The Agency 1: A Spy in the House

By: Y. S. Lee

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

In Victorian England, orphan Mary Quinn lives on the edge. Sentenced as a thief at the age of 12, she’s rescued from the gallows by a woman posing as a prison warden. In her new home, Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls, Mary acquires a singular education, fine manners, and a surprising opportunity.

The school is a cover for the Agency — an elite, top secret corps of female investigators with a reputation for results — and at 17, Mary’s about to join their ranks. With London all but paralyzed by a noxious heat wave, Mary must work fast in the guise of lady’s companion to infiltrate a rich merchant’s home with hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the Thorold household is full of dangerous secrets, and people are not what they seem - least of all Mary.

©2010 Y.S. Lee (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Enjoyable to adult listener, too

Enjoyable to adult listeners, too. Wish there were more than apparently just one more in this series

Fun

An interesting storyline, well performed and engaging. A great Young Adult read for adults as also.

interesting but not Riveting

The beginning does a really good job of capturing your attention. The main action of the story didn't seem to build drama the way I expected. Instead of one scene leading to another and feeling like i'm following the threads alongside the characters, it fell to little disjointed. Also some of the last minute saves felt forced. Groundwork was laid that could have been built upawn to heighten suspense. Overall, I enjoyed my time reading this story and will give the series a second chance in the second book. A lot of loose ends were left to follow up on in later books in the series which I can appreciate.

Decent, but not especially engaging

This is a young-adult mystery with a splash of romance, set in 19th-century London. (You should definitely consider it YA, not a "kid's book" -- tons of references to prostitution, opium, extramarital affairs, etc.) It's perfectly decent listening, but I didn't find myself especially wrapped up in either the characters or the story, and the period details/language weren't very persuasive. The reader, too, was simply fine. Not something that lingers in your mind.

I didn't expect to love this as much as I do

I picked this up on recommendation in a facebook group for The Parasol Protectorate series and I am SO glad I did. While it's not like the PP stories, Y.S. Lee has created wonderfully rich and lovable characters in a world that feels as real as can be.
There are books that can take a bit to pull me in, but not this one. I was instantly drawn in and fell in love with Mary at the start. I was never let down. She is imperfect, as all actual humans are. She makes mistakes and pays for them.
The story is interesting and I really appreciate the insight into the life Chinese immigrants in Victorian England.

Justine Eyre is an extremely talented narrator and I will certainly look for other books she's read.