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The Agency 1 A Spy in the House YS Lee Books

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The Agency 1 A Spy in the House YS Lee Books

Young Mary Quinn was saved from the gallows and brought to a school where she was taught many things to help her improve her life. Once educated, she was given a chance to belong to the Agency which was organized as a private investigations firm staffed only by women.

Mary's first case puts her in the Thorold household as companion to Angelica Thorold who is the bored daughter of an invalid mother and a businessman father. Mr. Thorold is suspected of smuggling antiquities from the Far East along with his other more legal shipments.

Mary finds that she has entered a house of secrets. While investigating Mr. Thorold's office she encounters James Easton who is also investigating. James and his brother George run an engineering firm. George has decided that he's fallen in love with Angelica and wants to marry her. James wants to make sure the Thorold's business interests won't cause problems.

Mary and James decide to work together since their interests coincide but neither quite trusts the other and James is a typical chauvinist of his age and time. Their investigations take them to warehouses and to a home for aging Chinese sailors among other places. Mary learns something of the past she has been denying.

The story was filled with action and was an interesting historical mystery. I liked the way Mary has to deal with the conventions of the time. I also liked that Mary was smart, daring and resourceful. I liked the realistic romance that was beginning between James and Mary and how it was resolved.


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The Agency 1 A Spy in the House YS Lee Books Reviews

Author Y. S. Lee presents an intriguing idea in her series of mystery novels called The Agency. The essential gist is that of a specialized private agency that employs women as spies in mid-nineteenth century England. The rationale for the characters is that the heads of the group believe in two truths that women should have more opportunities than just wife, governess, or poverty; and that women are never taken seriously.

This two-fold belief leads to the ability to hire out the services of this mysterious group's female agents because no one will bat an eyelash at saying things in front of women that they will say in front of men. Is this sexist? Yes. Is it realistic for the time as well? Also yes.

The first book, A Spy in the House follows a young beginner agent named Mary Quinn. Miss Quinn has escaped a very harsh and tragic life on the streets (and gallows) when the Agency took her in as a student and later teacher. Upon finding out the truth of what the school does, Mary jumps at the opportunity presented to her to become an agent. As she is untested, and a novice agent, her first mission is a simple one she is to observe what occurs around a family that a senior agent is investigating, and report back any suspicious activities she observes. It is a training mission, really. Nothing more. However, a convergence of factors, including her pride and a new possible ally, lead her to a far more involved role than she, or her superiors at the Agency, were prepared for.

I really enjoyed this novel for a few reasons. One is that it isn't steampunk, but still dealt with some neat themes. Please do no not misunderstand. I am starting to love steampunk as a genre, but so often the cool stories with strong women characters, chivalrous men, and compelling interpersonal plot lines taking place in the past are steampunk. That this author did so in a very realistic portrayal of 19th century England, is terrific.

I also appreciated that this wasn't some screed against men, and didn't excuse bad women simply because they were mistreated. It is a work that has both good and bad men and women as characters, and treats them thusly. When a character does something particularly selfish, it isn't just passed off as her being a "strong woman not submitting to a man", but seen for what it is, bad behavior.

The research the author put in was obvious, and only served to strengthen the work. In fact, the only real criticism I have is that is still don't understand why the one bad guy didn't put a stop to the other bad guy's plans. Yes, there were legal issues, but nothing that should have made the one just endure it so pathetically. But, in a way, the one bad guy not being QUITE as ruthless works to the book's theme. And that's all I'll say about that. Also, the ending was a tad rushed. I really would like some more wrap-up than what this book gave us.

Other than the above, the work was terrific, very meticulously researched, and well-worth a read.
I quite enjoyed this book. It was a fast and easy read and is an appropriately gentle escapist historical mystery for teens and tweens. The plot was engaging and the romantic element was light and full of fun banter. I thought the concept of a heroine who was half Asian was interesting, and raised thoughtful points about what it means to be of mixed race - something that is relevant to YA readers - but it didn't force the issue down readers throats. As for our protagonist not being enough of a Victorian lady, most YA readers won't care. If you care about that, read a primary text from the era instead. Appropriate for all ages.
The first point about this story that I enjoyed was uniqueness of Y.S. Lee’s approach to the mid-1800s. She doesn’t focus on all the aspects that most authors tend to romanticize. Her protagonist, Mary Quinn, is an orphan of Asian immigrant – who were a very mistreated minority at the time. The Agency itself is a stab at the sexism in that period, as it uses the fact that people underestimated women to their advantage. It also includes a romantic aspect, although that’s by no means the main point of the story being told. I approve of her love interest, as he’s not threatened by Mary’s strength – although perhaps surprised. The bantering between the two makes for some humorous moments. There’s also very good attention to historical detail that made me extremely interested in that time period. Lee brilliantly uses every part of that era to the benefit of the story.
Although there are some moments where Mary messes up, she follows into the stereotype of a protagonist following almost too naturally into role of investigator. There is suspense in finding out who committed the crime, but I never felt worried for any of the main characters’ safety. This hurt the attempted tension in some of the major scenes. With that said, Mary is still presented as a very sympathetic character who I’ve personally grown to care for.
Overall, it’s an interesting plot with a likeable protagonist in a brilliant time period. The fact the main character is of Asian heritage makes me so excited because that is so underrepresented in Victorian Era literature. I’ve already bought the second (and third…) and would strongly recommend this to be put on anyone’s to-read list!
Young Mary Quinn was saved from the gallows and brought to a school where she was taught many things to help her improve her life. Once educated, she was given a chance to belong to the Agency which was organized as a private investigations firm staffed only by women.

Mary's first case puts her in the Thorold household as companion to Angelica Thorold who is the bored daughter of an invalid mother and a businessman father. Mr. Thorold is suspected of smuggling antiquities from the Far East along with his other more legal shipments.

Mary finds that she has entered a house of secrets. While investigating Mr. Thorold's office she encounters James Easton who is also investigating. James and his brother George run an engineering firm. George has decided that he's fallen in love with Angelica and wants to marry her. James wants to make sure the Thorold's business interests won't cause problems.

Mary and James decide to work together since their interests coincide but neither quite trusts the other and James is a typical chauvinist of his age and time. Their investigations take them to warehouses and to a home for aging Chinese sailors among other places. Mary learns something of the past she has been denying.

The story was filled with action and was an interesting historical mystery. I liked the way Mary has to deal with the conventions of the time. I also liked that Mary was smart, daring and resourceful. I liked the realistic romance that was beginning between James and Mary and how it was resolved.