Book Review :: Truly Devious, by Maureen Johnson

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
ISBN: 0062338064
Series: Truly Devious #1
Also in this series: The Vanishing Stair, The Hand on the Wall, The Box in the Woods, Nine Liars
Published by Katherine Tegen Books
on 2018-12-04
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Young Adult
Pages: 420
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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.

Last updated on 3 July 2023

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My thoughts on Truly Devious 

Truly Devious has to be one of my favourite books of the year. I realise the year isn’t over yet, but it’s a 5-star rating from me, so it’s going to be at the top of the list come December 31st, for sure.

“Where her books were, she was. Get the books right and the rest will follow. Now she could address the rest of the room.”

I’ve only read one full book of Maureen Johnson‘s before (I started The Name of the Star series and really enjoyed that first book, but for some reason never got around to picking up the next one – I have them now so I’m hoping to read those before the year is out) and a few of the short stories she’s written in Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter series.

There was nothing about this book that I didn’t enjoy. The whole concept of a school in the mountains for kids who have great talents and passions (everything from writing to film making to science to sport) was brilliant, and the characters that filled the school were just as interesting. Stevie’s housemates – Ellie, David, Nate, Janelle and Hayes – were all very unique in personality and their talents, and the side characters who didn’t share a house with them definitely added to the exciting flavour of the school.

“What you lack in any investigation is time. With every passing hour, evidence slips away. Crime scenes are compromised by people and the elements. Things are moved, altered, smeared, shifted. Organisms rot. Wind blows dust and contaminants. Memories change and fade. As you move away from the event, you move away from the solution.”

As Stevie tries to piece together the murders that happened at the school many years ago (murders that were never really solved), she goes to her classes, works on her special project, gets involved with the other projects of her classmates, and soon there’s another murder; someone from her house (no spoilers as to whom, don’t worry). Now with the past murders to solve, and the increasing amount of evidence she’s compiling over the death of her housemate, Stevie’s detective plate is full, and while she’s always wanted to be involved in solving murders, she didn’t think it would be someone she knew.

The plot of this book was excellent, and while Stevie’s story was interwoven with the story of Albert Ellingham in the 1930s and the original murders and disappearances of his wife and daughter (I’m not usually a fan of flashbacks), it really worked for this story and I found myself thinking about the book when I wasn’t reading it. Perhaps the only thing that was annoying about it was the ending because while it was sort of cliff hanger-y, the murders weren’t solved; we still have to read the next two books to really find out what happened. I have some ideas as to who may have done the present murder, but to be honest, if it’s going to take another two books then the likelihood that I’m even close to being right is very very very low.

Highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a bit of mystery, or private schools, or good storylines, or interesting characters, or … just pick up this book.

Have you read Truly Devious? What did you think?