A smart and charming middle-grade mystery series starring young detective Aggie Morton and her friend Hector, inspired by the imagined life of Agatha Christie as a child and her most popular creation, Hercule Poirot. For fans of Lemony Snicket and Enola Holmes.Aggie Morton lives in a small town on the coast of England in 1902. Adventurous and imaginative but deeply shy, Aggie hasn’t got much to … Aggie hasn’t got much to do since the death of her beloved father . . . until the fateful day when she crosses paths with twelve-year-old Belgian immigrant Hector Perot and discovers a dead body on the floor of the Mermaid Dance Room! As the number of suspects grows and the murder threatens to tear the town apart, Aggie and her new friend will need every tool at their disposal — including their insatiable curiosity, deductive skills and not a little help from their friends — to solve the case before Aggie’s beloved dance instructor is charged with a crime Aggie is sure she didn’t commit.
Filled with mystery, adventure, an unforgettable heroine and several helpings of tea and sweets, The Body Under the Piano is the clever debut of a new series for middle-grade readers and Christie and Poirot fans everywhere, from a Governor General’s Award–nominated author of historical fiction for children.
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Finished it at 5:20 am. Truly refreshing — a tour de force.
Mystery lovers, you need to check it out!
A delightful read for Agatha Christie fans of all ages. Murder, mayhem, and intrigue lurk around corner of the debut novel in a new series.
Being a huge fan of cozy mysteries I jumped at the chance to read this new novel. I am so glad I did. Although it is a fictionalized version of a young Ms. Christie I was able to imagine this was how she started her career as the Queen of Mystery.
In this novel, Aggie is twelve years old and homeschooled and has plenty of time to use her imagination (a gift so many today do not get to explore). She fancies herself a mystery writer but when she finds a dead body she uses that imagination to try and solve the case. She gets herself into plenty of scraps but her friend Hector is always in the shadows to get her out of them.
This is the perfect novel to introduce the Mystery Queen to your young readers and open their world to a future of cozy mysteries.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.
Pure delight — brimming with adventure, mystery and fun. I loved every character, every clue and every page. Now that I know all the answers, I have only one question left: why did this book have to end?
I received this book from Tundra Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Aggie Morton lives in 1902 Torquay, England. She is a very imaginative, creative and curious twelve year old. She is shy and without companionship (except for her nanny Charlotte). That is until she meets Hector Perot, a twelve year old Belgian immigrant who is being sponsored by the Reverend and his wife.
Aggie takes dance at the Mermaid Dance Room. Her instructor is Miss Marianne Eversham. They have a benefit to collect clothes for the influx of refugees that have moved into Torquay. The next morning, Aggie is the first one through the door at the Mermaid Dance Room, wanting to get into class. She finds Mrs. Irma Eversham, Miss Marianne’s sister-in-law, dead under the piano.
Aggie and Hector set out to solve the murder of Mrs. Eversham. The police believe that Miss Marianne is the murderess but they believe differently. They are creative, curious, and determined to prove Miss Marianne’s innocence. They find themselves in some crazy situations and Aggie, some dangerous ones.
Although this book is geared towards younger (age 10+) audiences, it is a fun read for someone of any age. I truly enjoyed it. Ms. Jocelyn has researched and accurately described the era for which she writes. I love the characters and that there are illustrations at the beginning of the book which gives a picture in our minds of each one. A really good book plays out like a movie as I’m reading. This book achieved that and more. I read it quickly. I enjoyed it immensely. I highly recommend!