The Agency: A Spy in the House by YS Lee

A young thief rescued from the hangman's noose finds herself catapulted into a new life at a charity school for young girls. Little does she know that not all students are destined to be governesses, ladies companions or even marriage material. For a girl as intelligent and skilful as Mary there is another option, join a detective agency as an undercover agent. So begins Mary's first adventure as the spy in the house.

Mary is sent to act as a ladies companion to the stuck up Miss Angelica Thorold. Her father is suspected of dealing in illicit stolen artefacts from India and it is hoped Mary may over hear a useful conversation or two. What she doesn't expect is that she isn't the only one investigating the Thorold's. Mary is tasked only to observe the family but when nothing useful comes to light she ignores her brief and takes matters into her own hands. Will Mary survive her first assignment or will this be her last?

Set in Victorian London, this book is quite a charming story of intrigue and mystery. It is not a murder mystery as such (although eventually murders do occur) and arguably Mary's mission is quite dull. Thankfully Mary's interpretation of how to get results creates much of the interest in the storyline. There is also a dark secret in Mary's life to add a bit of mystery and I admit when it is finally revealed I didn't see it coming, although there are hints as to what it might relate to at various points prior to this.

The characters are fairly well written although Angelica Thorold really doesn't become three dimensional until towards the end of the book. There is also very little in the book of Mr Thorold who is the suspect under surveillance. In a way this is to be expected as Mary's role in the household does not allow much contact with the men of the household. In fact YS Lee's grasp of social convention in this period is pretty good. However it does leave you feeling as if there is a bit of a hole in the investigation. It could be argued that the other agent's role is to look more thoroughly into Mr Thorold and we never really find out who this other agent might be. It all does make sense when you think about it for a while but in terms of the storyline does make it slightly less interesting.

One thing I wasn't so keen on was the relationship between Mary and James Easton. He is a pretty irritating character and you just don't want him to be Mary's romantic interest. In fact the 'romance' side of things is the part of the storyline that is most jarring. It's not terribly well constructed and whilst you know this is meant to be the romantic element in the book it doesn't feel all that well... romantic. In fact when they kiss it’s rather out of the blue and doesn't do much for the storyline at all. I think this element of the book needed to be written slightly better or just left out altogether IMHO.

The ending in some ways is rather unexpected, which is good! I don't generally enjoy books where I know 'who did it' before I get to the end of the first chapter. The ending does keep true to the overall theme of the book though, that women can be independent (for good or ill) and will find ways to be independent regardless of the consequences.

Quite where the series will go from here is anyone’s guess. I personally am hoping that the next book will allow Mary a chance to do more than just sit in a corner and watch. However, it is difficult writing a strong female character that has the chance to partake in an adventure in a period when women had few opportunities. I wouldn't want YS Lee to write something wholly out of context of the period but I just feel as if I needed something lightly more.

All in all, it was quite an enjoyable read and I was sad to finish the book. It is a different concept and could be a good series.


*4 stars*

The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner

One winter's night in 1789, three performers of a magic show from a local theatre in Paris are summoned to the chateau of the Marquis de Villeduval after another successful performance. Whilst preparing to make their way the youngest of the trio, an orphan boy called Yann, hears a strange voice warning him not to go. He tells his comrades, Topolain the magician and Tetu the dwarf, about the warning but they dismiss it as irrational fear. Little do they know what lies in store for them. At the chateau is the mysterious Count Kalliovski, who recognises Topolain and Tetu from his past. Eager to remove those that could show his hidden past the Count manages to kill one of the performers. The other two flee, with the help of the crippled and ill-treated Sido, daughter of the Marquis.

Thus begins a story set over a five years of the early stages of the French Revolution. Whilst Yann manages to make it to England and freedom, Sido is forced to find ways to survive the growing terror and Kalliovski's unwanted advances. Yann works to uncover the truth of his past and understand the meaning of the red necklace he stole from Kallioski as he flees. Will the pair survive?

This is an exciting and fascinating book that hooked me in right from the start. Gardner skillfully makes you interested in all the characters without giving too much away. We know very little about Yann for example, probably as much as he knows about himself, and learn more about him as he learns more about his heritage. The same too can be said for Sido. You care for the central characters and have a real desire to find out what will happen next.

What is also particularly skillful about this novel is that it shows how the French Revolution occurred, slowly, piece by piece. It is sometimes easy to forget that they didn't just drag Louis, the Royal Family and members of the aristocracy to the guillotine on a mere whim, nor did it happen overnight. The terror builds gradually and you begin to understand how many of the noble families got caught. Whilst it's easy with hindsight, we can imagine and understand better how the Revolution was seen through the eyes of those at the time. I don't pretend that this is the most historically accurate book ever. The book focuses more on the aristocracy's experiences and those of their servants than of the average inhabitant of Paris during this period.

The book is pretty chilling in places and it really reminds you how brutal human beings can be. There are some rather graphic sections and whilst this book is often found in the children/young adults section of the library I would not recommend it to pre-teens or even younger teens in some instances. There is once scene towards the end of the book that shows how one sentence can cause a crowd to turn into an angry, murderous mob. This book should be read to remind us of how quickly law and order can disintegrate and how atrocities can occur. It can be too easy to see what is happening in Africa, the Middle East and areas of Asia and forget that Europe was once like that, and could easily return to that.

I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to older teens and adults who have an interest in this period. I would also recommend it as a great book for getting older children to learn about human nature. The next book in the series, 'The Silver Blade', is due out at the end of April. I can't wait to read this or the other Sally Gardner book I have picked up 'I Coriander' which is set in 17th century England.

*4 stars*

Read for Historical Fiction Book Club. For more information about the club, click here

If you enjoyed this book why not try I Coriander, also by Sally Gardner