Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

The Quick Cut: A teen girl starts at a unique school with a deadly criminal mystery surrounding it. The more she tries to uncover what happened, the stranger things get. A Real Review: True crime is a rapidly growing interest for many individuals. Breaking down a crime and understanding what happened can be equal parts thrilling and horrifying. It is this interest that gets Stevie in trouble when she begins at Ellingham Academy. The kidnapping at Ellingham Academy is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries to exist. Many have stipulated on it, but no one has been able to solve it. Stevie has a keen interest in true crime and becoming a detective one day when she manages to get accepted at the school. Surely having access to the location will give her what she needs to solve the long unsolved crime, right? I enjoyed this book a lot, but there are certain aspects of it that bug me. While I find Stevie likeable and a fun central character, the plot itself is rough. There are three stories that exist in this book and the way they're woven together feels clunky to me. The author clearly wants the Ellington mystery to be series long. I get that, but the first half of the book almost seems dedicated to it before it gets almost dropped entirely. The mystery around Hayes comes in naturally, but it felt wrapped up too fast. I would have preferred to have seen Stevie's unraveling of it and most of that isn't written into the chapters. Finally, the romantic angle between Stevie and David felt a bit forced. Maybe that's just me though. Stevie's anxiety and how she manages it felt very natural. Sometimes panic attacks can come when you least expect it while other times anxiety creeps on you like you anticipate. Seeing how she manages that while also focusing the energy into her passion is relatable to me. An interesting crime novel with a mystery angle. My rating: 3.5 out of 5