Word Out 2011

A Thrilling Victorian Mystery: The Body at the Tower

July 20, 2011 | Claire | Comments (25)

Agency If you're a fan of Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew or anything in between, check out Y.S. Lee's latest Mary Quinn mystery, The Body at the Tower.  The tower of the British Houses of Parliament are being rebuilt as part of a major reconstruction  after the fire of 1834.  A man falls out of the tower in mysterious circumstances and the Scrimshaw detective agency is asked to find out whether the death was an accident or a murder.  Mary goes undercover, dressed as a boy, and gets a job in the building site as an apprentice.  There the dangers mount, and Mary has to use all her wits to navigate her way to the truth.

I liked this book for a few different reasons.  First of all, I like the idea of a secret all-female detective agency operating in Victorian England.  I like Mary Quinn, with her smarts, her courage and her complicated background. And I totally love how the book makes Victorian London spring to life so vividly that I almost feel I'm there, smelling it, seeing it, feeling it.  The social injustices of the time, including the way children can face starvation if their paren'ts lose their jobs, die or even just get sick for a while, are chilling, and remind me that we're lucky to live here and now.  

And hey!  The author, Y.S. Lee, is Canadian, but studied Victorian Culture in university, so she knows what she's talking about!  Maybe that's why she can make the time period feel so real. 

What different times and places do you like to read about?

Comments

25 thoughts on “A Thrilling Victorian Mystery: The Body at the Tower”

  1. I am LOVING these mysteries! The spunky characters, the way she weaves in historical characters, the way she creates a setting that feels realistic for Victorian London. And, of course, I’m a big mystery fan.
    I’m reading Sherlock Holmes right now, in fact – just revisiting an old classic for something short and quick. They really are a great read, though, and famous with good reason!

  3. This book already sounds interesting just because the main character has the same name as me. And i do love mystery. I mostly like to read books either about the present day, or distant apocalyptic future. Those are my favs. If i see this book in the library I’ll definitely consider picking it up

  5. I am really interested in these kind of suspense keeping books. I really want to read books that has mysteries. I read a book called ERAGON which is a fantacy book and I really want to read this book called THE AGENCY but unfortunatly I really can’t find it in this library.

  6. “I REALLY LOVE THIS BOOK.” Even though I am younger than my sisters I can actually read this book by my self and I want this book’s author Sherlock Holmes to write more mystrerious books.

  7. Sherlock Holmes! I really love your creations because I love fantacy books.I kindly request you to write more books which can help me connect my knowedge to what I am studying in the school about the fantacy books.

  8. ” I LOVE THIS BOOK ”
    ” Sherlock Holmes ” HAVE AWESOME BOOKS AND THIS IS ONE OF ITS AWESOME BOOK

  9. I’ve only read the first book in the series, but it was fabulause!I can’t wait to get my hands on this one!

  10. I LOVE SHERLOCK HOLMES
    and I LOVE THE VICTORIAN ERA
    ive been looking for more victorian set books but not finding much
    looking forward to reading this!!!
    😀

  11. Hi guys! I’m glad you’re loving The Agency as much as we all do. Gobika–if you can’t find a copy of it in your own library, ask the librarian to place a hold for you. Then it will be sent to your library for you to pick up. It’s free and easy–we do it all the time!
    Myurika and Gowrika–sorry for the confusion, the book’s author is not Sherlock Holmes, it’s Y.S. Lee. I mentioned Sherlock because he is another very famous Victorian detective that many people like to read about. I’m sure Ms. Lee would be flattered by the comparison!

  12. Wow… this book sure sounds good to read! I love the idea of putting mystery together with history to make such an interesting storyline. I want to try and find this book at the library so I can read it! 🙂

  13. I am in love with Jane Austen.
    Love Love love that time period and the way that they talked. I could spend an entire afternoon conversing in that language all afternoon 😉

  20. This is one of the best recommendations ever!! Seriously, I suggest that each and everyone of you guys read this book. It is truly amazing. The Victorian England theme just makes the book even better. I don’t want to be a spoiler but the book begins when an Mary Quinn’s, the protagonist, agency asks her to basically be a ‘Nanny’ for this rich girl as a disguise to solve the mystery roaming around in the girl’s house. It just gets more and more interesting. I could not put this book down. It was that good!!

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