With its vivid setting, gripping plot-line, and both loveable and villainous characters alike, ‘The Agency for Scandal’ instantly became one of my top reads of the year 2022.
An expertly crafted combination of swoon-worthy romance and a spy-thriller, with the buzzing backdrop of London.
Farrah (16)
Following Isobel Stanhope, the eighteen-year-old member of The Aviary (an elusive society, aiming to protect women in a society where their rights are severely limited), we witness the unfolding of a mystery involving gaslighting, blackmailing, and some very special jewellery. Alongside her friends and fellow Aviary members, as well as a very dashing Duke, whom Isobel happens to be secretly besotted with, she sets out on an epic journey to untangle the cryptic web of lies, secrets and deceptions, and thus protect the innocent victims of these schemes.
As a main character, Isobel is resilient, inspirational and capable, juggling not only the mystery, and her job at The Aviary, but also dealing with the repercussions of her father’s death, and the fact that he has left the family penniless. ‘An Agency for Scandal’ discusses the struggles women face in this society (the novel is set at the beginning of the nineteenth century) and The Aviary is a fantastic addition to the story, as a society run by women, in order to aid other women, often by digging up scandal on powerful men.
Isobel forms meaningful relationships with those around her, and this book is an expertly crafted combination of swoon-worthy romance and a spy-thriller, with the buzzing backdrop of London.
Do yourself a favour and read this wonderful book.
