What do you think?
Rate this book
Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen #3
The Dead Man in the Garden
For young detective Aggie Morton and her friend Hector, a spa stay becomes a lot more thrilling when TWO dead bodies are found in this third book in the Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen series, inspired by the life of Agatha Christie as a child and her most popular creation, Hercule Poirot.
Aspiring writer Aggie Morton is ready to enjoy an invigorating trip to a Yorkshire spa, where her widowed mother can take the waters and recover from a long mourning period. Having solved yet another murder and faced extreme peril with her best friend Hector over Christmas, Aggie's Morbid Preoccupation is on alert when rumors abound about the spa's recently deceased former patient . . . and then another body appears under mysterious circumstances. Together with Grannie Jane, and often in the company of George, a young patient at the spa, Aggie and Hector take a closer look at the guests and staff of the Wellspring Hotel, and venture into the intriguing world of the local undertaker. Has there been a murder--or even two? As Aggie and Hector ignite their deductive skills, their restful trip takes a sudden, dangerous turn.
Aspiring writer Aggie Morton is ready to enjoy an invigorating trip to a Yorkshire spa, where her widowed mother can take the waters and recover from a long mourning period. Having solved yet another murder and faced extreme peril with her best friend Hector over Christmas, Aggie's Morbid Preoccupation is on alert when rumors abound about the spa's recently deceased former patient . . . and then another body appears under mysterious circumstances. Together with Grannie Jane, and often in the company of George, a young patient at the spa, Aggie and Hector take a closer look at the guests and staff of the Wellspring Hotel, and venture into the intriguing world of the local undertaker. Has there been a murder--or even two? As Aggie and Hector ignite their deductive skills, their restful trip takes a sudden, dangerous turn.
355 pages, Hardcover
First published September 7, 2021
13 people are currently reading
604 people want to read
About the author
Marthe Jocelyn
57 books179 followersCanadian born
22 books published for young readers"
22 books published for young readers"
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
October 14, 2021
MAN am I in LOVE with this series! They just get better & better. This is the 3rd book so can’t say too much. But we’re at a whole new location , & have a whole new mystery/murder of course. Aggie & Hector are still the most fantastic duo. They complete the other so amazingly in this friendship, that it is such a pleasure to read. These have the most witty dialogue & banter, & I just love them. There’s a dry subtle humor most of the time that I just adore so much. Grannie Jane is a forced to be reckoned with as well, & is quite the detective herself. Her & that billiard ball was one of the best scenes I’ve read!😆 I loved meeting new characters, & also seeing some of the regulars make an appearance. I read the last 60% in 1 sitting last night. I couldn’t put it down, & stayed up to finish it. These are everything my MG detective mystery loving heart want & need, & I already can’t wait for the next! It said in the back more was coming soon, so I’m so over the moon that there will be more! HIGHLY recommend this whole series. Another absolutely stunning cover by Isabelle Follath too!💜
October 20, 2023
I read this delightful mystery in an afternoon, and it was the perfect companion for a sick day.
Of course, reading about a trip to the Yorkshire moors to take in the healing waters and then solving a few murders to boot has me convinced such a trip would also help my constitution… but I digress. 😂
Aggie & Hector, the hilarious crime solving duo, are back! It delivers as being an engaging MG mystery with all the twists & turns. As an adult reader, it made me nostalgic for being 12yo & hanging out with friends and solving mysteries… anyways, it’s a fun read!
Content: handful of misuses of God’s name
Of course, reading about a trip to the Yorkshire moors to take in the healing waters and then solving a few murders to boot has me convinced such a trip would also help my constitution… but I digress. 😂
Aggie & Hector, the hilarious crime solving duo, are back! It delivers as being an engaging MG mystery with all the twists & turns. As an adult reader, it made me nostalgic for being 12yo & hanging out with friends and solving mysteries… anyways, it’s a fun read!
Content: handful of misuses of God’s name
March 1, 2023
I do really enjoy this series. I like the cozy mystery feel of this middle grade series and the friendship between Hector and Aggie.
In this third book we follow them as Aggie's mother goes to a spa to try to help her melancholy from her husband's passing. Where again Aggie stumbles upon a dead body or two (very reminiscent of Nancy Drew😄.)
I had a good time trying to figure out the who dunnit. One of the only things that I don't like in this series is that God's name is taken in vain, more so in this book than the previous two.
In this third book we follow them as Aggie's mother goes to a spa to try to help her melancholy from her husband's passing. Where again Aggie stumbles upon a dead body or two (very reminiscent of Nancy Drew😄.)
I had a good time trying to figure out the who dunnit. One of the only things that I don't like in this series is that God's name is taken in vain, more so in this book than the previous two.
September 7, 2024
Another fantastic mystery! I love Aggie and Hector so much, I can’t believe their is only one more book in the series. I highly recommend this to adults and young adult readers.
September 19, 2025
So much fun - definitely enjoy this series!
November 1, 2021
3.55 stars rounded up- 3 for the mystery and 5 for the characters and for the setting.
Spring 1903: Aggie Morton and her friend Hector Perot are on vacation with Aggie's Mummy and Grannie Jane, visiting the Wellspring Hotel & Spa in Harrogate. Mummy will take the waters to get the roses back in her cheeks after mourning dear Papa for so long, Grannie Jane will knit and the children will explore. Aggie and Hector are fascinated by the grand hotel and gardens. They even make a new friend, George, a boy in a wheelchair, and some new enemies, namely Mr. Hart, a wealthy umbrella company owner who seems to be trying to woo Mummy. Mr. Hart despises George for nearly frightening him to death by racing through the hotel in his chair. Mr. Hart has a bad heart you know. He's traveling with his niece and her new husband whom Mr. Hart refuses to employ just because the young man needs a job. In spite of their disagreements, when Mr. Hart learns his niece is in trouble by the bandstand, he races off to the rescue. When Mrs. Upton returns to the hotel in good health accompanied by her husband, her uncle is nowhere to be found. While searching the gardens with Mrs. Upton, Aggie and Hector come across a shocking sight-yes another dead body! Mr. Hart lies as if sleeping on a park bench and is still warm to the touch. He hasn't been dead long and there's no murderer in sight so how did he die? Was it simply a heart attack as Mr. Smythe the hotel manager wants everyone to believe? He thinks there's no reason for the police to become involved. However, the police do hear about it and come asking questions. Of course no one asks Aggie and Hector what THEY think, which is fine by them because they plan to gather all the evidence and present it to the Inspector once they're certain. They also wonder whether Mr. Hart's death is connected to the death of a previous hotel visitor, Mrs. Shelton, who was friendly to George. Are the two deaths related? Was either of them murdered? When an old nemesis/friend shows up, Aggie and Hector are certain there's a story they need to uncover. How can Aggie and Hector find the evidence they need when they're only 12?
