Teen angst soars as Johnson delightfully conjures up more nefarious deeds from the mountain mist.
Murder and mayhem return to Ellingham Academy.
This sequel to Truly Devious (2018), an engrossing mystery set at an exclusive prep school in the mountains of Vermont, ramps up the intrigue as teen sleuth Stevie Bell continues to probe Ellingham’s troubled past and present. At the end of Volume 1, Stevie’s parents, having gotten wind that following the supposedly accidental death of one student, another had gone missing, yanked her out of Ellingham and brought her home to Pittsburgh. Now Stevie gets to return to Ellingham thanks to the intercession of the “worst man in America,” scheming, nationalistic Pennsylvania senator Edward King, for whom Stevie’s parents work. King asks Stevie to keep an eye on his rebellious son, David, who’s also her love interest. Once back, Stevie continues to investigate both the present-day death of housemate Hayes Major and the uncanny disappearance of Element “Ellie” Walker as well as the 1936 Ellingham kidnapping and murders. As before, Johnson deftly alternates between Stevie’s first-person narrative, as her investigations yield new insights and dangers for her mostly white, serviceably diverse set of misfit-genius classmates, and historical flashbacks involving the original Ellingham mysteries. Throughout this volume, Johnson’s compelling would-be Sherlock proves to be as bad at personal relationships as she is adept at solving mysteries.
Teen angst soars as Johnson delightfully conjures up more nefarious deeds from the mountain mist. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-233808-2
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements.
A wary teen wonders if she should run when people come looking for her.
Lucy Smith was raised by her white father, who said little about her mother. Following his death and her stepmother’s abandonment, Lucy entered the foster care system at 14. Her stepmother revealed that Lucy’s birth mom was Native American, but her social worker urged her to keep that quiet. Battered by her time in the foster care system, it’s no wonder that 18-year-old Lucy is cautious when she’s approached by a man who says he’s an attorney who helps Native American foster kids connect with their families and communities. He introduces her to a friend who reveals to Lucy that she knows her Ojibwe maternal relatives—but a wary Lucy refuses her offer to learn more. Someone is stalking her, after all, and the FBI is investigating the bomb that went off in the diner where she worked—an event she’s sure targeted her. This stand-alone from bestseller Boulley, who’s an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, includes characters her fans will recognize from previous works. The action scenes are mediated by ruminations on the failings of the foster care system and strong portrayals of Lucy’s relationship with her father and her complicated identity. Ardent book lover Lucy is a sympathetic narrator whose strong sense of justice is coupled with a deep acceptance of others.
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements. (content warning, author’s note) (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781250328533
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PROFILES
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
Shocking yet bittersweet, this captivating page-turner truly delivers.
Teens fight to survive a harrowing boat expedition in Mexico.
High school seniors Hannah and Emmy couldn’t be more different: After graduation, steady and staid Hannah plans to enter Linfield University and work toward a nursing degree, while impulsive Emmy aims to fulfill a longtime dream of traveling the world. As graduation looms, the girls take a spring break trip to Puerto Vallarta along with Emmy’s parents and college-age brother, Jackson. When Emmy meets the handsome and smarmy Ben, the four young people head out—at Ben’s insistence—on an ill-advised boat trip with the sketchy hipster captain, Keith, on his weathered craft, the Be-Yacht-Ch. A day of Instagram-perfect partying quickly devolves into something else. While a series of predicted storms, which led other boat tours to cancel outings, threatens the group, secrets and accusations drive a deadly wedge into an already fraught situation. As romantic feelings simmer between Hannah and Jackson and Ben’s sinister psychopathy emerges, the teens are left to fight for their lives. Reading like a YA White Lotus seen through a Freida McFadden–tinted lens, this work will satisfy Lally’s fans, who will revel in the jaw-dropping twists and rapid-fire pacing alongside the subtle commentary on toxic masculinity, entitlement, and privilege. Each chapter ends on a pulse-pounding cliffhanger, adding to the already unrelenting tension. Even the most seasoned thriller readers will be surprised by the tense and emotional ending. Apart from the Mexican locals, characters present white.
Shocking yet bittersweet, this captivating page-turner truly delivers. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9781728270173
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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