The Traitor and the Tunnel (The Agency #3)

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The Traitor and the Tunnel (The Agency #3)

4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 · rating details · 1,633 ratings · 284 reviews

Get steeped in suspense, romance, and high Victorian intrigue as Mary goes undercover at Buckingham Palace - and learns a startling secret at the Tower of London.

Queen Victoria has a little problem: there's a petty thief at work in Buckingham Palace. Charged with discretion, the Agency puts quickwitted Mary Quinn on the case, where she must pose as a domestic while fending...more

Paperback, 376 pages

Published August 1st 2011 by Walker & Company

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Feb 26, 2012 Tracey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 19th-century, england, netgalley, ya

This is a young adult novel I was granted access to through Netgalley – with thanks to them. It is the third book in a series, but the only problem with that is that I want very much to read the first books and don't have them yet. (This also appears to be called The Traitor and the Tunnel - for the original Canadian edition, perhaps?)

Mary Quinn is undercover. She is twenty years old, and a part of an extraordinary intelligence agency, and posing as a maid in Queen Victoria's household. And I mu...more This is a young adult novel I was granted access to through Netgalley – with thanks to them. It is the third book in a series, but the only problem with that is that I want very much to read the first books and don't have them yet. (This also appears to be called The Traitor and the Tunnel - for the original Canadian edition, perhaps?)

Mary Quinn is undercover. She is twenty years old, and a part of an extraordinary intelligence agency, and posing as a maid in Queen Victoria's household. And I must say that the first glimpse we're given of Queen Victoria is a hilarious eye-opener that won my heart completely, for both her and this book. One of the best first lines I think I've ever seen:

Her Majesty Victoria, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Queen, Defender of the Faith, had a lamp shade on her head. Again.

There's something about that "Again" which just tickles me deeply.

I love that Mary's ethnicity – born of an Irish mother and a Chinese father – is simultaneously so easy to pass off as something else and so dangerous. I love that she has this mixed ethnicity – in a whitebread universe of fiction, she is unique and engaging. Another of her many distinctions is an almost unapologetic criminal past: Mary has as a child done what she needed to do to survive, having at an early age seen her father disappear and her mother die, and while she is far less than proud of it all, it is what it is. If only it didn't all exist as a wall between her and the fascinating young man she met in her prior investigations, James Easton … And if only her current investigation into small thefts at Buckingham Palace – which is rapidly turning into something else – didn't look like it was going to throw the two of them together again.

The writing is rather spare, with an inflection of the 19th century which makes me think of the writing axiom that a hint of dialect is far better and easier and more enjoyable to read than a constant stream. The sense of humor – often very dry – that runs throughout, from that very first memorable line, makes this a joy to read, and short chapters seem to make it fly by.

I loved the look at Victoria, her family, and the Palace as their home and that of their servants – the bits of the place you're not as likely to see on a tour. I loved the tone of the story – Mary is a literary cousin to Indiana Jones, James Bond, and The Three Investigators, only female and twenty and half Chinese and the daughter of a sailor, and perhaps a murderer – a wonderful point of view. I loved the romance – quite passionate for what I persist in thinking a young adult novel ought to be, but PG-rated and very well-written and satisfying. I appreciated that the matter-of-fact tone with which Mary considers her past is echoed in the outlook on the duties and necessities and hazards of the job in the palace: it is a fact of life that maids must turn and face the wall and pretend they aren't there whenever one of the Family comes upon them in the midst of their work, and however silly it is there is no fighting it and no questioning it. It is a fact of life that a young man in the family, be he "gentleman" or be he Prince, is a constant hazard to girls serving in the house, be it Eaton Place or Buckingham Palace. It's horrible, but again it is what it is and it can only be avoided until avoidance becomes impossible, and faced once it happens: there is no recourse.

