Aggie Morton is a young sleuth who, partnering with her new friend Hector Perot, attempts to solve the mystery of who murdered her dance teacher's sister-in-law. The mystery is well put together and the clues lead the reader to solve the mystery along with Aggie and Hector. The writing and subject matter feel more suited for older middle grade readers. Some of the plot points may have to be further explained to the more young/naive reader.

I received an advanced reader copy via Net Galley.

Shy Aggie Morton has what her mother calls a "Morbid Predisposition", meaning she hosts full funerals for deceased pets and thinks of horrific scenarios out of the mundane. She is mourning her father's death, her sister leaving home to be with her husband, and sorely needs a friend. Or to be thought of as anything but a small child. It seems the stars align when she meets Belgian immigrant, Hector Perot, in the sweet shop. However, neither of them have any idea what their friendship will bring when their second meeting is overshadowed by Aggie having found a dead body in her dance teacher's studio. Who poisoned the vile Mrs. Eversham's tea? Was it Miss Marianne, the dance teacher? Could it have been her daughter, Miss Rose? The boy who has set his cap on Miss Rose's hand, Roddy Fusswell? More importantly, who will actually solve the crime? The police... or Aggie and Hector?

Heavily based off of the childhood of the Queen of Mystery, Agatha Christie, "The Body Under the Piano" is a wonderful tribute to Christie's works, and an invigorating middle grade mystery. Readers will be captivated by the small seaside English town and the colorful cast of characters that make up for the sky typically being gray. With so many suspects, how will Aggie and Hector solve the crime? And will another case befall them?

Fantastic mystery book for kids. I loved reading parts of this to my child! Aggie Morton is a strong character and a fantastic detective. I hope this book introduces kids into the world of detective fiction!

Thanks so much to Netgalley for the ARC of this wonderful middle grade mystery. As an Agatha Christie fan, I loved thinking of her as a child -- as Aggie! And there's Hector, too -- what a wonderful friendship. The novel deals with bigger topics (like grief and jealously) in a way that a younger audience can relate to. Really enjoyed this!

I really enjoyed the characters in the The Body under the Piano and loved Aggie’s descriptions of her observations. I appreciated the thoughtful commentary on society in 1902 including the treatment of “foreigners” and women. The first half was a little slow for me. I was interested in the characters but found myself easily distracted and choosing other occupations of my free time. I could not put it down once I got into the second half. I didn’t figure it out until nearly the end and had to keep going to find out what became of everyone. Really good. A solid four stars.


I received an advance copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was a nice mystery with a fun young protagonist based on Agatha Christie. When young Aggie discovers a body in her dance studio she can't help investigating. As she gets closer to the truth she finds her life in danger and very grateful for her friend Hercule. A quick fun read.

This was a cute, fun book readers of all ages can enjoy. Although it's aimed at children, I found myself devouring every page. The writing can me a bit awkward at times, however, and the vocabulary might be a bit tough for anyone under 12 years old. All in all, this was a 3.5 star read for sure!

Fans of Agatha Christie will not want to miss this wonderful middle grade mystery! With a fun plot and wonderfully precocious characters, you will be drawn in from the first page.

ARC COPY...I did like the narrative established the setting by naming events and social situations going during the time like the influx of immigrants into Britain (which was viewed with suspicion by the "locals) and the placement of women in the social pool (as highlighted by a shocking surprise!)...plus doesn't hurt to have a girl detective akin to a future Agatha Christie on the case!

I received an advance copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley.

I need a time machine so I can go back to 1990 to hand my 10-year-old self this book. Almost-40-year-old me ADORED this novel, and I know my 10-year-old self would love it even more. Why? Because the book is smart, savvy historical fiction with an honest depiction of the era, and a heroine with a morbid bent that reminds me lot of myself--though Aggie is actually inspired by the childhood of the Queen of Mystery Writers herself, Agatha Christie.

Aggie is a young girl in 1902, growing up in a small British coastal town. She has a wild imagination and a taste for the macabre, and she can't help but get involved when her music teacher's cruel mother is found dead--dead of poison! Aggie and her friend Hector set out to investigate. Their methods are smart, but they also cause a lot of problems along the way, especially when a meddlesome local reporter gets tangled up in everything.

The characters are fantastic and fun, just as you expect in a cozy British mystery village; plus, they have fun portraits at the front of the book. One of the things I loved most was the honest depiction of the past. It was not sugar-coated. The book deftly addresses bigotry (Hector is a "foreigner," a Belgian refugee inspired by Hercule Poirot), sexism (girls can't/shouldn't do many things), and the complications that arise in this period from a child born out of wedlock. The book feels quite cozy with its fun mystery and whimsical characters, but also grounded in realism because of how these other issues are handled. The balance is so well done.

I highly recommend this book for kids and their parents. If the child isn't already into classic whodunits, this novel could very well be what kicks off a life-long love of the genre.

3.5 While I truly enjoyed reading this book, I’m not sure of the intended audience. As a middle school librarian, many of my students are reading Agatha Christie books so I jumped on this book thinking they’d love a peek into an imagined tween sleuth based loosely on Agatha’s own childhood. I’m just not sure they would. I’m afraid those who’d “get it” would rather read an original Christie one those not ready for the classic wouldn’t understand the clever references. This story seems to fall into that category of fun children’s books written by adults for adults.