Cute and simple. I thought I figured out whodunit right away but then more clues were dropped, still early on, that allowed me to know who the villain was and what the motive was. What I wanted to know was 1)were they working alone and 2)was it murder? I enjoyed the adventures of Aggie and Hector so much though that I couldn't put the book down. Even though I haven't read much Agatha Christie, I enjoyed the wink winks of including titles of her books or famous phrases. I'm more curious to read The Body in the Library now, after NOT making that connection while reading Peril at Owl Park! I'm also eager to read it because Miss Marple is based on Christie's grandmother and I love Grannie Jane. The spa setting was fun but not entirely unique for me. It allowed the cozy plot to develop further though, in terms of Aggie's Mummy healing after Papa's death and Aggie having to deal with that.
I adore Aggie and Hector. I relate a lot to Aggie because I was a shy child who loved to read and write. Aggie is going to be an amazing author some day. Her Morbid Preoccupation is disgusting and not something I've ever been interested in but it certainly comes in handy. Plus she's a child and can go places and ask questions and people will forgive her because she's young. Hector is also a bit shy, being a refugee. On vacation we get to see him away from his well-meaning but awful foster mother and see his personality shine more. I've never met a young boy so fussy about being neat and tidy but I gather that's part of Poirot's personality. Young Hector is thoughtful, intelligent and cleverer than he realizes. The two 12-year-olds make a good detecting team.
This time, their team includes George, a disabled boy who lives near the spa. George was run over by a tram and now his legs don't work. He comes to Harrogate for treatments but knows they don't work. George is cheeky to the point of being rude but he feels that people are rude to him, staring and pitying him. He just gives it right back. He's more bold and brave than Aggie and Hector but somewhat reckless at times. He loves his nurse, Sidonie, an immigrant from Algeria. She seems devoted to him and puts him with his snarkiness but makes sure she scolds him for it lightly. She understands he wants to be treated like a normal boy. However lovely she seems, Sidonie holds secrets from her past that may affect the present. Is she a murderer? I appreciate how the author has worked in diversity in a plausible way. (There's also a Black violinist from the Caribbean and two Italians to round out the mostly English cast of characters). I like Sidonie and I don't want her to be a murderer. It can't be her. The author wouldn't make the Black lady a murderer. That wouldn't go over so well with the Gen. Z audience these days. Let's say, for the sale of immersing ourselves in the Victorian/early Edwardian setting, she could be a viable suspect if only because of the color of her skin. Thankfully the author doesn't go there.
What about Mr. Hart's niece and her husband? Josie Upton appears to love her uncle. She seems nice enough and rather silly. I don't think she's a bad person. Her husband, on the other hand, keeps sneaking out and about, lying about where he's been and when. Could he have had enough time to make a phone call, commit murder and return to his wife's side? Does he have any connection to Mrs. Shelton? Mr. Upton has the most to gain from Mr. Hart's death. I think he's definitely a suspicious person. Who is he? Where did he come from? How long ago did he meet his wife? He's clearly not from Society if he doesn't have a job or private income.
Mr. Bessel aka The Buzzard, is the bell captain at the hotel. He's snooty and unpleasant to the children. He keeps shooing them away. I think he's nasty and up to no good. I don't know if he's a murderer but he's surely up to something. Then there's Mr. Smythe, the hotel manager. He's suspicious for not wanting the police or coroner to come investigate Mr. Hart's death. He tries to hush it up, ostensibly so the guests don't get scared and leave but is there another reason? He's also an egomaniac who tries to act like he was involved in finding the body and moving it. Could that be to coverup the fact he was the murderer? Nurse McWorthy is also high on my suspect list. She disliked Mrs. Shelton for being overly friendly with the doctor. She's the one who mixes and dispenses the medicines. That's the perfect position to kill someone and no one would know! If she did kill Mrs. Shelton then we might be looking at two murderers and not one because she didn't seem to have a connection to Mr. Hart who didn't have a treatment that day after leaving the spa abruptly. Dr. Baden is surely suspicious. He possesses great knowledge of medical quackery like homeopathy (which is not the same as homeopathic medicine today), hydrotherapy and other things. The spa itself sounds great-I've been to one like that in Switzerland and it was fun. It seems to be putting the roses back in Mummy's cheeks or maybe that's the company she's keeping. The doctor, however, has got to be a shady character. Maybe he's just bilking people out of their money with his wacky medical treatments and that's all he is. Mrs. Shelton seemed smart, sensible and full of adventure. She wouldn't fall for a confidence trickster even if he was charming, would she?
Aggie and Hector make a new friend who shares and satisfies Aggie's Morbid Preoccupation. Eva Napoli, the undertaker's daughter, apprenticed under her father. While he considers himself a cabinet maker and is content to make the coffins, Eva does all the rest of the mortuary work. She even acts as unofficial coroner and is happy to share what she knows with the children. She senses a kindred spirit in Aggie. Neither of them fit the mold or want the life that is expected of them. Augustus Fibbley arrives all the way from Torquay. What does that mean? While I appreciate what he's trying to do and the motivation behind his actions, I don't like all the lying, sneaking about and sensational reporting. I think Gus had better go to America where his talents would be better appreciated in certain circles.
