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The Body at the Tower (The Agency #2)

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 2,559 ratings · 358 reviews

This is another colourful, action-packed Victorian detective novel about the exploits of agent Mary Quinn. At a young age, Mary Quinn is rescued from the gallows and taken to Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. The school turns out to be a front for a private detective agency. At age 17, Mary takes on her first case (A Spy in the House). In this, the second book of the ser...more

Hardcover, 337 pages

Published August 10th 2010 by Candlewick Press

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Aug 06, 2010 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 4 of 5 stars

This series is fantastic! I don't read much historical fiction, let alone historical fictions that are mysteries, but I will continue to pick up this series, no doubt about it.

I think the thing that makes this novel so awesome is Mary. She has an excellent voice! You want to read her story, you care what happens to her and you want to help her solve the mystery. I felt a lot more empathy towards Mary this time around.....because of having to face her past as a child growing up on the street.......more This series is fantastic! I don't read much historical fiction, let alone historical fictions that are mysteries, but I will continue to pick up this series, no doubt about it.

I think the thing that makes this novel so awesome is Mary. She has an excellent voice! You want to read her story, you care what happens to her and you want to help her solve the mystery. I felt a lot more empathy towards Mary this time around.....because of having to face her past as a child growing up on the street.... not to mention with this being the second novel, you feel as though you know the character this time around. I think it's easier to care almost instantly. I also loved that we got to see Mary addressing her Chinese heritage and how detached she feels from it.... I'm looking forward to it being address even further in upcoming novels. It's so sad to see her struggling with her identity and her feeling as though it's something she has to hide.

Besides the excellence that is Mary, the plot is also rockin'! I honestly had no idea what was going on.... who was doing what and why. I mean I didn't figure it out until it was spelled out for the reader. Usually I can figure something out, but everything was a surprise. Kudos to Lee for keeping me and Mary on out toes!

My favorite character from book one was back, James! And I think I enjoyed watching Mary and James' relationship evolving... although from those last few pages... who knows what might happen. I'm glad that Mary did what she did... but wow! I can't wait to see what happens next between those too... they just HAVE to meet up again!

And the setting is fantastic. I loved the descriptive elements from the first novel and the second was no exception.... I just want to go there.... to the time and place. Something about it is incredibly alluring. Am I alone in this revelation?

Anyway.... This series is fantastic. Spectacular characters... superb writing... awesome storyline. It's easy to read, fun and just plain ole' entertaining. I can't wait for another adventure with Mary in book three!
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Mar 07, 2012 kari rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, 5-star, ya

I'm giving this one a five even though I did love it a bit less than the first in this series. It is still far better than much of what is out there in the YA genre.
Mary is such a wonderful heroine, feisty, vulnerable and yes, even scared. The fact that she is scared and yet continues on without waiting for some guy to rescue her makes her one of my favorite characters. Her past and parentage make her a very sympathetic character. She makes choices that don't always make her happy and as a reade...more

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Feb 09, 2012 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

With the second book in her historical mystery series, Y.S. Lee continues the fascinating adventures of Mary Quinn, the half-Chinese, half-Irish former thief turned secret agent. Almost a year after her first assignment, Mary has become more confident in her abilities as a member of the Agency and enjoys the adventure involved in her missions. Her latest job requires her to take on the guise of a twelve year old boy in order to investigate a mysterious death on the building site of St. Stephen's...more With the second book in her historical mystery series, Y.S. Lee continues the fascinating adventures of Mary Quinn, the half-Chinese, half-Irish former thief turned secret agent. Almost a year after her first assignment, Mary has become more confident in her abilities as a member of the Agency and enjoys the adventure involved in her missions. Her latest job requires her to take on the guise of a twelve year old boy in order to investigate a mysterious death on the building site of St. Stephen's Tower.

One of my favorite aspects of this series is the character of Mary and her transformation as a woman and as a secret agent. She is becoming more mature which shows in the decrease in impulsive decisions. Her experiences over the past year have made her more observant. But, there are still some flaws to her character such as her inability to deal with her mixed heritage which, I hope, will become more prominent in later installments.

Another fun element of this book and this series is the rivalry/friendship between Mary and engineer James Easton. At the end of A Spy in the House, James was about to go off to work on bridges in India and the two were prepared never to see each other again. Well, imagine Mary's surprise when she discovers that James has returned to London and is in charge of a safety review of the building site. This allows for more of James and Mary's hilarious banter and obvious chemistry. The way that they help each other with their own personal missions is very sweet despite the fact that Mary is forced to lie about her true purpose. I do hope that we will see a happy, maybe romantic ending for Mary and James sometime in the series.

