The final book of the Truly Devious trilogy, Maureen Johnson’s “The Hand on The Wall” is a satisfying conclusion to the series, even with its unnecessary amount of filler.
Maureen Johnson’s “The Vanishing Stair” is an intriguing and capable second book in the Ellingham trilogy. Following Stevie Bell in her return to Ellingham Academy, this book furthers both the current and twentieth century mysteries.
Twisting and complex, Maureen Johnson’s “Truly Devious” is an extremely solid start to a new YA mystery series. Centered around the prestigious boarding school Ellingham Academy, the novel follows amateur detective Stevie Bell as she begins her first year at the school. Ellingham is notorious for a double kidnapping and a murder that occurred in the early twentieth century, and Stevie is determined to solve the case while studying there.
Maureen Johnson’s “The Box in the Woods” is an intriguing and entertaining return to her Truly Devious trilogy. Stevie and her housemates Nate and Janelle are offered counselor jobs at a summer camp where four teenagers were brutally murdered in the 1970s. Told from both the point of view of characters in the current day and the past, the mysterious of Camp Sunny Pines begin to unravel towards a shocking conclusion.
In the previous books, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and Good Girl Bad Blood, the main character Pip Fitz Amobi is revealed. In the previous books, Pip chooses to investigate an old town murder case as her senior capstone project. After the truth comes forth and she begins to confirm the events and decides to create a podcast explaining the reality of the murder case.
Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien is a murder mystery novel. When Lana Lee and her best friend, Megan Riley, host a speed dating event at their restaurant, Ho-Lee Noodle House, things take a deadly turn. Rina Su, another Asia Village shop owner, matches with an unlikely guy, and goes against her friends advice and warnings. In the middle of the night, they get a call that Rina’s date… is dead.
As far as murder mysteries, this book is a stand-out for me. I loved the little plot twist at the end, and how the whole book keeps you on your toes. I think that people who read murder mystery books like to try to guess the murderer and motive throughout the book, and this one does not make that easy.
