Item: Truly Devious
Rating: 5.00
Author: kozbisa

by Maureen Johnson

From New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson comes the start of a new series about a sharp and funny young detective named Stevie Bell who begins school at an elite, yet peculiar, boarding school and finds herself entangled in a murder mystery; perfect for fans of 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES.

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.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

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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Truly Devious (Truly Devious, #1)

by Maureen Johnson

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on Jan 9, 2018

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