Truly Devious Series by Maureen Johnson
This was my first time reading Maureen Johnson, and I must say, I really didn't expect this book to be quite this amazing!
Ellingham Academy is this huge, hyped-up school shrouded in mystery. Enrolling only select people, this school was previously involved in two of the most sensational crimes in history – both of which had never been solved.
Enter Stevie Bell. Most people came into this school with other skills and ambitions under their belt – become a novelist, a famous musician, a great inventor. Stevie came to Ellingham with only one aim in mind -
Solving the cold cases.
The premise is somewhat intriguing, but I had my doubts as to how Maureen Johnson would have a teenage wannabe-Sherlock solve a decades-old crime in the space of a book. And you know what? The author actually did justice to my expectations! What I liked the most about Stevie was that she was so real. First of, she admitted she was a wannabe-Sherlock. That alone scored points in my book(imitating a literary icon while denying it to the readers is sheer hypocrisy, in my opinion; admitting it, though? Refreshing honesty. You go, Stevie.) and the heroine isn’t perfect in any way. She is flawed. She makes mistakes. Assumptions she shouldn't have. She has prejudices and fears and all that makes her so real, so 3-D. A relatable, likable character.
The support cast, too are deep and well-rounded. I liked how the author described the male lead, David, and still didn't focus on his individual features. This deemphasis on appearance is quite rare in any young-adult book.
The story was sufficiently convoluted that the reader would be intrigued, and the flashback chapters added depth and further mystery. I liked how Stevie conducted the investigation – not just far-fetched, brilliant deductions, but also legwork. Lots of it. It added a sense of reality to what being a detective actually was – a lot of the mundaneness that is conveniently skipped in police procedural shows and detective movies, they made its way here.
The mystery wasn't solved within this book alone – you know, I was so relieved when I realised this(because there is no way, absolutely no way that a decades old cold case no one could solve, could possibly be solved by a single girl, no matter how driven, in a single book. Get real.) - but damn, that cliffhanger. It killed me. And it is killing me to have to wait for the next book for an entire year.
So, the bottomline is, Truly Devious was a remarkable, amazing book. It left me at the edge of the seat, racking my brain about the murders right alongside Stevie. It left me invested in the book, in its outcome. It left me thinking about the ending, long after I finished it.
That, truly, is a rare kind of book, people. Do not miss reading it, if you get an opportunity to.
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