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 … 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
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I would be shocked if this isn’t in my top 10 books of 2020. This was the perfect read for my snowy gloomy winter day in New England. This book is set at a school for gifted individuals in Vermont. I found all of the characters to be likable, especially the main character Stevie. The whole book felt like one big game of Clue! This is a fun read that kept me interested the entire time. I can’t wait to pick up the rest of the books in the series!
This book has everything I love in a mystery. A spooky setting, a murder (or two), dark tunnels, and a character who won’t stop until she finds the truth.
I thoughouly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers, mysteries, and who are lovers of Sherlock Holmes.
I liked Truly Devious. I wasn’t all that hopeful at first, but I thought the mystery was done very well. All the characters were a bit of a mystery and no one was what they seemed and it was fun seeing Stevie break everyone and everything down the way a detective would. At times I didn’t even trust Stevie’s judgment, but I liked her nonetheless. Maureen Johnson made this mystery within a mystery very interesting and exciting. I really liked the writing. As someone who doesn’t care much for mysteries, Truly Devious was a good book. I can’t wait to read the next book.
A well plotted mystery with a compelling female lead? All. Of. The. Yeses. The only reason I am not giving this book five stars, is because it ends quite literally with “To be continued…” Which means you need to have its sequel ready-to-go right after you finish this one.
Once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down
I never thought I would think ton read a book like this. But the way Maureen Johnson wrote this book, she sucked me in and I read it in a day.
While I’m still unsure about parts of this book it was a good story that kept me turning the page. An easy to read and enjoyably story with great anxiety representation. Not sure about the “mystery” aspect and a lot of the story had me scratching my head I was still entertained by it.
A mystery in a mystery with laugh out loud moments. I’ve always enjoyed Johnson’s work, but this one just might be my new favorite. I can’t wait to jump into book two, The Vanishing Stair!
This really leaves you hanging at the end!
The Ellington School is a place for creative genius and mystery. It’s fun. Second book is out and am reading it!
This book is just the first installment of a mystery. You have to buy subsequent books in order to have the mystery resolved. This was not made clear in the promotion of the book. Very disappointing!
This was a great book! Kept me wanting to read more I couldnt put it down. Cant wait to read the second one.
My age group is 65+. I enjoyed the Divergent series so I occasionally read books marked ‘teen, young adult’. I enjoyed this book up to the last page, and then I felt hugely let down and cheated by the author. I didn’t pre-order the next book. What a gimmick!
What is Truly Devious about this book is the author! Johnson saw fit to write a double murder mystery, one cold case, and one current murder, and then leave us without a clear solution to either. I can only assume from the cliffhanger ending that there will be a sequel (hopefully soon.) This was a great story, and its cliffhanger ending brought a whole new set of questions into play. If you are an impatient person don’t read until the next book comes out.
I very much enjoyed Truly Devious & cant wait for the next installment.
Great mystery & engaging characters. Stevie is a good kind of quirky with a mind that sees all the details. Secondary characters provide a lot of support to the story.
Anxious to see what happens next.
Horrible endings aside, Truly Devious actually surprised me by the way it gripped me. I wasn’t expecting the dual POVs in the past and present to both be interesting, but BY GOLLY they were. The mystery aspect was definitely developed and strong, and thankfully, I got some chilling and exciting scenes. One major gripe I had was the romance, which didn’t really seem healthy (they didn’t really trust each other, and they mostly teased and were angry at each other).