In 1853 London, twelve-year-old orphan Mary Quinn, arrested for stealing, is about to be hung from the gallows. She’s resigned to her fate; her short life has been miserable and cruel. But then, at the last minute, Mary is rescued from certain death and installed at Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls. For the next five years, Mary is brought up to be an intelligent, resourceful, independent woman—a real rarity in her day and age. At seventeen, Mary is presented with another surprise: The Academy is really the Agency, a secret detective firm comprised entirely of female investigators. Mary rises to this new challenge and is soon on her first mission. Posing as a prim and proper companion to a spoiled society belle, Mary’s goal is to uncover a possible smuggling ring run by the master of the house, shipping merchant Mr. Thorold. But things quickly get out of hand. Everyone connected to the Thorold establishment has an agenda, even petulant Miss Angelica and especially enigmatic James Easton. Separating the good guys from the bad guys—while juggling Victorian England’s strict gender roles, racial discrimination, and social class consciousness—is no easy task. Lucky for the reader, it makes for a great adventure. Penned by author Y.S. Lee, an honest-to-goodness Victorian scholar, A Spy in the House is a richly detailed and entirely compelling historical mystery.

posted Oct 12, 2010 at 11:49AM

The book was well written, although the supporting characters may not as well developed as many books I’ve read. Even so, the character of Mary Quinn is interesting and I would recommend it as a fun teen mystery novel.

posted Nov 1, 2011 at 11:31AM

 Add a Comment