Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: Peril at Owl Park
This is book two in the middle-grade mystery series depicting Agatha Christie and her most famous character, Hercule Poirot, as child detectives. Accompanied by Grannie Jane, twelve-year-old Aggie Morton and her Belgian friend and fellow sleuth, Hector Perot, visit Aggie’s sister Marjorie, the new Lady Greyson, at her home for Christmas. Other guests at Owl Park include Aggie’s “almost” cousin Lucy, a band of traveling actors, and an old friend of Marjorie’s husband from Ceylon, Mr. Sivam, and his wife, who have a precious yet cursed emerald. In the early hours of Christmas morning, Aggie, Hector, and Lucy set off on the traditional treasure hunt to find the stockings left by Father Christmas. What they find instead is the body of one of the actors, face down on the floor of the library in a swamp of blood. The day becomes even more alarming when it is discovered that the Echo Emerald is missing and so is Mr. Sivam. The police are called but are delayed by a snowstorm, leaving Aggie and Hector, with Lucy’s assistance, to begin the investigation on their own.
Peril at Owl Park is just as engaging and appealing as The Body Under the Piano. Aggie has emerged, slightly, from her shell while her interests in murder and her creative imagination continue unabated. Despite being surrounded by concerned adults, Aggie and Hector deftly, and believably, escape notice and conduct their investigations with little interference. Familiar characters return: Grannie Jane, Marjorie, and the intrepid reporter Mr. Fibbley, while a host of new and memorable characters are introduced. Hints are dropped early in the story, so particularly careful readers may solve the crime before its conclusion. This reader did not.
