In this story we follow Aggie (Agatha) Morton, who one morning finds a dead body under the piano of her dance class. Together with her new friend from Belgium, Hector Perot, she tries to solve the case.

First off this is obviously a potential and fictionalized version of Agatha Christie’s childhood. And I feel she has been portrayed very well. The writing style may not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it. The narrative is interspersed with Aggie’s thoughts on how she would describe certain things and situations were she to write a book. It adds to her personality, as a creative and imaginative girl.

I am not untidy. I merely surround myself with a plethora of possibilities.

I liked the setting. The author definitely did her research in the place and time, and it shows. I also liked that there were some feminist characters, fighting for womens’ vote and more liberating fashion. These women are still frowned upon by most of the characters, and even our main character finds them somewhat eccentric. Although I do fully agree with the feminist motives, it is nice to see a more true to the time reactions.

The plot was very good. Although I did guess who did it, it wasn’t obvious and I couldn’t figure out the why till it was explained to me. The story also has many layers and themes, and shows a lot of grey morality. You do feel for the killer and understand why he did it.

Yes, the kids made a bunch of stupid decisions, and like many middle-grade (and YA) stories there was a lack of adults in this story. But apart from that I very much enjoyed it, and would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Body Under the Piano is the first book in a new series for middle grade readers by Marthe Jocelyn. Due out 4th Feb 2020 from Penguin Random House on their Tundra imprint, it's 334 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

This is such an appealing and well written Agatha Christie homage. Agatha "Aggie" Morton is a precocious 12 year old helping to right the wrongs of her Edwardian world along with her friend, young Belgian refugee Hector Perot. She's intelligent and observant, outspoken and loyal. The illustrations by Isabelle Follath add the perfect amount of whimsy and support the story well.

I haven't seen any definite comparisons with the delightful Flavia de Luce novels by Alan Bradley, but this one will appeal to fans of Mr. Bradley's work. It's not quite as wonky and blackly humorous, and it's written for a younger audience, but it rang the same bells for me.

A delightfully diverting read and one which I heartily recommend for everyone, not just younger readers.

Four stars.

<i>I received this book in return for an honest review via Netgalley.</i>

I. ADORED. THIS. BOOK. I love Agatha Christie books, hands down one of my favourite mystery authors, and this story is an amazing emulation.

It follows a twelve-year-old Agatha Morton, entirely inspired by Christie herself. She lives with her mother, grandmother and governess in Torquey; she is dealing with the grief behind her father's death by natural causes, and is wonderfully obsessed with the morbid. The day after a performance to raise charitable donations to support the influx of refugees in the area, the body of her neighbour is found under the piano. Poisoned. Now, Aggie, with the help of her friend Hector Poriot, decides to investigate the mysterious death.

I loved the writing style that Marthe Jocelyn uses - it is entirely matching to the time period she is writing in and yet still manages to sound as if it is in the point of view of a twelve year old girl, which is amazing in itself. I was engaged and invested the entire way through. In the author's note, Jocelyn speaks about the research she did for the time period and about Agatha Christie's real life childhood experiences, and this feeds brilliantly into the construction of the story. It felt real, and in brief moments, I forgot that this was a story inspired by Christie, not something that actually happened to her.

As for the mystery element, I thought it was very well done. Just like a Christie novel, there was lots of deduction, lots of red herrings and secrets that the characters held on until they could be unraveled by Aggie and Hector. I didn't consider that the killer was the killer at all and honestly, I am always pleased with a mystery when I can't figure out who the guilty party is.

I loved this book. It's a really good middle-grade story and a well-paced mystery book. I would recommend this to all mystery fans, especially those with a soft spot for Agatha Christie novels. I will definitely be picking up a physical copy of this book when it is released!

I am a huge Agatha Christie fan and was delighted to see this available on Netgalley and geared towards middle grade for those not yet ready to read OG Agatha yet.

Although I had my issues with this book I do think it’s a great stepping stone and has a well thought out mystery for a younger audience to enjoy.

The characters are well developed and the murder is shockingly gruesome which in my book isn’t a bad thing at all lmao. This is a series that I would love to see flourish and become better with time which I’m quite positive it will.

Thanks very much to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy of my ARC.

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.

