The Body under the Piano

December 1, 2019
A fictional version of young Agatha Christie, a bloodthirsty writer, is in an excellent position to solve a gruesome mystery. It's 1902, and 12-year-old Aggie is a strange child in her largely white, English hometown. She's overwhelmingly shy yet gifted with a cutthroat imagination. Thanks to her "Morbid Preoccupation," Aggie is nearly unfazed when she discovers a corpse at her dancing lesson. But when two of Aggie's favorite people are suspected of the murder, she is determined to learn the truth. With the help of a Belgian refugee boy named Hector Perot, Agatha must find the real killer even if her mother, the constables, and an eager journalist all get in her way. A classic anonymous letter made of letters cut out of newspaper must be a key clue, surely. Fictionalizing both the author Agatha Christie and her famous creation as characters in the same mystery is an infelicitous choice at best. Within the world of the tale, Hector adds little; Aggie is the real detective of the pair. Nonetheless, myriad little touches keep this both exciting and enjoyable. Aggie's grandmother is funny and quite saucy. The girl's grief over her recently dead father manifests genuinely: as sudden flashes of grief, as irritation with his financial mismanagement, and as fond recollections of the delicious cake that had appeared in the wake of his death. The protagonist makes a remarkable, cool, and likable detective despite some literary dead weight. (author's note, sources) (Historical mystery. 9-11)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 23, 2019
Child sleuths investigate a poisoning in this winning whodunit based on Agatha Christie’s childhood. In 1902 Torquay, Aggie Morton, 12, whose father recently died, has what her mother calls a “Morbid Preoccupation.” Additionally, the aspiring writer, homeschooled and often shy, likes crafting descriptive variations (“eyes like lime cordial?... Glittering emeralds?”). In a chance sweet-shop encounter, she befriends Belgian refugee Hector Perot, a fastidious boy staying for a time nearby (“our own little immigrant,” his hosts call him). After leaving her journal at her dance studio one evening following a charitable “Befriend the Foreigners” concert, Aggie returns to find a disagreeable local woman dead beneath the titular instrument. When an anonymous note with clues to the murderer’s identity appears, the children jump on the case, much to the delight of a prolific reporter and the keen frustration of the constabulary. Though Perot’s presence adds little more than Easter eggs (e.g., his namesake’s phrasing habits) to the otherwise well-plotted mystery, he is set up to play a larger role in future installments. Jocelyn (One Yellow Ribbon) offers an enjoyable entrée to the Queen of Crime and to the genre; the narrative’s arch tone, the girl’s vital grandmother, and the novel’s surfeit of extravagant teas should please. Character portraits and chapter heading spot art from Follath (Joy) add whimsical appeal. Ages 10–up.