The Body At The Tower (The Agency #2) by Y.S. Lee

Book:  The Body At The Tower (The Agency #2)
Author:  Y.S. Lee
Published:  August 10, 2010 from Candlewick Press
My edition/number of page:  ARC/352

Age group:  Young adult
Source:  Publisher
Series?:  Yes.  Second book.

This is another colourful, action-packed Victorian detective novel about the exploits of agent Mary Quinn. At a young age, Mary Quinn is rescued from the gallows and taken to Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls. The school turns out to be a front for a private detective agency. At age 17, Mary takes on her first case (A Spy in the House). In this, the second book of the series, Mary Quinn sets out to uncover the truth behind a suspicious death at St. Stephen’s Tower, better known as the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament. The accident occurred after hours in a highly public part of town and despite the presence of night watchmen. Mary, disguised as Mark Quinn, becomes a builder’s assistant to find out the truth about the body at the tower. 

The Body At The Tower was a strong sequel to A Spy In The House.  I honestly love this series and I can’t recommend it enough.

Mary Quinn has just been given her toughest assignment yet from the Agency.  She must pretend to be a boy and investigate the mysterious death of a brickie at the clock tower.  It seems like a simple enough task but posing as a boy just bring Mary back to her life as a thief.  Will she be able to keep her disguise and uncover the mystery of the body at the tower?  And what about when James shows up?

The Mary Quinn mysteries are some of my favorites.  I don’t know what I love most though because everything about them is fantastic.  I was so excited that James was back in this one and he was even cuter than before.  He was helpful, caring, and so funny.  He cracked me up.  I also liked the introduction of some new characters that I hope will be back in the next book.

The mystery in this book was so unpredictable.  I thought I had it all figured out but there was always a new thing that threw me for a loop.  In the end, it wasn’t what I thought and I loved that.  =]

Overall, The Body At The Tower just makes me want more of Mary and James.  The first book was great and this one was too.  Y.S. Lee is consistently awesome and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for Mary next.

First line:  A sobbing man huddles on a narrow ledge, clawing at his eyes to shield them from the horror far below.

Writing:  5

Characters:  4

Plot:  5

Ending:  4

Originality:  5

Overall:  23=A-

Cover:  4=B-

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6 comments

  1. I’ll have to check out the first book, it doesn’t sound like something I would normally read but I have seen a lot of people talking about this one.