Review Of Truly Devious By Maureen Johnson

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.

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The first thing you need to know is that the this is the first in a series. I feel like I need to point that out. I did not know this going in. I expected a one-and-done mystery.

This book takes place at the most awesome school ever. Screw Hogwarts, I want Ellingham Acadamy. (Well...I'd take either.) Ellingham Acadamy was founded by a very rich man, Albert Ellingham, hence the name. In the first year of the school, 1936, a student was killed and Ellingham's wife and daughter went missing. His wife turned up a bit later dead and his daughter stayed missing.

Fast forward to 2018 (or I guess whenever you're reading this). Mystery lover and expert, Stevie Bell, gets excepted in to the infamous Ellingham Acadamy. She arrives with one goal, solve the murder.

Although Stevie has read everthing out there about the Ellingham case, I really don't understand how a seventeen year old girl can figure out a mystery that eighty years worth of great detectives couldn't.

Another thing is that I did not like Stevie. I liked some of the other characters and one of them I really loved, but not Stevie. She just didn't seem that likeable. She kept trying to solve the case on her own, even after she was advised to tell the security guard whenever she uncovered something. She invaded other people's property and was rude to David, who did nothing but kind things for her.

I really liked this book. It kept my attention the whole time and I can't wait for the Vanishing Stair.