Lee gives readers a wide array of secondary characters from many different economic situations which helps provide a realistic portrayal. Some of the most prominent are Mr. Harkness, the head engineer on the St. Stephen's Tower project, and the bricklayers with whom Mary works with on a daily basis during the investigation.

The Victorian setting is once again richly detailed and described. Lee's explanations made me feel like I was actually on the streets of London with the sights, smells, and sounds. I also enjoyed the fact that most of the book took place in the poverty-stricken areas of the city. The contrast between the home lives of the head engineer and the bricklayers was very intriguing as well.

The actual mystery of the death was not as difficult as the one in the previous book. I had my suspicions from the beginning so it was really just a matter of finding the evidence and eventual motive. The way that Mary, and James, managed to figure out the truth was entertaining and impressive at times.

Once again, Justine Eyre does a fabulous job narrating this book. Her ability to switch from upper class to lower class accents as well as change genders at the drop of a hat is admirable. The tone that she brings to the story just made me enjoy it even more.

All in all, another wonderful mystery with intriguing characters, realistic setting, and plenty of romantic potential. I look forward to reading or listening to the next book in this series, The Traitor in the Tunnel.

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Dec 02, 2010 Nancy O'Toole rated it 5 of 5 stars

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

At eighteen, Mary Quinn is almost a full fledged member of The Agency, an all female spy organization. When a man is murdered at the building site for the clock town at the House of the Parliament, The Agency is hired to gather intelligence. Mary agrees to take the case, despite the fact that it will require her to masquerade as a working class adolescent boy, a role which forces her to remember her time living on the streets in poverty. The case becomes more complicated when Mary runs into Jame...more At eighteen, Mary Quinn is almost a full fledged member of The Agency, an all female spy organization. When a man is murdered at the building site for the clock town at the House of the Parliament, The Agency is hired to gather intelligence. Mary agrees to take the case, despite the fact that it will require her to masquerade as a working class adolescent boy, a role which forces her to remember her time living on the streets in poverty. The case becomes more complicated when Mary runs into James, just returned from his time in India. It soon becomes obvious that the two must work together again, causing Mary to juggle the murder case along with her painful memories of her past, and her feelings for James.

Y.S. Lee is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. Just like with her first book, I practically flew through The Body in the Tower. A Body in the Tower has many of the same elements that were so enjoyable about A Spy in the House such as a feisty heroine, a fun mystery plot-line, and satisfying romantic tension. At the same time, there are many differences between the two books. Most of the feminist undertones from the first book are gone. Instead we are given a peek into life for the lower class in Victorian London. The historical elements seem stronger, as the author appears to be giving us more background information on the time and place. This slows down the pacing at times, but I didn't consider this to be a problem. Mary's journey feels more personal, as the case forces to face her past and Chinese heritage. To me, this made the book feel more tense. I could almost feel Mary's discomfort over her new position. The romance still has much of the satisfying banter between Mary and James, but it feels changed. Mary and James are beyond mere flirting now, and it's obvious that they have real feelings for each other, but there is something holding each of them back.

There are many things I enjoy about this series. I love how May is a complex character that grows form book to book. I love how James, while charming, is not perfect himself, and must struggle with the consequences that come from his own stubbornness and refusal to see the world in anything but black and white. As I said with my review of A Spy in the House, I cannot comment on the accuracy of these books, but I do feel as if the author does a good job making Mary's London seem real to the reader. The one thing that does bother me about this series is the fact that the third book, The Traitor in the Tunnel, does not come out until 2012! I cannot imagine having to wait over a year for the final book in this trilogy. I want to read it now!
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May 04, 2013 Alexandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mary Quinn has had her fair share of dressing up as a boy - but only to escape detection as a street child, growing up. Now, for her new assignment, she must re-assume the identity of a boy apprentice builder, Mark Quinn, in order to discover a murderer's identity. Dressing up again brings back a flood of bad memories from her childhood, as well as fears that those closest to her will discover her true identity as a half-caste. Mary tries to earn the other workers' trust, but it's harder than i...more Mary Quinn has had her fair share of dressing up as a boy - but only to escape detection as a street child, growing up. Now, for her new assignment, she must re-assume the identity of a boy apprentice builder, Mark Quinn, in order to discover a murderer's identity. Dressing up again brings back a flood of bad memories from her childhood, as well as fears that those closest to her will discover her true identity as a half-caste. Mary tries to earn the other workers' trust, but it's harder than it would seem - especially when she can't help but be distracted by the poverty of others, the poor attitude of the workers, theft that may or may not be related to the murder, and an old friend who may have been more if time had provided the means. Mary must navigate throughout these diversions and more while attempting to unmask a killer without jeopardizing herself.

