“There is nothing so serious as a game.”
-Maureen Johnson, Truly Devious
Hi everyone! Not too long ago I was lucky to have been sent an ARC of Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson thanks to Harper 360, (thank you!) and I ended up absolutely devouring it! In fact, it was one of my top 20 reads of 2017. (You can check out the rest of that list here.)
Here’s the blurb:
Look! A riddle! Time for fun!
Should we use a rope or gun?
Ellingham Academy is the famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded in 1936 by a tycoon who wanted to make a wonderful place “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 “Truly, Devious.” It became one of the greatest unsolved crimes in 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 eighty-one-year-old cold case. But 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.
So first of all, I loved the true-crime aspect of this novel! Stevie being obsessed with it and listening to podcasts and researching clues to solve the cold case added to how generally great her character was. She’s smart and funny and I also liked that although she’s desperate to be one of the people that analyses a crime scene, when things do start getting creepier, it does affect her – she doesn’t suddenly become all super-hero like, it stays very realistic. I really liked Stevie’s character and I was rooting for her throughout the entire novel.
What I wasn’t expecting was for the book to switch back and forth between 1936 and the present day and for there to be two sets of murder, two sets of mysteries to solve. And Stevie is determined to solve them all. The intrigue and the twists were brilliant in this book, and as I went in expecting this to be a standalone, after that ending, I am SHOOK. I mean, I just don’t know how I’m going to be able to wait until the next book?!
Also, the setting was perfect. Up on a secluded mountain (massive hill?) complex in Vermont, surrounded by trees and wilderness, in a beautiful old school… I just loved it.
There was suspense, there were great friendships and plenty of intriguing characters that I can’t wait to read more about, but they were all very unique and held my interest, there was a little romance with some swoon-worthy moments, and there were two very big mysteries that have been set up brilliantly for the next book to launch us straight back into the action.
Overall, I absolutely adored this book and couldn’t get enough of it! I’m giving it 5/5 stars, and if you’re a fan of YA, or mysteries, then check this one out!
Thanks for reading everyone! Has anyone else read this one? What did you think of it? What are your favourite mystery reads?
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