This is the debut novel in the Mary Quinn mystery series aimed at a YA audience. Written in an accessible style, it is a nice fast read with enjoyable insights into London of the time.

Set in 1850s Victorian England, this is the on-going story of a teenaged girl rescued from certain death (for thievery) by a secret organization that believes women have more to offer the world than being maids or teachers. Mary Quinn is clever, fierce, and ambitious. These qualities are honed and channelled at Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls. The goal is that Mary will become an Agent or spy in service to the needs of the School’s “clients”. Performing discrete investigative services is how, in part, the school is funded. It is not made clear who these clients are or why they entrust such delicate work to the women’s school. (Presumably we will find out in the subsequent books…!) The point is well made that women as servants (maids, companions, governesses, etc) are almost invisible and, all women regardless of station, are never suspected of being any threat.

Once Mary “graduates” from the School, her first assignment has her pose as a companion to a wealthy, spoiled daughter of a well-to-do merchant. The characters in the household are well-drawn and we are quickly engaged with Mary in trying to decipher the machinations and hidden agendas. Told primarily from Mary’s point-of-view, we feel the real peril she puts herself in and that provides an enjoyable frisson of suspense that carries throughout the novel. There is also some light romance that doesn’t bog down the plot or the pacing.

The mystery at the heart of the book has the believability of history. Once the main plot is resolved there are intriguing loose ends regarding Mary’s past that are left to tantalize us. I suggest you have The Body at the Tower (Book #2) handy to satisfy your curiosity. ( )

This was a pretty good book. It was kind of slow in the beginning, but it got better towards the end. 3.5 stars. ( )

This is the first in a series featuring Mary Quinn (nee Lang), a Chinese-English young woman rescued from the gallows by some formidable women who have founded a school for young woman at risk. Having raised and educated her, so that she might become a teacher and be able to support herself, the headmistress now asks Mary is she’d like a more advanced position. The school, it seems, is but a front for The Agency – an organization of women detectives providing undercover investigations. No one, it seems, takes notice of women, so they are perfectly placed to observe and collect vital information.

Mary’s first assignment is to be the companion of a spoiled teen daughter of a wealthy merchant who, it seems, is committing insurance fraud. Placed in the Therold household, Mary is told to observe and report, but she should not be taking action. Her eagerness to impress cannot be suppressed for long, however.

Mary is intelligent, inquisitive, observant and compassionate. She is also self-possessed, resilient and quite capable of getting herself out of a jam, though Victorian gentlemen are prone to coming to her rescue regardless of her own abilities.

I had previously read book two in the series and enjoyed it, but wanted to start from the beginning to get more of Mary’s background. I look forward to reading more books in this series, and more from this author. ( )

3.5/5, rounded up.

This was fun. As mentioned on another 2019 review, I adore historical fiction, though I also agree with the author's own assessment on the backflap that, "The Agency is a totally unrealistic, completely fictitious antidote to the fate that would otherwise swallow a girl like Mary Quinn." The other books seem to be checked out from my library at the moment but I kind of want to binge the rest of the books now.

The author did her PhD work on Victorian literature and culture, so the setting/worldbuilding is decent. I can see where other readers have quibbles that Mary is too modern, headstrong, but, if given the fantasy option of working for a spy agency I'm sure there'd be women in the era who'd be up for it.

I hadn't heard of the Lascars before, and I anticipate them being relevant in future books. I am also quite pleased to see a historical hapa lead character, though for assimilation/survivability she leans hard on being white-passing. Still, minority folks in historical gear I can cosplay as (but never will because costumes take an awful lot of planning) are always a good thing in my book.

Even though I've read quite a bit of YA this year, I haven't developed more sophisticated thoughts on the tropes like a love interest, etc. I thought James Easton's character fit in well, but was startled when the perspective shifted to him early on. ( )

Prelim review: This was a surprisingly fun and exciting novel. Lee takes several new approaches to various genres I am familiar with, but she does it in such a way I am craving to know more about what happens to Miss Mary Lang/Quinn! ( )