The Body under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn - ADVISABLE

The Body under the Piano (Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen) by Marthe Jocelyn, 325 pages, Tundra Books (Penguin Random House), 2020, $16.

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Inspired by the imagined life of author Agatha Christie as a child, twelve-year old Aggie Morton is an aspiring writer in a small coastal England town in 1902.  Aggie is lined up for dance lesson and is the first through the door only to discover, gasp, a dead body under the piano.  Aggie and her new friend, Hector Perot, use their detective skills in an unlikely adventure to try and figure out who in their small community could do such a dastardly deed.

Filled with great characters, this book is a well-written mystery, especially if you like Agatha Christie.  There are illustrations at the front of the book of each of the major players and it makes for a fun reference guide as readers try and figure out the murderer along with Aggie and Hector.  I loved the writing style, which captures the nuance and mores of the era.  I hope Aggie and Hector have more grand adventures!

Michelle in the Middle