I was looking forward to this book after being so pleasantly surprised by the previous one in this series. This book was certainly different, but I still enjoyed it. For one thing, it focused more on Mary and her emotions than the actual mystery. And it was an entirely different atmosphere - riddled with thievery and danger, as well as discomfort and crude topics. Since the atmosphere of the book affects my feelings toward it, I didn't necessarily like this setting as much - I much preferred the comfort of the Thorold household. However, this was where the storyline was set, so I dealt with it. It shows the quality of Y.S. Lee's writing, that I was able to feel the emotions associated with the setting. I certainly learned a bit about life as a poverty-stricken boy in the 1800's - learn to deal with life and work through it.

Although the writing was good and the clues were difficult to decipher, I actually instinctively knew from nearly the beginning of the story who the murderer turns out to be. I don't know if it was something in the descriptions or if it was just the logical choice of character, but throughout the entire story, while Mary was collecting evidence and figuring out the meaning of certain events, the back of my mind whispered the name of the killer. I think the little bits of proof Lee left dangling for the reader were a bit too much. In A Spy in the House, I was completely surprised by the criminal - well, the first time I read it, anyway. I wish that surprise factor had been there in this novel as well. I like a story much better when it has a twist ending - well, as long as it still makes sense when compared with the rest of the story.

Something I found about this book is that there were too many characters involved. The names switched around and seemed interchangeable at some points - there were just so many. By the end, I think all the names were straight with the characters. However, I had it nowhere near that figured out towards the beginning, and even the middle. More character physical descriptions would have been appreciated - if I could associate a black beard with a certain person, for example, whenever the beard was mentioned, I could remember that certain character. That's just my way of remembering, I guess, but I find it works.

Overall, I found this book enjoyable and intriguing, perhaps just not as much as A Spy in the House. I would still read the next book, though; this one didn't turn me off the series. And I do want to find out what happens next with Mary, since this story left off on a cliffhanger on many aspects, much more so than the last book. I would give this book four stars. Although I didn't find it as good as the last book in the series, I still deem it worthy of that additional star that makes it 'great' as opposed to merely 'good'. I would suggest this story to anyone looking for a novel including a murder mystery, romance, or psychology.(less)

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Feb 25, 2013 Lizabeth S. Tucker rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-adventure

Mary Quinn's latest assignment requires her to disguise herself as a 12 year old boy, taking on his first job at a building site. In reality she will be investigating the mysterious death of Mr. Wick, a bricklayer, at the clock tower destined to be Big Ben. Mary has to deal with memories of her early years as well as trying to complete her assignment and working manual labor at the site. In the process she runs into an old friend, makes what might be a new one, and finds her heart becoming more...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Jacqueline Nukaya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-literature-first-half

Mary (Mark) Quinn is a member of the Agency- an all female spy network. Her mission is to figure out what is going on at clock tower. John Wick mysteriously fell to his death one late night. Some are blaming Ghosts, but it is mary's job to figure out what really happened. Her Alias Mark is a 12 year old boy who works at the construction site. "Mark" investigates the case and attempts to keep her identity a secret. Set in Victorian London, Mary is concerned that if her gender is discovered it wil...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Austa Knutson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1-12

Mary again goes undercover by The Agency, but this time to investigate a man's murder on one of the Easton's building sites. Mary poses as a young boy worker and faces trials and hardships as she struggles to uncover what happened to lead to the man's mysterious death. James returns and joins the investigation as well. More is revealed about Mary's past and she is put to the test even more than in the first novel as the circumstances push her to her personal limit.

In this one, I was a little le...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Kereesa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of the series.

Shelves: 2012, own, young-adult, unnoticed-but-amazing, the-real-5ers, romance, mystery-thriller, it-s-a-dress-it-must-be-ya, grrl-power, historical, friendship, favorites, fangirling, cuddle-plus, canadian-love, own-softcovers

After zipping through this novel's predecessor, A Spy in the House, it's no surprise I read this one just as quickly. While I loved A Spy in the House, The Body at the Tower was actually even better. The story was much more intriguing for me, the character development was absolutely wonderful, and the relationship between James and Mary had me bitting my nails the whole way through.

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Apr 17, 2012 Natalie rated it 5 of 5 stars

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

I had this book sitting at my house forever. I was waiting for the first one to come in at the library so I could read it again and refresh. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore and I just had to read it immediately.