It is this latter looming possibility along with the cold, hard facts of what it is to be Chinese in England in the 19th century that keep this grounded in reality, giving the fantasy of the Girl Spy a solid foundation. I didn't expect the depth of emotion in the story, nor the extent to which I'd become involved in it. Very well done indeed.

The author has a deleted scene on her lovely website.(less)

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Jan 01, 2012 Radha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: best-book-ever, historical-fiction, mystery

This book was absolutely wonderful! There was sooo much you didn't expect. Leave it up to Y.S. Lee to make it a suspenceful yet funny Victorian novel. She put it the right amount of detail in the book. Enough to let you get the main idea of where the characters are and what they are doing, but not so much to bore you to death. It was so good I couldn't put it down until 2:43 am (I could have stayed up longer- but unfortunatly, I had school in a few hours). Something that I enjoy in all of Y.S. L...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, victorian-era, young-adult, european-historical, 5-stars, autobuy-authors, favorite-heroines, favorite-series, favorites, reviewed-on-blog, romance, historical

Oh my god!! It is rare that I find a series that sucks me in the way that Y.S. Lee's Agency series has. It is even rarer when every book in a series gets a 5-Star ranking from me, but that is what happened with these historical mysteries.

For those of you who are unaware, The Agency is a young adult historical mystery series that tells of the adventures of Mary Quinn. Mary is a former street thief who was saved from execution/transportation and given the opportunity to be educated at a charity sc...more Oh my god!! It is rare that I find a series that sucks me in the way that Y.S. Lee's Agency series has. It is even rarer when every book in a series gets a 5-Star ranking from me, but that is what happened with these historical mysteries.

For those of you who are unaware, The Agency is a young adult historical mystery series that tells of the adventures of Mary Quinn. Mary is a former street thief who was saved from execution/transportation and given the opportunity to be educated at a charity school. After graduating, she was offered a position in the Agency which is a group of female spies who go undercover in a variety of places to help out clients. In earlier installments of this series, readers have seen Mary as a lady's companion and as a twelve year old boy. Now, Mary has become a housemaid in Queen Victoria's household to discover the truth about possible thievery amongst the servants.

My favorite thing about this series is watching Mary grow into a confident spy and an independent young woman. Her past was tragic, but it has been a joy to see her overcome it to become successful in her chosen career. It is very clear that Mary is no longer a novice within the Agency. She has experience and confidence in her abilities that has been lacking in some of her earlier missions. Mary has become less reactive and impulsive to what goes on around her, but she still hasn't lost that innate curiousity that makes her so fun to read about. She has also grown mature and aware of her feelings about certain complex topics like her heritage (half-Asian) and her personal feelings for young architect, James Easton. Despite her flaws, Mary is definitely an admirable and realistic historical heroine that would be a great role model for many teenage girls.

And speaking of James, it wouldn't be an Agency novel without that clever and stoic young man popping up in the middle of Mary's investigation. James, like Mary, has grown up during the series. He has realized how judgmental he was about certain things and wants to pursue a different relationship with Mary. It is a sure sign of maturity when one evaluates one's earlier priorities and figures out where one is incorrect or hasty. Readers do not get as much of James's point of view as in earlier installments, but I found that to be a great way for the author to hide his true motives.

Mary and James continue to be a fascinating "couple" with their opposing social standings, but obvious chemistry. Both of them have difficulty trusting others, but have learned to let their guard down with each other. In The Traitor in the Tunnel, readers see Mary intentionally pursue James's assistance (which she avoided at all costs before) and James deal with his protective nature when it comes to Mary's independence. I look forward to the next book to see more of this potential romance especially after certain events occurred near the end.

The mystery in this book begins in a fairly simplistic manner, but any fan of Mary's knows that it can easily become complex. In her investigation of the thievery, Mary discovers a mysterious tunnel underneath the palace and she, and James, try to decipher its connection to the royals. It was entertaining to watch Mary deal with both mysteries at the same time while trying to maintain her cover as a housemaid.

Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the inclusion of Queen Victoria and her family. I have always been fascinated by this lady and loved seeing how Y.S. Lee depicted her and her relationship with her husband and children. It was also fun to see the inner workings of a large English household...fans of Downton Abbey would definitely find the escapades of the servants fascinating.

This book does end with some lingering questions about the future of the Agency and Mary, and James's, role in it. Y.S. Lee is doing a fourth, and final, installment, and I personally cannot wait to see more of this interesting world of mystery, drama, and romance.

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Mar 19, 2012 Krista (CubicleBlindness Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So far this is my favorite book in the series. Of course this is the natural thing for most series because the characters and the world setting is mostly done in the first book. So we already have the established characters and just get to focus more on the plot of the story, which is a new mystery for Mary to solve.
This time the characters involved may be closer to Mary than she would have ever thought. It not only develops a story within the Royal court at Buckingham Palace, but one that leads...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Ifmarybooks rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think I can say it now : i'm in love with The Agency series and it might be one of my favorite series ! This third book was even better than the two first books !!!! I couldn't put it down and I read it in one sitting.
Once again I was so happy to be back in this world of spies, this victorian era, london...
This time this is completely different. At the beginning of the book Mary is already in a mission so we're right from the beginning into the action. And this is quite extraordinary there i...more I think I can say it now : i'm in love with The Agency series and it might be one of my favorite series ! This third book was even better than the two first books !!!! I couldn't put it down and I read it in one sitting.
Once again I was so happy to be back in this world of spies, this victorian era, london...
This time this is completely different. At the beginning of the book Mary is already in a mission so we're right from the beginning into the action. And this is quite extraordinary there is so much things happening in the first few chapters it's unbelievable. So much tensions, mysteries, discoveries. YS Lee really surprised me again !
This time her investigation is at Buckingham Palace Mary is a servant there for the royal family Queen Victoria and her family. How awesome is that? It was interesting to see and discover the life of a servant at the palace at that time.
What I always found fascinating in these books is that there isn't one plot but several plots ! Several intrigues so there isn't any pause or boring moment in the narration :
We have objects mysteriously disappearing in the palace, Mary's roomate who is dating Mr Jones (a character we met in the second book), Mary is also learning more about her Chinese origins and James Easton is working in the sewers of the palace.
This book was really suspenceful and kept me on the edge of my seat (or actually my bed ^^).
And then there is the characters and especially Mary and James Easton. I'm always proud of Mary. I really feel connected to her she is so brave and clever. Yes i'm proud that my name is Mary too (even it's written the french way : Marie). And our male character : James. Mary is probably one of my favorite character from a book that I read in 2012 and James one of my favorite love interest. I was so happy to see him again. But again this third book was different than the others. We don't really see James that often compared to the two first books. We actually see him just 4 times I think. And I was also surprised because we don't have anything from his point of view except a little chapter toward the end. I was a little disappointed at first because I liked that we had their two points of view in the two previous books but when I was reading the book I wasn't thinking about it and it didn't disturb me too much because there was so much things happening. And even if we see James just a few times in this one these passages are absolutely awesome ! I'm sure i'm going to reread them soon ! I love the two of them they're perfect together. YS Lee succeeds in conveying their attraction and passion.
Now about the end. I don't want to give any spoilers but this end is going to change everything and I can't wait to read the next book to see how it's going to be developped.
And to conclude I just want to say that I don't understand why this series is not more popular because it totally deserves it. I don't hear many people talking about it but you should totally read this series guys you won't regret it ! (less)

