Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen The body under the piano

Here comes the first in a series following the escapades of Aggie Morton, a young sleuth. Emanating from the author’s own childhood passion for Agatha Christie, our protagonist not only shares the same name as the famous crime writer, she also shares many of her attributes. Growing up in a seaside town, following the death of her father, the painfully shy Aggie is leading an isolate life until fate sends Hector Perot her way. Also an outcast, embodying the experiences of many individuals living in exile during the war, the two fast become friends and, when a body is discovered in the local dance studio, we fall quickly into the expected pattern of an Agatha Christie, but this time aimed at a younger audience.

The number of suspects grows, the tension builds, the town is on the brink of disaster as it folds inwards on itself with everyone becoming a potential suspect. Yet, Aggie Morton and her equally unassuming new companion quietly work away to discover the truth and to save Aggie’s dance instructor from being framed for murder. There is plenty within the text here which would support valuable book talk – the resilience the lead character shows to overcome her natural shyness, the concept of belonging and how this can vary, grief, friendship and trust are all raised as themes for further discussion.

The writing itself is ambitious and there is much here that would support older primary pupils in developing their own writing style. The text has an old-fashioned feel very much in keeping with the stories that inspired the author, the plot is dense and the expectations on the reader are perhaps more serious and aspirational than on many texts aimed at this age group these days. Certain to find a readership, especially with those that have already enjoyed similar work by Fleur Hitchcock or Robin Stevens, this is a series which seems set to expand with the second already on the way. Yet it is worth noting that the readership will need to be as ambitious as Aggie herself, and the style of this series may not make it a reading for pleasure book for all readers in this age bracket.