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The Vanishing Stair

by Maureen Johnson

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Truly Devious (2)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
9824221,027 (4.14)15
Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. Young Adult Fiction. HTML:

New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller!

In New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson's second novel in the Truly Devious series, there are more twists and turns than Stevie Bell can imagine. No answer is given freely, and someone will pay for the truth with their life.

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 then her classmate was murdered, and her parents quickly pull her out of school. For her safety, they say. She must move past this obsession with crime.

Stevie's willing to do anything to get back to Ellingham, be back with her friends, and solve the Truly Devious case. Even if it means making a deal with the despicable Senator Edward King. And when Stevie finally returns, she also returns to David: the guy she kissed, and the guy who lied about his identity—Edward King's son.

But larger issues are at play. Where did the murderer hide? What's the meaning of the riddle Albert Ellingham left behind? And what, exactly, is at stake in the Truly Devious affair? The Ellingham case isn't just a piece of history—it's a live wire into the present.

* Junior Library Guild Selection * Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books of 2019 * Hypable's Best Books of 2019 *

Praise for Book One:

"The Agatha Christie-like ecosystem pairs with lacerating contemporary wit, and alternating past and present scenes makes for a multilayered, modern detective story." —New York Times Book Review

"Remember the first time reading Harry Potter and knowing it was special? There's that same sense of magic in the introduction of teen Sherlock-in-training Stevie Bell." —USA Today (four stars)

"Be still, my Agatha-Christie-loving beating heart." —Bustle

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» See also 15 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 42 (next | show all)
I really hated this book, but after reading the reviews and finding out it's the second in a series, it makes more sense. I'm going to go read the first one, and then I might change my review. ( )
  mjphillips | Feb 23, 2024 |
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 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. ( )
  caedocyon | Feb 23, 2024 |
I really wound up enjoying this read. I really found the sequel to be fast pace msytery. I thought this book was able to stand on it own but also keep the truly devious story as well. The story also relied alot of the past and that was really cool. I also liked how the dymanics how all the chraracters changed!! I also liked how the trio characters in this read became a bit more of the focus. I am exited to keep reading this series when I get the chance!! ( )
  lmauro123 | Dec 28, 2023 |
I really wound up enjoying this read. I really found the sequel to be fast pace msytery. I thought this book was able to stand on it own but also keep the truly devious story as well. The story also relied alot of the past and that was really cool. I also liked how the dymanics how all the chraracters changed!! I also liked how the trio characters in this read became a bit more of the focus. I am exited to keep reading this series when I get the chance!! ( )
  lmauro123 | Dec 28, 2023 |
3.5 stars. Halfway through this book I got sick, so maybe it's the delirium talking, but I did enjoy this one a lot more than the first. There were still some boring parts, but overall I think it was more enjoyable. We finally get some answers in this one. We don't know everything and we still get another cliffhanger ending, but we do find out a big part of the original mystery. I still think mystery books like this do not work well as a series, and I would have preferred a standalone. But overall not bad, I probably will read the third book just to find out how it all ends, though if the third one tries to give us another cliffhanger then I'm done with this series. I'll leave it unfinished. ( )
  VanessaMarieBooks | Dec 10, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 42 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (1 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Maureen Johnsonprimary authorall editionscalculated
Nickolls, LeoCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rudd, KateNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. Young Adult Fiction. HTML:

New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller!

In New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson's second novel in the Truly Devious series, there are more twists and turns than Stevie Bell can imagine. No answer is given freely, and someone will pay for the truth with their life.

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 then her classmate was murdered, and her parents quickly pull her out of school. For her safety, they say. She must move past this obsession with crime.

Stevie's willing to do anything to get back to Ellingham, be back with her friends, and solve the Truly Devious case. Even if it means making a deal with the despicable Senator Edward King. And when Stevie finally returns, she also returns to David: the guy she kissed, and the guy who lied about his identity—Edward King's son.

But larger issues are at play. Where did the murderer hide? What's the meaning of the riddle Albert Ellingham left behind? And what, exactly, is at stake in the Truly Devious affair? The Ellingham case isn't just a piece of history—it's a live wire into the present.

* Junior Library Guild Selection * Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books of 2019 * Hypable's Best Books of 2019 *

Praise for Book One:

"The Agatha Christie-like ecosystem pairs with lacerating contemporary wit, and alternating past and present scenes makes for a multilayered, modern detective story." —New York Times Book Review

"Remember the first time reading Harry Potter and knowing it was special? There's that same sense of magic in the introduction of teen Sherlock-in-training Stevie Bell." —USA Today (four stars)

"Be still, my Agatha-Christie-loving beating heart." —Bustle

.

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