The Vanishing Stair

This is the middle part of the Truly Devious trilogy. It answers some questions and raises quite a few more.

When the story begins Stevie is back home in Pittsburgh and willing to do anything to get back to Ellingham. She misses her freedom and her friends and, most of all, the chance to solve the Truly Devious case. But being willing to do anything means that she will have to take a favor from Senator Edward King, a man she despises and a man who is her new friend David's father.

She agrees to keep an eye on David who is an accident ready to happen and to not tell him that her return had anything to do with his father. She comes back to a campus dealing with the loss of one student and the disappearance of another. Both of them were also show more residents of Minerva along with Stevie, David, Nate who gained fame for writing a book as a teenager and who is struggling with writing a second book, and Janelle who is a mechanical genius.

Things seem to be working in Stevie's favor when she is hired as a research assistant to Dr. Fenton who is working on a new book about the Ellingham kidnapping case. But Fenton, as she prefers to be called, is a confusing character - alcoholic and paranoid - who claims to have new information that will help solve the case.

The story also has flashbacks to 1936 when the kidnapping happened which introduce us to Francis Josephine Crane and Edward Pierce Davenport. Frankie and Eddie want to be like Bonnie and Clyde. Frankie has a fascination with explosives and crime and Eddie is a bad poet. We learn their role in the kidnapping.

We also see in flashbacks more about Mr. Ellingham and a codicil to his will that was hidden by his secretary after his death. Fenton seems to have found about about the codicil and that information aids Stevie's investigation.

This was a wonderfully plotted and twisty story with a mystery in the past and mysteries in the present too. I loved Stevie who deals with anxiety and has a dogged determination to solve the Ellingham case. I can't wait for the next book. I have so many questions! show less

Stevie is back although she has had to make a deal with the devil to return. Immediately she is up to her eyeballs in more death. Things I like about this series so far... Stevie is the best. I love that despite her anxiety she keeps functioning. I love that she has genuine friends in Janel and Nate. I love that the process of thinking and figuring out pieces of the mystery is hard work. Slowly the pieces are coming together...

Stevie has made a deal with the devil in the form of Senator Edward King, David's father and is back at Ellingham Academy. Once again, she is investigating the 1936 kidnapping/murder case, but this time, she is also trying to figure out what happened to Ellie, who was suspected of having something to do with the death of Hayes Major. When Stevie confronted her, she ran and mysteriously disappeared. Stevie also isn't putting much effort into catching up on the school work that she missed while she was home because she now has more important things to do. Dr. Irene Fenton who wrote the first book on the kidnapping/murder case from 1936 is about to publish an updated version and has hired Stevie to do research using materials in the attic show more of the Great Hall at Ellingham Academy to which she does not have access. With her new assignment, she has promised Larry, the intuitive security chief that she won't investigate any more of the tunnels, but it isn't long before she breaks her promise and finds something she doesn't expect.
The Vanishing Stair begins to bring together clues that connect the past to the present, all the while showing us, through Stevie, the damage that can be done when an investigation reveals evidence that hurts people. There is some humor in the story, such as David releasing dozens of squirrels in the library in order to get Stevie's attention, but it is often cleverly used to show much deeper emotions of the characters. Overall, this is a very well-written young adult mystery and an excellent second book in the Truly Devious series. show less

This isn't really a review just a collection of my thoughts. But in reality, what else is a review if not a collection of thoughts?

I really really really enjoyed this book. This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I am so happy my library ordered this for me. When I got a phone call from my library saying that a book I had put on hold was available for pickup, I assumed it was a different book and only found out it was The Vanishing Stair when I picked it up and I was ECSTATIC.

Oddly enough, both during and thinking back on this book, I felt like nothing happened in the first big chunk of this book. I wasn't taking notes or anything so I really don't know what chunk exactly but I remember thinking multiple times and show more saying out-loud to people around me "Nothing is happening in this book but it's still good." Weird experience.

