The Mary Quinn Mysteries by Y.S. Lee
Walker Books, 2011.
A Spy in the House. ISBN 9781763652890. The Body in the
Tower.
ISBN
9781406315981. The Traitor in the Tunnel. ISBN
9781406315974.
(Age 13 +) Highly recommended. Set in Victorian London these
mysteries feature the intriguing and entertaining character of
orphaned
Mary Quinn. Rescued from prison at the age of twelve and placed in a
children's home, she is recruited at age 17 to work undercover in a
secretive women's detective agency. The books vividly recreate
the historical times and in particular illustrate well the inequity
in
living standards between both rich and poor and men and women in
those
times.
All three books feature the charming character of James Easton as a
love interest and the storylines are all well plotted with twists
and
turns to sustain interest. My favourite story, The Body in the
Tower,
authentically describes the building of Big Ben as the final
addition
to the British Houses of Parliament. These books will be a very
welcome
addition to school libraries for readers of historical fiction and
the
detective genre. Teenage girls will identify strongly with the
courageous and ingenious Mary.
Chris Lloyd