Aggie Morton Mystery Queen is back with a whole new investigation, the murder of an actor at her sister’s manor home Owl Park on Christmas no less. Peril at Owl Park by Marthe Jocelyn will have readers digging for clues throughout the story.

Aggie and her best friend Hector have been invited to Christmas at Owl Park, Aggie’s sister Marjorie’s new manor home in the country. Thrilled to be able to spend the holidays with her big sister and her best friend Aggie cannot wait for the festivities to begin. The intrigue begins as the guests arrive, with some old school chums arriving and a troupe of actors to entertain. When one of the actors turns up dead Christmas morning and a priceless gem goes missing, Aggie and Hector can’t help but activate their detective skills to help solve the mysteries.

This story took so many twists and turns I wasn’t sure where it would end up in the end. With so many delightful characters, readers will get lost in the intrigue. Of course the Aggie Morton stories are reminiscent of Agatha Christie mysteries but they also have a very Flavia DeLuce feel from the Alan Bradley series. I love reading stories with strong female leads mucking it up and facing things considered unladylike for the setting of the story. Grannie Jane is another favourite character. I absolutely LOVE how she encourages Aggie and Hector and never makes them feel like they are too young or not proper enough to help solve these mysteries. In fact she would love to be solving them right along with them if she didn’t have to perform her duties as a guest of the manor.

A great series is so perfect for middle grade readers. Familiar characters become like family at a time when they are just maturing into the type of lifelong readers they will become. I have so many fond memories of favourite series from middle grade and books that I think of often that shaped the storyteller I am today. Aggie Morton Mystery Queen will thrill middle grade readers now. They get a little bit of history, a dash of death and murder and familiar enchanting characters.