The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson Pages: 384
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on January 21, 2020
Series: Truly Devious #3
Genres: Young Adult, contemporary
Source: Finished Copy from Publisher
Also in this series: The Box in the Woods, The Vanishing Stair, Truly Devious, Nine Liars (Truly Devious, #5), The Vanishing Stair, Truly DeviousEllingham Academy must be cursed. Three people are now dead. One, a victim of either a prank gone wrong or a murder. Another, dead by misadventure. And now, an accident in Burlington has claimed another life. All three in the wrong place at the wrong time. All at the exact moment of Stevie’s greatest triumph . . .
She knows who Truly Devious is. She’s solved it. The greatest case of the century.
At least, she thinks she has. With this latest tragedy, it’s hard to concentrate on the past. Not only has someone died in town, but David disappeared of his own free will and is up to something. Stevie is sure that somehow—somehow—all these things connect. The three deaths in the present. The deaths in the past. The missing Alice Ellingham and the missing David Eastman. Somewhere in this place of riddles and puzzles there must be answers.
Then another accident occurs as a massive storm heads toward Vermont. This is too much for the parents and administrators. Ellingham Academy is evacuated. Obviously, it’s time for Stevie to do something stupid. It’s time to stay on the mountain and face the storm—and a murderer.
In the tantalizing finale to the Truly Devious trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson expertly tangles her dual narrative threads and ignites an explosive end for all who’ve walked through Ellingham Academy.
New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson delivers the witty and pulse-pounding conclusion to the Truly Devious series as Stevie Bell solves the mystery that has haunted Ellingham Academy for over 75 years.
Reading Challenges: 2020 New Release Challenge, 2020 Reading Assignment Challenge
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson Pages: 420
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on January 16, 2018
Series: Truly Devious #1
Genres: Young Adult, contemporary
Source: Finished Copy from Publisher
Also in this series: The Box in the Woods, The Vanishing Stair, Truly Devious, Nine Liars (Truly Devious, #5), The Vanishing Stair, Truly DeviousNew 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.
Reading Challenges: 2020 Reading Assignment Challenge, 2020 Tackle My TBR Reading Challenge
The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson Pages: 369
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on January 22, 2019
Series: Truly Devious #2
Genres: Young Adult, contemporary
Source: Finished Copy from Publisher
Also in this series: The Box in the Woods, The Vanishing Stair, Truly Devious, Nine Liars (Truly Devious, #5), The Vanishing Stair, Truly DeviousAll Stevie Bell wanted was to find the key to the Ellingham mystery, but instead she found her classmate dead. And while she solved that murder, the crimes of the past are still waiting in the dark. Just as Stevie feels she’s on the cusp of putting it together, her parents pull her out of Ellingham academy.
For her own safety they say. She must move past this obsession with crime. Now that Stevie’s away from the school of topiaries and secret tunnels, and her strange and endearing friends, she begins to feel disconnected from the rest of the world. At least she won’t have to see David anymore. David, who she kissed. David, who lied to her about his identity—son of despised politician Edward King. Then King himself arrives at her house to offer a deal: He will bring Stevie back to Ellingham immediately. In return, she must play nice with David. King is in the midst of a campaign and can’t afford his son stirring up trouble. If Stevie’s at school, David will stay put.
The tantalizing riddles behind the Ellingham murders are still waiting to be unraveled, and Stevie knows she’s so close. But the path to the truth has more twists and turns than she can imagine—and moving forward involves hurting someone she cares for. In New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson’s second novel of the Truly Devious series, nothing is free, and someone will pay for the truth with their life.
Reading Challenges: 2020 Reading Assignment Challenge, 2020 Tackle My TBR Reading Challenge
This is a non-spoiler Series Review:
The Truly Devious series is a young adult murder mystery series by author Maureen Johnson. I binge read these books, so I decided to do a series review in case you were new to this trilogy like I was coming into The Hand on the Wall. The Truly Devious series is a trilogy comprised of three books- Truly Devious, The Vanishing Stair and concluding with The Hand on the Wall. The series follows present day student detective Stevie Bell as she tries to solve the cold case known as the Truly Devious murders.
The Truly Devious trilogy is set in a prestigious private school in the mountains of Vermont. Ellingham Academy, where a brutal kidnapping occurred in the first year the school was open. Ellingham Academy was founded by a rich American Tycoon, who loved puzzles and riddles and most of all he wanted to make learning fun. Life was one big game to him. So he founded Ellingham Academy, where he would make learning fun for his select set of students. Tuition was free for everyone admitted, and they could each study their own passion. The academy itself was full of it’s own riddles, puzzles and secrets, with hidden rooms, tunnels and secret spaces galore. It was one big playground for Mr. Ellingham. That is until his wife and daughter were kidnapped right out from under him. The first year the school was open was the very same year that his wife and a student were kidnapped and killed and his daughter Alice went missing. Their case became known as the Truly Devious case. The series follows dual timelines between 1936 and present day the series follows present day student Stevie Bell as she tried to solve the Truly Devious mystery from 1936 as well as new pop ups of Truly Devious in the present day.
The twists and turns were fantastic. I couldn’t put this series down. It consumed my thoughts while I was away from the books. It is one of my favorite series of all time. I was fascinated to see how the past and the present day murders were connected, and I loved that it was one big story line over all three books, versus one mystery per book. It worked out so much better this way,, with trusts and turns spreading out over multiple books and keeping the readers guessing and keeping me riveted to the pages. I loved the 1936 timeline and how we get getting introduced to new characters as the book progressed. The mystery expanded and expanded until we got a great conclusion with the Hand on the Wall. I am so in love this series. Maureen Johnson did an artful job crafting this world, and I simply cannot get enough. If you are a fan of mystery books, the Truly Devious series is a MUST READ. It is one of my favorite series of all time.
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About Maureen Johnson
Maureen Johnson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several YA novels, including 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Suite Scarlett, The Name of the Star, and Truly Devious. She has also done collaborative works, such as Let It Snow (with John Green and Lauren Myracle), and The Bane Chronicles (with Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan). Her work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Buzzfeed, and The Guardian, and she has also served as a scriptwriter for EA Games. She has an MFA in Writing from Columbia University and lives in New York City.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2020 New Release Challenge
- 2020 Reading Assignment Challenge
- 2020 Tackle My TBR Reading Challenge
wow…thanks for sharing the rave review. now you have me wanting to read it too. i do love those titles
sherry @ fundinmental
I loved the first book and have the second on my Kindle. I will get to it soon. Of course I will read the final book. Maureen Johnson is Awesome!!
It looks like a good read.
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