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bookbriefs 's review for:
The Hand on the Wall
by Maureen Johnson
This is a non-spoiler Series Review:
The Truly Devious series is a young adult murder mystery series by author Maureen Johnson. I binge read these books, so I decided to do a series review in case you were new to this trilogy like I was coming into The Hand on the Wall. The Truly Devious series is a trilogy comprised of three books- Truly Devious, The Vanishing Stair and concluding with The Hand on the Wall. The series follows present day student detective Stevie Bell as she tries to solve the cold case known as the Truly Devious murders.
The Truly Devious trilogy is set in a prestigious private school in the mountains of Vermont. Ellingham Academy, where a brutal kidnapping occurred in the first year the school was open. Ellingham Academy was founded by a rich American Tycoon, who loved puzzles and riddles and most of all he wanted to make learning fun. Life was one big game to him. So he founded Ellingham Academy, where he would make learning fun for his select set of students. Tuition was free for everyone admitted, and they could each study their own passion. The academy itself was full of it’s own riddles, puzzles and secrets, with hidden rooms, tunnels and secret spaces galore. It was one big playground for Mr. Ellingham. That is until his wife and daughter were kidnapped right out from under him. The first year the school was open was the very same year that his wife and a student were kidnapped and killed and his daughter Alice went missing. Their case became known as the Truly Devious case. The series follows dual timelines between 1936 and present day the series follows present day student Stevie Bell as she tried to solve the Truly Devious mystery from 1936 as well as new pop ups of Truly Devious in the present day.
The twists and turns were fantastic. I couldn’t put this series down. It consumed my thoughts while I was away from the books. It is one of my favorite series of all time. I was fascinated to see how the past and the present day murders were connected, and I loved that it was one big story line over all three books, versus one mystery per book. It worked out so much better this way,, with trusts and turns spreading out over multiple books and keeping the readers guessing and keeping me riveted to the pages. I loved the 1936 timeline and how we get getting introduced to new characters as the book progressed. The mystery expanded and expanded until we got a great conclusion with the Hand on the Wall. I am so in love this series. Maureen Johnson did an artful job crafting this world, and I simply cannot get enough. If you are a fan of mystery books, the Truly Devious series is a MUST READ. It is one of my favorite series of all time.
The Truly Devious series is a young adult murder mystery series by author Maureen Johnson. I binge read these books, so I decided to do a series review in case you were new to this trilogy like I was coming into The Hand on the Wall. The Truly Devious series is a trilogy comprised of three books- Truly Devious, The Vanishing Stair and concluding with The Hand on the Wall. The series follows present day student detective Stevie Bell as she tries to solve the cold case known as the Truly Devious murders.
The Truly Devious trilogy is set in a prestigious private school in the mountains of Vermont. Ellingham Academy, where a brutal kidnapping occurred in the first year the school was open. Ellingham Academy was founded by a rich American Tycoon, who loved puzzles and riddles and most of all he wanted to make learning fun. Life was one big game to him. So he founded Ellingham Academy, where he would make learning fun for his select set of students. Tuition was free for everyone admitted, and they could each study their own passion. The academy itself was full of it’s own riddles, puzzles and secrets, with hidden rooms, tunnels and secret spaces galore. It was one big playground for Mr. Ellingham. That is until his wife and daughter were kidnapped right out from under him. The first year the school was open was the very same year that his wife and a student were kidnapped and killed and his daughter Alice went missing. Their case became known as the Truly Devious case. The series follows dual timelines between 1936 and present day the series follows present day student Stevie Bell as she tried to solve the Truly Devious mystery from 1936 as well as new pop ups of Truly Devious in the present day.
The twists and turns were fantastic. I couldn’t put this series down. It consumed my thoughts while I was away from the books. It is one of my favorite series of all time. I was fascinated to see how the past and the present day murders were connected, and I loved that it was one big story line over all three books, versus one mystery per book. It worked out so much better this way,, with trusts and turns spreading out over multiple books and keeping the readers guessing and keeping me riveted to the pages. I loved the 1936 timeline and how we get getting introduced to new characters as the book progressed. The mystery expanded and expanded until we got a great conclusion with the Hand on the Wall. I am so in love this series. Maureen Johnson did an artful job crafting this world, and I simply cannot get enough. If you are a fan of mystery books, the Truly Devious series is a MUST READ. It is one of my favorite series of all time.