A Spy in the House
Agency (Mary Quinn Mysteries) Series
In nineteenth century London, twelvw-year-old orphan Mary Quinn is rescued from the gallows by a woman masquerading as a prison warden. To her surprise, she is taken to Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. The school, Mary soon learns, is a front for a private investigation agency and, at the age of seventeen, she is assigned her first task as an official agent.
In her new role she is catapulted into the family home of the Thorolds to investigate the shady business dealings of the man of the house. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust—or is there?
Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets—including those of her own past.
Agatha Award Nominee for Best Young Adult Book (2010); Red Maple Award Nominee for Best Fiction (2011); John Spray Mystery Award (2011)
About the Agency (Mary Quinn Mysteries) Series
Books in series order
- 1.A Spy in the House(2009)
- 2.The Body at the Tower(2010)
- 3.The Traitor and the Tunnel(2012)
- 4.Rivals in the City(2014)
Reading age: 12+ years
This series should be read in order.
Steeped in Victorian atmosphere and intrigue, this enthralling mystery series trails a feisty heroine as she takes on a precarious secret assignment.
Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners—and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust—or is there?
Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets, including those of her own past.
Readers who crave cleverly crafted historical thrillers such as Phillip Pullman's Sally Lockhart series or The Keepers Trilogy by Lian Tanner will find themselves engrossed in The Agency.