The Moving Finger
Last updated: 7 minutes ago
By Agatha Christie
Reviewed By Oren Raynes
Book 19 of 2026
The Writing
This is my second Christie book this year. This one was a little bit harder than the Orient Express as it was a little less generic in terminology and society. But the writing was fantastic. Her characters are well made and believable, as are the scenes. She also has a great sense of humour that I wouldn't have expected of that time period. For instance, the last joke about the collar and leash for the freshly married couple made me laugh out loud.
The Story
The story itself is a mystery where the murderer is sending anonymous letters to people trying to scare them off. Until someone dies. Christie had me looking at one person when I should have been looking at another one, I didn't see the ending coming.
The Movie
I found two screen adaptations; a 1985 tv series and a 2006 tv series.
1985 TV Version
I found this one on prime. This felt very true to the book except that they added more of Mrs Marple. It was fascinating to watch the level of historical detail that they put into this show. I really enjoyed this adaptation and would probably watch it again.
2006 TV Version
This one was much harder to find a watchable version without signing up and paying for more streaming accounts. So, I didn't watch this one. I hope I didn't miss out on something ground breaking.
The Bans or Controversy
In doing research for this article, I found that the Americanized versions of most of Christie's books had been edited down and sanitized compared to their British origins. It appears that the copy that I have read is an American stripped down version and now I am a little upset about that. I'm not sure if I am upset enough to reread the British version but I am upset enough to only buy original British versions going forward, if I can.
The Takeaway
Overall, a great book and great screen adaptation. I would recommend both.
Also that was my last book of September, I am now in halloween reeding! Spooky Season is upon us!
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