Bibliography

Plot Summary:  Petty thefts have been reported at Buckingham Palace, and Mary Quinn is working undercover as a maid to try to catch the thief in action.    In between domestic chores and fending off the prince, little seems to be going on.  When the prince witnesses the murder of a friend in an opium den and the accused shares the name of her long-lost father, Mary struggles to come to terms with her past.  At the same time, Mary realizes that a tunnel connecting the palace to the sewer is seeing a lot of use and fears for the security of the palace.

Thank goodness James Easton is there to work on the sewers.  Regardless of their past, they resolve to work together to solve the mystery for the good of the crown.

Critical Analysis:  There  is a lot going on  in this book, layered and complex as life often is, and Lee handles all the threads and characters with a deft hand.  While the mysteries do stand alone, I believe that much will be lost in the reading if you have not read the first two titles in the trilogy (A Spy in the House, The Body at the Tower) as some plot threads are related to past events and relationships and a few secondary characters make their reappearances. Lee excells at describing what life was like in Victorian times and even more so than in the earlier books, readers see the contrast between the haves and the have-nots, the wealthy and those who serve them, and the special treatment afforded the royal family.

Bibliography: Hooper, Mary. (2011). Fallen Grace.  New York, Bloomsbury USA Children’s. ISBN: 978-1599905648

Plot Summary:  Penniless orphans Grace and her sister have just barely managed to avoid starving or freezing to death in Victorian London.  When Grace gives birth to a still born baby and sneaks it into the coffin of a well to do woman, little does she realize that this act will eventually lead to an even larger secret that will change both their lives forever.

Critical Analysis:  Somehow from the publisher blurb, I wasn’t expecting such a charming, delightful book.  Yes, Hooper has done her research, and yes, there are tons of details about life in the Victorian England and the funeral trade (fascinating stuff that.)  There are very real glimpses of life in poverty, life on the streets.  One detail that will remain in my mind is of the little boy who could only go outside when one of his brothers stayed him, as he had no clothes of his own.

I really like the way the plot is constructed as well.  We are given glimpses into other places, other characters that later will fall into place and become more important to the plot.  This device adds an air of mystery.  The little excerpts from the paper serve a similiar purpose, giving the reader information that the protagonist does not have.

But it is the character of Grace Parkes that makes this story work.  She loves her sister and tries hard to provide for them both, taking on tasks and jobs to try get by.  And sometimes things go well, and just when you think they will stay that way, something else comes along that should knock her down, but somehow she keeps on.  And I think we forgive some of the coincidences and luck that play a role in the story because we want so badly for things to go her way.

Readalikes:  There are of course many parallels here to Dickens’ novels.  This would be a great read along side any number of his works.

Review Excerpts:   “Hooper has done her research, and she makes elements like Victorian funeral practices absolutely fascinating. The story itself moves at an energetic, page-turning clip. If at times the coincidences seem, well, too coincidental, blame Dickens.”–Booklist

“Hooper writes in beautiful 19th-century cadences, but her story lines pack a 21st-century punch. Nothing feels forced or inserted for mere shock value. Fallen Grace has been impeccably researched, and it shows in every paragraph.”–New York Times

“Hooper has not only the labyrinthian plotting and heart-thumping pacing but also the social critique down pat, and even jaded readers may be surprised to find themselves beguiled by the improbable ravages of Cruel Fate and holding their breath for a happy ending.”–BCCB

“Hooper, author of many historical novels, packs her brisk Dickensian fable with colorful characters and suspenseful, satisfying plot twists.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography

Plot Summary:  17  year old Louisa Cosgrove wants nothing more than to study to become a doctor, a rare choice for a woman in Victorian England.  When her father, her main supporter, becomes ill and dies, she resigns herself to becoming a lady’s companion instead.  When the carriage pulls up, not at a manor house, but at an insane asylum, Louisa is sure there must have been a mistake.  They don’t even seem to know her true name.  As the truth sinks in, she is determined to survive the horrible conditions, find out who put her there, and get away as soon as she can.

Critical Analysis:  I found this book utterly compelling and was unable to put it down.  I think it was a combination of factors.  The narrative structure alternates between vignettes from Louisa’s past and events happening in her present.  It adds to the mystery, as present Louisa wonders what from her past might have landed her here.  Louisa herself refuses to conform to the expected role of a girl/woman in Victorian times, and this is made even more evident in the secondary characters with which Eagland surrounds her.  Some are sympathetic to Louisa, like her father, and others are not.  As the story goes on, the reader, along with Louisa, learns that most of these characters are not what they seemed, adding if not to their growth, to hers.

The publisher calls this a romance, perhaps a misnomer, or at least misleading, as while there is a romantic thread, this story is focused much more on Louisa than on the romance.  For me, the part of the story that felt the most new and fresh were the scenes in the asylum, both how Louisa was treated and the descriptions of the other women there, their pasts and stories.  To have this shown in such vivid detail and to realize how common a practice it was at times in the past leaves me reeling.  I almost want to seek out some of the diaries or other materials Eagland used for her research, but I’m not sure I could handle it.

Readalikes:  Not long after I finished Wildthorn, I listened to the audio of My Name is Marry Sutter by Robin Oliveira.  Mary Sutter has many parallels to Louisa–upper middle class background, well educated, wants to be a doctor at a time when that was still considered strange.  Mary, however, has the support of her midwife mother, and the benefit (if you want to call it that) of the American Civil War as a training ground.  A story both epic and intimate, of family and of coming of age , of medicine and war,  I highly recommend it as well.

Reviewed from publisher provided egalley downloaded from Netgalley.com  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary:  On her second case for the Agency, Mary Quinn finds herself in the seamy side of Victorian London, pretending to be a boy while she spies on the construction site of the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament where a mysterious death occurred.  Was it murder or an unfortunate accident?  When the handsome James Easton arrives to do some investigating of his won, she worries both that he’ll recognize her and he won’t.

Critical Analysis:  A solid second book in The Agency trilogy.  Interesting enough, I find it more squarely in the conventional mystery column than the previous, and perhaps a little less interesting to me personally.  Except for the climatic scene  near the end, there wasn’t was much danger and suspense as in the first book.

What was very well done was showing the contrast between the classes, the haves and the have nots, made very plain by Mary’s moving between the two, as Mark on the construction site and as a rich lady doling at alms to the dead man’s family.  The return of James Easton is a welcome one, although again not as much fun as book one.  A little more of Mary’s past is revealed, but I hoped for more from her and for her in this story, as in many places it felt like she was less participant than observer.  I would have liked more details about the agency and the women behind it as well, but you can only put so much in one book.

I cheer any and all true mysteries for teens, so this is a welcome addition.  The promise of the third book awaits.  Dare I hope that Lee and Candlewick have considered giving readers more Mary Quinn and the Agency?

Readalikes:  Mary Quinn reminds me a little bit of another Mary who has her series of mysteries:  Mary Russell.  They are both independent and intelligent with secret or mysterious pasts.  Of course, this series by Laurie King also features the greatest detective of all, Sherlock Holmes.

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography

Plot Summary:  Thief and housebreaker Mary Quinn is rescued from Old Bailey and educated at Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls for a chance at a better life. She tries her hand at several careers but is bored and uninspired.  Two of the school’s teachers make her an interesting offer:  to work for the Agency as a spy.  The Agency uses society’s ideas about women as foolish and weak to their advantage in observing and gathering information.  Mary is placed in a household of a merchant as a paid companion to his spoiled daughter Angelica to listen and observe anything suspicious about his ships and shipments.  She becomes anxious and frustrated by her limited role and decides to do a little extra snooping to help the case, only to find herself hiding in a wardrobe with James Easton, brother of Angelica’s biggest admirer with his own concerns about her father’s business.  Mary doesn’t tell him the whole truth about her role, but they agree to work together to gather information.  Along the way there will be breaking and entering, an elopement, a kiss, and a secret revealed about Mary’s past.

Critical Analysis:  A reader and lover of mysteries almost my entire life, I am thrilled that this series is being published for young adults.  Unlike adult fiction, there are few high quality true mysteries to offer teens.  The idea of the Agency is a little contrived, and it does take quite a bit to set up the whole story with Mary, but once it gets going the pace picks up. In my opinion, this could just as easily been picked up by an adult mystery imprint, that’s how good it is.

Mary is a likable character who though sometimes shy is determined and will do anything to help solve the case she is on.  Readers will rejoice when she first escapes the gallows and later escapes being caught breaking and entering a warehouse to try and gather information.  Mary’s kind heart reaches out to a young servant girl and even manages to crack bratty Angelica’s facade.  Her looks and behavior sets her apart from other women in James Easton’s eyes, and readers will happily see their romance coming from the start.

James is perhaps wise beyond his years, but he has had a lot of  responsibility from an early age working at the family business of civil engineering.  His concern for his brother is a concern for the business as well.  Thank goodness he isn’t too smart, as he can’t quite figure Mary out and remains both intrigued and infuriated at turns.

The mystery itself is well handled, with a few red herrings thrown in for good measure and several suspenseful scenes that will have the reader turning pages to find out how things turn out in the end.  The details of Victorian England add to the mystery and suspense with the heat and the smells, the carriage rides, chases on foot, messages delivered by errand boys, servants who see and are seen.  The true villain is a surprise but not surprising as should be in the best mysteries.  I think that this title will appeal not only to readers of historical fiction, but will also have crossover appeal with readers of Victorian and Regency fantasy and steampunk.

Readalikes: Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman by Eleanor Updale.  Also set in England in the past, like Mary, Montmorency is a thief who tries to make a new identity for himself only to find a new use for old skills.

La Petite Four by Regina Scott.  Set in Regency England, four best friends do a little spying to try and find a reason why Lady Emily shouldn’t marry a determined Lord Robert.

The Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Victorian mystery series by Ann Perry, especially Buckingham Palace Gardens:  At a loss when a murder is committed at Buckingham Palace, Pitt calls in maid Gracie Phipps to be his eyes and ears to help catch the murderer.

Companion by Ann Granger:  The first thing Lizzie Martin sees when she arrives in London in 1864 as a paid companion is a young woman’s body being taken away on a wagon.  She discovers her predecessor disappeared suddenly in mysterious circumstances and is a determined to discover the truth.

The Blackstone Key by Rose Melikan:  In 1795 England, Mary Finch escapes her dull teaching job at an academy for girls to visit her estranged uncle’s estate.  Along the way she encounters a mysterious dying man and upon arrival discovers her uncle has died and his estate is connected to a gang of smugglers.

Review Excerpt: “Set in the richly described underbelly of Victorian London, Lee’s debut novel…introduces feisty Mary Quinn….Through the many and somewhat contrived plot twists, Mary’s skills are tested; she prevails with Easton’s help and attentions…Mary’s lively escapades, on the whole, will hold readers’ attention and whet their interest for the next installment.”–Publisher’s Weekly

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography

Plot Summary:  Mr. Socrates rescued Modo from traveling freak show when he was just a baby.  He recognized his special morphological skill, and had him trained as an agent for his secret society in Victorian London.  Together with another teen agent, Octavia Milkweed, Modo is trying  to solve the mystery of  the city’s orphans that keep disappearing, the threats on the lives of important men, and the kidnapping of the prince.

Critical Analysis:  Full of adventure, hair raising schemes and narrow escapes, the genius of this story lies in how the author takes an almost Victorian Dickensian tale and turns it on its head with the addition of secret societies, conspiracy theories and steampunk elements.  Literary allusions and direct references abound, from the afore mentioned Dickens to the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Frankenstein, making readers familar with them feel as though they are in the know.

But there is more then just adventure here.  Modo is disfigured and hides his face when out in public behind masks or his ability to morph into something other than what he is.  He has feelings for Octavia, but doesn’t think she could love him for what he is.  He and Octavia are fighting on what they consider to be the side of right, but they are not any freer than the orphan children who have been kidnapped by the other side for nefarious purposes.  If the ends are right, are any means justified?  I hope these are themes that Slade continues to explore in the next entry in this series.

Readalikes:  Airborn by Kenneth Oppel tells the story of teenage Matt, a cabin boy on a  luxury cruise ship and his adventures in the air, as this steampunk has dirigibles like the Hindenburg, which makes for fun discoveries of air creatures and fights with air pirate.

My favorite YA steampunk is Mortal Engines and the rest of the Hungry City Chronicles by Philip Reeve.  There was a scorched earth war resulting in land that was mostly unlivable, so survivors live in giant cities on wheels that roll around, looking for other cities to conqueror.  Romance, adventure, bad guys with evil plans who must be stopped by our hero and heroine, the best part is there are three more books in the series.

Not steampunk, but very reminiscent of the feel of some of these titles is Montmorency:  Thief, Liar, Gentleman by Eleanor Updale.  Set in Victorian times in England, Montmorency is a cat burglar who is caught and thrown in jail because he falls and suffers what would have been fatal wounds on a job one evening.  The prison doctor fixes him up with the promise that he can study Montmorency as he heals.  Montmorency assumes a dual persona, gentleman by day, sewer rat and thief by night.

Review Excerpts:  “[A] thrilling tale of an unusual and talented young man caught between two idealistic, ruthless organizations. Fourteen-year-old hunchback Modo has been raised from infancy by Mr. Socrates to use his shape-shifting abilities in service to the Permanent Association, secretive defenders of the status quo in Slade’s steampunk Victorian England….With its self-loathing hero and exploration of themes of identity and self, the novel is more than the straightforward adventure it may appear.–Publisher’s Weekly

“Steampunk is hot, and here the tropes are further enlivened by literary shout-outs….The escape of most of the baddies is almost welcome as it means they can all lock horns again, and the question of whether Modo will show Octavia his true self remains unanswered. An excellent start to a promising new series.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from author provided advanced copy. Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.