Inspector Big John Henry seems gruff and rude at first but he's fair. He senses some wrongdoing and wants to get to the bottom of it. Even though he doesn't want to listen to mere children, he does so respectfully and even allows Aggie the pleasure of publicly revealing the murderer. Sergeant Rook provides the comic relief. He isn't very bright and needs help spelling words even 12-year-old Aggie can spell easily.
Aggie's Mummy is lovely. She's gentle and friendly. She isn't too kind or too depressed to punish Aggie when necessary. She also understands Aggie's loneliness and invited Hector along for company. Grannie Jane is fun! She wants Aggie to be proper young lady and has strict notions of proper behavior but at heart she's just a girl like Aggie. I think Aggie gets her curious mind from her grannie. Grannie Jane is an active part of the investigation in a cerebral way. She knows what is acceptable and when and how to allow the children to investigate. She's a fun Grannie. While Aggie's sister Marjorie doesn't appear in the story, we hear from her in letters. She takes after Mummy and I love her sweet, special relationship with Aggie. Poor Aggie must be feeling quite adrift now.
I enjoy this well-researched series. While the mysteries are simple enough for the target audience, I enjoy the puzzle of figuring it out too. I think these books are best suited for ages 8-12 but adult fans of Agatha Christie can read them WITH (or borrow them from) the children in their lives and enjoy seeing a young, lonely girl with a curious mind solve murders with the help of a fussy Belgian boy! Christie fans will get a kick out of Hector and from reading the famous phrases or book titles worked into the pages of the novel.
Spring 1903: Aggie Morton and her friend Hector Perot are on vacation with Aggie's Mummy and Grannie Jane, visiting the Wellspring Hotel & Spa in Harrogate. Mummy will take the waters to get the roses back in her cheeks after mourning dear Papa for so long, Grannie Jane will knit and the children will explore. Aggie and Hector are fascinated by the grand hotel and gardens. They even make a new friend, George, a boy in a wheelchair, and some new enemies, namely Mr. Hart, a wealthy umbrella company owner who seems to be trying to woo Mummy. Mr. Hart despises George for nearly frightening him to death by racing through the hotel in his chair. Mr. Hart has a bad heart you know. He's traveling with his niece and her new husband whom Mr. Hart refuses to employ just because the young man needs a job. In spite of their disagreements, when Mr. Hart learns his niece is in trouble by the bandstand, he races off to the rescue. When Mrs. Upton returns to the hotel in good health accompanied by her husband, her uncle is nowhere to be found. While searching the gardens with Mrs. Upton, Aggie and Hector come across a shocking sight-yes another dead body! Mr. Hart lies as if sleeping on a park bench and is still warm to the touch. He hasn't been dead long and there's no murderer in sight so how did he die? Was it simply a heart attack as Mr. Smythe the hotel manager wants everyone to believe? He thinks there's no reason for the police to become involved. However, the police do hear about it and come asking questions. Of course no one asks Aggie and Hector what THEY think, which is fine by them because they plan to gather all the evidence and present it to the Inspector once they're certain. They also wonder whether Mr. Hart's death is connected to the death of a previous hotel visitor, Mrs. Shelton, who was friendly to George. Are the two deaths related? Was either of them murdered? When an old nemesis/friend shows up, Aggie and Hector are certain there's a story they need to uncover. How can Aggie and Hector find the evidence they need when they're only 12?
Cute and simple. I thought I figured out whodunit right away but then more clues were dropped, still early on, that allowed me to know who the villain was and what the motive was. What I wanted to know was 1)were they working alone and 2)was it murder? I enjoyed the adventures of Aggie and Hector so much though that I couldn't put the book down. Even though I haven't read much Agatha Christie, I enjoyed the wink winks of including titles of her books or famous phrases. I'm more curious to read The Body in the Library now, after NOT making that connection while reading Peril at Owl Park! I'm also eager to read it because Miss Marple is based on Christie's grandmother and I love Grannie Jane. The spa setting was fun but not entirely unique for me. It allowed the cozy plot to develop further though, in terms of Aggie's Mummy healing after Papa's death and Aggie having to deal with that.
I adore Aggie and Hector. I relate a lot to Aggie because I was a shy child who loved to read and write. Aggie is going to be an amazing author some day. Her Morbid Preoccupation is disgusting and not something I've ever been interested in but it certainly comes in handy. Plus she's a child and can go places and ask questions and people will forgive her because she's young. Hector is also a bit shy, being a refugee. On vacation we get to see him away from his well-meaning but awful foster mother and see his personality shine more. I've never met a young boy so fussy about being neat and tidy but I gather that's part of Poirot's personality. Young Hector is thoughtful, intelligent and cleverer than he realizes. The two 12-year-olds make a good detecting team.
This time, their team includes George, a disabled boy who lives near the spa. George was run over by a tram and now his legs don't work. He comes to Harrogate for treatments but knows they don't work. George is cheeky to the point of being rude but he feels that people are rude to him, staring and pitying him. He just gives it right back. He's more bold and brave than Aggie and Hector but somewhat reckless at times. He loves his nurse, Sidonie, an immigrant from Algeria. She seems devoted to him and puts him with his snarkiness but makes sure she scolds him for it lightly. She understands he wants to be treated like a normal boy. However lovely she seems, Sidonie holds secrets from her past that may affect the present. Is she a murderer? I appreciate how the author has worked in diversity in a plausible way. (There's also a Black violinist from the Caribbean and two Italians to round out the mostly English cast of characters). I like Sidonie and I don't want her to be a murderer. It can't be her. The author wouldn't make the Black lady a murderer. That wouldn't go over so well with the Gen. Z audience these days. Let's say, for the sale of immersing ourselves in the Victorian/early Edwardian setting, she could be a viable suspect if only because of the color of her skin. Thankfully the author doesn't go there.
