Book Review :: The Vanishing Stair, by Maureen Johnson

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson
ISBN: 0062338080
Series: Truly Devious #2
Also in this series: Truly Devious, The Hand on the Wall, The Box in the Woods, Nine Liars
Published by Katherine Tegen Books
on 2019-01-22
Genres: Mystery, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Goodreads

All 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.

Last updated on 2 September 2021

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My thoughts on The Vanishing Stair

What a book! What a series! I need book number three, STAT. Alas, we must wait until January before we can pick up The Hand on the Wall. The Vanishing Stair picks up very shortly after the events in Truly Devious, and Stevie has been taken away from Ellingham Academy by her parents who don’t want her there anymore. But of course, it’s only a few chapters before she’s back at this awesome school in the mountains of Vermont. As Stevie continues to work on solving the crime that occurred at the school decades before, and trying to figure out the details of the events from the last book (no spoilers, don’t worry), she uncovers a lot more than she thought she ever would.

“A book gives you everything. It gives you a window into other souls, other worlds. The world is a door. Books are the key.”

This has to be one of my favourite series this year, and I love everything about it. The characters are brilliant, and I want nothing more than Stevie to totally own the cases she works on, and I’m cheering for her the whole way. Because Ellingham is made up of whiz kids, they’re all very different and have their own unique skills and abilities (that’s why they’re there). But Johnson has created some truly incredible mixes of personalities and traits that make every character a joy to read (even if they are nutters). It’s not just the individual characters their, it’s how everyone interacts so differently that makes them so life like. It’s brilliant.

“Where do you look for someone who’s never really there?
Always on a staircase but never on a stair.”

While the plot carried on from the last book (cliff hanger if I ever read one!), it in no way loses its momentum at all, and the story line in The Vanishing Stair continues to hook you in and not let go. It’s an adventure by itself, but the characters and the setting of this stunning and old academy in the mountains just adds to the book’s glory.

The only reason I have bumped this down to 4.5 stars is because I figured out what the riddle was long before Stevie did, but having said that, it was excellent and she got there in the end haha.

If you haven’t read Truly Devious then you need to pick it up, especially if you like Young Adult mystery, with a good amount of humour, fun characters, murder, elite schools and architectural grandeur.

If you have read this series, in particular, The Vanishing Stair, what did you think?