4 Answers2026-07-26 23:41:32
Just finished it last night, and yeah, it's pretty spoiler-heavy for anyone who hasn't read the earlier books. The ending wraps up a lot of the long-running mysteries from the whole series—like the original Ellingham kidnapping and the modern murders at the school. If someone told you the killer's identity or how Stevie finally pieces it together, it would completely ruin the journey. The book relies on all the clues and red herrings planted since book one.
That said, the spoilers aren't just about 'whodunit.' The character arcs for Stevie, David, and Janelle reach their conclusions, and there are some significant relationship developments. Knowing those outcomes would flatten the emotional payoff, which builds slowly over the six books. I'd recommend avoiding any detailed reviews or discussions until you're caught up. The finale really is for the readers who've been following the tangled web from the start.
4 Answers2026-07-26 11:59:59
It's frustrating, I know. Book 6 is 'The Spirit in the Staircase', right? I was on a reading binge with the first five last year and went searching for it everywhere. The hard part is it only exists digitally as an audiobook exclusive from Audible and Apple Books. No ebook file to read. So 'online' means streaming that narration, which is fine, but not if you're a visual reader like me who prefers scanning text. I signed up for a free Audible trial just for this.
At first I thought it was a weird rights issue, but the author mentioned on social media it was part of a specific deal for the final trilogy in the series. Makes it a real scavenger hunt item for completionists. Honestly, the performance is decent, but I still wish I could highlight passages. You'll have to go through one of those big audiobook platforms; I didn't have any luck with library apps like Libby for this particular title.
4 Answers2026-07-26 02:51:59
Okay, so I tore through 'The Truants' just last week hoping for that final big reveal we’ve been waiting six books for.
And… yeah, no, it doesn’t happen. We get closer, for sure—some major pieces about the Ellingham legacy and that night at the academy finally click into place, which is super satisfying in its own right. I spent an hour after finishing just connecting dots from old clues in book two.
But the core mystery of who actually did it? The ultimate mastermind? That’s still hanging. It’s clearly being saved for the final book. Honestly, it’s a little frustrating, but the character arcs, especially Stevie’s, get such great development here that I didn’t feel completely cheated. Just be ready to wait a bit longer for the full picture.
2 Answers2026-02-12 13:56:31
I got totally hooked on 'Truly Devious' a while back, and let me tell you—it’s both a novel and a series! The first book, 'Truly Devious,' introduces you to this brilliant but quirky teen detective, Stevie Bell, who’s obsessed with solving a cold case at her elite boarding school. The vibe is this perfect mix of Agatha Christie-style mystery and modern YA wit. But here’s the kicker: the story doesn’t wrap up neatly in one book. Maureen Johnson crafted it as a trilogy, with 'The Vanishing Stair' and 'The Hand on the Wall' completing the arc. Each one dives deeper into the dual timelines (past and present murders), and the pacing feels like a rollercoaster—just when you think you’ve figured it out, bam, another twist.
What’s cool is how the series balances standalone mysteries within each book while weaving a larger, overarching puzzle. The third book especially ties everything together in a way that’s super satisfying but also leaves room for spin-offs (like 'The Box in the Woods,' which follows Stevie on a new case). If you love atmospheric settings, flawed but lovable characters, and mysteries that actually make you think, this series is a gem. I binge-read all three books in a weekend and still revisit them when I need a clever whodunit fix.
3 Answers2026-07-24 11:52:03
Nobody asked but I’m still mad about the framing mystery from the beginning of 'Truly Devious'. It’s that original kidnapping of Albert Ellingham’s wife and daughter from the 1930s, which was never solved and basically just sits there like a huge ghost haunting the whole academy. That’s what Stevie Bell goes there to solve, and I guess the modern murder that happens is supposed to tie into it, but honestly? The real puzzle is how the 1930s crime was even physically possible.
I spent the whole first book drawing little maps of the house and the tunnel system, trying to figure out how anyone got Iris and Alice out without being seen. The book throws a ton of weird clues at you—the riddle, the 'Truly, Devious' letters, all that—but the solution for the historical part felt a bit thin to me. Like the author had this great creepy setup but the answer wasn’t as devilish as the puzzle promised. Still, I’m a sucker for a locked-room mystery in a fancy school, so I kept reading.