The Hand on the Wall (Truly Devious #3)

OK, I seem to be in the minority here of being slightly disappointed by this trilogy\’s finale. I was really excited to see how this book will conclude and to tie up all the loose ends. Instead, it felt like Maureen Johnson was cramming so much information into one book, there was so much drama involved both in the past and the present storylines, she was still revealing a lot of new information in the finale but also having to give us closure and resolve everything before the end of the book, leaving us feeling a little out of breath and…unsatisfied? Almost like…when you build up to something for so long and the climax, the best part of it, only lasts a few seconds, it feels so underwhelming. Makes you think, that\’s it? Stevie solves the freaking murder! The murder of the century! And yet, we\’re still discovering new things about Alice and her parents, and her birth, and who she really turns out to be, and I\’m thinking what? Is that really necessary to move the story or the mystery forward? And then in present time, there\’s the mystery of all these accidents that keep happening, and I feel like Johnson revealed a little too much at the beginning with that meeting between Stevie and her advisor making me guess who the villain is very early into the book. Then there\’s David and his unnecessary drama. I mean, come on…so she made a mistake, but did she really? She wanted to get back to school, how\’s that a crime? And she never ended up telling his dad ANYTHING. And she apologized like a million times. And yet he still appears halfway through the book only, and acts like a complete and total jerk to her for another third of the book, and then suddenly they\’re making out again. It makes no sense! Their romance and connection were one of the things that I really loved about this trilogy and Johnson destroyed that here. Everything felt rushed at the end. All the revelations, the hook ups, the make ups, the closure she gave us was rushed and ruined it slightly for me. Did I still enjoy reading this? Yeah, I did. I love Maureen Johnson\’s books and the first two parts in this trilogy make up for how badly executed this one is. But do I wish it was better? Yes. A thousand times yes.

And just like that the great mystery is solved and all it needs is a cookie for Elvis. Hand in the Wall presents its case giving us a satisfying conclusion to a kidnapping and murder plot that has carried Stevie and us readers through the first two books. With the Academy deemed unswfe and a snow storm locking everyone inside a settling not unlike an Agatha Christie novel sets the stage for a final showdown where the past and present collide and the truth about Alice is revealed. I really love these books and all the references to true crime that round out Stevies character as she and I are nearly the same person where it comes to all of that and I couldnt wait to see how she would crack the case. Everything from the subtle misdirects and isolated setting made the tension extra thick for this final book and I couldnt get through it fast enough. I loved how all the characters came together and some of those who were more in the background were able to prove their skills when tackling the final moments of the mystery with my only complaint being that of David. I have a weird relationship with him and the idea of he and Stevie together as I spent a good portion of the first two hoping they could make it work only to get to this one and praying they never crossed paths for the entirety of the story they are at odds until the last handful of pages where its the one loose end thats tied up too quickly to make sense. These are really great books and like always Im going to plug My Favorite Murder because its obvious Maureen is a fan and most of the murders Stevie discusses in this book are featured in their own episodes of the podcast.

Now that is how you end a series. I mean honestly each book got better and the number of reveals in this last book still has me stunned. I wish this story didnt have to end, I undeniably love Ellingham Academy and all of the characters. The mystery was spectacular and I had absolutely no idea whatsoever throughout the whole book who the culprit was. If I had to describe The Hand on the Wall I would use riveting, amazing, entertaining, a wild ride, and a masterpiece. At the end of The Vanishing Stair we are left with Stevie somewhat solving the Ellingham murder case. Wrong. The amount of detail and layers this mystery has is amazing, not to mention the 1936 murder and the murders that are happening present day intertwine is mind blowing. I cant express to you how utterly shocked I am at how much was revealed and the fact that I had no idea about any of it. In the final installment we follow Stevie at Ellingham, but during a huge blizzard that has the school evacuated. Of course, Stevie stays with Nate, David, Vi, Janelle, and some of the school professors. Its honestly a bit creepy knowing all of this is going on when the power is out, there is literally a blizzard dropping feet of snow, and a murderer could potentially be on the loose. One of the reasons I love this book so much is because of Stevie and her friends. Stevie is weird, but in a good way, quirky, and loves her crimes and mysteries. Even though everyone around her thinks she is a bit delusional for trying to solve this case, she never gives up. She is such a relatable character and I mean I love how peculiar and strange all the other characters are. Stevie would rather eat bees than share her tender inner being with anyone else she didnt even want to share it with herself. I mean that not only made me laugh, but I completely agree with Stevie and I just love her. The biggest part of this is obviously the mystery, and still Im sitting here trying to process the ending. It was just such a mind shocker that Im still processing everything. This series has one of the best who-dun-it aspects. Thank you, Maureen Johnson, for writing such a masterpiece.

I read the first two books in this series over a couple days in April last year, and have been eagerly waiting to get my hands on The Hand on the Wall ever since. When it finally did arrive in my home I had started and finished within a few hours as I literally could not contain and/or stop myself. I don\’t know that I enjoyed it quite as much as the first two but this may only be because its been a while since I read them so I was a little distanced and I\’ve read a lot of amazing books since then. However, I did still have a really good time reading and coming across all of the characters again. I even worked out who the murderer was a while before it was revealed – it was just a hunch but I was right so I\’m counting that as a win.

I loved everything about the Truly Devious series. Ive just finished the finale and feel like I miss the characters already. It was a very addictive series – its hard to put the book down until you know the answers! As a Physics undergraduate student, I especially loved the references to Physics! 🙂 I loved the mountain / boarding school setting and the relationship between Stevie and David. I highly recommend this series!

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