Agatha Christie-lite for the younger sleuthing crowd. This first in the series is well done and introduces us to Agatha Morton and her new Belgian friend Hector Perot. The portraits at the beginning of the book set the tone as well a giving us a home base for Who's Who during the course of the novel. The historical period was well-researched and we can envision the many situations Aggie describes as she refuses to leave the investigation to the police alone. We see marked character development throughout for our two main characters and their supporting cast. I can especially imagine Maggie Smith as Grannie Jane as her personality is similar to the iconic role she played in Downton Abbey.The added Author's Note at the end of the book reinforced my favorable opinion of this first work in the series as well as enticing me to read on when future volumes are produced. The work came short of amazing as I wonder if the right audience of middle graders will discover it before jumping straight to the real thing.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Tundra Books for a paperback ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“I am not untidy,” I objected, “I merely surround myself with the plethora of possibilities.”

I loved little Aggie Morton! This was a sweet (and serious in some parts) mystery reminiscent of and Agatha Christie or, in my opinion, Nancy Drew.

Agatha Morton is a smart girl with a head for mysteries and she stumbles upon one early on in the story. We get to meet her friend Hector Perot, a young Belgian boy staying with the Vicar, who she goes on many of her adventures with. I loved all the different characters of the town of Torquay, and I’m interested to dive further into their town some day. The illustrations were so cute and added the perfect element to the story. I would really like to see the finished product when it’s published just to see the illustrations in person.
Overall, I’d say anyone who loves mysteries and precocious kids sticking their nose where it’s not wanted would love this. Additionally, give this to all the young murderinos in your life!

Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Body Under the Piano is a great start to a middle-grade mystery series. It's based on the early life of the real-life mystery queen Agatha Christie.

Agatha (Aggie) Morton is a 12-year-old girl who chafes at the restrictions placed on a young girl in Edwardian England. At her nervous mother's insistence, she still has a nursemaid who accompanies her everywhere. She's still grieving her father's recent death. Her only distraction is a new friendship with a young Belgian immigrant named Hector Porot. The two inquisitive children become fast friends after Aggie discovers a body in her dance studio, and they decide to solve the murder themselves.

This is a really delightful book. Aggie and Hector are great characters. The mystery is well done and very reminiscent of Agatha Christie's stories. (I did guess the murderer about halfway through, but I've read a lot of mysteries and I think readers in the targeted age group will be thrilled with the big reveal.) There's some examination of class and privilege. Aggie's family is struggling a bit financially since her father's death, but she still leads a very privileged life and is shocked to learn that a family servant is living in an unheated shack. Hector is an immigrant living on charity, so he's treated with some suspicion by the town. There's also some discussion on social changes, as Aggie's dance teacher, who ends up being a suspect in the murder, is a suffragette and doesn't believe that women need to be married.

This is a really fun book for middle grade readers, and it was an entertaining read for this adult too. It's the sort of book I wish had existed when I was a kid, just starting out on reading Agatha Christie.

This is an excellent historical mystery that can be appreciated by younger and older readers.
I liked the vivid historical background, the well thought cast of characters and the solid mystery.
It's an engrossing and entertaining read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

What happened if Agatha Christie grew up to be such a prolific writer because she solved mysteries as a girl? And what if she had a friend that was the prototype for Hercule Poirot? And a grandmother who strongly resembles Miss Jane Marple? You would get this series about Aggie Morton.
Aggie is sort of like Harriet the Spy but more focused on writing poetry than on spying on other people. She is supposed to be a part of a local fete welcoming refugees but she freezes and is saved by Rose. Rose is a beautiful local seventeen-year-old whose aunt is the local dance teacher and an all-around nice lady. Her mother, on the other hand, is known as being vituperative and mean. No surprise who ends up dead then. Aggie is the one to discover the body and becomes very curious, trying to solve the case with new friend Hector.
This book was a little too long but I think would be great for a reader who is ready for some more challenging material; the murder is off-screen (as it were) but the language is a bit higher than a lot of the middle-grade books I've read.

Four stars
This book comes out February 4th
ARC kindly provided by Penguin Random House and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

I thoroughly enjoyed this historical mystery. Set in the seaside town of Torqay, England in 1902, the author introduces us to young Aggie Morton who has a penchant for writing and exploring all things morbid. Imagine her delight when she stumbles upon a dead body sprawled under the piano of Miss Marianne's Dance Studio! She sets out to uncover whodunit with her new friend, a young Belgian refugee by the name of Hector Perot.
If the names sound a bit familiar, it is because this is a fictionalized creation of a young Agatha Christie working with a young Hercule Poirot to solve a mystery. Agatha Christie was indeed born in Torquay and her father did die when Agatha was eleven. But this middle grade series opener is based solidly in the world of fiction. Lots of surprises and red herrings await readers - this would make a fine read-aloud though students would be clamoring to know what happens next. A nice addition to the tween mystery section.

