Y.S. Lee Books In Order

Publication Order of The Agency Books

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Anthologies

Y.S. Lee is a published author.

She was born in Singapore and grew up in Vancouver and Toronto. She even lived for a brief time in England. As she finished her PhD in Victorian literature and culture, she started researching a story about a girl detective in London in the nineteenth century. The end result would be her debut novel, The Agency: A Spy in the House. It would win the Canadian Children’s Book Center’s John Spray Mystery Award in 2011.

Her Agency quartet is published by Candlewick Press in the U.S. and Canada and Walker Books in the U.K. and Australia. Her books have also been translated into different languages, and these include Spanish, German, French, Italian, Turkish and Korean.

In her other life as an academic, Ying penned Masculinity and the English Working Class. Today she resides in Kingston, Ontario.

A Spy in the House is a 2009 book by Y.S. Lee and the first book in the Agency series. This series is full of Victorian intrigue and atmosphere, making it the perfect ‘vibe’ for your night (or day). You’ll find yourself spending extra time reading every page as you follow a heroine as she goes for her secret assignment.

Mary Quinn was a young orphan who was rescued from the gallows of 1850s London. She was surprised to be offered up her own education and an instruction in fine manners. It was a strange vocation, to be sure.

It turns out that Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls ends up being a cover for an all female investigative unit titled The Agency. At seventeen years old, Mary has to put her training to the test. Taking on the appearance of a lady’s companion, she is going to have to get into the home of a rich merchant so that he can retrace his cargo ships that have gone missing.

Unfortunately the home is full of deception and there is no one that she should trust– or there might be. Full of suspense and action, romance, banter and more, this mystery shows a young detective who is living by her wits while getting to the bottom of secrets, including those in her own past. Pick up a copy to find out what happens!

The Body at the Tower is a 2010 book by Y.S. Lee and the second book in the Agency series. If you thought that the first book in this series was a lot of fun, go along with an all new mystery and have some more fun!

Mary Quinn has returned for another adventure full of mystery and action and solving mysteries. She’s nearly become a full member of the Agency, which is what they call the all-female detective unit that has been operating out of Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls. She has disguised herself as a poor apprentice builder and a boy, and now she has to deal with the underbelly of Victorian London, as well as constant hunger and fear from her childhood, all to find out who a killer is.

Given the task of watching a building site on the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, Mary gets the confidence of the work crew as she gets closer to her suspect. With a desire to help the needy of the city, she needs to focus and not risk putting her cover in danger. This might end up happening anyway without her intention as she makes plans to meet up with a former friend or flame.

Fascinating, interesting, and a lot of fun to read along with, The Body at the Tower is a ride that you won’t want to miss! Can an amateur detective actually end up getting somewhere, or is Mary out of her depth? Read this awesome mystery from Y.S. Lee to find out!