Review: Truly Devious

Stevie Bell loves mysteries and true crime. They fascinate her and help to calm her anxiety. So when she is admitted to Ellingham Academy, she knows exactly what she wants to do-solve the decades old mystery of Truly Devious, who kidnapped the founder's wife and daughter, leaving a taunting poem behind.

But when death comes back to Ellingham, Stevie is faced with the fact that she may have to solve a very current and dangerous mystery as well.

First things first-I love so much that the protagonist is a girl with anxiety, who also loves mysteries and true crime. It was so great to have a lead character in a story who I feel so much commonality with. Johnson really depicts aspects of anxiety so well, and glimpses into Stevie's mind ring so true.

To add to this, this is a great story. The mystery is so suspenseful, and the characters feel like real people. Interestingly, the flashbacks to the original crime were actually a little less compelling to me than what was happening in the present day. As much as I want to know the solution to the original crime (and I really do), I felt so drawn in by the present day characters,

The only downside to this book is that it looks like the second book in this trilogy isn't coming out until 2019, and I can't wait that long! If the rest of the trilogy is as strong as this first entry, those will be three books I will be needing to have on my bookcase.