For my first YA review, I’m keeping safely within my comfort zone. (This will change, I promise.) I am a huge fan of historicals and mysteries — particularly those set in the Victorian era — and thus when I saw Y.S. Lee’s The Agency: A Spy in the House, I knew I couldn’t leave the store without it. And what a great read!

In Victorian London, a young girl is doomed to hang for stealing. At the last moment, however, she is whisked away to a very special female academy . . . to be trained as a spy. For her first assignment, seventeen-year-old Mary Quinn poses as a lady’s companion to young Miss Thorold in order to gather intelligence on the father’s illegal dealings in the shipping industry. Mary is quick to throw herself into the task, and during her initial (& somewhat clumsy) attempt at sleuthing she encounters James Easton, who is investigating Mr. Thorold for his own reasons. Sparks fly between Mary and James, and soon the two are working together — though not always agreeably — to get to the bottom of what’s really going on with Thorold’s business. Author Y.S. Lee skillfully plays upon the gritty aspects of the setting (near the noxious Thames River in the “seedy” Chelsea district) as she packs her story with mystery, suspense, and startling revelations — not to mention delicious romantic tension!

Apparently, this novel was first published in 2009 but was reissued earlier this year with a new cover. If the premise intrigues you, please note that the sequel — The Body at the Tower – is due to be released this August.