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Sep 27, 2012 Amy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Mary and James sitting in a study K.I.S.S.I.N.G. First comes animalistic passion, then comes serious makeout scene, then comes James with his hand up her skirt!
I skipped the second book in the series for the very dull reason that I couldn't find a copy easily at hand, and I figured this was the sort of series you could skip around in.
It appears I was right.
The Traitor in the Tunnel has all I dislike about the first book in the series...and then some. To its credit, its also "minus some." The ex...more Mary and James sitting in a study K.I.S.S.I.N.G. First comes animalistic passion, then comes serious makeout scene, then comes James with his hand up her skirt!
I skipped the second book in the series for the very dull reason that I couldn't find a copy easily at hand, and I figured this was the sort of series you could skip around in.
It appears I was right.
The Traitor in the Tunnel has all I dislike about the first book in the series...and then some. To its credit, its also "minus some." The extreme femenist bombardment is slightly less. . The romance is worse. The modern mindset glaringly obvious.
Again, the mystery itself is interesting and the historical context fun. Bringing in Queen Victoria and not completely ruining her domestic side was good. Yup, yup, all good.
EXCEPT:
There is that dang modern mindset. Whether it is Mary trying to convince the maid that marriage isn't the final answer of life to her daring to contradict Queen Victoria and declare a women can have an occupation AND a marriage.
She's completely and positively adamant that women don't need men...yet of course doesn’t mind when a super handsome one makes out with her all the time. Apparently, the otherwise useless chaps are good for a nice spine-tingley thrill. ^.-
I found the continuation of her 'OH MY GOODNESS I'M CHINESE IF ANYONE EVER FOUND OUT THEY'D BE HORRIFIED' obnoxious. Get over yourself girl. It doesn't fit with the way anyone has treated her so far. Maybe the general populance would be hostile, but Felicity and Anne? Uh-huh.
Frankly, it's Mary's relationship with men that drive me nuts about this book. And by that I mean...
Her nearly getting molested by the Prince's guard/chap
Her nearly getting raped/offering up her femenine dignity to the Prince of Wales because apparently sleeping with a guy means he'll confess to murdering someone
Her relationship with James.
All of it.
It is, frankly, soft, emotional porn. Now, I'm not calling it anywhere near Shades of Grey or any of those modern harder emotional porn. This is the soft stuff. It's the "respectable" kind. Nothing actually happens. Unfortunatley, nothing is described in way to much detail.
Like when she shows up at James's house out of the blue....he doesn't get her in his study two minutes and they are passionately making out, her hair has come undone, her blouse buttons conveniently unbuttoned....
Maybe, maybe in different circumstances that might be cute, but their entire relationship involves them kissing or pissing eachother off. There is no middle ground. And for heaven's sake, "animalistic" is an awful word. There is nothing in the least bit romantic about it. But then, there you have their relationship in eight words. Nothing in the least bit romantic about it.
So there....didn't like this book, found her dependency on men dumb, found her need to go and "save" James again cliche, found their entire relationship one longed "passionate" makeout tiring. Otherwise, the book had potential(less)

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Jul 27, 2012 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Queen Victoria has a little problem: there's a petty thief at work in Buckingham Palace. Charged with discretion, the Agency puts quickwitted Mary Quinn on the case, where she must pose as a domestic while fending off the attentions of a feckless Prince of Wales. But when the prince witnesses the murder of one of his friends in an opium den, the potential for scandal looms large. And Mary faces an even more unsettling possibility: the accused killer, a Chinese sailor imprisoned in the Tower of L...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Marie-Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Diesmal schlüpft Mary in die Kleidung eines Dienstmädchens, um im Buckingham Palast zu ermitteln. Doch ihr eigentlicher Auftrag gerät bald ins Hintertreffen, da der Kronprinz in einen Skandal verwickelt ist, in dem auch ein alter Chinese eine tragende Rolle spielt. Marys Vater? Doch das ist noch längst nicht alles. Ein weiteres Verbrechen führt Mary in die Kanalisation unter dem Schloss und dort direkt in die Arme von James Easton. Bald ist Mary persönlich so tief in die aufzuklärenden Fälle ver...more Diesmal schlüpft Mary in die Kleidung eines Dienstmädchens, um im Buckingham Palast zu ermitteln. Doch ihr eigentlicher Auftrag gerät bald ins Hintertreffen, da der Kronprinz in einen Skandal verwickelt ist, in dem auch ein alter Chinese eine tragende Rolle spielt. Marys Vater? Doch das ist noch längst nicht alles. Ein weiteres Verbrechen führt Mary in die Kanalisation unter dem Schloss und dort direkt in die Arme von James Easton. Bald ist Mary persönlich so tief in die aufzuklärenden Fälle verstrickt, dass sie die größte Gefahr beinahe übersieht ...

