MARCH 2019 - AudioFile
True-crime buff Stevie Bell returns to elite Ellingham Academy in Book 2 of the Truly Devious series, a teen Sherlock Holmes/Nancy Drew mash-up. Narrator Kate Rudd is back with a conversational tone that matches the rapid-fire workings of Stevie’s mind. As the 1936 crimes Stevie investigates are revealed in flashbacks, Rudd employs sultry notes and noir-worthy New York accents to set the scenes. The rising excitement in Rudd’s voice as Stevie makes huge breaks in the cold case is tempered by anguish as she and her friends continue to deal with contemporary tragedies that haunt them. With the complex plot that is underway, this shouldn't be listeners’ first visit with Stevie, and the cliff-hanger ending will ensure that it isn’t their last. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
In this second . . . installment, Johnson gives and she takes away: a few majormysteries are satisfying solved, but other long-standing riddles remain tantalizingly indecipherable, and several new ones come into play by the enigmatic end. Readers, hang tight: there’s one more round to come, and if the signs are right, it’ll be to die for.” — Booklist
"Ramps up the intrigue. As before, Johnson deftly alternates between Stevie's first-person narrative. Throughout this volume, Johnson's compelling would-be Sherlock proves to be as bad at personal relationships as she is adept at solving mysteries. Teen angst soars as Johnson delightfully conjures up more nefarious deeds from the mountain mist." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Johnson gives and she takes away: a few major mysteries are satisfying solved, but other long-standing riddles remain tantalizingly indecipherable, and several new ones come into play . . . Readers, hang tight: there’s one more round to come, and if the signs are right, it’ll be to die for.” — Booklist
“In this second installment of her marvelous Truly Devious series, Maureen Johnson offers thrilling suspense, sly wit, a memorable cast of characters and more pieces of her deliciously intricate puzzle.” — Buffalo News
“Take it from the world’s most impatient reader: If the Truly Devious series is basically one long mystery book, The Vanishing Stair is a middle part so enjoyable you won’t even want to skip to the end.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Johnson judiciously doles out some satisfying partial answers to the historical case while (presumably) saving the big reveals for the next installment. This fulfilling second volume will gratify serious mystery fans; and many readers will enjoy seeing themselves reflected in Stevie’s diverse and eccentric group of friends.” — The Horn Book
“Waiting for the next installment of Maureen Johnson’s Agatha Christie-Sherlock Holmes-classic mystery homage series was torture, but The Vanishing Stair is oh so worth it.” — Bustle
Praise for TRULY DEVIOUS: “Jumping between past and present, Johnson’s novel is deliciously atmospheric, with a sprawling cast of complex suspects/potential victims, surprising twists, and a dash of romance. Johnson remains a master at combining jittery tension with sharp, laugh-out-loud observations.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Johnson quickly sets the game afoot, skillfully introducing a Clue-like set of characters, laying out various motives, and hinting at long held secrets. There’s a delicious slow-burn element to the locked-room mystery in Stevie’s present, while the chapters on the kidnappings read like a true crime novel.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Johnson deftly twists two mysteries together—Stevie’s investigation is interspersed with case files and recollections from the Ellington kidnapping—and the result is a suspenseful, attention-grabbing mystery with no clear solution. The versatile Johnson is no stranger to suspense, and this twisty thriller will leave plenty of readers anxious for more.” — Booklist
“An intricately plotted, compulsively readable novel that explores not only fascinating crimes but also the mysteries of anxiety, the creative process, contemporary fame, and so much else.” — John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down
“Stevie Bell is a dyed-in-the-wool true-crime buff. There is a lot to love here. Fans of puzzles, boarding school stories, and true crime will tear through this book and love every minute.” — School Library Journal
“The story raises more questions than answers, leaving readers hoping Johnson has another entry up her clever sleeves. A classic mystery that would make Dame Agatha proud.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Told in alternating chapters, Johnson’s finely tuned plot effectively employs classical mystery tropes while maintaining a thoroughly modern sensibility. Stevie’s quirky, ragtag bunch of new friends crosses sexuality and class lines, providing teen readers with a wealth of characters to connect with.” — Horn Book Magazine
Buffalo News
In this second installment of her marvelous Truly Devious series, Maureen Johnson offers thrilling suspense, sly wit, a memorable cast of characters and more pieces of her deliciously intricate puzzle.
Entertainment Weekly
Take it from the world’s most impatient reader: If the Truly Devious series is basically one long mystery book, The Vanishing Stair is a middle part so enjoyable you won’t even want to skip to the end.