Of course I loved it. How could I not? It has all my favorite elements - mystery, romance, intrigue, historical, victorian - sigh. That is the formula for an excellent novel.

Mary is going undercover again. This time as a boy. There has been a murder at the work site of Big Ben. She...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery, outside-u-s-a, ya-fiction, 2012-reading-challenges

Why I picked it up: I read the first one and enjoyed it.

It's a year after A Spy in the House and Mary has a new assignment from the Agency. Disappointingly, we get basically no detail on what she has done for the past year. Mary has a new assignment, and she has to decide if she wants it: posing as a young boy at a construction site. This puts her back in a similar position to her own childhood and the emotional affects are a bit overwhelming for Mary.

I liked it, possibly even more than the firs...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Mara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-to-buy, historical-fiction, mystery

I cannot say how much I love mystery stories set in Victorian England. The Agency series is a bit earlier in the Victorian era than I especially like reading about, but it isn't too early to make me completely disinterested. As usual, Y.S. Lee terrifically captures London's dark, dank streets with her well-researched history and language. Unlike A Spy in the House (Book 1), her visual descriptions do not bring a Reader's mental eye too close for comfort. And also unlike A Spy in the House, the e...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Bev Hankins rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-mystery, mystery, ya

The Agency: The Body at the Tower by Y. S. Lee is the second in a mystery series which follows Mary Quinn and The Agency, an all-female detective unit operating out of Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for girls. In this installment, Mary disguises herself as a poor apprentice builder and a boy to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of a bricklayer at a building site on the clock tower of the Housese of Parliament. Set in the gritty world of the Victorian working-class poor, th...more

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May 14, 2011 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-books

This second book in the Agency series definitely lives up to the high expectations set by the first, which I reviewed here. The lush and vivid historical detail is present, as well as an interesting and engaging mystery and a very poignant and detailed commentary on what life was like for people of various social strata at the time. This is another book that is an excellent rebuttal to folks who would argue that they don't like historical fiction.

Details from the last book, such as those regardi...more This second book in the Agency series definitely lives up to the high expectations set by the first, which I reviewed here. The lush and vivid historical detail is present, as well as an interesting and engaging mystery and a very poignant and detailed commentary on what life was like for people of various social strata at the time. This is another book that is an excellent rebuttal to folks who would argue that they don't like historical fiction.

Details from the last book, such as those regarding Mary's childhood as a street child and thief as well as her ethnicity, her hidden past, and her interest in James, the engineer, are all woven into this new story to keep things firmly tethered together while still allowing the overall story to unfold. Mary is sent to investigate the death of a laborer at St. Stephen's tower, disguised as a laborer. This proves troubling for Mary, as she was often forced to disguise herself as a boy when she was a child in order to pass more freely and, more importantly, unmolested, through the streets of London. The unpleasant memories abound and Mary is forced to tamp everything down and deal with it in private moments which are few and far between.

Needless to say, being unmasked as a female masquerading as a male would be disastrous for Mary, so when someone who could recognize her appears at the building site in the form of Mr. James Easton, who is investigating the misfortunes of the tower construction from the engineering side. The site manager is an old family friend of the Eastons so James is under the dual pressures of wanting to help his father's friend while also doing the most thorough job possible, even if it means exposing corruption or incompetence.

The mystery of what specifically is going on at the tower building site is fairly straightforward, as greedy people usually don't cover their tracks all that thoroughly, but the mystery component takes a backseat to the exposition of what life was like for the poorest of the poor in London at the time. One of the other errand boys at the site, Jenkins, while being a sassy sort of snot on the outside, is actually the sole breadwinner for his family. When he's injured on the job, it's a huge blow to their very survival. The descriptions of the hovels that some people were living in were gut-wrenching. In this particular time, if you were a person with no skills and no prospects, survival was far from guaranteed. This was a reality for Mary herself not so long before, and her grappling with the dissonance between her current reality and the one she almost had was very realistic and believable.

Equally vivid, too, was the blossoming of Mary's relationship with James. Mary is torn between wanting to dive in headfirst in her first encounter with romance while also wanting to be practical and loyal to the people to whom she literally owes her life. Formal attachment to a man would mean the end of her work with the Agency (it's one thing for a young single woman to enter into households in service capacities to find out information, but quite another for a married woman to be doing that,) and that's not something that Mary is ready to consider.

