Truly Devious

Truly Devious

by Maureen Johnson

The start of the book! Yep, there it is. Thats how it starts. Im sure it seems creepy to you but this letter is very important!

Goodreads Summary

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.

My Review

Mystery, Mystery Mystery! So much unknown and so many possibilities! I loved the plot because it had so many twists. It was a rich story with lots of characters and settings. Everything was described so well! I liked that they showed the history of the actual crime and the current, or what Stevie was doing. The buildup was great, and I loved how if you went back, you could actually piece things together yourself! Relationships were also a major part of this story. Overall, I would give this book a 10/10! One of the best books i've read!

Other Books in the Series

Thanks for reading!