Wednesday, November 21, 2018

The Body at the Tower

The Body at the Tower by Y. S. Lee   337 pages

From Goodreads:

Now nearly a full-fledged member of the Agency, the all-female detective unit operating out of Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls, Mary Quinn is back for another action-packed adventure. Disguised as a poor apprentice builder and a boy, she must brave the grimy underbelly of Victorian London - as well as childhood fear, hunger, and constant want - to unmask the identity of a murderer. Assigned to monitor a building site on the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, Mary earns the confidence of the work crew, inching ever nearer her suspect. But if an irresistible desire to help the city's needy doesn't distract her and jeopardize her cover, unexpectedly meeting up with an old friend - or flame - just might.

My Review:

It's been a long time since I read the first book in the series, and some references too that book in this one went over my head (but I blame myself for that), but I still remembered the sense I got while reading that first book that I really liked this world Lee has built. It's no different with this second installment of the Mary Quinn series.

Overall, if you're just picking this book up the action is slow to build, the story is revealed in fits and stars because Lee takes a good portion of time building the world of Victorian London for you, the reader who is not familiar with this time period, to enjoy. I don't mind this as I enjoy the characters and Lee's writing, but someone who only likes to read fast-paced mysteries will probably find this book boring. I think it's worth sticking it out, because who kno
ws, the next book might be different.

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