Truly Devious Review

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

I will be recommending this book to anyone who will listen because I love it so much!!

Truly Devious follows the story of Stevie Bell as she navigates her way through a notorious murder/kidnap case: The Ellingham Case. Way back when, Albert Ellingham was a famous tycoon known for his love of games. He went on to build a school for gifted children, when one day tragedy strikes on campus. His wife and child go missing, and the only clue is a letter signed "Truly, Devious". The case was never solved, and Ellingham's daughter was never found. Years later, the school has been re-opened and Stevie is determined to solve the case. As an FBI-true-crime obsessed gal, she uses everything she knows about the case to help her along. All is going well until death strikes Ellingham Academy once again.

I don't want to give to much away, but I loved the twists and turns of this book. It's written in a really cool style: we have the present with Stevie and her life but then we also switch back to the night of the kidnapping where we see first hand accounts of those who were there. It's a cool parallel and it I thought it would help me figure things out, but it just kept piling on the mysteries! I love Stevie and I think she's a really cool protagonist. She's very aware of herself and what she wants. I also love the inclusion in this novel. Each character is different, unique, and very well developed! There's POC and LGBTQ representation and I loved it! The end of the book also left me dying for more, and thank god it's a trilogy because I cannot get enough of it!

Overall: 10/10

Pages: 416

Spice: 2/10

Trigger Warnings: death, mentions of suicide, murder, kidnapping