Der dritte und somit vorletzte Band um die "Meisterspionin Mary Quinn" löst viele Geheimnisse und Fragen aus den vorigen Bänden auf.
Mit viel Spannung und neuen Facetten wartet dieser Roman, der im viktorianischen England spielt, auf.
Die Autorin hat sich meiner Ansicht nach stellenweise eine wenig zu stark auf Beschreibungen fixiert, die gestrafft zusammen mit der Handlung durchaus ein tolles Ergebnis hätten liefern können.
Zwar war mir zu keiner Zeit langweilig und ich bin durchaus jedes Mal von Mary's Abenteuern angetan, aber letztendlich fehlte mir noch ein kleines Fitzelchen, das mich so begeistert zurück gelassen hätte, wie es Band eins und zwei konnten.
Dennoch ist dieses Buch keineswegs negativ zu bewerten. Die Handlung ist schlüssig und dicht erzählt und besitzt auch einen starken romantischen Faktor.
Spannung war ebenfalls zu jeder Zeit vorhanden und die Rätsel keineswegs vorhersehbar, sodass dem Leser ein tolles Abenteuer mit viel detektivischem Geschick geboten wurde.
Die historischen Fakten und Gegebenheiten wurden seitens der Autorin stimmig herausgearbeitet und schaffen ein authentisches Abbild des viktorianischen Londons.
Obwohl dieser Band nicht der letzte dieser vielversprechenden Reihe ist, wird der Leser trotzdem mit einem tollen Happy End belohnt, das die vorhergegangenen Ereignisse zufriedenstellend krönt.

Das liebevolle Geplänkel von Mary und James ist wundervoll zu lesen. Beide sind sehr sympathische und facettenreiche Charaktere, die vorallem in der Menge der Prüderie der damaligen Zeit eine willkommene Abwechslung bieten und sich keinerlei Konventionen unterwerfen.

Die Sprache ist der Zeit des späten 19. Jahrhunderts angepasst, aber nicht zu hochgestochen. Starke Beschreibungen und eine tiefgründige Handlung, sowie facettenreiche Charaktere schaffen ein flottes Lesevergnügen, bei dem die Zeit viel zu schnell durch die Finger rinnt.

Das Cover passt, wie auch seine Vorgänger, gut zur Handlung und wirkt nicht zu modern. Es zeigt die grundlegenden Elemente der Handlung, ohne dabei zuviel vom Inhalt zu verraten.
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Jul 13, 2012 Susannaf rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, young-adult

This installment of YS Lee's excellent historical romance-mysteries is, in my opinion not quite as tightly plotted as the last two, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. If I could, it would get 3.5 stars. Mary is, as always, intelligent, courageous and impulsive. Her thoughts always take more of the center stage than the actual mystery, and in this one, the mysteries are numerous and a bit confusing. They don't end up being related, which was disappointing. And as for James...well, at the beginnin...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Nicola rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

An excellent finale to "The Agency" trilogy. Mary Quinn's character has grown from a rag-tag orphan thief to a young woman now ready to live independently in a world where men usually have the upperhand. This was a fun case all-round, which has Mary playing parlour maid inside Buckingham Palace to rout out who has been stealing odd pieces of ornamentation, all to no avail. However when she thinks the case is not going to go any further, the details of the m...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Tiffany rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, historical-fiction, spies-and-espionage, mystery

Hark, all ye steampunk fans! There's a new Victorian era book/series, and it's called The Agency.

