3.5/5

"Schools may be famous for many things: academics, graduates, sports teams.
They are not supposed to be famous for murder."

Albert and Iris Ellingham were one of the richest people in America in the early 1900s. They created Ellingham Academy in the remote mountains of Vermont, a private school for gifted students. Shortly after the school was founded, 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 himself, died under mysterious circumstances.

Fast forward to the present - For Stevie Bell, her number one interest is criminal investigation. After she is accepted to Ellingham, she is anxious to delve into the decades old Truly Devious cold case.

This book was a page turner and I was curious to find out what the correlation was, between the murders in the past and the murder in the present.

What I didn't like was that there really wasn't too much character development. All the characters seemed pretty one dimensional. And I wasn't sold on the romance at all. Also that cliffhanger!! I knew this was a series but I was expecting at least a little clue about the murders! I couldn't care less for David.

There are good reviews about the second book. So I'll read in hope of more layered character development, twists, surprises and big revelations!