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Monday, July 15, 2024

Middle Grade Monday - The Body Under the Piano

Goodreads: The Body Under the Piano (Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen #1) by Marthe Jocelyn

Rating: Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)
Source:   Library

Description:  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 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.

Genre: Mystery - Middle Grade

Why I Picked This Book:  This is a middle grade mystery series heavily inspired by Agatha Christie's childhood.  How could I not read it?

My Impression: This was fun! Aggie is loosely based on Agatha Christie and lives in a world heavily inspired by her books - including Aggie's new friend, a Belgian immigrant with a love for shiny shoes and a passion for exactness.  When a rather dreadful woman is found dead under the piano at the Mermaid Dance Room Aggie springs into action to make sure her beloved dance teacher is not framed for the murder.  

Aggie and Hector form a partnership to figure out just who had the motive to want the victim dead - and out of all those people who actually was the one who killed her.   Aggie and Hector have different strengths and it was fun watching them work together.    While this is a Middle Grade mystery and it is a book I would be perfectly comfortable with my kids reading from about 8 or 9 and up.  While there is a murder and the characters occasionally are in danger it isn't bloody or violent.  This is a fun mystery with a solid amateur sleuth team that I think all mystery readers will enjoy!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more of this series.  

Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy mysteries and are an Agatha Christie fan I think you will really enjoy this book. 

4 comments:

  1. That's fun that this was inspired by Agatha Christie's childhood! Kind of makes me want to read it. :D

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  2. I can see why this would tickle your reading fancy. I love the whole premise of it.

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  3. How fun! I love that it's inspired by Agatha Christie.

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