What about Mr. Hart's niece and her husband? Josie Upton appears to love her uncle. She seems nice enough and rather silly. I don't think she's a bad person. Her husband, on the other hand, keeps sneaking out and about, lying about where he's been and when. Could he have had enough time to make a phone call, commit murder and return to his wife's side? Does he have any connection to Mrs. Shelton? Mr. Upton has the most to gain from Mr. Hart's death. I think he's definitely a suspicious person. Who is he? Where did he come from? How long ago did he meet his wife? He's clearly not from Society if he doesn't have a job or private income.
Mr. Bessel aka The Buzzard, is the bell captain at the hotel. He's snooty and unpleasant to the children. He keeps shooing them away. I think he's nasty and up to no good. I don't know if he's a murderer but he's surely up to something. Then there's Mr. Smythe, the hotel manager. He's suspicious for not wanting the police or coroner to come investigate Mr. Hart's death. He tries to hush it up, ostensibly so the guests don't get scared and leave but is there another reason? He's also an egomaniac who tries to act like he was involved in finding the body and moving it. Could that be to coverup the fact he was the murderer? Nurse McWorthy is also high on my suspect list. She disliked Mrs. Shelton for being overly friendly with the doctor. She's the one who mixes and dispenses the medicines. That's the perfect position to kill someone and no one would know! If she did kill Mrs. Shelton then we might be looking at two murderers and not one because she didn't seem to have a connection to Mr. Hart who didn't have a treatment that day after leaving the spa abruptly. Dr. Baden is surely suspicious. He possesses great knowledge of medical quackery like homeopathy (which is not the same as homeopathic medicine today), hydrotherapy and other things. The spa itself sounds great-I've been to one like that in Switzerland and it was fun. It seems to be putting the roses back in Mummy's cheeks or maybe that's the company she's keeping. The doctor, however, has got to be a shady character. Maybe he's just bilking people out of their money with his wacky medical treatments and that's all he is. Mrs. Shelton seemed smart, sensible and full of adventure. She wouldn't fall for a confidence trickster even if he was charming, would she?
Aggie and Hector make a new friend who shares and satisfies Aggie's Morbid Preoccupation. Eva Napoli, the undertaker's daughter, apprenticed under her father. While he considers himself a cabinet maker and is content to make the coffins, Eva does all the rest of the mortuary work. She even acts as unofficial coroner and is happy to share what she knows with the children. She senses a kindred spirit in Aggie. Neither of them fit the mold or want the life that is expected of them. Augustus Fibbley arrives all the way from Torquay. What does that mean? While I appreciate what he's trying to do and the motivation behind his actions, I don't like all the lying, sneaking about and sensational reporting. I think Gus had better go to America where his talents would be better appreciated in certain circles.
Inspector Big John Henry seems gruff and rude at first but he's fair. He senses some wrongdoing and wants to get to the bottom of it. Even though he doesn't want to listen to mere children, he does so respectfully and even allows Aggie the pleasure of publicly revealing the murderer. Sergeant Rook provides the comic relief. He isn't very bright and needs help spelling words even 12-year-old Aggie can spell easily.
Aggie's Mummy is lovely. She's gentle and friendly. She isn't too kind or too depressed to punish Aggie when necessary. She also understands Aggie's loneliness and invited Hector along for company. Grannie Jane is fun! She wants Aggie to be proper young lady and has strict notions of proper behavior but at heart she's just a girl like Aggie. I think Aggie gets her curious mind from her grannie. Grannie Jane is an active part of the investigation in a cerebral way. She knows what is acceptable and when and how to allow the children to investigate. She's a fun Grannie. While Aggie's sister Marjorie doesn't appear in the story, we hear from her in letters. She takes after Mummy and I love her sweet, special relationship with Aggie. Poor Aggie must be feeling quite adrift now.
I enjoy this well-researched series. While the mysteries are simple enough for the target audience, I enjoy the puzzle of figuring it out too. I think these books are best suited for ages 8-12 but adult fans of Agatha Christie can read them WITH (or borrow them from) the children in their lives and enjoy seeing a young, lonely girl with a curious mind solve murders with the help of a fussy Belgian boy! Christie fans will get a kick out of Hector and from reading the famous phrases or book titles worked into the pages of the novel.
October 27, 2021
This is another excellent installment in the Aggie Morton series. The author builds on existing character and plot development while also creating a fully satisfying standalone mystery, and the details of the crime, investigation, and resolution are totally unique. The historical setting is incredibly well-researched and believable, and there are lots of fun, minor tie-ins to Agatha Christie's life and to her mystery novels.
This is wonderful for fans of Agatha Christie, and for anyone who enjoys historical mysteries. This is appropriate for middle grade readers and older, and is so sophisticated and well-crafted that it will appeal to adults regardless whether they have an affinity for children's books. I really enjoyed this, and also appreciated the inclusion of George, a new side character who is disabled and uses a wheelchair. He is a fully active participant in the story, is very likable and funny, and is a great character without his disability perpetuating common tropes or just being an educational opportunity. He is such a great character that I hope he makes appearances in future installments.
This is my favorite new series that has come out in a long time, and I highly recommend it. I'm excited for more, and I'm also excited to share this with a much-younger friend who I recently started on the first book when she asked me for mystery recommendations at the library. It's hard to find fully satisfying and age-appropriate books for readers who are at a transitional age between most juvenile fiction and YA, but this series is perfect, because it is so sophisticated, well-plotted, and engaging without any inappropriate content.
This is wonderful for fans of Agatha Christie, and for anyone who enjoys historical mysteries. This is appropriate for middle grade readers and older, and is so sophisticated and well-crafted that it will appeal to adults regardless whether they have an affinity for children's books. I really enjoyed this, and also appreciated the inclusion of George, a new side character who is disabled and uses a wheelchair. He is a fully active participant in the story, is very likable and funny, and is a great character without his disability perpetuating common tropes or just being an educational opportunity. He is such a great character that I hope he makes appearances in future installments.
