A review by riverlasol
The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

5.0

Oh my goodness was this a delight. I had forgotten how much I loved truly devious and stevie bell (and her wonderful friends as well). This mystery was full of wit, charm, and quite a bit if hilarity, but also asked serious questions about what detectives have the right to do/power dynamics and dealt carefully with experiences of trauma. The mystery itself was eery the whole time (when will I learn not to read about murder late at night??) and although I did have some suspicions (hello pattern recognition) nothing was ever concrete and the end was absolutely thrilling. I can’t recommend this enough. I’m not as interested in thrillers these days (mostly because of my own anxiety) and maybe it’s the highly relatable anxiety the main character herself struggles with but truly devious is one of a kind and will always hold a special place on my heart.
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