Guys. I don't know what it is about this series, but it's strangely addcitive. It follows the clever and headstrong Mary Quinn, who is also a spy. And this book is the third in The Agency series, so I suggest you snag A Spy in the House before storming through this book.

But even though I loved this installment of The Agency, there are some persisting things that bothered me through the series. Here's...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, love-story, outside-u-s-a, ya-fiction, mystery

Why I picked it up: I read the first two in the series and enjoyed them.

Mary Quinn is currently working in Buckingham palace. Various knick knacks have been disappearing from the palace and the Agency has been hired to find the culprit. But Anne and Felicity want to remove her from the case: there are secret repairs taking place in the tunnels beneath the palace and the engineer working on the repairs is James Easton. Before Mary even gets a chance to convince the Agency to let her stay, she ove...more

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Mar 12, 2012 kari rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, 5-star, ya

This series continues to be entertaining with well-developed characters and excellent plots. The mystery in this one, the thefts from the palace and the lurking about in the tunnels, is somewhat secondary to Mary's personal mysteries and actions. Not that that is bad, it's just that solving the mystery isn't central to the story, although it is the central story.
Without going into much detail, I loved how this one ended. I would have liked Mary to get to know more about her heritage and why thin...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Think Robert Downey Jr.’s version of Sherlock Holmes, but make him a seventeen-year-old girl. Y.S. Lee’s THE AGENCY: THE TRAITOR AND THE TUNNEL was so good that I purchased the two previous novels in the series.
Criminal-turned-spy, Mary Quinn, poses as a maid in Buckingham Palace to catch a petty thief, but stumbles across a more sinister issue in Queen Victoria’s castle. The third (and hopefully not final installment) reunites Mary with a well-developed cast of characters, including rival/poten...more

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Dec 15, 2011 Crstn29 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

With the third book in "The Agency" series, one can tell that Mary Quinn is very much grown up now. Still working for the agency, and placed in Buckingham Palace as a maid to investigate a series of petty thefts, Mary stumbles onto a much bigger case. With unusually little guidance from the Agency, Mary navigates palace gossip and politics with surprising skill.

In addition to becoming a confidante to a member of the royal household involved in a murder which he cannot recall, Mary also finds a...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Korey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 16, 2013 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery, young-adult, romance

I thought the mystery part of the story wasn't as good in this volume (seemed shorter and James wasn't involved as much) as the previous two books in the series. However, she did include a fairly interesting storyline about my favorite Prince of Wales Bertie (my favorite future king Edward VII)! It was pretty easy to see early on how the father element of the story was going to play out, but there were a few surprises. The romance, in this book, was weird because James wasn't in the story as muc...more

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Apr 19, 2012 K. Bird rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Actually, 4.5 stars. I do love me the half-Lascar (chinese) secret, undercover private detective girl in Victorian England.

And now, with More! Victoria!

Yes, Mary Quinn, ex-house thief and homeless wastrel, taken in by the Agency and trained in undercover work for private investigations in roles only overlooked women can play, is in the household of Queen Victoria as a maid.

So right there is where the half star got taken away. I mean, okay, yeah, I understand she was hired by the Queen for a very...more Actually, 4.5 stars. I do love me the half-Lascar (chinese) secret, undercover private detective girl in Victorian England.

And now, with More! Victoria!

Yes, Mary Quinn, ex-house thief and homeless wastrel, taken in by the Agency and trained in undercover work for private investigations in roles only overlooked women can play, is in the household of Queen Victoria as a maid.

So right there is where the half star got taken away. I mean, okay, yeah, I understand she was hired by the Queen for a very, very private investigation and is there on special assignment, but really? The Queen? And Bertie's attention? So easily she fits in such an ordered place?

