaky little plan to oust the killer! I remember the first time I read this feeling SO confident that I had solved the whole thing, but of course the simple answer was quite different, yet right under my nose the whole time!

The YOA Treatment:
As with many of her novels, Agatha has chosen a man as the narrator for this novel. In much the same way as Luke Fitzgerald from Murder is Easy, Jerry Burton plays more of the being-nosy-from-the-sidelines sort of character instead of the pretty formal sidekick-esque Dr. Sheppard from Roger Ackroyd or observer who gets told a lot of secrets Leonard Clement from Murder at the Vicarage. I admire Agatha for not sticking too closely to a formulaic narration style. As much as I love the Hastings/Poirot repartee, you do know what to expect with a Hastings-narrated novel. Being open to telling her stories through the eyes of different men (and women! I'm lookin' at you, Nurse Amy Leatheren from Murder in Mesopotamia!) is part of what makes Dame Agatha such a writing star for me.

As I was considering the subject of narration, I found a couple of interesting articles about book narrators:

Check out this article about books with unreliable narrators and this article about books written by women with great male narrators

Spoiler alert: Agatha makes both lists :)

-A.

Truth Will Out: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd | 1925

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"What one does not tell to Papa Poirot he finds out." -The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, p. 217

Dear Readers. Please hold on to your hats this week, because we read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and we have a lot to talk about.

First, a quick note, you may notice that we have been jumping around a bit chronologically with our reads. In an effort to split up Agatha's books (and pick out a few for the two of us to read at the same time), we have gotten ourselves a bit out of order, strictly speaking. However, rest assured we do have a plan to read them all, and we shouldn't get too far ahead of ourselves.

Alright - back to business.

The Sum of It:

Hercule Poirot is back! But he is not here to swoop in and save the day, no. Flush with cash from a recent case (perhaps solving a "baffling murder mystery" involving a Russian Grand Duchess disguised as a commoner mentioned in chapter 11?), Poirot has RETIRED to the country to engage in the relaxing task (?) of growing vegetable marrows (yes.) But where Poirot is, murder cannot be far behind. Devoid of his usual Hastings for company (#Argentineorbust #wishyouwerehere), Poirot teams up with his neighbor and local physician (and this book's narrator!), Dr. James Sheppard, to find out just WHO KILLED ROGER ACKROYD?!

Ackroyd was a local richie big wig, eligible bachelor, and step dad to total hottie Ralph Paton, who is about to (reluctantly) announce his engagement to his (no blood relation!) cousin, Flora Ackroyd. Of course, before his death, Roger Ackroyd is overheard arguing with someone about money, nearly everyone who benefits from his will got that money just in the nick of time, and just as the police move in to investigate, Ralph Paton goes missing. Let's add to this the fact that Roger Ackroyd was just about to find out who blackmailed his lady love, Mrs. Ferrars, literally to death. It's essential that Poirot and the police determine who saw Roger Ackroyd last, when exactly the crime was committed, who a mysterious Canadian stranger is, and what color someone's boots are.

Poirot enlists everyone's help in attempting to solve the murder, but senses reluctance.

"'Each of you has something to hide. Come now, am I right?' His glance, challenging and accusing, swept around the table. And every pair of eyes dropped before his. Yes, mine as well. 'I am answered,' said Poirot, with a curious laugh. He got up from his seat. 'I appeal to you all. Tell me the truth -- the whole truth.' There was silence. 'Will no one speak?' He gave the same short laugh again. 'C`est dommage,' he said, and went out."

Little do these people realize that it is nooooo good keeping secrets from Papa Poirot, because he'll just find out anyways. We really cannot say more here without spoilers, but suffice it to say, you're going to be guessing and guessing until the end of this one!

The YOA Treatment:

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is considered a turning point for Agatha. This plot of this book (and, in particular, it's conclusion) is markedly spectacular and a step up from previous novels. Before we get into the meat of our thoughts, here are a few sparkling details that we found particularly wonderful:

• Without his usual pal, Hastings, Poirot adorably becomes besties with Dr. Sheppard, who proves to be a worthy understudy, having (just like Hastings) back luck in speculation choices (Porcupine Oilfields? I mean, come on...) and perhaps a "penchant for auburn hair?"
• Chapter 16 has us longing for a night of Mah Jong partying (or maybe mostly the coffee, cake, sandwiches, and tea that come with it #hearteyesemoji).
• In looking for clues, Poirot goes all Idris-Elba-as-Luther and identifies a goose quill which is used in North America for "sniffing snow," i.e., cocaine, without batting an eye because he's just that urbane. 
• Agatha's writing in this one feels more mature and confident than in some of her other, earlier books. It kind of seems like this is the point where she started taking herself a bit more seriously as a writer. 
• Though there are lovely ladies in this book, they are much less the focus of the story than in others. That might be one reason why this one feels a little less romantic and a little more mysterious (though we love the romantic ones too!)
• We know that despite being a crime writer, Agatha wasn't crazy about gory violence, hence the very common use of poison or strangling in her books. In this book, though, she went with stabbing via a fancy dagger, so that's a bit out of the ordinary.
• This book is also more about the crime and less about Poirot himself, in part because the narrator doesn't know Poirot as well as Hastings did, which keeps your attention more locked on the mystery at hand. 
• Obvi in this one Poirot is retired, and he talks a lot about how old he is and how this might be his last case, etc. etc. While Papa Poirot is given to hyperbole, this could also just be a sign that Agatha had no idea at this point just how many more Poirot stories the world would demand!

