What do you think?
Truly Devious #1-3
Truly Devious 3-Book Box Set : Truly Devious, Vanishing Stair, and Hand on the Wall
Bestselling author Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious trilogy is a hilarious and inspiring whodunit that weaves together the story of a cold case from 1936 and the story of teen sleuth Stevie Bell in the present. The Truly Devious box set includes all three paperbacks in the series and is perfect for gift-giving and binge reading.
The Truly Devious case—an unsolved kidnapping and triple murder that rocked Ellingham Academy in 1936—has consumed Stevie for years. It’s the very reason she came to the Academy. But after she arrives, more students turn up dead. Teen detective Stevie is on the case until she solves every mysterious death—from the past and the present.
Praise for Truly Devious:
“Parallel mysteries unfold with cleverly written dialogue, pate-turning brilliance, and a young sleuth as captivating as Hercule Poirot.” —USA Today
“The Agatha Christie-like ecosystem pairs with lacerating contemporary wit. A multilayered, modern detective story.” —The New York Times Book Review
Praise for The Vanishing Stair:
“Take it from the world’s most impatient reader: If the Truly Devious series is basically one long mystery book, The Vanishing Stair is middle part so enjoyable you won’t even want to skip to the end.” —Entertainment Weekly
Praise for The Hand on the Wall:
“A richly satisfying, Poirot-like ending for Johnson's inspired and inspiring teen sleuth.” —Kirkus Reviews
The Truly Devious case—an unsolved kidnapping and triple murder that rocked Ellingham Academy in 1936—has consumed Stevie for years. It’s the very reason she came to the Academy. But after she arrives, more students turn up dead. Teen detective Stevie is on the case until she solves every mysterious death—from the past and the present.
Praise for Truly Devious:
“Parallel mysteries unfold with cleverly written dialogue, pate-turning brilliance, and a young sleuth as captivating as Hercule Poirot.” —USA Today
“The Agatha Christie-like ecosystem pairs with lacerating contemporary wit. A multilayered, modern detective story.” —The New York Times Book Review
Praise for The Vanishing Stair:
“Take it from the world’s most impatient reader: If the Truly Devious series is basically one long mystery book, The Vanishing Stair is middle part so enjoyable you won’t even want to skip to the end.” —Entertainment Weekly
Praise for The Hand on the Wall:
“A richly satisfying, Poirot-like ending for Johnson's inspired and inspiring teen sleuth.” —Kirkus Reviews
Paperback
Published March 20, 2021
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 23, 2020
This series is quite interesting, unique and the characters are awesome. The protagonist Stephanie Bell or Stevie is strong, intelligent, and smart. She is devoted to law enforcement. The entire series is described in two timelines.
Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists and was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth-century tycoon. Soon after the school started his wife and daughter were kidnapped and this has become the case of century and nobody was able to solve it. 80 years later, Stevie is admitted to this school and her mission is to study and solve this case.
I adore books with strong female protagonists and hence I enjoyed this series a lot. This series has three books, Truly Devious (Book 1) is much slower than the other two books in the series The Vanishing Stairs (Book 2) and The Hand In The Wall (Book 3). So if you are reading or have read Book 1, don't be disappointed. This series is about to get better.
I feel this series could have been easily accommodated into two books instead of three. A few things seemed repetitive at times especially during the description of the events that took place 80 years back. The riddles give it Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None vibe. All in all, I recommend this series.
Book Ratings:
Truly Devious: ⭐⭐⭐
The Vanishing Stairs: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Hand in the Wall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists and was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth-century tycoon. Soon after the school started his wife and daughter were kidnapped and this has become the case of century and nobody was able to solve it. 80 years later, Stevie is admitted to this school and her mission is to study and solve this case.
I adore books with strong female protagonists and hence I enjoyed this series a lot. This series has three books, Truly Devious (Book 1) is much slower than the other two books in the series The Vanishing Stairs (Book 2) and The Hand In The Wall (Book 3). So if you are reading or have read Book 1, don't be disappointed. This series is about to get better.
I feel this series could have been easily accommodated into two books instead of three. A few things seemed repetitive at times especially during the description of the events that took place 80 years back. The riddles give it Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None vibe. All in all, I recommend this series.
Book Ratings:
Truly Devious: ⭐⭐⭐
The Vanishing Stairs: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Hand in the Wall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
October 28, 2024
What was this ending?? I didn't really like it.. I read like 5 books between this book bcz it was horrible... But I'll prob finish the series but idkk..
June 4, 2021
The books are really one big novel. I was surprised where book one and book two ended. They just stopped, but then I couldn't wait to start the next book. I'm glad I had access to all three books at once or I would have been frustrated.
May 18, 2021
I believe in Stevie Bell, Janelle Franklin, Nate Fisher, Vi Harper-Tomo, David Eastman King, Ellie Walker, and Hunter Fenton supremacy.
August 18, 2021
*2.5
Interesting plot but a lot of technical issues ruins the experience.
Interesting plot but a lot of technical issues ruins the experience.
April 6, 2022
A pretty good series. I listened to the audio books and I was really drawn in by the narrator.
June 16, 2022
preddy good :)
Read
July 10, 2024i forgot to add truly devious 😭
September 5, 2024
In trying to find more information on the series of past occurrences which lead to the demise of the family, there is a new set of deaths which need explanation.
The.mysteries (past and present) unfold over the three books and are decent
The political stuff is unnecessary and doesn't add anything to the story
The.mysteries (past and present) unfold over the three books and are decent
The political stuff is unnecessary and doesn't add anything to the story
January 1, 2022
These books were lots of fun with many twists and turns and suspenseful moments. It had some weird parts and added in some things I didn't think were necessary but overall I loved the story.
September 12, 2022
The Truly Devious Series is a young adult murder mystery thriller filled with more twists and turns than I have EVER read in my life. This book had me yelling out loud “WHAT?!” And “OMG!” More times than I could count.
The storyline throughout the books alternate between the mysteries that are happening in current day at Ellingham Academy and what happened so many years ago during an abduction that happened on the campus. So with each new chapter you’re learning more and more about both storylines and like I said earlier it will blow your mind. Maureen Johnson fit more twists and turns into each of these storylines than I ever thought imaginable and yet it was all so easy to follow along. In the end I couldn’t help but think, HOW DID I NOT SEE IT? But that’s the brilliance of her writing, I will add, just because I am proud that I did solve one of the murders before the end of the book but that was only because from the very beginning of being introduced to a certain character I thought “Hmm I don’t like you, I don’t know why but I don’t like you.” In the end when all is revealed for both cases you feel such a sense of satisfaction finally knowing the truth. There were so many times I thought “She could have ended the story right here she’s already given us so much,” but that was me being incredibly naïve because just like Ellingham Academy, Maureen Johnson had so many paths that we would have never known was there, unless she told us. They are such a great read and I DEFINITELY recommend them.
The storyline throughout the books alternate between the mysteries that are happening in current day at Ellingham Academy and what happened so many years ago during an abduction that happened on the campus. So with each new chapter you’re learning more and more about both storylines and like I said earlier it will blow your mind. Maureen Johnson fit more twists and turns into each of these storylines than I ever thought imaginable and yet it was all so easy to follow along. In the end I couldn’t help but think, HOW DID I NOT SEE IT? But that’s the brilliance of her writing, I will add, just because I am proud that I did solve one of the murders before the end of the book but that was only because from the very beginning of being introduced to a certain character I thought “Hmm I don’t like you, I don’t know why but I don’t like you.” In the end when all is revealed for both cases you feel such a sense of satisfaction finally knowing the truth. There were so many times I thought “She could have ended the story right here she’s already given us so much,” but that was me being incredibly naïve because just like Ellingham Academy, Maureen Johnson had so many paths that we would have never known was there, unless she told us. They are such a great read and I DEFINITELY recommend them.
February 27, 2023
This is a young adult mystery trilogy by Maureen Johnson that revolves around the unsolved case of the kidnapping and murder of the wife and daughter of the founder of an elite boarding school in Vermont.
The first book sets up an intriguing premise and introduces a cast of interesting characters, but the subsequent two books fail to fully deliver on the promised resolution, with some plot points feeling contrived or rushed.
The protagonist, Stevie Bell, is a relatable and engaging lead, but some of the supporting characters feel underdeveloped. Overall, while the series has its strengths, it falls short of its potential to be a standout in the YA mystery genre.
The first book sets up an intriguing premise and introduces a cast of interesting characters, but the subsequent two books fail to fully deliver on the promised resolution, with some plot points feeling contrived or rushed.
The protagonist, Stevie Bell, is a relatable and engaging lead, but some of the supporting characters feel underdeveloped. Overall, while the series has its strengths, it falls short of its potential to be a standout in the YA mystery genre.
Read
August 30, 2026Truly Devious Series:
My 2025 Comments
#01 — Truly Devious: Big ol' house with secret tunnels, a teenage sleuth, and a mystery. What more could a reader weaned on Nancy Drew ask for? This reads like a YA novel - a good one!
Audio was Fair. Some characters sounded alike.
#02 — The Vanishing Stair: Reasonably engaging bridge between books one and three.
#03 — The Hand on the Wall: This was a solid YA trilogy with pretty good mysteries.
I didn't care so much for the premise of book four so I'm stopping here.
Libby Audio January 2025
Posted August 2026
My 2025 Comments
#01 — Truly Devious: Big ol' house with secret tunnels, a teenage sleuth, and a mystery. What more could a reader weaned on Nancy Drew ask for? This reads like a YA novel - a good one!
Audio was Fair. Some characters sounded alike.
#02 — The Vanishing Stair: Reasonably engaging bridge between books one and three.
#03 — The Hand on the Wall: This was a solid YA trilogy with pretty good mysteries.
I didn't care so much for the premise of book four so I'm stopping here.
Libby Audio January 2025
Posted August 2026
August 8, 2022
3.5
I’m beginning to rely on Maureen Johnson for a wonderfully atmospheric romp and this YA mystery does not disappoint! She makes great use of an old mansion-school (complete with secret passageways) built by a long-ago eccentric millionaire and I love it. Likeable tone and lovable characters, this is a fun read.
I do dock points because this so could’ve all been one book, and shortening it would’ve solved some lagging and pacing problems.
I’m beginning to rely on Maureen Johnson for a wonderfully atmospheric romp and this YA mystery does not disappoint! She makes great use of an old mansion-school (complete with secret passageways) built by a long-ago eccentric millionaire and I love it. Likeable tone and lovable characters, this is a fun read.
I do dock points because this so could’ve all been one book, and shortening it would’ve solved some lagging and pacing problems.
September 13, 2021
It was a really good series, not sure if I’m going to read the stand alone book called box in the woods just yet. Anyway I really enjoyed it but I wish that at some point we could have gone through Stevie’s thought process a little more instead of her just going through everything right at the very end. Still enjoyable and would read again.
January 18, 2024
4.75 for the entire thing but obviously the vanishing stairs was the best book out of all 3 but I loved the hand and the wall a little bit more than truly devious . I love it I think about it everyday it’s amazing
January 30, 2020
Super fun YA trilogy. I read them all within a week. Quirky, fun characters with good twists. The two interwoven timelines flow very well together and done nicely throughout all stories.
September 10, 2021
I rated this series a 4.5 overall. it was a great dark academia series. really enjoyed it
October 14, 2021
Mildly-moderately entertaining, but way more disturbing, violent, and sad than I was expecting from a YA trilogy.
August 12, 2022
Pretty good mystery series, especially the first book...it kept me guessing. The did get a bit predictable after that though.
September 30, 2025
I haven't read this series yet, but so many people have recommended this book series to me, I really do hope to read it this year!!!
June 7, 2026
It was like good but like i feel it wlulsve been better in a duology?
April 15, 2022
I loved this series. The interweaving of the timelines, and character development was so so good. Well written, smart, snarky around the edges. Perfect!
January 4, 2022
Second book was my favorite, but the series together was amazing. Character were likable but different from other character I have read in other books.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews