The Hand on the Wall
Author: Maureen Johnson
Series: Truly Devious #3
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: January 21st 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
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New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson delivers the witty and pulse-pounding conclusion to the Truly Devious series as Stevie Bell solves the mystery that has haunted Ellingham Academy for over 75 years.
Ellingham Academy must be cursed. Three people are now dead. One, a victim of either a prank gone wrong or a murder. Another, dead by misadventure. And now, an accident in Burlington has claimed another life. All three in the wrong place at the wrong time. All at the exact moment of Stevie’s greatest triumph . . .
She knows who Truly Devious is. She’s solved it. The greatest case of the century.
At least, she thinks she has. With this latest tragedy, it’s hard to concentrate on the past. Not only has someone died in town, but David disappeared of his own free will and is up to something. Stevie is sure that somehow—somehow—all these things connect. The three deaths in the present. The deaths in the past. The missing Alice Ellingham and the missing David Eastman. Somewhere in this place of riddles and puzzles there must be answers.
Then another accident occurs as a massive storm heads toward Vermont. This is too much for the parents and administrators. Ellingham Academy is evacuated. Obviously, it’s time for Stevie to do something stupid. It’s time to stay on the mountain and face the storm—and a murderer.
In the tantalizing finale to the Truly Devious trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson expertly tangles her dual narrative threads and ignites an explosive end for all who’ve walked through Ellingham Academy.
my review
I received a free copy for an honest review.
This is why I love reading series at one go. I managed to survive because I was able to binge through the entire series. There was no way I could’ve survived the cliffhangers this series had. I genuinely felt so bad for the people who had to wait for the next book.
The most interesting thing I can think of regarding this series, in general, is how intricate and interesting everything was, but it still managed to feel like a young novel at the same time. I’m a Sherlock Holmes fan myself, which is why I’m very happy to be able to say that this book did Sherlock Holmes justice.
Stevie felt like a genuine Sherlock Holmes fan. The references, her flow of deductive logic, and her narration, in general, felt like what a true Sherlock Holmes would think. Especially a murder mystery fan who is striving to become a detective.
This is why one of the reasons I enjoyed this series so much is because I was able to fan-girl (a bit) over all the different murder mystery references. If you are a fan of any murder mysteries, I strongly recommend you to read this book.
Because this is a blog tour review, I have to post this review first, then I would subsequently post the reviews for the first and second book as well. The series was very well-paced in its mystery. Although the first book was a bit slow-paced, it picked up speed gradually (and not forcefully) as the series progressed, and The Hand of the Wall was an ‘epic’ finale that did not disappoint.
I like how everything is connected and written, but I can also see how others may be a bit annoyed with the constant switching narrations and timeline. It can be confusing and annoying at first but depending on who the reader is it can really add on to the reading experience.
exclusive giveaway
PRIZE: Win a copy of THE HAND ON THE WALL by Maureen Johnson (US Only)
STARTS: 21st January 2020
ENDS: 4th February 2020
about the author
Maureen Johnson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several YA novels, including 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Suite Scarlett, The Name of the Star, and Truly Devious. She has also done collaborative works, such as Let It Snow (with John Green and Lauren Myracle), and The Bane Chronicles (with Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan). Her work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Buzzfeed, and The Guardian, and she has also served as a scriptwriter for EA Games. She has an MFA in Writing from Columbia University and lives in New York City.