And here is where we are going to have some spoilers so PLEASE BE ADVISED SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT (until the very end, where there are mild spoilers in quiz answers!)

The idea of a novel's narrator being much more involved in a crime than they initially let on is one that, when done well, is so very effective. The absolute brilliance of Roger Ackroyd is darling Dr. Sheppard doing just that throughout the book, and yet, as a reader, you are never explicitly lied to. Going into this read knowing the outcome, both of us watched the narration like a hawk (as Emily said) just to see if we could catch Agatha in a fib. In the Apologia that is chapter 27, Dr. Sheppard touts (as we imagine Agatha was as well) his lack of outright lying, using clever language like "I did what little had to be done" to blind the reader to his actual role in the story. Despite never giving away the actual solution to the crime, Agatha wasn't afraid to hint at the truth throughout the book, even though the hints might stare you right in the face before disappearing in your mind.

One thing that struck us as a bit odd/grim is Poirot's advice to the murderer after he has notified him that his identity is known. Without giving literally everything away, Poirot suggests to the murderer that there might be another way to handle his guilt, besides going to jail. In future stories, Agatha and Poirot both demonstrate a pretty strong value for life, especially given his Catholicism. This conclusion seems a bit out of character for both, though that could have more to do with the fact that Agatha hadn't realized yet fully who Poirot was than anything else. It could also, however, be more of an insight into Poirot's character and world view. While he is often sweet and compassionate, he also pulls no punches when it comes to his understanding of human nature, and no rose colored glasses shield his view of what people are capable of.

Most of the books we've read and written about so far have been, despite the general topic of murder, rather light and chock full of banter, love stories, and capers. This story is a first glimpse into a darker type of tale, perhaps influenced by Agatha's own growth through life experience, and further revealing Agatha's depth and talent as a writer.

______________________

AS PROMISED! Here are the answers to The Murder of Roger Ackroyd quiz from last week:

(*Mild spoilers below, when put together with questions from last week*)

Characters:

1.) Inspector Raglan

2.) Flora Ackroyd

3.) Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson

4.) The motto of the mongoose family, "Go and find out," from Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.

5.) Major Blunt was a big game hunter.

6.) Roger Ackroyd discovered that Mrs. Ferrars killed her first husband.

7.) The person who murdered Roger Ackroyd

8.) Captain Ralph Paton

9.) Mrs. Cecil Ackroyd

10.) Major Blunt

Circumstances:

1.) Fernly Park

2.) Mah Jong

3.) King's Abbot

4.) Three Boars

5.) Larches

6.) A hairdresser

7.) At a mental hospital in Cranchester

8.) Until the next morning

9.) Blue

10.) Dog and Whistle

Leave us a comment below and let us know how you did on the quiz! AND, of course, about all your Roger Ackroyd thoughts and feelings.

-A. & E.

How Well Do You Know Roger Ackroyd? | A QUIZ!

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Hello readers! We are busy finishing our book of the week, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and since we are both reading it we are skipping our Saturday post and instead will have just one thrilling recap for you on Monday. HOWEVER, since we know many of you may have read this classic before,  to tide you over until Monday, we wanted to give you an opportunity to test your own Roger Ackroyd skills in a little quiz from the AMAZING book What's Your Agatha Christie I.Q.? by Kathleen Kaska. I (Audrey) picked this treasure up years ago at a used bookstore and it's been one of my favorite Agatha companion books.

We will be providing the answers to these questions in our recap post on Monday!

Characters:
1.) What cunning character helped Hercule Poirot investigate the crime?
2.) Who engaged Hercule Poirot to take the case?
3.) To which fictional characters did Dr. Sheppard compare himself and Poirot?
4.) What motto did James Sheppard use to describe the character of his sister, Caroline?
5.) What did Major Blunt do for a living?
6.) Now that Mrs. Ferrars was free to marry Roger Ackroyd, why did the couple not proceed with the wedding?
7.) Who was blackmailing Mrs. Ferrars?
8.) To whom was Ursula Bourne secretly married?
9.) Who left the silver table open in Roger Ackroyd's study?
10.) Whom did Flora Ackroyd ultimately choose as her husband?

Circumstances:
1.) What was the name of Roger Ackroyd's house?
2.) Which parlor game was popular among the characters?
3.) What was the name of the village in which the murder occurred?
4.) What was the name of the local inn where Ralph Paton stayed?
5.) What was the name of Hercule Poirot's house?
6.) What did Dr. Sheppard believe Hercule Poirot's profession was from his appearance and manner when they first met?
7.) Where was Ralph Paton hiding during the investigation?
8.) How long did Poirot give the murderer to do the right thing before Poirot went to the police with the incriminating evidence?
9.) What was the color of the mysterious letter Roger Ackroyd received before he was murdered?
10.) What was the name of the pub that Charles Kent used in his alibi?

-A. & E.