A review by mariekejee
The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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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