The Hand on the Wall | Review

Synopsis

Ellingham Academy must be cursed. Three people are now dead. One, a victim of either a prank gone wrong or a murder. Another, dead by misadventure. And now, an accident in Burlington has claimed another life. All three in the wrong place at the wrong time. All at the exact moment of Stevie’s greatest triumph . . .

She knows who Truly Devious is. She’s solved it. The greatest case of the century.

At least, she thinks she has. With this latest tragedy, it’s hard to concentrate on the past. Not only has someone died in town, but David disappeared of his own free will and is up to something. Stevie is sure that somehow—somehow—all these things connect. The three deaths in the present. The deaths in the past. The missing Alice Ellingham and the missing David Eastman. Somewhere in this place of riddles and puzzles there must be answers.

Then another accident occurs as a massive storm heads toward Vermont. This is too much for the parents and administrators. Ellingham Academy is evacuated. Obviously, it’s time for Stevie to do something stupid. It’s time to stay on the mountain and face the storm—and a murderer.

Review

A great ending to the Ellingham case! I really enjoyed this book and this series!

I enjoyed the writing style and humor much more in this book than the other two (probably because I’m more accustomed to it now). There were even a couple of parts where I actually laughed out loud. I’m sure if I re-read the first book I’d enjoy it much more now than the first time around just because I’m used to everything now.

Perhaps what I loved the most about this book was the way everything came together so neatly. I am so impressed by how well Johnson took clues and evidence from the first book and brought them back in this book. It all came together to bring a person to justice for the three recent murders and also solved the case from the 30s.

As well, it was great to get to know the characters a little bit more. I feel like because of the writing style, it took me so long to get to know the characters, even Stevie the main character. But I’m glad I had 3 books to connect everything I knew about each person together to understand who they individually are.

Overall, I’m very pleased with this series and the ending of it. I can’t wait to read the standalone that will come out next year (I think?) because I love watching Stevie solve these cases.

Rating

To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to check out more books by Maureen Johnson, go to her Goodreads profile or her website.

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