“The Moving Finger” by Agatha Christie – Lethal Shame

Dark secrets are seldom hidden away forever in literature; rather, they are locked in a Pandora's Box to be opened at the most convenient time.

As one might expect, the British countryside is practically made of and built upon dark secrets, or at least that's the case in Agatha Christie's The Moving Finger, which it should be noted, was actually one of her personal favorite works of her own, and in her eyes it is one of the few that truly stood the test of time.

In any case, in this book we are once again presented with the lovely old lady sleuth Miss Marple as she is called in by her friend into her small village during a period of great duress. Someone has been exposing people's dirtiest secrets through a series of letters, an event followed shortly by a rather suspicious suicide.

As if that wasn't already enough, an apparent murder has been added to the list of reasons as to why one should always stay in densely-populated areas when in England. Miss Marple, being a true expert in the cunning and bloodthirsty ways of the British countryside dweller, decides to head down there and do what she does best.

One of the first things which struck me in this novel are the various characters we have the pleasure of acquainting ourselves with. They are rather varied and unique, each one being very recognizable on his or her own, all of them distinguishable in their own rights.

In here you are going to find the lovely nurse who truly worries about nothing but helping others, the charming young man who certainly looks like he his hiding something, the gorgeous governess who seems to have a lot more on her mind than her job, just to name a few.

Though they are going to feel a tad cliched at times, it is worth noting that it was written at a time when it wasn't so, and in spite of that their remarkable cohesiveness carries them through any shortcomings they may have.

Of course, as always, it goes without saying (but then again, it must be said) that the mystery itself is a very solid one. The crime is rather morbid in its nature, eliciting an omnipresent feeling of danger and anxiety.

The resolution doesn't come easily to the reader, but those who are willing to do the mental work are given enough to find the answer... that is, you are going to know just as much as Miss Marple when the end approaches. It's all fair and square.

Besides being a very entertaining whodunit murder mystery, this book is also, upon deeper review, a commentary on the nature of human evil, about its everlasting presence in this world, its ability to dissimulate itself even inside the most idyllic settings, and our ceaseless struggle against it.

Some of Agatha Christie's novels have more food for thought than others, and this is certainly one of them. Maybe the ideas expressed here aren't exactly new, but they sure are developed eloquently and make for an interesting layer that adds value to this book.

All things taken into consideration, The Moving Finger is one of the more popular Agatha Christie novels for a reason, giving the readers (once again) a solid experience in every sense of the word, from the tiniest characterizations to the ultimate resolution of the mystery itself. A definite must-read for any fan of murder mysteries.

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Agatha Christie (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) Personal site Agatha Christie is thought of by many as being the grandmother of murder mysteries. Throughout her novels, which include the classics And Then There Were None and Death on the Nile, Christie developed many groundbreaking techniques for her time, most of which are being used in one way or another by modern murder mystery writers.