Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’m in love with this book.
First of all, that ending. I cannot express how happy I am that I actually put off reading this until now. The 2nd book is about to be released ((TOMORROW)) and I will be picking it up as soon as my preorder arrives.
It was truly devious of Ms. Johnson to leave off on such a cliffhanger!
Ellingham Academy, set in the remote mountains of Vermont is a small, private school for gifted students. Founded by the wealthy industrialist, Albert Ellingham, at the turn of the 20th Century, Ellingham Academy offers up an environment where learning can be fun. Students are allowed to pursue their own individual interests with barely any boundaries.
For Stevie Bell, her number one interest is crime investigation. After she is accepted to Ellingham as a true crime aficionado, she is anxious to solve the Truly Devious cold case. You see, decades before, Albert Ellingham’s wife and daughter were kidnapped and held for ransom. His wife’s body was eventually found but his daughter, Alice, was never recovered. Soon thereafter, Albert died under mysterious circumstances in a boat explosion.
Adjusting to school life is tough for Stevie. She suffers from an anxiety disorder that makes things a little more challenging for her than it would for a kid who doesn’t have the same issues. I found this very relatable and thought that the rep for this was some of the best I have seen in YA; at least based on my own personal experiences. I truly enjoyed the character of Stevie and am very excited that we are getting more books with her as the main protagonist.
Not only did I relate to Stevie because of her anxiety disorder but I also am most interested in crime and criminal investigation. I know what it is like for people to find that a little odd. Particularly parents. As a child researching and clipping articles on killings, mass murders, cold cases, etc., that can seem a little strange, I suppose. Perhaps that contributed to my love for this book.
I also found the set-up of the Ellingham kidnappings interesting in that in reminded me of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping in 1932. The wealthy industrialist. The missing child. The ransom. The notes. There were a lot of similarities and I found it easy to follow along with the intrigue because of that. I am curious if the author was at all inspired by that case. There are other similarities as well but I don’t want to reveal too much.
Overall, I just think this was a perfect book for me. It catered so well to all of my interests. I loved the cast of characters. The writing was fun and engaging and I cannot wait to pick up The Vanishing Staircase!!!!
Original: I preordered The Vanishing Stair months ago. I guess I should actually pick this one up before it arrives…