I didn't feel the sense of urgency until about half through the book and I think the fact that the book is split in two timelines, which led to some things, and that took a bit of the mystery away from me. That being said, I really enjoyed the storyline and the further the book went on, the more I was drawn into the story. The last 100 pages or so were SO GOOD. I flew threw them and because I had not checked my actual page count versus the Goodreads page count, I assumed I had roughly 20 more pages than I actually did and was SHOCKED when I turned the page and was at the acknowledgments.

I cannot believe that ending. WHAT. WHAT?! I am way more intrigued than I was with the end of Truly Devious and I need book three immediately. show less

“Where do you look for someone who’s never really there? Always on a staircase but never on a stair?”

I finished this a few days ago, and I thought I liked it. But then I realized I can’t stop thinking about it and it has just stuck with me, and won’t leave my brain. The Vanishing Stair is another fun and thrilling story that builds on Truly, Devious wonderfully, pulling you deeper into the mystery, danger, and legacy of Ellingham Academy.

Things I Liked
I feel like the flashbacks in this book were so well utilized. In Truly, Devious I felt like the flashbacks were parallels to what was happening present day, but in The Vanishing Stair they build the world, flesh out the past characters. I feel like I know Albert Ellingham, show more Dottie, and the other students. They stood on their own more, but felt more connected to the story at the same time.

And I really loved the transcripts of the case. It was fun to read along with Stevie and try and discover what happened at the same time.

If you were looking for answers to the mysteries introduced in book 1, I am happy to tell you that we get a lot of answers in book 2. We find out who Truly Devious is, we know who murdered Dottie and Iris, we get answers about Element. It made me even more excited for book 3 because there’s still so much we don’t know.

The money thing around Alice is super suspicious and I don’t trust the school board one bit, especially after learning the money reverts to them after a certain amount of time and they were starting to talk about expansions and things. Very sketchy.

I have no idea why, but Larry had such a soft spot in my heart in this book. He was such a kind, but stern, grandpa to Stevie and I loved it.

Things I Didn’t Like
I feel like David was a completely different person and I don’t know if I’m just not remembering how he acted in book 1, but I don’t think he was this flaky.

So I loved the answers we get in the story, but the Truly, Devious reveal was a tiny bit disappointing. It took away a bit of the mysticism surrounding the case. But I do think it strengthened the overall story.

This is a very stupid complaint, but Mudge not knowing that the Country Bears Jamboree attraction totally has a movie bugged the hell out of me. It was something that a self-proclaimed Disney buff would have known, and was just a dumb error.

The ending of book really left me wanting more in the best way and I’m dreading the wait for book 3. The Vanishing Stair really moved the story along without feeling rushed or unsatisfying. The stakes are higher and mysteries more complex. It a wonderful mystery that can be enjoyed by all. show less

Okay this book is insane. I don’t know if I remember having such a physical reaction to a book. When I wasn’t reading it (I had to do evil homework), I gradually became more and more impatient just wanting to read. And damn all these twists. How is it possible for there to still be so many questions? Along with so many new ones of course. Also I soooo need a mini series off of this series. I can see everything that happens in this book so clearly like it’s already a show and I need that show. Each book can be a season. It’ll be one of those shows that’s explosive and people can’t stop talking about. Please universe, please make this happen.

Liked this better than #1; the pacing was more even. Still not very interested in love-interest!boy, but at least he does more interesting things in this one. It made me think about what we consider "acting crazy" to look like, and why that doesn't ever seem look like real mental illness. I'm sure Johnson is going to go there, because realistic portrayal of anxiety is a running theme.

J. should be my favorite character but she's given more Quirky And/Or Narratively Useful Traits than feelings or conflicts. Nate and other!love-interest!boy get a lot more.

The mystery does play fair in this, more than in the previous I think. I had gotten as far as guessing Ellie was still on the grounds somewhere, but I figured she was being hidden by show more someone, not dead. It only took me a bit at the end to realize Larry is responsible for Ellie's death (cover up for Hayes) and also set the fire (more cover up, this time related to receiving Alice's trust); I'm not yet sure why he targeted Hayes in the first place. show less