Yes, I appreciated this one very much! I love a mystery with good characterization, a decent plot, and good world-building. The historical aspect is well-done, the story is YA appropriate but was still fun to read for this adult, and was quite engaging. This will be one I'll set aside for my kid for when she's old enough, and hopefully it'll be a good segue into Agatha Christie mysteries themselves (which I was reading voraciously by 8th grade anyway). I am hoping we'll see more Aggie soon.

This was my first middle grade mystery. I'm a fan of Agatha Christie so when I read the summary I immediately requested it and I really enjoyed this. It was a well thought out mystery to solve. What I loved the most was that it covered topics such as women's rights, sexism as well as some discrimination against immigrants (mainly from the policeman), Hector Perot who arrived from Belgium. It was great seeing it from Aggie's POV, a twelve year old girl, in that time and her opinions on these topics. I liked her character. I would say it'd be directed towards advanced readers in middle grade.

Also, the authors note was good to read. I appreciated her research for this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Body Under The Piano, I was not sure what to expect from a middle grade mystery and I was pleasantly surprised.

In the author's note Marthe Jocelyn says the book is inspired by her love of Agatha Christie mysteries, and is Jocelyn's fictional imaging of Christie's childhood.

There are plot twists and turns, and multiple suspects. Aggie's character has a great imagination. Something I really enjoyed was all of the characters clever names.

The book also deals with issues such as racism, sexism and women's rights.

I love murder mysteries and I have been trying to read more middlegrade books. I thought the story was so fun and intriguing, but also had really clever elements that help to educate children on life in 1902! I certainly learned a thing or two! I'd definitely recommend this to adult readers as well - it was a delight.

I really enjoyed this book I couldn't put it down! I didn't know this until I finished it but the character of Aggie Morton was based off of Agatha Christie. Jocelyn did so much research in order to make this story as authentic as possible. I loved the Victorian era setting, it's one of my favourites because I love historical fiction. This book was so full of intrigue and plot twists especially near the end. I figured out who the killer was before Aggie and I was practically screaming at the book. The characters were all very well developed as well. Aggie's grandma was such a sassy old lady and Miss Marianne reminded me of Miss Honey from 'Matilda'. One thing I really liked about Jocelyn's writing style was how she would write about Aggie describing a scene as if she were writing it and it was so descriptive and dramatic. I think this was a great addition to the story. I'm so excited to read the next book! Overall a really really awesome book!

I  received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

This is such a fantastic concept and charming book. As a lover of Agatha Christie, I'm enamored with this story and hope there are more in the future.

Very cute middle grade read! Aggie Morton's family has not truly recovered from her father's death. When a dead body is discovered and her beloved dance teacher is the prime suspect, 12-year old Aggie, and her new best friend, a Belgian refugee named Hector Perot will team up to uncover the true identity of the murderer.

A lovely mystery for children! I find more and more 11-13 year old asking for murder mysteries and it's always hard to find one that isn't too mature but this fits the bill beautifully. The historical tone and setting give enough distance to the reader so that, though gripped, they never feel at risk. I can think of lots of children who would enjoy this book.

Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Body under the Piano has everything I love in a good mystery: excellent writing, good character development, a satisfying problem to solve, and even a touch of British humor. For me, the fact that it's written for middle grade readers is a plus, as we all know I'm about 12 years old deep inside. What made it extra special is that it's loosely framed around Agatha Christie's own childhood.

As a writer and Agatha Christie fan, I loved the little inside jokes and references, imagined origin stories, if you will, of some of her classic scenarios and characters. In particular, we meet (the entirely made up) Hector Perrot, a Belgian refugee with a flair for solving crimes and maintaining perfection in his attire. Bold writer though I may be, I don't think I'd be up for the task of turning Hercule Poirot into a child--could he ever have been one?--but Marthe Jocelyn somehow pulled it off. You'll love him.

I can't wait to share Aggie Morton with my almost-teenager, as it's the perfect introduction to Agatha Christie's particular brand of mystery story...