I'm very interested to see what happens in future books with James Easton. James is a man of principles, for whom things are black and white, right and wrong. Finding out the truth about Mary's past threw him for a loop, and Mary used that loop as a way to disentangle herself from him, as hurtful to her as it was. And yet, James acts with a certain amount of hypocrisy throughout the book. He believes in following the rules and being proper and appropriate at all times, a man of honor, but he takes incredibly liberties with Mary throughout the book, liberties that I don't think he would even consider if Mary were anyone else. While Mary is an equal partner in these and totally permits these liberties, it did make me wonder what James considered his intentions towards Mary to be and whether or not he would consider those intentions to be honorable.

This book definitely lived up to my expectations and I'm totally looking forward to reading future installments in this series. Mary Quinn is a female lead who's sensible, practical, snarky, funny, articulate and intelligent, and as a heroine she sets the bar very high indeed.

Overall Grade: A

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Dec 06, 2010 Hallie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, history-project, ya

The things that bugged me about the first book - details of Victorian London life being so off they were really irritating - were here again. Lots of little things, use of language that didn't sound right, reactions that seemed totally unlikely or were just there seemingly to explain to other "outsiders" in a way that made it too obvious that the narrator was thinking as an outsider - like a "teetotalling, cliché-spouting, church-going" overseer asking Mary if there was "no Christian charity" to...more

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Sep 14, 2010 Nicola rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, own

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

I want to say The Body at the Tower is even better than book 1 but I think that's because I've just finished reading it. The follow up to A Spy in the House is just as amazingly brilliant as its predecessor. A fast-paced, read-into-the-night Victorian mystery.

Mary Quinn has been sent on assignment this time to go undercover as a young boy. Chopping her hair off and binding her chest tightly her petite half Chinese frame allows her to pull this off without a...more Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

I want to say The Body at the Tower is even better than book 1 but I think that's because I've just finished reading it. The follow up to A Spy in the House is just as amazingly brilliant as its predecessor. A fast-paced, read-into-the-night Victorian mystery.

Mary Quinn has been sent on assignment this time to go undercover as a young boy. Chopping her hair off and binding her chest tightly her petite half Chinese frame allows her to pull this off without a hitch. She is sent to the construction site of St. Stephen's Clock Tower which holds the bell, Big Ben. A construction worker has just been found dead at the bottom of the tower, having supposedly either fallen or jumped. Mary's assignment is to infiltrate the construction crew and pick up any insider information on the man's death and also to look into the state of affairs concerning the construction management itself.

Lee's depiction of Victorian times is authentic and never loses its credibility. As I've said previously, Ms. Lee has managed to pick the perfect profession for her heroine to move about within the confines of this rigid society. As a spy, her disguises allow her to cross class lines and present as a bold, outspoken woman in private. This time around disguised as a boy, there are no boundaries to "Mark's" world. As Mark, Mary has access to a construction site, pubs, the streets at night, and plenty of places a woman of any respectability, no matter how small, would never deem to go.

The mystery is an intricate plot with several different tracks being followed. People of bad character are easy to find but it doesn't necessarily make them the villains in these particular circumstances. Lee keeps the reader guessing by adding more to the plot with each reveal. Mary also has the added burden of running into James again and their relationship takes many turns.

The recommended age of these books are 12+ but I would suggest a little older as even though they are perfectly clean they speak of adult topics. This one mentions rape, prostitution, men who like little boys and other unsavory topics. Also since the protagonist is 18 years old I find no reason that this would not be enjoyed by adult readers of cozy historical mysteries. The publishers may even want to consider marketing "adult version" covers of the series. I'm anxiously awaiting book 3 but I am a tad worried that this is supposed to be a trilogy. I really hope Ms. Lee reconsiders and continues on with the adventures of Mary Quinn. (less)

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Aug 18, 2010 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

I absolutely adore this series. Mary Quinn (Lang) is a compelling character and the situations she gets into are fascinating for the time the story takes place (late 1800s Victorian Era). This could definitely be an opened-ended series, but as we know, those tend to get tired and tiring.

It's been nearly a year since Mary was asked to work for the Agency and her training has been ongoing. When Mary is asked to dress as a young boy for her next assignment, she takes it one step further. She cuts o...more

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Aug 02, 2010 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction

WOW.

I loved, loved, loved this book. Of course, I'd already loved the first book in the series - after I read A SPY IN THE HOUSE, I wrote my first-ever piece of author fanmail - but THE BODY AT THE TOWER is just a whole new level of awesome.

