The Secret Key: Book 1 (Agatha Oddly)

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Yes. You’re wearing a very nice shirt, sir. And aftershave. And I couldn’t help notice the box of chocolates on your table, clearly a gift for a lady…” I smile, pleased with my investigatory skills. The Secret Key, the first in a new series, reminded me exactly of that feeling – it was a nostalgic moment to be reminded of the reason why I fell in love with reading in the first place! Using her room full of beloved sleuthing novels and operating from detective headquarters in a cottage in the middle of Hyde Park, she’s on the case! No case is too odd for Agatha Oddly!

I know,’ I say, ‘but I was hoping to talk to you.’ It’s strange how much less confident I feel, now that I’m faced with the professor. She has a big presence for such a small, neat person, and it’s hard not to be... intimidated. ‘ Our heroine is awesome, brilliant and accurately named after Agatha Christie. She is the perfect introduction to the famous crime novelist for young readers, who will grow up reading more mystery adventures! Disclaimer: A Physical Copy was provided via Harper Collins India in exchange for an honest review. The Thoughts, opinions & feelings expressed in the review are therefore, my own.Please don’t interrupt. What I was about to say was that, despite your youth and relative inexperience, it has been suggested to me that you might be able to help out with a case I’ve received. We’re short of available agents at the moment.’ Please, please don’t say I’ve ruined it by whining like a spoilt brat... The Secret Key follows the ambition of Agatha Oddly; a thirteen year old girl who loves solving mysteries; she has even started her own Detective Agency with her best friend, Liam – but her big break comes when she sees an old woman run down by a biker – and find a tattoo of a key on her arm. Soon London discovers that their water supply has been contaminated and that sets her, and she brings along her best friend, Liam, on her adventure. Everybody is a puzzle, Agatha. Everyone in the street has their own story, their own reasons for being the way they are, their own secrets. Those are the really important puzzles.’ In a cottage next to Hyde Park. Agatha lives with her Dad ( Rufus), who’s been a Royal Park warden since he left school at sixteen. He’s worked his way up to the position of head warden of Hyde Park. They live in Groundskeeper’s Cottage.

Have a seat.’ She gestures to one of the curved wooden chairs in front of her desk, and I sit down. Even though Dad’s in charge at the park, he refuses to let others do all the dirty work and is never happier than when he’s got his sleeves rolled up and is getting his hands dirty. Eines Morgens wird Agatha Zeuge, wie eine ältere Dame wird von einem Motorradfahrer angefahren wird. Das ist der Beginn für Agathas ersten richtigen Fall… der bald ernster wird, als es ihr lieb ist und wichtiger als erwartet… Due to her father's job, she lives in a small cabin in Hyde Park, which also happens to be the center of a few mysterious happenings. When things escalate and London's water supply is contaminated by a toxin, Agatha steps in to save the day! Written from her point of view, I enjoy seeing what's inside her mind, wondering what it's like to be a very smart girl and it's so fun! The adventures and little things that she wants to explore are so refreshing.Agatha is super smart! She has a scholarship to the prestigious St Regis School and a room full of green and gold-embossed editions of detective books to help her solve any mystery. Der Stil des Buches ist rasant und actionreich mit viel Humor. Der Fall an sich ist mega spannend, leider wird die Erzählung immer wieder mit Agathas blühender Fantasie und Tagträumen angereichert. Mich hat das sehr verwirrt. Ok – dass da kein kleiner Hercule Poirot auf dem Schreibtisch des Rektors rumhüpft, kann ich mir denken und klar als Phantasieausbruch erkennen. Bei anderen Szenen, die durchaus real sein könnten und sich dann als nicht real herausstellen ist das schon schwieriger. So wurde mein Lesefluß immer wieder gebremst und ich musste Realität und Fiktion sortieren. Schade, denn ohne diese Tagträume wäre es ein fantastisches Buch gewesen. Aber ich habe hier eine Leserin im empfohlenen Lesealter und ich weiß genau, dass Jette das auch schlecht für sich trennen könnte und schnell die Lust am Lesen verlöre. Your headmaster has already been talking for twenty-two minutes.” Poirot raises an eyebrow, as though daring me to do something about it. “He might break his record of twenty-seven, no?” But she said Agatha should think about real puzzles, not just word searches and numbers. She had said: ‘Everybody is a puzzle, Agatha. Everyone in the street has their own story, their own reasons for being the way they are, their own secrets. Those are the really important puzzles.’

I stare at the red letters for a moment, feeling a familiar excitement. It’s been five weeks since I solved the case of the red slime that had polluted London’s water supply – and I’m itching to get going again. Things have been too quiet, with no cases to solve, so I haven’t been enjoying my summer holidays as much as usual.Doctor Hargrave (Ronald Hargrave, BPhil MEd OBE) likes to fill silences. He’s very good at that, and it’s best to wait until he’s done. He isn’t a doctor, as you and I think of them, but he likes to be called one. He has five liver spots in the shape of the constellation Cassiopeia on his forehead, and a steely glare which I would say is a 4B on the eye colour chart I have hanging in my bedroom. First of all, mystery has always been something that I love and I was so eager to read this series. A 13 year old detective, named after my favorite mystery's author, Agatha Christie? Never going to miss that. Two – you tried to miss lessons by convincing the groundskeeper that you were an apprentice tree surgeon who needed to scale a tree near the boundary wall… and just so you could get out of school…”