This was a cute middle reader mystery, and I really enjoyed the paleontology infused into the story.

This book was my first crack at this series, and I enjoyed it enough to read another. My kids were less enamored of this one, probably because it’s a bit less inventive and evocative than the best kids’ mysteries, and because they aren’t old enough to appreciate Agatha Christie and her contributions to the mystery genre.

None of us loved the solve, which felt like a bit of a cop out, but getting there was fun, and I thought the seaside setting was well rendered.

In all it’s a great concept for a series, and very age appropriate for young readers. As an adult reader it’s fun to imagine your way into a sort of proto Agatha Christie’s early world.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC. I really enjoyed reading this middle grade book. I'm a sucker for seaside background and mystery. Agatha Christie fans will like this. A fun portrayal of a young Agatha and her friend Poirot. Very cute. It is the final of the series but I definitely want to go back and read the others.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Great cover on this one!

I am a huge fan of middle-grade books, and this one was such an entertaining read. It was well written. I loved the setting. I loved the archeological aspect. The plot kept me engaged. The characters were likable and intriguing. If I had to be nit picky, I'd say it was maybe a tad bit too long. I found that it dragged a little towards the end. Overall it was a great read. I am sad that this appears to be the last book in the series. I will definitely go back and read the previous books!

**ARC Vua NetGalley**

Who is Aggie Morton? Well, for all of you Agatha Christie fans out there, this middle grade series is sure to delight as we go on adventures with a young Agatha and her Belgian friend Hector Perot solving mysteries. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this series and seeing the fun way that the author has integrated Agatha’s most famous sleuths Poirot and Marples into the stories which really makes this series great for all ages. You could really pick up any of these books, but some mention of past cases may make you want to read more.

In her fourth (and sadly last) outing, Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Seaside Corpse by Marthe Jocelyn with illustrations by Isabelle Follath, brings Aggie and Hector to the beaches at Lyme Regis on England’s Jurassic Coast to fossil hunt with paleontologists. This series has delved into historic events surrounding Agatha’s life, but this specific book helps readers understand more about all of the tasks at an archeological dig. The discovery by Mary Canning of an ichthyosaur brought the attention to many fossil hunters looking to expand their collection and fame. This includes the characters of Blenningham-Crewes (cleverly named B.C.) couple, and American millionaires among others. When one of the fossil hunters washes up on the beach, Aggie and Hector spring into action to uncover how he came to his death.

Although this book series deals with death/murder, most middle grade readers should be able to latch onto the story of how the mystery is solved as the characters are knowledgeable and interesting, and the death becomes an incidental, though important, piece of the story. I especially loved the focus in this book on the history of science and in particular, the many roles that women have played in important scientific discoveries; including Mary Canning. Because of the time they lived in, many of the credit for their work went to the men that were able to go to university and obtain official titles. Agatha Christie was a woman who was incredibly successful in a profession that was and remains heavily male-dominated, and this book series is such a lovely way to honour her unquestionable legacy as the queen of mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Since this was the final book in the series, I did go and read the others. I think this was a good closure to the story. I enjoyed the characters, Aggie especially. I would recommend for kids.

I truly enjoyed this series, and I was sorry to hear in the author's note that it will be the last in the series.

These books are excellent for young mystery readers as well as old. Agatha Christie fans will especially enjoy this fun portrayal of a young Agatha and her friend Poirot solving mysteries together.

The author always finds a way to cleverly weave historical information into the plot, and this book featured Aggie and Hector at the site of an archeological dig lead by a bold, young scientist whose unlikeable husband is discovered dead. The cast of characters provide plenty of likely suspects, and the plot is action packed.

As someone who enjoys reading Agatha Christie books I am finding this series adorable. The latest addition was no exception. I love the relationship between Aggie and Poirot. But the real appeal is the mysteries. They are just as good! I love that such young detectives are enjoying their time solving the mysteries!

Did Agatha Christie love crime solving even at a young age? Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen. The Seaside Corpse imagines such a setting. Young Aggie and her best friend Hector Poirot put their smarts together to solve the mystery of a unliked professor who turns up dead on the same seashore where he and his wife were to excavate a historic fossil of tremendous significance. Who murdered the perpetually angry and greedy professor? An engaging story of two young sleuths and a sure delight for young and old alike..

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinions.

My grandchildren adore the Aggie Morton books but would like them to be movies too, that would a great idea. I would watch those too.

Thank you to Tundra Books for an eARC of this book coming out on November 8th.

Aggie and Hector are at it again, and fans of this series will be happy to know that more murder and mayhem are coming their way. This time, Aggie and Hector are taking part in an archeological expedition to help recover the fossil of an ichthyosaur on the coast of Lyme Regis when they discover a body on the beach. Several suspects have motives and opportunities, so it's up to the intrepid duo to follow the clues and figure out who committed the murder.

This is the final book in the series, and I'm sad to see it come to a close. Solving a murder is often not a topic covered in middle-grade fiction, but the author does it in a way that is appropriate for young audiences and keeps the reader guessing the culprit's identity. I'll admit I wish the series finished differently, but I anxiously await reading something new from this author.

