Reviews with content warning for Drug use - The Hand on the Wall

I enjoyed this book the most out of the three, I think. I grew to like the friend group a lot (although I still have some very mixed feelings about David) and the resolution of the mysteries was very satisfying. I liked the parts where it's trying to be cheeky and self-aware about being a mystery - the part where

Larry walked into the room with the wall scanner and Stevie started complaining about how long-winded her speech was, had me laughing out loud

.

It's entertaining - but as a YA novel with teenagers as protagonists, it's also a bit horrifying. I'm usually not too bothered by people dying in these typical mystery novels (I was promised murder and I will be disappointed if I don't <i>get</i> murder, ya hear me), but the idea that two kids died in such an awful, sad way is horrifying.

The fact that an adult purposely man slaughtered these kids is even worse and honestly makes me feel gross

. The resolution of the Alice plot line was also heartbreaking. I didn't realise until this book that Alice was <i>just three years old</i> when she was kidnapped. There's just a lot of sad crime in this book.

I enjoyed the flashbacks to 1936, and getting to know these characters involved in the Ellingham case. The David plot line/romance is still a bit hit-or-miss for me (although I am such a sucker for the "two people are fighting but they're trapped somewhere and might not get out so they need to sort out their shit" trope). Stevie is still an irresponsible little shit sometimes and I don't understand how these adults don't keep her locked up somewhere but it makes for a fun read, at least. Speaking of irresponsible: what is the deal with Germaine? The story wants me to believe she

was the one watching Stevie from the outside, but girl, you're in the middle of a fucking blizzard. Where the fuck was she staying? Why was she outside Stevie's window at midnight? You can't expect me to believe she stayed alive by just kicking it without a place to hide from the storm

.

Oh well, teenage antics aside, this was a good book. If you're into mystery stories and don't get queasy by a little underage murder, then I'd recommend this series. The cliffhangers are a bit unfair, but they kept me reading. The tension keeps building throughout the series and although it takes 1000 pages for the mystery to be completely resolved, it's worth it in the end and I'm glad I kept reading. Maybe I'll even pick up more of Johnson's books! Who knows.

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iamkiaraayleen's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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spearly's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Sorry, there's not 2, but 3 books in this series? I like the first but how long can Johnson drag this out??

EDIT:

Well I have finally finished this series! I have some lukewarm feelings.

The good:

Everything tied up real nice with a big bow. I wasn't expecting the way things came together, and I was pleasantly surprised by Stevie's big reveal.

The writing is great! Nice, fast-paced, keeps you on your toes. Johnson has a way with world building, that's for sure!

The, not bad, but meh:

I thought Truly Devious was a standalone novel and the 1936 cold case had been solved, so I wasn't sure what to expect from another 2 novels! And to be honest, I could not even tell you what happened in book 2. I feel like this series could have been a duology.

Also, obviously this is a very YA type of mystery, but I think I was expecting a bit more suspense. A bit more heart-pumping, a few more twists and turns, a story that you can never figure out. The reveal was satisfying, but the road to get there was loooong.

A decent series. Not sure I'll be following the Truly Devious family into Stevie's next mystery, The Box in the Woods.

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