It was a bit hard to swallow at first. Once I got over that, though, the book had all the hallmarks of the reason this is one of the best YA Historical series out there. (And none of it has gone stale yet.) We still have quite believable and detailed depictions of Victorian life, the wonderful struggle Mary has with revealing her own race and how she thinks of herself because of her father (with the problem now that he is involved in an opium-muddled murder in this book), her own quite bold and inquisitive personality, along with a smattering of romantic arguing and friction with dashing engineer James Easton.

The book even pokes fun at itself by having both James and Mary mention how their continued, serendipitous meetings would hardly be believable even in a novel. And all the scenes where Mary tortures Octavius Jones with his inability to shake the paramour he courted only for gossip had me smiling.

Lovely.

The twin mysteries of the missing knick-knacks and Lady Honoria's strange behavior are both satisfactorily resolved with heroics by both James and Mary. While there was a bit of a too-convenient save at the end by a surprising character, I forgave that because the novel resolves, quite nicely, the problem of things getting repetitive by setting up James and Mary in a new direction. I quite look forward to their continued partnership.

This Book's Snack Rating: Garlic fries for the addictive, salty flavor of Mary's character coupled with the garlicky oily goodness of a fun plot, believable details, and satisfactory ending.(less)

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Feb 25, 2013 Lizabeth S. Tucker rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-adventure

A simply investigation at Buckingham Palace turns into a nightmare for Agency operative Mary Quinn. A Lascar accused of attacking Prince Albert and murdering an Honorable in an opium den may be Mary's long lost father. She also has to deal with the obnoxious reporter Octavius and her former lover James Easton.

I have to admit that this entry into the series was hard to get into. I'm not a big fan of introspective or reflective passages, which Mary indulges in quite often. For me, I find them to s...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Jeretta Hall rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, young-adult

I absolutely loved this third book in the series. As a whole, I have loved this series and would actually like to read more about Mary Quinn, but I am unsure if she plans on writing anymore. This time, Mary goes undercover as a maid in the royal palace to uncover why some items have gone missing. But while trying to figure out this one mystery, she uncovers another...someone sneaking around in the underground tunnels of the palace. And a third mystery...one dealing with her long-lost father. She...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Brooke rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, historical-fiction, overrated, title-i-love, mystery, what-was-i-thinking, young-adult

Well, that sucked.
Really, what else can I say?
Oh yes. To atone for the relative "cleanliness" of the previous two books, there are A LOT of sexual references in this book. Even one or two sex scenes.
And Mary's constant freaking out about being half Chinese and people's reactions if they found out is annoying.
James is the only character who I sort of like.
And she needs to stop treating him badly. And he needs to stop hurting her feelings.
And they BOTH need to cut out the arguing and MAKE UP THEI...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Ken Kugler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love this series. It is about Mary Quinn, a young woman who had been saved from a life as a street cutpurse by luck. She has been taken in by two women who look to better young girls and find those who show promise and who might be asked to join there detective agency called....TA DA, The Agency. Up until this 3rd installment, Mary, had been given lower profile assignments but this one is in the palace with Queen Victoria. Not a big case but in a place that calls for utmost discretion.
Mary s...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Colleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, whodunit

3.5

A lot is happening for Mary, both personally and professionally, in this latest installment. It opens with Mary on her first assignment as a fully trained Agent, even though the case - petty thefts at the palace - is a bit humdrum after the excitement of previous cases.

But then, while she's at the palace, this go awry for the Prince Bertie, and the case touches on Mary's on past. She also is left in a position of having to decide just how far she'll go to compromise herself to get information...more

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Aug 17, 2012 joy *the clean-reader extraordinaire* rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf, historical-fiction, mystery-or-romance, pg13-green, uk, ya-fiction

the following factors affected my rating of this book:

***** biracial heroine!
**** vivid historical, victorian period detail
*** MC personality and strength
** disjointed "romantic" banter
* love interest and his animal instincts

the first third of the book was great, but then our MC's love interest is re-introduced, and it's all downhill from there. the relationship seems to consist of melodramatic misunderstandings followed almost immediately by "passionate" necking with little to no warning shift...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Heidi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Three and a half stars: A book with a little something for everyone: mystery, romance, history and thrills.

Mary Quinn is working undercover on her first real assignment. She is posing as a parlor maid in Buckingham Palace. Mary in actuality is a secret agent working for an agency that employs all women spies/ detectives. Mary is sent to the palace to try and track down a thief. Someone is stealing small artifacts from the palace. While performing her daily duties, Mary unwittingly stumbles acro...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Dulcinea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: EVERYONE!!!

You should have seen my face when this book came in the mail, it was probably Facebook worthy!!
When I first started reading the book I was starting to feel a little let down, so I put it down and thought, what was missing? It was only then that I realized that my anticipation for this book had been building up for over a year, so I had envisioned some almighty holy grail-esque shining novel in which I would hear a choir singing whenever I turned a page. And that I shouldn't start the book think...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Nathania Ma rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cute-little-book, i-m-loving-it, ideal-man-s-inside-this-book, love-the-writing, sequel, this-is-fun, mystery-so-mediocre

Unlike the previous too books, I think this book is simply sweet and cute! In fact, to the extent it seems a bit unbelievable. I even thought of going back to the previous book and see if it's really merely 7 months between the events in the first book and the second book.

The strengths:
1) The dialogues between Mary and James. I always love the dialogues between this couple! So full of wit and confidence! James in this book has changed from a devil to an angelic devil! SWEET!

2) The description...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Maria Kramer rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: girl-friendly, mystery, romance, historical, asian

Young Mary Quinn has become a fully-fledged Agent and is on her first case in Buckingham Palace. While Mary hunts a petty thief, a more serious problem erupts -- Bertie the Prince of Wales witnesses a murder, and the killer has a strange connection to her. Also, a sinister scheme is unfolding right under her nose that might threaten the Royal Family itself.

I liked this book in theory -- a female person of color solving mysteries in Victorian England! -- but the threads of the story didn't quite...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Alma rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I LOVE this series!!!!!!!!!I am telling you NOW . right off the bat , it starts a bit slow but i assure you that you will absolutely LOVE this series too.

The story and plot itself is absolutely enticing and WONDERFULLY SUSPENSEFUL. A beautifully written mystery is always welcome but my most favorite aspect of this series was the main character:Mary Quinn and her romance with my ALL TIME favorite male character. I have fallen in love with James...So, back to Quinn. She is a headstrong female char...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love this YA new series so much that I counted the days until this book was available. I was not disappointed! The series features Mary Quinn, an orphan and a thief rescued from the gallows at age 12 and trained to work as a spy for a secret agency. The name of the series is The Agency. It takes place in London in 1860. There's mystery, danger, and a little romance in every book. In this book Mary, who is now about 17, is sent to Buckingham Palace as a domestic servant to find out who has been...more

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About Y.S. Lee

Y. S. Lee was born in Singapore but brought up in Canada. She also lived briefly in the United Kingdom. An academic with a PhD in Victorian literature and culture, she wrote MASCULINITY AND THE ENGLISH WORKING CLASS IN VICTORIAN AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND FICTION. She lives in Ontario, Canada.

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Quotes from The Traitor in the Tunnel

“Stop shining your lantern in my face."
"It's such a lovely face.” — 56 people liked it

“He smiled. "I suppose I thought we'd have a madly impractical, terrifyingly modern sort of marriage. One based on love. Not to mention dangerous undertakings and hair's-breadth escapes from burning buildings, high ledges and exploding sewers."

"And bickering."

"Always that, yes."

"Assuming I want to marry at all."

"True. I know of no good way of forcing you to do anything."

"And you're mad enough to think it could work - one day?"

He cupped her face in his hands. His smile was so brilliant it seemed to illuminate the room. "I think it would be heaven."

She trembled, then. "You have a very strange idea of heaven."

"Kiss me and see.” — 48 people liked it

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The Traitor and the Tunnel (The Agency #3)

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