The Moving Finger

Name: The Moving Finger
ISBN: 9787513315029

Agatha Christie / 程星星New Star Press · ChinaNov 2014

4.0

Word count: 105K words
Chapters: 19
ISBN: 9787513315029

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Summary

The Burton brother and sister move to a quiet country town to rest and recover, but hardly have they settled in when they receive an anonymous letter full of malice accusing the two of incest. To their astonishment they find that the townspeople have already been receiving anonymous letters of various kinds, one after another. The situation grows more and more serious, and at last it turns into a murder case...

Editor's review

The Moving Finger is a unique and often underrated work in Agatha Christie's career. First published in 1942 during World War II, it is set in an isolated English village—an intriguing intertext with the author's own retreat from the war. In the village of Lymstock, a series of malicious anonymous letters throws everyone into panic and ultimately leads to murder. Unlike the Poirot or Miss Marple series, the solution here does not rely on a legendary detective's intuition but unfolds through the civilian perspective of Jerry Burton, a pilot recovering from war injuries, and his sister Joanna. This narrative approach draws readers more deeply into ordinary people's confusion and fear, and into how latent malice in daily life is ignited. Christie displays a fine grasp of social psychology: the anonymous letters act as a fuse, precisely detonating the townspeople's repressed jealousy, prejudice, and secrets. Her depiction of postwar English village class relations, the destructive power of gossip, and collective psychology goes far deeper than a typical puzzle novel. For seasoned mystery fans, the crime method and motive may not be the most shocking, but the oppressive atmosphere and cold dissection of human nature make it a psychological suspense masterpiece worth revisiting. It is not merely entertainment but a dark mirror held up to community relations and interpersonal trust.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Loyal readers of Agatha Christie eager to explore her standout non-series works
Readers who enjoy village murder mysteries and the slow unraveling of clues through everyday details and dialogue
Readers interested in social mystery and psychological suspense, and in the social causes behind crime
Readers seeking a classical mystery with a gentler pace but exceptionally strong atmosphere

Not a good fit for

Hardcore fair-play readers seeking fast pacing, intense action, or high-tech crime methods
Readers expecting iconic detectives such as Poirot or Miss Marple to appear and lead the investigation

Reading tips

While reading, pay attention to the many supporting characters' remarks and subtle reactions; the clues to the anonymous letters lie hidden in these everyday conversations
Compare it with Christie's other works from the same period (such as The Body in the Library) to appreciate shifts in the author's state of mind during the war
After finishing, revisit the opening chapters' descriptions of the village and its residents to more fully appreciate the ingenuity of Christie's plotting

About the publisher

New Star Press China · Founded in 1989

New Star Press focuses on classic works, mystery and detective fiction, science fiction, history, foreign literature and art, and its 602 titles in the library show a balance between popular reading and humanistic depth. Representative books include The Complete Works of Shakespeare: Illustrated Collector's Edition, And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, The Player of Games, Local Government in Qing China, A Good Man Is Hard to Find and A Collection of Fine Ukiyo-e Prints, spanning classic literature, detective fiction, science fiction, local history and visual art. Its authors and contributors include William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie and Iain M. Banks, as well as translators such as Zhu Shenghao and Su Fuzhong and illustrators such as John Gilbert and George Cruikshank. Known for the detective series Midnight Library and for social-science and humanities titles, the press emphasizes edition design and reading experience; public information is limited, so this profile highlights the publishing features reflected in the library's books.

版权信息
阿加莎·克里斯蒂侦探作品年表
出版前言
致中国读者
第一章
第二章
第三章
第四章
第五章
第六章
第七章
第八章
第九章
第十章
第十一章
第十二章
第十三章
第十四章
第十五章

FAQ

Is The Moving Finger a Miss Marple novel?

No. Although set in a typical Agatha Christie English village, the case is not solved by Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot. The story unfolds mainly from the perspective of the outsider Burton siblings, with the police also playing a major role. It is often classified as one of her standalone non-series novels.

How difficult is the mystery?

Moderately challenging. The puzzle (the letter writer and the killer) is not extremely complex, but Christie embeds the solution deeply in characters' personalities and relationships; motive matters more than method. Readers need to savor the psychological clues implicit in interactions and abundant dialogue rather than rely on physical evidence.

What are the features of the New Star Press edition?

The New Star Press edition is a volume in the "Agatha Christie Detective Works" series. The translation is fluent and reliable, preserving as much of the original style and period flavor as possible. It usually includes a necessary introduction or publishing note to help readers understand the work's background, with no spoilers, making it suitable for first-time readers.

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About the author

Agatha Christie Author · United Kingdom · 1890–1976

Agatha Christie (1890–1976) was a British detective novelist, widely known as the "Queen of Crime." Over her lifetime she wrote more than eighty detective novels, generally classified as foreign literature and suspense or mystery fiction, and is noted for tightly constructed plots, steadily mounting suspense, and unexpected endings. She created two contrasting detectives: the Belgian investigator Poirot, who relies on deduction and his "little grey cells," and the elderly village spinster Miss Marple, who sees through appearances by drawing on everyday human nature and close observation. Her representative works include And Then There Were None, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and Murder on the Orient Express; the first is admired for its closed-circle structure of a nursery rhyme killing on an isolated island, while the second is often praised for its narrative technique. Her books have been translated into many languages and have had a lasting influence on later mystery writing, and they have long attracted a wide readership in the Chinese-speaking world as well.

程星星 Author

Cheng Xingxing is an author about whom little public information is available. The only confirmed work is The Devil's Hand, commonly classified as suspense and mystery fiction. Because no reliable records exist concerning the author's life, nationality, or writing chronology, no speculation is made here about personal experience; the discussion is limited to the work itself. The Devil's Hand belongs to the suspense and mystery genre, a mode of writing that typically emphasizes the pacing between planting clues, advancing doubts, and revealing the truth, and that seeks to sustain the reader's interest within a limited space. On the available evidence, Cheng Xingxing remains at the stage of a single published work and has not yet developed a series style or thematic lineage that could be summarized, so any judgment about the writing can only remain at the level of genre. Readers interested in authors and works in Chinese-language suspense and mystery fiction may take The Devil's Hand as an entry point for learning about Cheng Xingxing; as more material becomes public, a clearer picture of the author's work may emerge.