The Agency: The Body at the Tower by Y.S. Lee

Summary:
Now nearly a full-fledged member of the Agency, the all-female detective unit operating out of Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls, Mary Quinn is back for another action-packed adventure. Disguised as a poor apprentice builder and a boy, she must brave the grimy underbelly of Victorian London - as well as childhood memories of fear, hunger, and constant want - to unmask the identity of a murderer. Assigned to monitor a building site on the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, Mary earns the confidence of the work crew, inching ever nearer her suspect. But if an irresistible desire to help the city's needy doesn't distract her and jeopardize her cover, unexpectedly meeting up with an old friend - or flame - just might.

A suspenseful and evocative window into a fascinating moment of history, The Body at the Tower is the must anticipated second outing with a daring young detective. (from book jacket)

Review:
I was really excited to read The Body at the Tower, which is the sequel to A Spy in the House. In the first novel of the trilogy, the reader is introduced to Mary Quinn, who escapes execution and comes to reside at Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. However, Miss Scrimshaw's is merely a cover for a corp of women detectives known as the Agency. When Mary is recruited, she must go undercover as a spy on several dangerous missions, and The Body at the Tower begins on Mary's second mission. As the summary stated, Mary must pretend to be a boy in order to discover a murderer.

I really like it when I start a series where a few books have already been published because that means less waiting time for me. I was glad to jump right into Mary's world again, which is an interesting one at that. First, the novel takes place in Victorian London, a wonderful setting for all sorts of mischief. Second, I love the fact that Mary is a spy and detective, and even though this is unrealistic in some aspects, Y.S. Lee makes a convincing case that there may have just been a few of these brave women running around. Mary is very smart and cunning, which makes her a joy to follow around. She slips up a few times, but she plays a boy well.

Everything is going great, until she runs into the handsome and devilish James Easton again. I was especially glad to see this gentleman, because despite being arrogant at times, he and Mary make a great pair. There is always a lot of chemistry and witty banter between them, and my favorite scenes were always the ones that featured these two characters.

Though The Body at the Tower lagged at times, specifically the funeral of John Wick, who was the victim in this story, most the time there were a lot of twists and turns and clues to be solved. The ending is satisfying, the villain's means and motives made sense and once again Mary Quinn saved the day.

I really enjoyed The Body at the Tower and look forward to more of Mary's escapades, but unfortunately The Traitor and the Tunnel, the last book in the trilogy, will not be published in the US until Spring 2012. Hopefully I will be able to find some other suitable reading material to tide me over until then.

Rating: 8 out of 10.
FTC: borrowed from library.

2010/Candlewick Press/337 pages.

The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

Summary:

Orphan Mary Quinn lives on the edge. Sentenced as a thief at the age of twelve, she's rescued from the gallows by a woman posing as a prison warden. In her new home, Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls, Mary acquries a singular education, fine manners, and a surprising opportunity. The school is a cover for the Agency - an elite, top secret corps of female investigators with a reputation for results - and at seventeen, Mary's about to join their ranks.

With London all but paralyzed by a noxious heat wave, Mary must work fast in the guise of lady's companion to infiltrate a rich merchant's with hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the Thorold household is full of dangerous secrets, and people are not what they seem - least of all Mary.

Packed with action and suspense, and evoking the gritty world of Victorian London, this first book of the Agency series debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits. (from inside jacket)

Review:

A great start to an exciting new series, A Spy in the House will not disappoint fans of both historical fiction and mysteries. Seeing two of my favorite genres combined is what attracted me to A Spy in the House, and the book was just as good as I hoped it would be.

Mary is an unusual protagonist. She is almost hanged for stealing, but is rescued by a Good Samaritan who sees Mary's skills as useful in another application. So we have a character who is not a bad person, but one who will do what it takes to survive, even if it is something that is illegal. This, and Mary's wit, intelligence, and strength, makes her a formidable spy and investigator. She is assigned to the Thorold household, ostensibly as a companion to Mr. Thorold's young daughter, but instead she is supposed to search for evidence of illicit trade. Along the way, she forms a relationship with handsome and sharp James Easton, who is also doing a bit of investigating on his own. I loved seeing James and Mary interact, because they are both very similar. Their witty comments back and forth always made me laugh, but together as a team they were able to accomplish a lot.

As for the mystery, I am usually able to guess the outcome before it is written, but this time I was surprised. There is a twist, which is to be expected, but it was perpetrated by a character that flew under my radar the entire book. Luckily, Mary is able to figure it out in the nick of time and save the day.

I thought A Spy in the House was an excellent beginning to a thrilling new series. I can't wait for Mary to solve more mysteries and for her to delve a little farther into her past and heritage, which was focused on a little in this book. The sequel, The Body at the Tower, is already published, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

FTC: borrowed from library.

2010/Candlewick Press/335 pages.