8 Rated Books Book Reviews

Book Review: Truly, Devious by Maureen Johnson

Title: Truly, Devious

Author: Maureen Johnson

Genre: Crime, Young Adult

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication date: January 16 2018
Paperback: 432 pages

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.

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.

Stand alone or series: First in a trilogy

How did I get this book: Review Copy from the publisher

Format (e- or p-): ebook

Review

My 2018 is off to a good start with Truly, Devious, the new book by Maureen Johnson – the first in a crime YA trilogy, featuring two different mysteries. Those mysteries – murder cases – are separated by decades but taking place at the prestigious Ellingham Academy for gifted students, a paradisiacal place where you’d never think tragedies might happen.

But happen they did.

Ellingham Academy was founded in the early twentieth century by millionaire tycoon Albert Ellingham as a free boarding school for selected and gifted students, a place where “learning is a game”. But shortly after the school opened, Ellingham’s wife and daughter are kidnapped and one of the school students goes missing at the same time – all leading to unthinkable tragedy. The one clue, a letter received days before the crime, containing a mocking riddle concocted using cut letters from various newspapers and simply signed “Truly, Devious”. This has become an unsolved crime – a mystery for the ages.

Enter Stevie Bell, a student of crime hoping to become a detective one day. She is about to become a first-year student at Ellingham Academy, where her main project will be to solve the Ellingham crime. Her first official task is to make the case personal: to learn even more about those involved. Her second, self-imposed task is to get to grips with her life away from her parents and alone for the first time, dealing with her anxiety and recurring panic attacks. None of this is easy, especially when navigating the tumultuous life at the academy where the range and diversity of students – some of whom become her friends, some of whom become potential romantic interests – is as great as the number of crime novels she loves.

But just as Stevie is settling down in her life at Ellingham, Truly, Devious makes a return – just before a student dies in mysterious circumstances. Can Stevie – an untried, anxious, wannabe detective -truly solve not one, but two crimes? And are the crimes even related at all?

With intertwined mysteries and alternative timelines, Truly, Devious is a fantastic mix of contemporary YA and crime mystery. The former comes with the type of robust storytelling I have come to expect from Maureen Johnson – a mix of snarky teenagerhood and developing found families. This side of the story actually reminded me of the Suite Scarlet books a lot especially the bonds forged between Stevie and her new group of friends. I also loved seeing Stevie’s anxiety dealt with care and consideration.

The latter – the mystery side of the novel – is where Truly, Devious shines for me. The snippets of the historical mystery interspersed in the story are equally bewildering and heartbreaking. I rushed through the pages wanting to find out more not only about the crime itself but about the people involved in it.

One of my main difficulties when reading crime YA is the question of verisimilitude: I am always baffled by how is it possible that unexperienced teenagers can solve crimes ahead of their adult counterparts? And although there is certainly an element of that there (Stevie is after all, a budding detective prodigy), her knowledge not only of crime but also of the ins and outs behind crime-solving are really well established by the novel in a way that didn’t feel implausible. This does not mean that Stevie doesn’t make mistakes in her eagerness and driven curiosity: in fact, her mistakes abound and so do the consequences of making them.

Meanwhile, threaded throughout is Stevie’s ongoing growth as a young woman: from taking the first steps toward independence to her first sexual experiences, from her continuous clash with her parents and their right-wing views and politics (adding a very 2018 spin to the narrative) to her observations about the pervasive way that patriarchy affects that very relationship with her parents and their expectations for her. It’s all heady stuff that I inhaled in pretty much one sitting.

My one problem with the novel is that it ends on two unbearable cliff-hangers and now I have to wait who knows how long for more of it. But wait I shall. This was SO GOOD.

Rating: 8 – Fanfreakintastic

Buy the Book:

33 Comments

  • Book Review: Truly, Devious by Maureen Johnson – Headlines
    January 18, 2018 at 7:52 am

    […] post Book Review: <i>Truly, Devious</i> by Maureen Johnson appeared first on The Book […]

  • Kate @ Opinionated Book Lover
    January 18, 2018 at 8:32 am

    Cool! I am adding this to my list right now. I need more series in my life. 🙂

  • Alexis
    January 18, 2018 at 9:50 am

    The book sounds great! Definitely another book to read.

  • Lorrane Simmon
    January 19, 2018 at 4:08 pm

    Definitely sounds like my type of read. Might have to pick it up soon myself.

  • fnaf
    March 29, 2018 at 11:49 pm

    With a modern cast. I’m kicking myself for reading this now. Why didn’t I wait? Now I will have to wait ages for the next book. Because make no mistake this ends with a cliff hanger. This is a traditional mystery, a murder or two and a detective ( high schooler, Stephanie, aka Stevie) who wants to solve it. She is a true crime geek who reads Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie as well as forensics books and goes online to discuss crime. For those of us who have similar interests, she is our heroine. Be prepared to highlight passages you think are clues. This is a fun book and I can’t wait for the next one.

  • vedat
    January 8, 2019 at 1:48 am

    Its so good for us because here we can gain more information for the working delete cookies in windows 10 in the system because here all things available for the Cookie.

  • Majid Maskati
    May 14, 2019 at 1:13 am

    I am waiting for its part three! A Perfectly written book though, Maureen is well known for her adult fictional books. A huge number of teenagers and adults are already starting knowing her by this book and I would smell that she can get more worldwide fame if she keeps publishing books like this. I am being a Senior Research Writer at EssaywritingAe noticed about her writing styles and phrases. I would not be wrong If I say that this book has a flawless pattern and good for anyone who wants to improve their vocab.

  • Grace Hudditon
    November 14, 2019 at 3:05 am

    Did you manage to write this review on your own? If so, you are a truly great writer. I often buy reviews at https://elitewritings.com/ but wish to write them by myself.

  • android development services
    January 10, 2020 at 6:01 am

    Thanks
    what a theme

  • Learning Apps
    January 28, 2020 at 8:01 am

    amazing artical

  • android development services
    February 6, 2020 at 11:52 pm

    Thank you for this wonderful information looking forward for more. I really appreciate your efforts.

  • android
    February 6, 2020 at 11:54 pm

    Thanks such a nice article

  • Photo Editor
    February 15, 2020 at 2:21 am

    amazing article i like it very much thanks for this

  • trending apks
    March 3, 2020 at 12:23 pm

    Trending search refers to the topmost apps that appear for a particular category or keyword.How do I figure out how much an app is being searched for on apple’s app store and on trending apks? … Trending Searches are the most popular searches of the moment made in the trending apks

  • Top 4 Trending Apps
    March 6, 2020 at 9:51 am

    thankx admin Top 4 Trending Apps

  • office desk
    April 1, 2020 at 12:00 am

    Thanks for this

  • APPS APK DOWNLOAD
    April 27, 2020 at 6:16 am

    We have providing you useful Free apps for daily life and Free Apks and as well as for fun and entertainment like Games APPS APK DOWNLOAD

  • Apps apk download
    June 4, 2020 at 3:20 am

    Get free best trending apps apk download and get their amazing articles given this link

  • Timer
    July 8, 2020 at 2:33 am

    great content please share more content

  • TimeZone
    July 14, 2020 at 1:16 am

    You know about time zone .the time zone of every country is different.if you want to read about time zone then click on Time Zone or check our link.

  • skribbl io
    July 19, 2020 at 2:35 am

    I still can’t believe you changed
    The words when love is like clouds
    Gently flutter accidentally white.

  • pak marriage bureau
    August 11, 2020 at 1:01 am

    Shaadi is a very important decision in one’s life. Getting a good rishta is everyone’s dream. pak marriage bureau and shadi online services are for the people who are truly interested in marriage and are serious to get married as these services are not provided in dating sites

  • pak marriage bureau
    August 11, 2020 at 1:04 am

    thanks for sharing
    Shaadi is a very important decision in one’s life. Getting a good rishta is everyone’s dream. pak marriage bureau and shadi online services are for the people who are truly interested in marriage and are serious to get married as these services are not provided in dating sites

  • FAshion
    August 24, 2020 at 6:39 am

    Get the most
    Fashion trend tips and outfit thoughts from your preferred superstars and planners, regardless of whether it be extravagance brands like Gucci and Chanel or affordable nuts and bolts from Target and Gap. Navigate runway and first column photographs from Fashion Nova week shows in New York, London, Paris, and Milan. Furthermore: peruse key adornments like sacks, shoes, and shades, must-have denim looks, and more top Fashion patterns.

  • technology
    September 3, 2020 at 3:38 am

    you know that medium so i publish an article on medium about technology you can go can read it.

  • TimerResolution
    September 3, 2020 at 7:10 am

    i hope you use timer for manage time and etc like boil eggs and more so first of all you need to read about timer.

  • countdown stopwatch
    September 10, 2020 at 2:57 am

    we are providing best online countdown stopwatch
    checkout our site online countdown stopwatch

  • online stopwatch
    September 11, 2020 at 7:34 am

    thanks for sharing this article and i hope you will read this article.

  • stopwatch
    September 11, 2020 at 7:52 am

    thank for click on this article.

  • mindrelaxing
    September 15, 2020 at 5:27 am

    A beautifully designed Kinetic Desktop Spinner
    Concentrate more effectively, make your mind soothing, present & calm!

  • flashlight
    September 19, 2020 at 1:11 pm

    Book Direct to Positive sighn

  • Latest technology
    September 28, 2020 at 5:23 am

    The article was very information for me and i was searching the same thing that u have provided in this article

  • braydenlin
    November 30, 2020 at 7:06 am

    Consider the possibility to go to the online questionnaire service if you don’t have much time to spend with all your papers and you have much more assignments to do.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.