A Spy in the House (The Agency Series #1)

Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com

Mary Quinn used to be a thief. In fact, she was rescued from certain death by hanging and brought secretly to a special school for girls. Here, she worked hard to change her station in life. Now, she's a young lady without a job and doesn't know where to turn next.

Fortunately, her advisers at the school let her in on a secret. They have a spy agency where she'd be a perfect fit. They help out Scotland Yard and gather information. With her former skills, Mary would be perfect for the agency. Plus, they have a position in mind for her, after she undergoes training.

Mary emerges and makes her way as a paid ladies companion to Angelica Thorold, a spoiled girl. Mary's duty, besides her job, will be to gather any intelligence on Angelica's father and his business in regards to smuggling items.

Miss Thorold doesn't take to Mary. The two of them attempt to work out their differences in a variety of ways while Mary snoops about the house. When she finds nothing, she goes investigating at Mr. Thorold's business when she's caught, not by security, but by a man with similar concerns. He offers up a partnership where they share information each uncovers. Mary reluctantly agrees, but with time running out, will she risk too much and find her identity discovered?

I read this mostly in one sitting and then wanted the next book immediately. I love both spy novels and the Victorian England era, and combining the two equals pure magical entertainment. A great feisty heroine, lots of danger, plenty of mysteries to untangle, and a little romance creates a wonderfully perfect first edition to a new series.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Fun Mystery Series

In A Spy in the House, Lee tells a story filled with mystery, intrigue, and romance. Mary, a girl who was saved from a death sentence, has been educated at Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. At the school she's given the education of a wealthy girl, and is encouraged to work in a field she enjoys. The idea of a school that educated girls regardless of their social class, or connections, was an aspect I enjoyed. Not only that, but the school existed to give the women some independence. In a time when the role of women was primarily in the home, it was refreshing to read about a group of women who acknowledged that they deserved more options than being a wife/mistress/governess. It also made me appreciate the educational opportunities that I've been given.

The writing was another big part of why I enjoyed this book. In my opinion, a good mystery needs an interesting setting, strong characters, and should make you question the motives of those characters. A Spy in the House contained all of these characteristics, and more. The description of Victorian London, made me feel as though I was there, stuck in warm weather made worse by the smell of the polluted Thames. Throughout the book, I also questioned the motives of each character. Each time a new piece of information was discovered by Mary, I attempted to figure out how the story would end. Of course, I was completely wrong.

I really enjoyed reading about Mary. In the early chapters of the book, the reader finds out why Mary was sentenced to death by hanging. We also see how Mary's education has helped her to grow, and become stronger, and more sure of herself. I particularly liked that she was looking for a work that she found fulfilling. She had attempted many of the jobs that were acceptable for women, but she wanted something more from her work. It takes a lot of courage to go from a job that you know, to something that's completely foreign. Mary was also kind to her young maid, Cass. This was a characteristic that was uncommon in the wealthy women in the book. Cass reminded me a lot of Mary at the start of the book. Cass was a bit unsure of herself, and given the right opportunities, had the potential to be very clever, much like Mary had been.

There were a few times when I thought that the plot could have moved a bit faster, but aside from that I really enjoyed this book. It's another great 2010 debut, and I look forward to the sequel, The Body at the Tower, which is being released this August.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wow

This book rivals the classic Nancy Drews when it comes to mystery, thrills, danger, and excitememt. From the very beginning Mary captured my heart.

The characters were well developed and well layered. Even the typical spoiled brat personality had a deeper side that made her unique. I LOVE this bpok.

A wonderful Victorian mystery read.

What I loved:

The story was unique and thrilling.
The writing style was great!
The characters are interesting and not boring at all. Even the maids had a place in this story.
The suspense amazing.
It was interesting and fun to see the Victorian era in general and in London specifically.
The few last chapters were breath taking. I had to stop myself from sneaking on the next page. I wasn’t 100% successful >_<”.
It was set in London! What’s not to like?!

What I disliked

I would be crazy if I hated one thing about this book.


Conclusion:

If you’re looking for a wonderful YA thriller and mystery, this is your book. You won’t regret it at all even if you don’t enjoy stories set in the Victorian era.

I should thank Y. S. Lee for writing such great books, I’m definitely a big fan of yours Open-mouthed smile.

Lovr love loved it.

Cannot wait to see how the story develops. And what becomes of Mary's chinese heritage.

??????

Please, if you have read his book, please tell me if you liked it or not and what type of books you normally read!!! Thanks, C.

First book in female spy series

'A Spy in the House' is book 1 of The Agency series by Y.S. Lee. Set in London in the summer of the 1850's during The Great Stink, the story features the character of Mary Quill, an orphaned thief saved from the gallows and reeducated at Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. Mary spends a short time as a teacher at the school before approaching the two female directors and confessing the job is just not satisfying her. This is where the book becomes a little silly. It seems these two Victorian women are running a secret spy network using female graduates of the school. After a very brief training period (none of which is shared), Mary is posted to a position as a wealthy young woman's companion in order to spy on the household of wealthy merchant Mr. Thorold, who is suspected of smuggling artifacts. Mary finds her patience tested by her charge Angelica Thorold, the scheming and self-centered daughter. During a party Mary manages to sneak away in order to search Mr. Thorold's home office, where she encounters James Easton, a young engineer with his own secrets and reasons for investigating Mr. Thorold. When their mutual investigations continue to collide, the two decide to share information and coordinate their efforts. So the premise of a girl's school being the cover for a ring of female spies is silly, I grant you. If you set that aside the rest of the novel is entertaining and the mystery intriguing. The best part of the book is the witty banter between James and Mary. James constantly seems confounded and confused by Mary. She doesn't conform to his idea of the typical Victorian lady. Not when she runs around town in the dead of night sneaking into warehouses wearing breeches! Their relationship made this book very enjoyable to read and I do hope to read more of James in future books of this series. I didn't foresee the ending at all. It was very nicely plotted. The subplot involving Mary's family history and her connection with Mr. Chen was interesting, and I'm sure we haven't heard the last about Mary's father. Overall I enjoyed the book a lot and am looking forward to reading the next in the series.

Interesting

This author either is Louis Meyer, has read all his books or something. All the characters and plot run very similar to the Bloody Jack books. Im addicted to Bloody Jack so i really like this one.

A wonderful book with mystery and suspense

This book is an excellent read. It took me about 12 hours and was very enjoyable. The characters kept me guessing about who the real villain was. As in all mystery books there has to be a villain, and this one is truly hidden until the end. It also leads to a spark of romance that hopefully will develop throughout the series. I'm looking forward to the release of the next book here in Aug. 2010
Y.S.Lee has done a wonderful job creating a character that is strong enough to overcome adversity and make herself a better person. Mary Quinn is a nice change of the typical English woman of the late 1800's and brings to light the problems faced by the working class of the time.

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