Bustle
Waiting for the next installment of Maureen Johnson’s Agatha Christie-Sherlock Holmes-classic mystery homage series was torture, but The Vanishing Stair is oh so worth it.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Johnson quickly sets the game afoot, skillfully introducing a Clue-like set of characters, laying out various motives, and hinting at long held secrets. There’s a delicious slow-burn element to the locked-room mystery in Stevie’s present, while the chapters on the kidnappings read like a true crime novel.”
Booklist
In this second . . . installment, Johnson gives and she takes away: a few majormysteries are satisfying solved, but other long-standing riddles remain tantalizingly indecipherable, and several new ones come into play by the enigmatic end. Readers, hang tight: there’s one more round to come, and if the signs are right, it’ll be to die for.
The Horn Book
Johnson judiciously doles out some satisfying partial answers to the historical case while (presumably) saving the big reveals for the next installment. This fulfilling second volume will gratify serious mystery fans; and many readers will enjoy seeing themselves reflected in Stevie’s diverse and eccentric group of friends.
Booklist
Johnson deftly twists two mysteries together—Stevie’s investigation is interspersed with case files and recollections from the Ellington kidnapping—and the result is a suspenseful, attention-grabbing mystery with no clear solution. The versatile Johnson is no stranger to suspense, and this twisty thriller will leave plenty of readers anxious for more.
John Green
An intricately plotted, compulsively readable novel that explores not only fascinating crimes but also the mysteries of anxiety, the creative process, contemporary fame, and so much else.
Horn Book Magazine
Told in alternating chapters, Johnson’s finely tuned plot effectively employs classical mystery tropes while maintaining a thoroughly modern sensibility. Stevie’s quirky, ragtag bunch of new friends crosses sexuality and class lines, providing teen readers with a wealth of characters to connect with.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Johnson quickly sets the game afoot, skillfully introducing a Clue-like set of characters, laying out various motives, and hinting at long held secrets. There’s a delicious slow-burn element to the locked-room mystery in Stevie’s present, while the chapters on the kidnappings read like a true crime novel.”
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Johnson quickly sets the game afoot, skillfully introducing a Clue-like set of characters, laying out various motives, and hinting at long held secrets. There’s a delicious slow-burn element to the locked-room mystery in Stevie’s present, while the chapters on the kidnappings read like a true crime novel.”
MARCH 2019 - AudioFile
True-crime buff Stevie Bell returns to elite Ellingham Academy in Book 2 of the Truly Devious series, a teen Sherlock Holmes/Nancy Drew mash-up. Narrator Kate Rudd is back with a conversational tone that matches the rapid-fire workings of Stevie’s mind. As the 1936 crimes Stevie investigates are revealed in flashbacks, Rudd employs sultry notes and noir-worthy New York accents to set the scenes. The rising excitement in Rudd’s voice as Stevie makes huge breaks in the cold case is tempered by anguish as she and her friends continue to deal with contemporary tragedies that haunt them. With the complex plot that is underway, this shouldn't be listeners’ first visit with Stevie, and the cliff-hanger ending will ensure that it isn’t their last. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2019-12-08
Murder and mayhem return to Ellingham Academy.
This sequel to Truly Devious (2018), an engrossing mystery set at an exclusive prep school in the mountains of Vermont, ramps up the intrigue as teen sleuth Stevie Bell continues to probe Ellingham's troubled past and present. At the end of Volume 1, Stevie's parents, having gotten wind that following the supposedly accidental death of one student, another had gone missing, yanked her out of Ellingham and brought her home to Pittsburgh. Now Stevie gets to return to Ellingham thanks to the intercession of the "worst man in America," scheming, nationalistic Pennsylvania senator Edward King, for whom Stevie's parents work. King asks Stevie to keep an eye on his rebellious son, David, who's also her love interest. Once back, Stevie continues to investigate both the present-day death of housemate Hayes Major and the uncanny disappearance of Element "Ellie" Walker as well as the 1936 Ellingham kidnapping and murders. As before, Johnson deftly alternates between Stevie's first-person narrative, as her investigations yield new insights and dangers for her mostly white, serviceably diverse set of misfit-genius classmates, and historical flashbacks involving the original Ellingham mysteries. Throughout this volume, Johnson's compelling would-be Sherlock proves to be as bad at personal relationships as she is adept at solving mysteries.
Teen angst soars as Johnson delightfully conjures up more nefarious deeds from the mountain mist. (Fiction. 14-18)