This is my favorite new series that has come out in a long time, and I highly recommend it. I'm excited for more, and I'm also excited to share this with a much-younger friend who I recently started on the first book when she asked me for mystery recommendations at the library. It's hard to find fully satisfying and age-appropriate books for readers who are at a transitional age between most juvenile fiction and YA, but this series is perfect, because it is so sophisticated, well-plotted, and engaging without any inappropriate content.
June 6, 2025
"A thud, a nasty oath, what may have been a slap, further scuffling, and a grunt as the [person] must have tripped — or been tripped? More footsteps, but escaping ones this time, the tread light and quick." A delightfully amusing murder mystery awaits....
✏️ Review ✏️
The Dead Man in the Garden continues the Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen series with charm, appeal, and an extra dose of murder. Prepare to immerse yourself in a rich spa experience complete with hot tubs, cold soaks, salt treatments, mineral — *gasps* until you find the dead man in the garden (woops, didn't mean to ruin your vacation! 🤭).
The plot: just as mysterious and intriguing as it is fun and amusing. A pleasurable encounter full of suspects (many), clues (abounding), bodies (gruesome), servings of tea (soothing), and platters of dessert (delicious!).
The characters provide a diverse and distinct plethora of sleuths and suspects alike. Not to mention the progressively developed MCs (Aggie and Hector), which bring wit, humor, and familiarity to each book of this series.
And the writing style? Its smooth transitions, vivid descriptions, realistic structure, fresh syntax, and authentic voice produce a delightful and unique reading experience. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
Convinced that you need to take a vacation to the Yorkshire spa for "healing and serenity"? The Dead Man in the Garden will deliver a delightfully amusing murder mystery full of surprises, intrigue, and fun.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
📊 A Quick Overview 📊
👍🏼 What I Liked:
• The plot — it's amusing, fun, suspenseful, and intriguing.
• The cast of characters — they're diverse and distinct.
• The writing style — it's fresh, authentic, and original.
• The illustrative gallery of sleuths and suspects at the beginning of the book (very creative).
👎🏼 What I Did Not Like:
• (Can't think of a anything particular.)
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
❓ To Read or Not To Read? ❓
— Would I recommend this book? Of course!*
— To whom? To those who enjoy fun, amusing, intriguing, and somewhat humorous murder mysteries. And if you've already read the first two books in the Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen series (#1: The Body under the Piano and #2: Peril at Owl Park).
*(Note: I leave it up to each individual to decide the maturity and discernment level required to read the books I recommend, based on my content warnings below [in my Book Breakdown]. My content warnings [if any] should always be considered alongside my recommendations when deciding who these books are best suited for.)
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
📖 BOOK BREAKDOWN 📖 (Overall: 4/5)
~Fundamentals: (1=worst; 5=best)
— 📈 Plot: 4/5
— 📝 Writing: 4/5
— 👥 Characters: 3.5/5
~Content: (0=none; 1=least; 5=most)
— 🤬 Language: 1/5
• Six vain uses of God's name.
— ⚔️ Violence: 1/5
• A few potentially disturbing mildly vivid descriptions of corpses.
• A few mildly vivid descriptions of modes and methods of murder.
— ⚠️ Sexual: 0/5
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
📣 Random Comments 📣
• Content note: The FMC imagines that the "spiritual essence" of one of the deceased individuals "has been transformed into a chickadee," implying reincarnation.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
💬 Favorite Quotes 💬
• "Kindness and reliability far outshine either handsome or rich." (p. 109)
✏️ Review ✏️
The Dead Man in the Garden continues the Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen series with charm, appeal, and an extra dose of murder. Prepare to immerse yourself in a rich spa experience complete with hot tubs, cold soaks, salt treatments, mineral — *gasps* until you find the dead man in the garden (woops, didn't mean to ruin your vacation! 🤭).
The plot: just as mysterious and intriguing as it is fun and amusing. A pleasurable encounter full of suspects (many), clues (abounding), bodies (gruesome), servings of tea (soothing), and platters of dessert (delicious!).
The characters provide a diverse and distinct plethora of sleuths and suspects alike. Not to mention the progressively developed MCs (Aggie and Hector), which bring wit, humor, and familiarity to each book of this series.
And the writing style? Its smooth transitions, vivid descriptions, realistic structure, fresh syntax, and authentic voice produce a delightful and unique reading experience. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
"An elegant tearoom, a lovely string ensemble, a glimmering chandelier, a wedge of pie sprinkled with slivers of shaved coconut... and a possible murderer watching us."
Convinced that you need to take a vacation to the Yorkshire spa for "healing and serenity"? The Dead Man in the Garden will deliver a delightfully amusing murder mystery full of surprises, intrigue, and fun.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
📊 A Quick Overview 📊
👍🏼 What I Liked:
• The plot — it's amusing, fun, suspenseful, and intriguing.
• The cast of characters — they're diverse and distinct.
• The writing style — it's fresh, authentic, and original.
• The illustrative gallery of sleuths and suspects at the beginning of the book (very creative).
👎🏼 What I Did Not Like:
• (Can't think of a anything particular.)
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
❓ To Read or Not To Read? ❓
— Would I recommend this book? Of course!*
— To whom? To those who enjoy fun, amusing, intriguing, and somewhat humorous murder mysteries. And if you've already read the first two books in the Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen series (#1: The Body under the Piano and #2: Peril at Owl Park).
*(Note: I leave it up to each individual to decide the maturity and discernment level required to read the books I recommend, based on my content warnings below [in my Book Breakdown]. My content warnings [if any] should always be considered alongside my recommendations when deciding who these books are best suited for.)
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
📖 BOOK BREAKDOWN 📖 (Overall: 4/5)
~Fundamentals: (1=worst; 5=best)
— 📈 Plot: 4/5
— 📝 Writing: 4/5
— 👥 Characters: 3.5/5
~Content: (0=none; 1=least; 5=most)
— 🤬 Language: 1/5
• Six vain uses of God's name.
— ⚔️ Violence: 1/5
• A few potentially disturbing mildly vivid descriptions of corpses.
• A few mildly vivid descriptions of modes and methods of murder.