It has the same richly-evoked Victorian setting as the first book (with a really interesting cross-section of different social classes), the same lovely writing, and it continues to develop some really fascinating identity issues, as Mary Quinn deals with th...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Dorie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-mysteries

Mary Quinn is charged in this novel to dress as a 12-year old boy and begin working as an errand boy on the construction site of St. Stephen's Tower. For Mary, dressing as a poor boy and taking to the streets brings back disturbing memories of her childhood when she was a young thief. The history of the Tower and Big Ben is fascinating and had me hitting Wikipedia for more information. I love learning a bit of history while I'm enjoying a good read.

Mary impressed me more in this novel than she h...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery, young-adult

I honestly couldn't wait to pick up the second and third book in the series after reading the first. I devoured this one, the story being just as great as the first. Mary Quinn is now a full-fledged agent in the Agency, the all-female spy ring secretly run at Miss Scrimshaw's School for Girls. Her next assignment requires her to go undercover as a young boy on the building site for St. Stephen's Tower, which is to hold Big Ben, which is now 25 years behind schedule. There was a mysterious death...more

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Nov 12, 2010 K. Bird rated it 5 of 5 stars

Second in the series, The Body in the Tower continues the intriguing story of Mary Quinn (Lang), an orphaned girl rescued from a death sentence for house breaking by a spy agency run from a Girls' Boarding House entirely run by women in the Victorian age.

Mary is now a full fledged employee of the Agency and is being sent on her first major case...dressed as a boy at a building site where a suspicious death is a clue to a complicated web of graft and bribery.

I almost gave this book four stars ins...more Second in the series, The Body in the Tower continues the intriguing story of Mary Quinn (Lang), an orphaned girl rescued from a death sentence for house breaking by a spy agency run from a Girls' Boarding House entirely run by women in the Victorian age.

Mary is now a full fledged employee of the Agency and is being sent on her first major case...dressed as a boy at a building site where a suspicious death is a clue to a complicated web of graft and bribery.

I almost gave this book four stars instead of five, because while I eagerly look for books that deal with Asian or mixed race parentage, unlike the first book, Mary has to basically completely repudiate her heritage in order to survive.

I didn't like that particular choice, but I have to admit it rings true to that period's times, mores, and the character of Mary herself. So while I didn't like the choice she made, I did understand it.

Meanwhile, the spying Mary does as "Mark" is great. We get to follow Mary's complicated feelings about returning to boy clothes and living in poor circumstances when she's become used to three square meals a day with the Agency.

We also get an interesting look at construction sites of those times as well as the manner of men who did the job: glaziers, hod-carriers, and bricklayers.

On top of this, we also get a continuance of the very YA friendly romance between Mary and a young engineer, James Easton, who returns from India (where he went at the end of the last book) weakened from Malaria fever but still hale enough to needle Mary with his acerbic comments and high-handed manner.

Watching Mary struggle between her feelings and her resentment at any attempt on James' part to order her around, coupled with her own guilt feelings at not being truthful about her past or present circumstances is one of the best parts of the book.

Definitely a great read for history, romance, and intrigue.

This Book's Food Designation Rating: German chocolate cake for the layers of cherry relationship goodness, dark chocolate intrigue, and the frosting of historical details on top.(less)

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Jan 22, 2013 Belle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Als ich das erste Buch von Y. S. Lee beendet hatte, bin ich mit sehr hohen Erwartungen an das zweite, welches ich mit schon vor längerer Zeit gekauft hatte, rangegangen. Mary Quinn ist eigentlich eine ganz gewöhnliche Heldin, sie lebt im London des 19. Jahrhunderts und als eine Frau hat sie dort eigentlich keine Rechte. Als Frau sollte sie heiraten und Kinder kriegen - nicht als Junge verkleidet auf einer Baustelle einen Unfall aufklären. Doch genau das macht sie und spürt mit Scharfsinn und Mut...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Ifmarybooks rated it 4 of 5 stars

