Photo Source// https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29589074-truly-devious
By Patrick O’Neill, Staff Writer
Truly, Devious—where oh where to begin? This is quite an interesting book series to say the least. The first book is simply entitled Truly, Devious and contains a plethora of riddles, intricately weaved together to form an engaging YA story that keeps the page turning from beginning to end. I think I read all 416 pages of the novel in the course of one long and murder-mystery filled evening. Does that make me crazy? Perhaps.
Regardless, Truly, Devious is a must-read for all you fans of murder mystery, romance, and teen drama out there—and if you want some pop-culture throwbacks and serious Harry Potter vibes then this is a stellar book for you.
The premise of the novel is that gifted and talented senior high school students are sent to Ellingham Academy—a private school deep in the mountains of Vermont where the quirky, geniuses of the world get to study what they want and prepare themselves for higher academia. One teen, Stevie, is wound up in the world of criminology—obsessing over the murder and kidnapping of the founder of school’s wife and daughter. She pours over crime stories and evidence, riddles and clues—leading her down the road of the novel. Her friends help along the way and of course there’s some spicy drama but that’s for you to find out about.
This novel is compulsively readable according to John Green and I agree—the openness of the format makes it a quick and entertaining book that goes well with a blanket and a mug of hot cocoa. So curl up and give Truly, Devious a try. And don’t forget the thrilling sequel, The Vanishing Stair.
The novel starts with a poem signed Truly, Devious—the poem is a mysterious piece of work made of letters pasted together from magazines and newspapers and reads:
