The Body under the Piano
There are some great books in Sora! Have you looked at this one yet?
Canadian Author Highlight! - A smart and charming middle-grade mystery series starring young detective Aggie Morton and her friend Hector, inspired by the imagined life of Agatha Christie as a child and her most popular creation, Hercule Poirot. For fans of Lemony Snicket and The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency.
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.
REVIEWS FOR: The Body under the Piano
- Filled with mystery, adventure, an unforgettable heroine and several helpings of tea and sweets, The Body Under the Piano is the clever debut of a new series for middle-grade readers and Christie and Poirot fans everywhere, from a Governor General’s Award—nominated author of historical fiction for children.
- “Heartfelt, funny and suspenseful, The Body under the Piano is an excellent beginning to what is sure to be a pleasantly gruesome series.” – Starred Review, Shelf Awareness
- In 1902 Torquay, England, twelve-year-old Aggie befriends a Belgian refugee, Hector Perot, and investigates a murder roiling the town. When Mrs. Eversham, known throughout town for her sharp tongue and bad temper, is found dead on the floor of her sister-in-law’s dance studio, Miss Marianne is the prime suspect. Aggie is certain her beloved dance teacher is innocent, so she evades adult oversight to solve the crime (with Hector’s help). Plenty of red herrings keep Aggie discovering and discarding clues, and she finds as her investigation intensifies that the adults of Torquay appreciate her assistance less than they should. The young characters have a good deal of autonomy, driving a plot where parents, grandparents, and police officers are merely tolerated presences in the children’s world. Aggie, an observant outsider, is an engaging protagonist, with wide-eyed curiosity balanced by acute insights about many of the people in her community. Jocelyn keeps readers guessing throughout the book, but the eventual reveal of the perpetrator is believable, carefully clued, and satisfying. A solid dose of tart wit (“Irma Eversham will be honored by more people as she enters her eternal slumber than she spoke to civilly in all of 1902”) makes it an extra-enjoyable read; readers will eagerly anticipate the (hinted-at) further adventures of Aggie and Hector. An author’s note explains that the story is inspired by Agatha Christie’s childhood, and while Christie fans may pick up on the many subtle references to her books and characters (Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple), the mystery stands on its own. – The Book Horn