I was obsessed with Agatha Christie when I was a kid. I have read everything she's ever written, but my favorite books of hers will always be the ones that have Hercule Poirot in them. So when I read the synopsis of The Body Under the Piano I was so excited to read it! A 12 year old girl called Agatha Morton befriends a Belgian refugee boy Hector Perot,and then they find themselves investigating a murder together. I mean,what's not to like? And thankfully I was not disappointed.
It turned out to be everything I wanted it to and more. I believe the adult fans of Agatha Christie will enjoy reading this book as they will see all the references to the queen herself and her famous character, and the young readers will have a great first introduction to Dame Agatha and her books.
I loved that this book went beyond the murder investigation and had interesting commentary on women's rights, on what it's like to be foreigners and refugees in a new country so far away from home,on poverty, on general treatment of women,on grief. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of depth that this book had.
The characters were a delight. I really liked that they made mistakes very often,as this is the first time they are solving a murder. Agatha in particular has a very vivid imagination and often goes on little tangents in her head, imagining all sorts of unlikely scenarios that I could not help but chuckle at.
I loved that the adults were very much present in the story and would try to stop the kids from meddling in dangerous affairs. That was a breath of fresh air.
Now I only hope that this was only the first entry in the series of Agatha and Hector's adventures.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

People who know me well will know that I will read anything Agatha Christie, either her novels, biographies, stories inspired by her books or fiction stories where she’s the main character, so when I found out about the Aggie Morton Series, and how the main characters were both fictional versions of Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot when they were kids, I jumped at the chance to request an early copy, and I’m so glad I did.

When I saw this was categorized as children’s fiction and middle grade I was expecting a simple story, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a well developed mystery, touching on some topics I wasn’t expecting to find on a story for kids as women’s right to vote, illegitimate children or women’s tactics to go into jobs they were not allowed at the time.

Aggie and Hector were a great tandem, showing traits of her “real” life counterparts easily recognazible to Mrs. Christie fans. As it was written from Aggie’s point of view, young readers will relate and feel like the detectives of the story, trying to solve the clues Aggie keeps on finding to guess the murderer.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books, for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Aggie Morton is not your typical girl. She doesn't focus on the vain trifles that many of the other girls her age do. She finds herself in the middle of a murder mastery when she discovers the body of a friend's mother beneath the piano in the local dance studio. With the help of her grandmother Jane and her new friend Hector, she follows the clues and solves the mystery.

As an Agatha Christie lover, I was excited to receive access to this ARC from Netgalley. I loved how Christie's two biggest mystery solvers were involved in this tale. I appreciate that the tale wasn't written in Christie's typical style where she reveals clues but the readers must figure out those are clues for themselves. Because this tale was written from Aggie's point of view, readers recognize the clues along with her. I liked this style because it felt like readers were learning how Agatha Christie came to write mysteries the way she did.

E ARC provided by Netgalley



Aggie lives in the small seaside town of Torquay in 1902. Since her father's recent passing has left the family with fewer funds, she and her mother live with her grandmother. Aggie takes dance at the Mermaid Dance Room, and the girls are preparing for a recital that will gather clothing and supplies for recent immigrants. When the difficult mother of one of the students is found under the piano the next day by Aggie, she starts an investigation with a boy< Hector Porot, who has recently come to town from Belgium and is being fostered by the minister and his wife. Aggie's governess has a crush on the local constable, and Aggie and Hector seem to have unprecedented access to many people in town, allowing them to figure out the mystery more easily than the local police.

Strengths: This was actually a rather gruesome murder mystery, with plenty of details about the poisoning as well as a a protracted scene with a dead animal's brains leaking out in the garden-- my students often ask for this sort of mystery, so perhaps this is a good way to get them to read historical fiction. Christie used to be read in the 8th grade, but isn't an author with whom many of my students will be familiar, so this is a clever way to introduce her mysteries.

Weaknesses: The style and vocabulary of this book make it one better suited to strong readers.

What I really think: I may purchase this for fans of Stevenson's Wells and Wong Mysteries. It won't see a lot of circulation, but will be a hit with the right reader. It's sort of a more accessible version of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce, #1)(2009).

Earc from netgalley.

solid mystery, set in 1902 england. I thought it was fine, but i have read many other better mysteries of this same exact type.

Aggie is a precocious 12 year old with a penchant for finding trouble. She becomes embroiled in a mystery involving the murder of her neighbour, the unkind Mrs Eversham. She is an unliked widow and no one in the village seems to like her but they are shocked at her murder.
Aggie, being the one who first discovered the body, cannot stop thinking about how she looked, was positioned and the clues left behind.
A chance encounter with a young Belgian refugee sparks a firm friendship. His name is Hector Perot. He and Aggie share important tidbits of information regarding their list of suspects.
Daring night time escapades, surprising twists and turns, not to mention a kidnapping keep the reader guessing into the last chapters.
I truly enjoyed Aggie and felt she made a very good detective and tried very hard to be a good girl but trouble just seems to follow her. Hector was perfectly placed to assist, and the family and friends rounded out a brilliant cast of characters.

The mystery was well written and will surely inspire young readers to delve into the worlds of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie.
I would happily read another Aggie Morton mystery to see what trouble she can spot!

Very happy to recommend this widely.

I absolutely loved this book! The story was engaging, the characters fantastic, and the vocabulary, as a mom of a middle grade reader, pleased me to no end. I love that the main character, Aggie is modeled after the true mystery queen herself, Agatha Christie! The story itself moved along quickly and never lagged- would definitely keep the attention of a young reader.

This children mystery (a possible start of series?) has potential, but I couldn't get past the affected narrative style which, for me, failed to give the story a sense of time and place and instead just got in the way. Those not disturbed by the stylistic choices, however, will likely enjoy the book overall.

This was such a cute mystery novel. I feel like there’s a fine line in kids novels when it’s a mystery where it can be too much or too cheesy and this one was just right.