The body at the tower is the second book in the Agency series. I really enjoyed the first one and I liked this one even more. Once again I loved almost everything in this book. The mystery, the victorian era, London, the characters, the plot, the kissing scenes... I had mixed feelings when I started this book. In this second book Mary needs to be disguise as a boy. It felt really weird and I just didn't think it would be credible. But through the book Mary convinced me. I liked the story because...more The body at the tower is the second book in the Agency series. I really enjoyed the first one and I liked this one even more. Once again I loved almost everything in this book. The mystery, the victorian era, London, the characters, the plot, the kissing scenes... I had mixed feelings when I started this book. In this second book Mary needs to be disguise as a boy. It felt really weird and I just didn't think it would be credible. But through the book Mary convinced me. I liked the story because it's one of those story that force you to step out of your comfort zone. Mary Quinn is now Mark Quinn and this time she needs to investigate a murder that happened at a building site. Big Ben building site in fact so it was even more awesome to follow the story that evolved around the construction of this magnificent clock tower. She is working on the site as an errand boy. It was really interesting I learned a lot of things about the conditions for workers at the time, where they lived, the lodgings, the pubs and coffee houses. We are immersed in this world of poverty. The other face of London at that time. It reminded me of Dickens books. Some scenes were heartbreaking. For exemple when she discovered where her coworker Jerkins lived. It was even more heartbreaking because it was related to the heroine's history. Mary had a difficult childhood and her life is still hard, she is without any family and still struggling with her chinese origins. The plot was still really great. YS. Lee has a real talent as an author of mystery books. There is always an impressive twist in the end and I loved discovering all the answers of my questions. And above all I loved the characters. Mary and James are such a wonderful duo. And I loved once again that there was their two point of view. I was so happy to see that James was back ! But he broke my heart in this one... He is just returned from India and he had malaria there and is still recovering... Their relationship continues to evolve in this one and I was so excited when I read the parts with the two of them in it. And then the end shattered everything... I can't wait to read the third book now. It just came out last month. I read the summary just after finishing this book and discovered that Mary's next mystery will be in Buckingham Palace involving the royal family ! It sounds awesome right? (less)

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Feb 26, 2011 Audiaa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, young-adult, mystery

The novelty of the characters and the setting had worn off by this book (second in the series), and what was left was a pretty ordinary mystery. The business nature of the mystery even made it a little boring, and I'm not sure if that would hold the interest of the younger intended audience. They mystery is a little too easy for the characters to solve. Big clues fall out of people's pocket, people talk way too much were others can easily over hear them, and everyone seems clueless to Mary's ide...more

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Jan 12, 2011 Cialina (Muggle-Born) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, read-ebook, owned, owned-nook

Review published at Muggle-Born.net

THE BODY AT THE TOWER is another riveting mystery from Y.S. Lee. Mary Quinn goes undercover as Mark, an assistant at a construction site for St. Stephen's Tower. With her hair chopped off and in trousers 24 hours a day, Mary completely embraces her new persona as she tries to uncover the culprit behind the recent murder at St. Stephens. Break-ins, disguises, and other types of espionage ensues.

I honestly was not as interested in the mystery this time as I was i...more Review published at Muggle-Born.net

THE BODY AT THE TOWER is another riveting mystery from Y.S. Lee. Mary Quinn goes undercover as Mark, an assistant at a construction site for St. Stephen's Tower. With her hair chopped off and in trousers 24 hours a day, Mary completely embraces her new persona as she tries to uncover the culprit behind the recent murder at St. Stephens. Break-ins, disguises, and other types of espionage ensues.

I honestly was not as interested in the mystery this time as I was in the first book, but that does not goes to say that it was still a fun read. Lee keeps you guessing throughout the whole book. She keeps you at the edge of your seat as Mary goes on another late-night break-in as she searches for evidence or clues.

With the plot aside, I honestly felt like I learned something in the process of reading. In contrast to the first novel, THE BODY AT THE TOWER explores conditions of the working class from the work place to home. Most of the historical novels I read are about the upper class with their fancy parties, beautiful dresses, and finding a man suitable for marriage. THE BODY AT THE TOWER explores London's lower classes and exposes the squalid conditions that they lived in during the Victorian era.

I do wish that we learned more about Mary's past in this book instead of her trying to push it away. I understand the dilemma that she is going through and that obviously her work does not provide her with ample time to investigate more about her father. The issue is addressed throughout the book but I didn't feel satisfied that Mary got anything accomplished towards finding out more about herself.

Of course, one of the things I looked forward to the most when I started the sequel was James Easton. I loved the chemistry between them in the first book, and I was dying for more. I was not disappointed. Mary and James continue to bicker and tease throughout the whole novel, making me one happy reader. Mary and James are really what made the pages kept turning for me. I couldn't wait to read their next encounter.

Like the first book, the mystery is tied up at the end with no plot holes (that I noticed anyways). However, the relationship between Mary and James is left in question. I still can't quite get the ending out of my head. I keep thinking about it, trying to imagine just how the next book will turn out. I can't wait to read more.(less)

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May 22, 2011 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-liked

These are fun, but it's the dialogue between Mary and James that I'm most interested in-- sometimes so much so that I found the plot a nuisance to get through. And the treatment of Mary's past thus far? Ack! Sure, I want to read about the dreamy male lead as much as the next girl (perhaps more), but there is so much about the school for girls that isn't discussed and it drives me bananas. Why are no friends mentioned? She's lived there for five years, for crying out loud! Mary's 'half-caste' her...more

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Mar 02, 2011 Steph (Poetry to Prose) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites-of-2011, the-good-stuff, read-in-2011, owned

After having fallen in love with A Spy in the House, I was looking forward to another adventure with Mary and James. While not quite reaching the level of enjoyment that I had with the first book, The Body at the Tower was still a great continuation of the series.

Following a death at St. Stephen's Tower, The Agency assigns Mary to go undercover as an assistant at the construction site. Her goal is to get more information on the circumstances surrounding the accident. Posing as a lady's companion...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Marisha Rodeback rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-lit-13-25

Mary Queen is a secret agent at Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. She must prover herself and take on a murder case at the clock tower. She is disguised as a pre-pubescent boy to take an a building apprenticeship. She must find out the truth, was it murder, suicide, or truly a ghost haunting this place of unfortunate accident? She must gain the trust of the other employees and takes on the role of boy fully as she rents a room elsewhere keeping in touch with the Agency through secretive messag...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Nina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, mystery

The body at the Tower by Y. S. Lee is the second of The Agency series and it certainly didn't disappoint!

Mary Quinn is back but this time under the guise of a twelve-year-old boy working at a building construction site. She is calling herself Mark Quinn as she investigates the death of a bricklayer found on the site.

Lee is amazing! She does it again weaving a complicated and mysterious nineteenth century mystery novels for young adults. For Mary to dress up as a boy is for her to revisit the pa...more

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Oct 16, 2010 Ruby Scarlett rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was really looking forward to reading the second installment in The Agency trilogy. In this book, Mary has to investigate the death of a worker on a construction site & she goes undercover, disguised as Mark. While it was a really enjoyable read, I wasn't as pleased with it as I'd been with A Spy in the House (reviewed here). First of all, I didn't find the plot as engaging as for the first book. In the first book, I'd grown quite fond of reading about the secondary characters and their de...more I was really looking forward to reading the second installment in The Agency trilogy. In this book, Mary has to investigate the death of a worker on a construction site & she goes undercover, disguised as Mark. While it was a really enjoyable read, I wasn't as pleased with it as I'd been with A Spy in the House (reviewed here). First of all, I didn't find the plot as engaging as for the first book. In the first book, I'd grown quite fond of reading about the secondary characters and their development (in particular, if you remember, that of Angelica - but I fear I'm spoiling a bit here). With The Body at the Tower, I really struggled to keep up with what was going on and the detective story part of the novel failed to keep me interested. That being said, I didn't give this book 4 stars for nothing - Mary is as lovely a heroine as ever and the social commentary is as sharp as in The Spy in the House - I noticed the author focused more on issues of paternalism this time. For example, at some point, Mary remarks that offering baskets of food to poverty-stricken families gives well-off people a sense of accomplishment but once it's not a sustainable source at all, what they need is lasting change. Also, can I say yay for an awesome reference to Mary Wollstonecraft? :)

Surprisingly enough, I thought the best parts of the books were the ones related to Mary and James, not so much their romance (though the banter's always a welcome addition) but how much the author developed them this time. I felt they were more real than ever, especially James who - even though I can't forget his essentialist comments in Spy - is turning into quite the catch. I was also pleasantly surprised to see Mary and James comment on homosexual relationships in a very casual and matter-of-fact way, which made them very endearing.

Overall, I'm constantly impressed at the range this series of books offers. Y.S. Lee does something not many have done before, which is giving a pretty good picture of Victorian London seen through the eyes of not only the happy few and how the happy few sees the rest but also how the rest lives - Mary herself has to deal with this constantly. On top of it all, it's generally a series of really good adventure novels. I'll be very sorry to see the third (and last) book come out next year for I really wish this fantastic series would last but a little longer!(less)

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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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“I’m so sorry. I don’t think the etiquette manuals cover this sort of situation.” He leaned in close, his lips all but grazing her neck, and inhaled. “Mmm. You smell good, too.”

She nearly choked. Took a step backwards, until her back met cold stone. “Th-thank you.”

“That’s better. May I kiss you?” His finger dipped into her shirt collar, stroking the tender nape of her neck.

“I d-don’t th-think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not? We’re alone.” His hands were at her waist.

Her lungs felt tight and much too small. “Wh-what if somebody comes in?”

He considered for a moment. “Well, I suppose they’ll think I fancy grubby little boys.” — 26 people liked it

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