Nine Liars

Starred review from October 24, 2022
Set in the Truly Devious universe, this scintillating mystery by Johnson (The Box in the Woods) follows Ellingham Academy senior and renowned amateur sleuth Stevie Bell, who feels rudderless with no college plans or cases to solve. She misses her boyfriend, David, who is in London, so when he suggests a visit, she and her friends hop on a plane. Upon arriving, David’s classmate Izzy solicits Stevie’s help. In 1995, Izzy’s aunt, Angela, and her eight housemates celebrated their Cambridge University graduation at a country estate. During a drunken game of hide-and-seek, someone murdered two of the attendees with an ax. The police assumed the killer was a burglar, who remains uncaught, but Angela once told Izzy she believes one of her friends is guilty. When Stevie confronts Angela, she denies the suspicion, but her obvious fright strengthens Stevie’s investigative resolve. Johnson delivers a meticulously crafted fair-play mystery that gratifies as a standalone while also forwarding the richly textured characters’ arcs, a treat for fans of the series. Distinctly written flashbacks to 1995 pepper the present-day narrative, creating resonance and investing readers in Stevie’s case. Stevie cues as white; the supporting cast is intersectionally diverse. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kate Schafer Testerman, KT Literary.

December 1, 2022
Grades 9-12 Johnson elevates her Truly Devious star from a one-case wunderkind to a true serial sleuth in this fifth series installment (and second standalone adventure) as Stevie Bell takes her skills abroad. David, her boyfriend and the epicenter of much of her anxiety, is studying in London, and when he proposes a one-week study abroad for Stevie and her three friends, Stevie jumps at the chance. But it's not long before a mystery finds her: David's friend has an aunt who, as a student on holiday herself, woke to find two of her friends murdered by axe--and all nine of their group seem to have secrets. The trail is cold and time is limited, but Stevie's on the case--if the murderer doesn't sniff her out first. Johnson has found a comfortable groove, settling naturally into Stevie's anxious, active mind while still finding fresh twists and turns in her cases. In both the case and Stevie's personal life, this entry ends with less resolution than most. There's no doubt about it: Stevie will be back.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Johnson's stressed-out, singular teen detective won hearts--and spots on best-seller lists--with the Truly Devious series and in the standalone adventure that followed; readers will happily follow Stevie to this second location.

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February 3, 2023

Gr 9 Up-After solving the infamous Truly Devious mystery and then working on The Box in the Woods podcast over the summer, Stevie feels unmoored and restless during the beginning of her senior year. Her friends are busy applying to colleges and seem to have everything figured out. And to make matters worse, her boyfriend, David, is studying abroad in London. When the opportunity arises for Stevie and her friends to study abroad in London the week after Thanksgiving, she jumps at the chance. What is supposed to be a very structured school trip quickly unravels after the suspicious disappearance of the aunt of David's friend Izzy. Stevie's preoccupation with uncovering the truth behind the disappearance leads to a decades-old murder mystery involving the aunt and eight of her friends-two of the university students were found murdered with an ax in a woodshed. Stevie's desperation to feel useful and smart, her incessant worrying about her relationship with David, and guilt over how she's treating her friends only intensifies her singular focus on the case and leads her to spin her own web of lies. VERDICT Johnson delivers another satisfying mystery, with diverse characters, authentic depictions of mental health, and friends holding one another accountable for their actions in loving, supportive ways. Highly recommended.-Katie Patterson

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Starred review from November 1, 2022
Senior year is not off to a great start for Stevie Bell: She's antsy with no cases to solve, stressed by college applications, and missing her long-distance boyfriend terribly. So when David invites Stevie to visit him in England, she immediately accepts and, with the help of friends Janelle Franklin, Vi Harper-Tomo, and Nate Fisher, gets a study-abroad trip approved for all four of them. Upon their arrival, David introduces them to his classmate Izzy, who has a story to tell. In 1995, a tightknit group of Cambridge graduates who called themselves the Nine arrived at a country estate for a summer getaway. The morning after their arrival, they discovered the mangled remains of two members. Although the police concluded it was a burglary gone wrong, Angela, Izzy's aunt and a surviving member of the Nine, recently let slip her suspicion of a more sinister explanation for the deaths. Stevie's deductive skills are put to the test, but other concerns--her relationship with David, graduation and inevitable separation from her friends, a persistent feeling of inadequacy--compete for her attention and occasionally push her anxiety, which she manages with medication, to the brink. The exploration of the importance of friendship (with parallels between the Nine and Stevie's group) adds emotional vulnerability to this book, which has a well-developed sense of place and features the series' signature humor and layered mystery elements. The cast includes diversity in race, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Immersive and genre-savvy. (map, floor plan) (Mystery. 13-18)

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