— ⚠️ Sexual: 0/5
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
📣 Random Comments 📣
• Content note: The FMC imagines that the "spiritual essence" of one of the deceased individuals "has been transformed into a chickadee," implying reincarnation.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
💬 Favorite Quotes 💬
• "Kindness and reliability far outshine either handsome or rich." (p. 109)
January 24, 2022
If you know a good reader aged 9-12 or so who also loves mysteries, this is the third book in a terrific series. "Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen." The series starts with "The Body in the Piano," but I started with this one and loved it. Set in 1903, 12 year-olds Aggie and her Belgian buddy Hector are obsessed with murder and mysteries. Jocelan has inserted her charming series into the early life of the great Agatha Christie, and her many fans will love picking out the nods to her books and characters. Here is Aggie describing her Hector: "Inside his head, as he had told me a hundred times, were countless brain cells in constant motion. ..his brain cells became frantic with excitement, creating such friction that his deductive abilities were prodigiously increased." Later, Granny Jane {nod to the wonderful Miss Marple} trots out the village comparisons she is known for by telling the kid sleuths about young Evan who was falsely accused of theft. Grannie asks "...why didn't they simply ask Evan?" Fans of Christie will pick up on that one! Red herrings and shady characters abound, and the time period is faithfully recreated. This is a ripping read, read it with your preteen and steer them into Christie's books!
May 3, 2024
Я не буду виставляти оцінки цій книжці, бо зараз вона несе для мене і сентиментальне значення також. Перші дві книжки стали моїми першими в українському перекладі у квітні-травні 2022. Купляла я їх ще у Львові.
А в січні 2024 (знов у Львові) я побачила, що нарешті переклали третю частину. Це дивно, бо коли я читала перші дві частини 2 роки тому, вже тоді вийшла четверта частина і авторка її анонсувала. А у нас було перші дві.
Але давайте до книжки. Вона мені сподобалася більше навіть за другу частину. Це дуже легкий детектив. Затишний і на одній локації. Місцями моторошний. І до кінця незрозуміло хто вбивця. Для мене це було максимально не очевидно. Як і в першій частині.
Чи можу я рекомендувати цю книгу? Так! Всі три. Бажано читати одну за одною, щоб памʼятати історію персонажів (бо я за два роки багато позабувала).
Ця серія для відпочинку і для того, щоб пофантазувати на тему, якщо Агата Крісті і Пуаро познайомляться у віці 12 років і будуть розслідувати різні вбивства. Ідея вау.
А в січні 2024 (знов у Львові) я побачила, що нарешті переклали третю частину. Це дивно, бо коли я читала перші дві частини 2 роки тому, вже тоді вийшла четверта частина і авторка її анонсувала. А у нас було перші дві.
Але давайте до книжки. Вона мені сподобалася більше навіть за другу частину. Це дуже легкий детектив. Затишний і на одній локації. Місцями моторошний. І до кінця незрозуміло хто вбивця. Для мене це було максимально не очевидно. Як і в першій частині.
Чи можу я рекомендувати цю книгу? Так! Всі три. Бажано читати одну за одною, щоб памʼятати історію персонажів (бо я за два роки багато позабувала).
Ця серія для відпочинку і для того, щоб пофантазувати на тему, якщо Агата Крісті і Пуаро познайомляться у віці 12 років і будуть розслідувати різні вбивства. Ідея вау.
July 6, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
What I Liked
• As always, Aggie, Hector, and Granny Jane are such fun characters to read about!
• The police are competent and figure out a good portion of the mystery themselves; Aggie and Hector are just able to find some bits of information to help them follow a good lead or draw new conclusions.
• This was a mystery I ended up not solving, but once all the pieces were put together it made perfect sense.
What I’m Unsure About
• Even after all this time, I’m still not sure how I feel about the character of Augustus Fibbley.
What I Liked
• As always, Aggie, Hector, and Granny Jane are such fun characters to read about!
• The police are competent and figure out a good portion of the mystery themselves; Aggie and Hector are just able to find some bits of information to help them follow a good lead or draw new conclusions.
• This was a mystery I ended up not solving, but once all the pieces were put together it made perfect sense.
What I’m Unsure About
• Even after all this time, I’m still not sure how I feel about the character of Augustus Fibbley.
May 5, 2023
In the words of young Hector Perot, "Ooh la la!"
I loved this installment of Aggie Morton as much as the first one, maybe even more. Aggie's inner world is more entertaining than ever and her friendship with Hector is just perfect. I really enjoyed meeting George and Aggie's inner dialogue about his disability was just the perfect thing to help middle grade readers question their own motives and presuppositions.
I think my favorite part about this particular story was the detective. He was more cooperative than the detectives in the previous books and even entertained by the children. The ending with the detective and the children was pretty epic.
I loved this installment of Aggie Morton as much as the first one, maybe even more. Aggie's inner world is more entertaining than ever and her friendship with Hector is just perfect. I really enjoyed meeting George and Aggie's inner dialogue about his disability was just the perfect thing to help middle grade readers question their own motives and presuppositions.
I think my favorite part about this particular story was the detective. He was more cooperative than the detectives in the previous books and even entertained by the children. The ending with the detective and the children was pretty epic.
November 30, 2025
Rating: *yawn, tsk tsk* / 5
Unfortunately, for all that the setup of this book is by far the one that I liked the most, the story itself felt so slow-moving that I lot interest and skimmed the rest of the way through.
On the one hand, I get that this mystery is for little kids, and ergo the pacing needs to be a bit slower so that they can keep up with everything.
But, on the other hand...
wait, maybe there is no other hand.
I'm just a crusty old adult with no patience, so I guess I need something faster-paced to keep me entertained at the moment.
Unfortunately, for all that the setup of this book is by far the one that I liked the most, the story itself felt so slow-moving that I lot interest and skimmed the rest of the way through.
On the one hand, I get that this mystery is for little kids, and ergo the pacing needs to be a bit slower so that they can keep up with everything.
But, on the other hand...
wait, maybe there is no other hand.
I'm just a crusty old adult with no patience, so I guess I need something faster-paced to keep me entertained at the moment.
June 14, 2022
I liked this book much better than Owl Park (I still think that’s because I read it outside of the holiday season)
Such a great mystery with some wonderful twists and turns
I really love reading the bits at the end where the author talks about what inspired the story and where she did her research
This is by far my favourite middle grade series right now.
I think the next book is set at the sea side? I am so pumped
Such a great mystery with some wonderful twists and turns
I really love reading the bits at the end where the author talks about what inspired the story and where she did her research
This is by far my favourite middle grade series right now.
I think the next book is set at the sea side? I am so pumped
August 31, 2025
I love an amateur sleuth (and have since my elementary Nancy Drew days), and this has become one of my favorite juvenile mystery series as an adult. The characters are likable and humorous, especially Grannie Jane and Perot. The settings are always fun and the plot moves along quickly. I love the authors writing and seeing the thought process in Aggies brain. Overall a fun and cozy series that I’ll definitely continue!
September 19, 2022
At first, I didn't know if I'd like this one as much as the others, but I ended up liking it the best. I think for me, the most fun was in seeing hints of the author's way of saying, "This could have been where Christie got that idea or that other title etc." They were just so much fun.
Again, I listened to the audiobook and the narration was perfect.
Again, I listened to the audiobook and the narration was perfect.
December 16, 2025
This series just keeps getting better and better.
Why in the world has no one ever told me in Victorian England one could be member of a burial club ? Such a fascinating fact...
I'll conclude this review on this very deep poem by Miss Agatha Morton herself :
"Why, Oh, why,
Can't I have pie,
Everyday,
Until I die ?"
Why in the world has no one ever told me in Victorian England one could be member of a burial club ? Such a fascinating fact...
I'll conclude this review on this very deep poem by Miss Agatha Morton herself :
"Why, Oh, why,
Can't I have pie,
Everyday,
Until I die ?"
August 20, 2022
Another enjoyable installment in the series
September 19, 2023
Rating: 4 stars
August 1, 2024
I love Aggie and Hector. 4/5 stars.
November 22, 2021
3.5 rounded up. I am enjoying this series as it comes out, but I'm also understanding that I'm not the core demographic. I am just now realizing that Granny Jane is emulating Jane Marple and I love that!
January 11, 2023
I LOVE this series.
Could not have been written any better. Exceeding my expectations again!
Could not have been written any better. Exceeding my expectations again!
June 3, 2023
Oh that was so great!! This series is wonderful. I loved all the details about the Wellspring spa and the mystery was really engaging. The author’s note is also lovely - it definitely enriches any biography of Agatha Christie you may have read!
October 27, 2021
Once again, I loved this newest volume in this absolutely delightful middle-grade series. Young Agatha Christie-not-Christie and Hercule/Hector Poirot-not-Poirot are back to solve a mystery, and it could not be more charming.
This particular mystery is more complex and more mature (in motive, means, and opportunity) than the first two outings, and I, as an adult reader, appreciated the leveling up. It’s just as well-plotted as the best adult mysteries. Our characters are also maturing, and there is a minor subplot about moving on and growing up that was deftly handled. It’s wise and admirable that Jocelyn is not forcing an eternal childhood on our protagonists.
The greatest compliment I can pay, though, is that there was a point in which I realized the movie playing in my head was no longer cast with two children, but I clearly saw David Suchet’s Poirot and a middle-aged mystery novelist having the conversation instead and it worked flawlessly. That’s how good these characterizations are.
This particular mystery is more complex and more mature (in motive, means, and opportunity) than the first two outings, and I, as an adult reader, appreciated the leveling up. It’s just as well-plotted as the best adult mysteries. Our characters are also maturing, and there is a minor subplot about moving on and growing up that was deftly handled. It’s wise and admirable that Jocelyn is not forcing an eternal childhood on our protagonists.
The greatest compliment I can pay, though, is that there was a point in which I realized the movie playing in my head was no longer cast with two children, but I clearly saw David Suchet’s Poirot and a middle-aged mystery novelist having the conversation instead and it worked flawlessly. That’s how good these characterizations are.
February 17, 2022
I enjoyed this book
January 5, 2023
With each book I read, I love this series more.
December 6, 2022
This is the third installment in the delightful series that imagines Agatha Christie as a young girl who, along with her friend Hector Perot from Belgium (clearly inspired by Christie's famous literary sleuth Hercule Poirot), work to solve murder mysteries that fall into their path.
Anyone who loves mysteries, and loves Agatha Christie, will love these books. They are such fun, and the characters are just what you would imagine them to be if they truly had been childhood friends stumbling on dead bodies everywhere.
In this book, Agatha and Hector go on a vacation with Agatha's mother and Grannie Jane to a Wellness Spa reputed to have amazing healing water springs to cure whatever ails you. Agatha's Mummy feels such a place could be what she needs to heal after losing Agatha's father.
Agatha and Hector spend their time exploring the hotel and meet a boy named George whom they befriend. He's a lively and bright boy with a wicked sense of humour. When a nasty, rude man they encounter scolds George for almost running him over when George was racing in his wheelchair, he turns up dead in the garden shortly thereafter, and the friends are on the case, alongwith Granny Jane, who is clearly based on Christie's elderly sleuth Miss Marple.
Excellent historical feel and lots of interesting and colourful characters. The clues and red herrings will keep you guessing until the end. Although written for tweens, this book can be enjoyed by anyone who loves cozy, clever mysteries. Highly recommended.
Anyone who loves mysteries, and loves Agatha Christie, will love these books. They are such fun, and the characters are just what you would imagine them to be if they truly had been childhood friends stumbling on dead bodies everywhere.
In this book, Agatha and Hector go on a vacation with Agatha's mother and Grannie Jane to a Wellness Spa reputed to have amazing healing water springs to cure whatever ails you. Agatha's Mummy feels such a place could be what she needs to heal after losing Agatha's father.
Agatha and Hector spend their time exploring the hotel and meet a boy named George whom they befriend. He's a lively and bright boy with a wicked sense of humour. When a nasty, rude man they encounter scolds George for almost running him over when George was racing in his wheelchair, he turns up dead in the garden shortly thereafter, and the friends are on the case, alongwith Granny Jane, who is clearly based on Christie's elderly sleuth Miss Marple.
Excellent historical feel and lots of interesting and colourful characters. The clues and red herrings will keep you guessing until the end. Although written for tweens, this book can be enjoyed by anyone who loves cozy, clever mysteries. Highly recommended.
December 9, 2022
Aggie Morton goes on a trip to a spa in Yorkshire with her recently widowed mother, grandmother, and friend Hector Perot so that her mother can recover from her mourning period. When they arrive, Aggie and Hector learn that a woman who was staying there died the previous week. As they start investigating that death, another client of the spa dies under mysterious circumstances. Aggie and Hector join together with their new friend George to investigate these deaths and figure out what is going on at the spa.
This was another great Aggie Morton mystery! Aggie Morton is like a young Agatha Christie. Her friend, Hector, is similar to Christie’s character Hercule Poirot, and Aggie’s grandmother is like the Christie character Miss Marple. I love seeing these nods to her classic characters.
This mystery kept me guessing until the end. The answer was right there the whole time, but it was someone who I didn’t suspect. I’m always pleased when the solution to a mystery surprises me.
The Dead Man in the Garden is a great middle grade mystery!
Thank you Tundra Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book.
This was another great Aggie Morton mystery! Aggie Morton is like a young Agatha Christie. Her friend, Hector, is similar to Christie’s character Hercule Poirot, and Aggie’s grandmother is like the Christie character Miss Marple. I love seeing these nods to her classic characters.
This mystery kept me guessing until the end. The answer was right there the whole time, but it was someone who I didn’t suspect. I’m always pleased when the solution to a mystery surprises me.
The Dead Man in the Garden is a great middle grade mystery!
Thank you Tundra Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book.
December 15, 2022
Thanks to LibraryThing for an advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own.
This was a fun middle-grade historical mystery featuring a young Agatha Christie. I enjoyed the premise imagined by author Marthe Jocelyn of a girl whose childhood circumstances occasionally overlap with those of the adult Agatha Christie, the world’s most famous mystery author. Throughout the Aggie books (there are soon to be four), Jocelyn has “taken care to show [Aggie’s] growing interest in being a storyteller, alongside the Morbid Preoccupation [of death] that so worries her mother.”
In this novel Aggie is visiting a Yorkshire spa hotel with her recently widowed mother, her Grannie Jane, and her young Belgian friend Hector Perot. First one death and then another cause Aggie and Hector to employ their detecting skills to investigate if there has been a murder, or even two.
In addition to Hector being the inspiration for Hercule Poirot in Christie’s adult novels, Grannie Jane is certain to be reminiscent of Miss Jane Marple, Christie’s other famous detective.
Even without these allusions to Christie’s characters, this is a solid mystery on its own. While the third in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone. Cleverly written with clues and characters that had me guessing throughout, this was an entertaining homage to the Queen of Crime.
This was a fun middle-grade historical mystery featuring a young Agatha Christie. I enjoyed the premise imagined by author Marthe Jocelyn of a girl whose childhood circumstances occasionally overlap with those of the adult Agatha Christie, the world’s most famous mystery author. Throughout the Aggie books (there are soon to be four), Jocelyn has “taken care to show [Aggie’s] growing interest in being a storyteller, alongside the Morbid Preoccupation [of death] that so worries her mother.”
In this novel Aggie is visiting a Yorkshire spa hotel with her recently widowed mother, her Grannie Jane, and her young Belgian friend Hector Perot. First one death and then another cause Aggie and Hector to employ their detecting skills to investigate if there has been a murder, or even two.
In addition to Hector being the inspiration for Hercule Poirot in Christie’s adult novels, Grannie Jane is certain to be reminiscent of Miss Jane Marple, Christie’s other famous detective.
Even without these allusions to Christie’s characters, this is a solid mystery on its own. While the third in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone. Cleverly written with clues and characters that had me guessing throughout, this was an entertaining homage to the Queen of Crime.
October 7, 2021
It's 1903, and Aggie Morton and her friend Hector Perrot are joining Aggie's mother and Granny Jane on a trip to a Harrogate spa, where Aggie's mother can take the waters and continue recuperating from the loss of Aggie's father a year ago. Aggie and Hector are hoping for another mystery to solve, and their wish is granted when they find a dead body in the garden; one of the hotel guests who was visiting with his niece and her husband. Was it murder? Or a natural death? Naturally Aggie and Hector assume the former, and with local boy George--he is in a wheelchair and frequents the spa for treatments--start investigating. They begin to wonder if a death that occurred before they arrived is connected, so they start investigating that as well. There are lots of suspects and not a lot of leads--but that doesn't daunt Aggie and Hector--or the endlessly resourceful young reporter who seems to have followed them from Torquay, scenting yet another mystery wherever Aggie and Hector find themselves.
This series is delightful, with lots of historical detail that builds the world, and lots of sensory input as well. The mysteries are complex and not too easily solved, which I appreciated. It was nice to see some representation of disability in the resourceful George, and for George's nurse to be Nigerian. Fans of the Myrtle Hardcastle series will like this series and vice versa, and if they want something a little meatier, the Flavia DeLuce series (written for adults) features a likewise science-minded and precocious tween heroine, solving mysteries.
This series is delightful, with lots of historical detail that builds the world, and lots of sensory input as well. The mysteries are complex and not too easily solved, which I appreciated. It was nice to see some representation of disability in the resourceful George, and for George's nurse to be Nigerian. Fans of the Myrtle Hardcastle series will like this series and vice versa, and if they want something a little meatier, the Flavia DeLuce series (written for adults) features a likewise science-minded and precocious tween heroine, solving mysteries.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews