Stephanie
Written on Dec 22, 2018
New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson weaves a delicate tale of murder and mystery in the first book of a striking new series, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and E. Lockhart.
Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. “A place,” he said, “where learning is a game.”
Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym “Truly, Devious.” It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history.
True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester.
But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder.
The two interwoven mysteries of this first book in the Truly Devious series dovetail brilliantly, and Stevie Bell will continue her relentless quest for the murderers in books two and three.
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2018 * Junior Library Guild Selection * 2019 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Nomination * 2019 ALA's Best Fiction for Young Adults Nomination * Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books 2018 * Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction 2018 * 2018 Nerdy Book Club Young Adult Winner * Seventeen Best YA Book of 2018 * Lincoln Award Nominee * 2020-2021 South Carolina Book Awards Nominee * 2020 Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award Winner
- ISBN10 0062338064
- ISBN13 9780062338068
- Publish Date 24 January 2019 (first published 16 January 2018)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Katherine Tegen Books
- Format Paperback
- Pages 448
- Language English
Reviews
Berls
Written on Dec 9, 2018
Nessa Luna
Written on Nov 9, 2018
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WHO ENDS A BOOK LIKE THAT?!
Stephanie
Written on Sep 6, 2018
The blurb for Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson snagged me at "unsolved disappearance" and really appealed to my love of true crime. The fact that this particular disappearance is a cold case and decades old only added to the appeal.
I really enjoyed Stevie and the friends that she makes at Ellingham Academy. She resonated with me because we both really enjoy true crime. That sentence right there will either tell you if we're similar or not. To people who don't understand they think that true crime "fans", if you will, actually enjoy the crime itself.
People who understand both Stevie and I will actually understand that it isn't the act of the crime itself that draws you in. What was the motive? Who did it? Why did they think they could get away with it? Did they get away with it? Was it a crime of passion? Is the criminal a psychopath, a sociopath, or something else entirely? What led up to the crime? Who was the victim? Why them? Was there even a reason for them becoming a victim? Were there survivors? It's more of a sociology fascination than it is anything to do with the actual act of the crime. Talking about true crime to those who find it morbid is uncomfortable for everybody involved if the participants don't understand that.
As true crime is what got Stevie into Ellingham to begin with, true crime comes up a lot. In this book, Stevie kind of hid her passion because of the social shame that often comes with it. I'm hoping in the next book she lets that shine a little bit more.
I was completely wrapped up in Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson. A free boarding school that was the site of a very disturbing disappearance? Yes please! I also really enjoyed the fact that this story was told on a dual timeline; present and during the time of the abductions and disappearances.
The one thing that threw me was the curve ball of an ending. Had it not been for the really odd ending and the fact that there were seemingly no answers just more questions, I would have given this book a 5 star. As it is, I'm am avidly awaiting the second book in the series.
bookperson
Written on Aug 24, 2018
Book was really good, can't wait to read next one!
kalventure
Written on Aug 11, 2018
Stevie felt a creeping dread, the kind that comes from cold, untamed spaces and uninterrupted dark and trouble that had no name. There would be trouble tonight.THIS ENDING WAS RUDE AND I AM SALTY ABOUT IT. But besides that horrible sin, I absolutely adored this book! I love true crime and so naturally it was as if this book was written for me! This had the feel of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes and definitely speaks to a generation obsessed with True Crime, Unsolved Mysteries, and police procedurals.
Truly Devious is captivatingly crafted and told in two storylines: 1936 and present. The omniscient narrator unravels the 1936 mystery slowly through various character perspectives, newspaper clippings, and police interviews; while the present-day narrative is told largely from Stevie's point of view. Often times with dual timelines I find myself invested in one over the other, but that wasn't the case here for me. This is definitely a case of two intersecting timelines working well together and sucking the reader in!
Six had gone up the mountain, and then there were five.Honestly Stevie's actions and sharp attention to detail is what one would expect from someone who grew up on true crime and watching CSI. She has a knowledge about procedure and a level-headedness that makes her seem older than her years, but not in an unbelievable way. The rest of the characters all , and and while I agree with some other reviews that some of the side characters (Janelle and Vi for example) could do with some fleshing out, I think that is in large part because they weren't involved directly with the current mystery. I expect more development will be made as the trilogy continues, and the side characters like Nate and David definitely had more depth to them.
The anxiety rep in this book is AMAZING and honestly? Such a blessing. As someone that suffers from crippling anxiety it was surprisingly powerful to read a character whose experience mirrors my own. Johnson really nailed the feelings and constant worry that never seem to stop, and I really like that Stevie was a likable character that just deals with anxiety and panic attacks with coping strategies and medication. It is handled like a true medical condition and not just "stress."
In addition to the anxiety representation there is also LGBT+ rep with a f/f pairing and a side character that identifies as nonbinary. None of this representation felt gimmicky or a way to check diversity boxes.
Games are not fun when you don't know you're playing.Both timelines were strong and had their own intriguing mystery to solve full of well developed characters. I did find the pacing to be a little uneven in the middle a bit with the present-day timeline prior to the murder - it could have been a little shorter and would have had the same overall effect, but the narrative never dragged for me.
This is an intricate mystery filled with riddles and clues. Be warned that the ending is a giant cliffhanger, reminding me why I usually steer clear from reading first-in-series when the next book isn't available yet. I am disappointed by the ending and left feeling a little unfulfilled. While I wish that things would have come to some semblance of a conclusion, I am excited for the next book in the series and think that a lot was set up in this book for Book 2 to hit the ground running! I have a lot of questions that need answers.
Thank you so much for gifting me this book, Colleen from Colleen's Conclusions! You are an absolute treasure and I adore you.
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alisoninbookland
Written on Apr 2, 2018
The two timelines were interesting. It was intriguing to see then and now.
Things don't wrap up as nicely as I would have like but book 2 should be fun!
Sam@WLABB
Written on Jan 9, 2018
I do not read a ton of mysteries, but when I saw that Maureen Johnson was writing a new series, I knew this was a must read for me. All I have to say is, Johnson may make a mystery reader out of me yet, because I was utterly engrossed in this story from start to finish.
•Pro: What more can you ask for then a twofer? Johnson has two mysteries in this story, one in the present and one in the past.
•Pro: I thought it was brilliant the way Johnson told the story. I liked the mix of flashbacks, interviews, and oral history to deliver the backstory on the Ellingham kidnappings. They were placed really thoughtfully in the present day story too. I felt like there were parallels between the two mysteries, which were highlighted by the way the two tales were woven together.
•Pro: The cast of characters are pretty fantastic. They are each distinct and interesting, and I know I want to get to know them better.
•Pro: One of my favorite characters was Stevie. She was amusing and quirky. You don't meet a lot of kids that interested in true crime. I loved her passion for it, and am rooting for her to solve the case.
•Pro: The flashbacks had this classic whodunit tone, which really set the mood for me.
•Pro: This school was incredible! I am already a huge fan of boarding schools, but this one is in a class all its own. As a former educator, I was salivating over the personalized curriculums, but I also was won over by Vermont.
•Pro: The puzzle pieces were doled out so well! I collected the clues, piece by piece, and I love that I was given an opportunity to figure some things out, before they were explained to me. That's the fun of any mystery.
•Pro: There was a part of the storyline, that I did not quite understand, but there was a big reveal at the end, which explained it. That ending left me eager to see where this is going and gave me grabby hands for the next book.
Overall: An intriguing page-turner filled with suspense and marvelous characters.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
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