Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson Series: Truly Devious #1
Published by HarperCollins on January 16, 2018
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Mysteries & Detective Stories, Young Adult Fiction / School & Education / Boarding School & Prep School, Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / General
Pages: 448
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
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
My Review
I had never heard of this book before picking it up. I was simply looking for an audiobook to listen to while I worked. Much to my surprise, this book sucked me right in from the beginning. The story takes place in the mountains of Vermont near Burlington at a school called Ellingham Academy. This school is like none other created for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. Albert Ellis created this school as a fun place to learn full of riddles and games back in the 1930s. During his time at the school, his wife and child are kidnapped. The person goes by Truly Devious. This kidnapper is known for their riddles and demands. Albert’s wife and child however are not the only two people to go missing there is also a student who is kidnapped. The kidnapper remains a mystery and so do the disappearances.
Onto the present day where Stephanie Bell also known as Stevie enters the scene. She is a crime-obsessed student entering Ellingham Academy with the sole desire to solve this case. Things do not turn out as easily as she might have hoped. The school year brings about a murder and the possibility of Truly Devious making a return visit to the school. The death does not seem like the accident everyone thinks it is which does not sit well with Stevie. Her crime-obsessed mind decides to dig around and what she finds is rather surprising for everyone at Ellingham Academy including Stevie herself.
As I have said above this book was a completely random pick, one that I had never heard of and man was I pleasantly surprised. Truly Devious ends on such a cliffhanger that I immediately had to track down the next in the series. I am so excited to see what Stevie discovers next. If you are into YA Mysteries, Thrillers, and Crime then this book is for you.