The Secret Key
by Lena Jones
Series: Agatha Oddly #1
Series Rating:
Published by HarperCollins Children's Books on June 28, 2018
Setting: London, England
Genres: Middle Grade Mystery
Pages: 204
Format: Audible Audiobook, Kindle, Paperback
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: Murder at the Museum, The Silver Serpent
Meet thirteen-year-old Agatha Oddly – a bold, determined heroine, and the star of a stylish new detective series.
Agatha Oddlow has been a detective for as long as she can remember – she’s just been waiting for her first big case. And nothing gets bigger than saving the City of London from some strange goings-on.
With a scholarship to the prestigious St Regis School, a cottage in the middle of Hyde Park, a room full of beloved sleuthing novels, and a secret key that gives her access to a whole hidden side of London, Agatha is perfectly poised to solve the mystery of what’s going on. But just who can she trust when no one is quite who they seem…
The Secret Key by Lena Jones follows Agatha Oddlow as she embarks on her first real case.
Will Agatha Oddlow solve her first big case?
Agatha Oddlow has read all of Agatha Christie’s novels, including Hercule Poirot, who is her favorite of Agatha’s characters, and like him, wants to be a detective. Her mom encouraged this, but with her mom being gone, her dad wants Agatha to try and not get into any more trouble. She has been going to St. Regis School on a scholarship for a whole year and is finishing her second year when she starts being a troublemaker for her teachers.
Agatha isn’t afraid of being who she is; I admire that in a thirteen-year-old. With this knowledge, she has met Liam Lau, who she befriended last year, and may have also befriended someone new this time. Agatha and her friend(s) are on the case of London’s water being tainted.
The Mystery
On her way to school one day, Agatha witnesses a hit-and-run with an old lady and a motorbike. Agatha sets out to see why someone wants to target the old lady, a professor studying water for a living. Later that same day, she finds, along with the rest of London, red algae coming through the septic system of the City of London. Oddlow Agency is on the case as Agatha doesn’t want to let this go despite the many threats she has received herself and about the people she cares about, especially when her mom had known the old lady who was hit. Also, the key Agatha finds connects her mom and the old lady. Will Agatha and her friend(s) solve the case before she gets hurt? Or anyone else?
Five Stars
I am giving The Secret Key by Lena Jones five stars and recommending it to any middle grader to read. It’s a great tale that makes you think you are in London with Agatha, Liam, and everyone else trying to solve this mystery. The collaborators who make up Lena Jones did a fantastic job crafting this story. I had a suspicious feeling about a character that keeps turning up when the Oddlow Agency doesn’t except it.
Agatha Oddly Mysteries
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Secret Key by Lena Jones.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2023 Goodreads RC
- 2023 Let Us Read Middle Grade
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