The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson Series: Truly Devious #3
Published by HarperCollins on January 21, 2020
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Mysteries & Detective Stories, Young Adult Fiction / School & Education / Boarding School & Prep School, Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / General
Pages: 384
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
New York Times and USA Today bestseller!
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.
Ellingham 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.
Praise for the Truly Devious series:
“Readers, hang tight: there’s one more round to come, and if the signs are right, it’ll be to die for.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The Agatha Christie-like ecosystem pairs with lacerating contemporary wit, and alternating past and present scenes makes for a multilayered, modern detective story.” —New York Times Book Review
“Remember the first time reading Harry Potter and knowing it was special? There’s that same sense of magic in the introduction of teen Sherlock-in-training Stevie Bell.” —USA Today (four stars)
“Be still, my Agatha-Christie-loving beating heart.” —Bustle
My Review
Seriously I have no idea how Maureen Johnson does it with these books. I just finished up The Hand On The Wall which is book three in the Truly Devious series. This book picks right up where The Vanishing Stair left off with the fire in Burlington that caused a person to die and another to be injured. Why do people keep dying that are connected to Ellingham Academy? Are the deaths from the past and the deaths in the present connected? Is there someone behind the current tragedies at the school and in Burlington and if so who is it and why?
This book continues on with Stevie working to solve the Ellingham case or as the book describes the crime of the century. We also discover some things about the Ellinghams that even their friends did not know. Let me just say that one thing, in particular, left me like WHAT! There is so much that we learn in this book about the case and the true character of Albert, Iris, Alice, George, and the other inhabitants of the school during that time.
This story still follows all the characters from the previous two stories so again for me it was nice to catch back up with them. David is still loads of trouble and makes terrible decisions some leading to getting the crap beat out of him and others leading to the use of dynamite in small spaces. Oh, and his father Edward King really shows what a piece of work he is as a man and a father.
To top off all the things going on at the school and with David disappearing (his choice) there is a massive snowstorm due to hit the school. The staff decides the best decision is to evacuate the school but a select few students have other ideas. How do they deal with the snow coming to the mountain? Is the murderer finally revealed?
I have to say that I absolutely loved this series. I am not big into reading about scary things or horror and I am happy to say that this series had none of that. These books for me were cozy listens and they kept me interested throughout the entire series. If you want a mystery with quirky characters and a fantastic setting then this is the series for you.