Item: Truly Devious
Rating: 3.00
Author: novelsandwaffles

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.

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

This book is like an old fleece sweater - its quaint and cozy, but its also got a few holes. Set at a prestigious boarding school in upstate Vermont, Truly Devious is an atmospheric read perfect for the Autumn season. The story itself was an awkward mix of slice-of-life romance scenes and chilling mystery elements that never felt quite as cohesive as I wanted them to be. Overall, it's an excellent choice for any newbies looking to dip their toes into the genre.

THE PROS:
✔ The anxiety rep!
✔ The writing style was fun and quirky
✔ I really enjoyed the flashback scenes to the original 1930s Truly Devious mystery and thought that they were artfully interspersed with the real-time narrative
✔ The atmosphere/setting. GIVE ME ALL THE BOARDING SCHOOLS.

THE WOES:
✖️I just did NOT understand the romance with David at all. Like, there was no build up or tension or....anything. It was strange and I'm confused. Maybe it will feel less clumsy in books two and three?
✖️The ending was so abrupt - I understand that cliffhangers are A THING™, but there was hardly any build-up for this one. It was like the book ended in the middle of a chapter; it felt haphazard and poorly executed.

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Truly Devious (Truly Devious, #1)

by Maureen Johnson

Reviewed by Kat @ Novels & Waffles on Apr 27, 2020

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