This book is the fourth in the series, and is the perfect opportunity for young readers to get a taste of mystery. I believe that Aggie is based on Agatha Christie, transforming the favourite author of many adults into a relatable and interesting book character for younger readers. I love the characteristics of Aggie and think she is a great role model for girls, while also showing that especially in the past, girls often had to prove themselves to their male counterparts. While focusing mainly on archaeology and fossils, with a bit of murder investigation, this book is written in a way that is not too scary for most young readers while still having an authentic mystery genre feel to it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

This book just dove in without explanation of characters. For someone who hadn’t read any others in the series, I found it difficult to get into. Maybe even just a brief intro of who Aggie Morton was at the beginning would’ve been more helpful!

I have enjoyed the Aggie Morton series from start to finish*. As an Agatha Christie fan, the little winks and nods to the author herself and the characters she creates were an absolute treat. It felt as if Marthe Jocelyn and I were trading little winks over the page.

This book wasn't the same as the previous, feeling more like an adventure as opposed to a mystery. I did enjoy having Aggie out on a dig, since her future husband had similar interests, and she would travel with him in the future. I also like the mention of Mary Anning because I find her interesting. I did miss the unraveling of a crime, the hunting for clues, and those sorts of escapades that Aggie and Hector had gone on prior. But, I did like this chance for Aggie to grow and develop as a character. expanding her world beyond murder and fleshing out her lived experience.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for the ARC. The above opinions are entirely my own.

*Yes, this is the final book, and as the end approached, I could feel the goodbye in the final words. The author's confirmation in her afterword left a bit of a sad feeling inside. I love this little crime-solving duo, and I will enjoy rereading this series.

I received an ARC of, Aggie Morton. Mystery Queen: The Seaside Corpse, by Martha Jocelyn. Our favorite young detective is back, Aggie Morton. Aggie is on vacation in Yorkshire, she is supposing to be relaxing, until she finds a body on the beach. Can Aggie and her friend Hector, solve the mystery?

I've been enjoying the Aggie Morton Mystery Queen series so far. The setup of having a young Agatha Christie solve murder mysteries with a young Hector Perot is a charming one. This most recent book unfortunately didn't quite meet the high standard set by the previous books in the series. To start, the death in question doesn't occur until a quarter of the way through the story, and the story focuses more on the archaeological aspect of recovering a fossil and camping than it does on investigating a murder. The story reads more as an adventure mystery than it does an investigative mystery. There's not anything wrong with that style of story-telling, but if you're coming to the story expecting the usual sleuthing, you might be disappointed. Aggie does do some theorizing about who the culprit might be, but she is noticeably less active in terms of searching for clues and evidence.

The characters are all still there, but their interactions were also a bit diminished compared to the previous stories. This may be due to the interactions centering around Aggie, Hector, and two boys their age, Oscar and Arthur, instead of Aggie and Hector interacting with adults as much as they usually do. Despite the points that I've noted, it wasn't a bad book, and if there is another book published in this series, I'll very likely read it.

A little advanced for my almost six year of but definitely a fun story for middle graders. I think it would probably be a good fit for any kids that enjoyed watching Dino Dana on PBS. I know my daughter will enjoy this in a few years.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

the beginning is a little bit too long on my opinion, other than that I really appreciated this book, the writing is age appropriate but is not boring or too plain!

Not sorry or feeling guilty to give this one the perfect rating!

And here I am after getting myself 'lost' in the mystery of the young reader's fictional book with a very realistic protagonist, Aggie Morton. The fun of knowing a smart girl trying to fit in the world of boys and men.

The writing is so fun and so easy to read I say! Perfect for the target audience and anyone who wants to read a short, fun, easy to get through mystery reads.

The characters, the main character as well as the side characters, are quite lovely. I love James. There I said it. The characters are well developed and the plot has a very good story to tell.

I would say the side characters are so much fun to know. This is one of those books in which every character introduced has a good role to play in the story. I love this the most in the book.

The pace is medium, not too fast not too slow. It's fun I say.

I would suggest you to read this book with no comparison with the other mystery thriller stories/authors you know of.

Try to know the characters and the clues they are looking for. This is a book for the beginners and young readers.

I know for sure that the target audience will enjoy it a lot.

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, for the advance reading copy.

There's a lot to like in this book. I'm familiar with Agatha Christie's work, particularly her Poirot series, so I was interested to see how the author would adapt them for a younger audience. The author does a great job of mixing real people and events from Christie's childhood with fictional stand-ins for some of her most well-known characters (here, Hector and Authur, and possibly many other, are modeled off some of Christie's creations) to create a completely new story that still feels similar to Christie's books. This entry takes place in Lyme Regis, where a crew of scientists are excavating the fossil of a ichthyosaur. While there, they have to contend with the nosy press, interested buyers, and in-fighting amongst the dig crew, all culminating in the death of the lead scientist on site. Aggie and Hector step in to solve the case, and the unraveling of the mystery was very well done. I particularly liked Aggie and Hector's characters, they were well-written and unique in their setting. This is the first book i've read in the series, and while it worked well as a standalone, I plan on reading the rest.

ARC Copy...I did like it is a another mystery with Aggie Morton and "oh so that what happened". Important to note, the premise does deal with fossil hunting and the "fossil wars"-esque fever and wanting over such bones along with the social fabric surrounding fossils during this time.