Truly Devious 1

I saw a future book by this author suggested on Amazon, was intrigued, read about this previous series, and then ordered them. I have actually read this author once before. She wrote 13 Little Blue Envelopes, which I very clearly recall buying in Target in Buffalo. What I can't recall is whether I liked it or not. 

I am not a huge mystery fan. I enjoy the ones stuck in my childhood series, like BSC and Sweet Valley, but they're really not my thing. I'm always painfully tempted to flip through the end to spoil it for myself. But the idea of this trilogy appealed to me. It's about two murder mysteries set at the same boarding school on a remote Vermont mountainside.  

The initial murder was a kidnapping at first, then two bodies were eventually found but never the third. This one took place in 1936. Now in the present day, detective wannabe Stephanie "Stevie" Bell is attending the same school and got into it because she wants to solve the cold case. You see, this school isn't typical at all. The students are mostly creative types: actors, authors, artists, musicians, singers, inventors. Students who don't fit into a regular high school world. 

So while Stevie is adjusting to her new school and new type of life, another mystery unfolds. One of her housemates turns up dead right after they finish filming his current project. Stevie gets involved with the investigation because of course she does. 

The book is mostly set in the present, but it does flip back to the 30s several times. It's well done and not a bit confusing, like this sort of thing can be. 

The characters are mostly likeable, though honestly that's where the book could use more work. I really love this. I whipped through it in three different reading sessions last night, this afternoon and tonight. Had I not had to work or sleep, I would have finished it in one go. But the plot is more important than character development here and it does show. Stevie is the focus and aside from her, the only character that really gets depth is her friend and housemate Nate. David the love interest is kind of an asshole. I don't care for him, especially after the painful reveal at the end that's going to cause a lot of drama at the beginning of the next one, I'm sure. Janelle the best friend is really likeable. She's a black lesbian inventor and she's awesome. She very quickly gets a new partner named Vi who is non-binary. The problem with Janelle is that she barely gets any screentime because so much of the book is spent in Stevie's head or with her being alone. I'm hoping we see more of her in the next two books. Other characters get even less development. I may have to just accept that Stevie and The Mystery are the only characters that matter here and let the others go. We'll see.

If you like YA murder mysteries and aren't too attached to character development beyond the lead, give this a shot. Hell, even if you like character development, give it a shot. I enjoyed it and I'm pretty big on development. I'll be back soon with reviews for the next two. I'm not going to be able to put these down.