The Vanishing Stair

Wow! Wowowowowowowowow!What. The. Hell. Maureen. Johnson?!I'm equal parts impressed and miffed at that crazy cliffhanger ending, because she ALWAYS does that. She's the queen of cliffhangers, but she doesn't always come through! (hint hint Shades of London hint hint) So this kind of bothers me to tell you the truth, at the same time, it leaves me unable to wait for next year! It definitely does not help when I've read this in one sitting, so I couldn't even enjoy it past a few hours. I read it all very quickly, eating it all up, that once it was over I was left feeling lost, confused and super annoyed!Stevie really came through this book. I love the fact that this book focused on the mystery, with more time given to past events, and less on drama and romance. I am very glad that there was less secondary characters drama or backstories or subplots - don't get me wrong, I love the secondary characters, especially Nate, but I don't really care about his writing a book or about Janelle building something amazing or her relationship with the weird pronoun person. I just needed focus on this freaking crazy mystery! And man did Stevie come through, with a little help from her friends, mainly David and an oddball author, who is somewhat of an expert on this mystery.It's pretty genius what Johnson did with this mystery though. How she took it, changed it all up, threw one hell of a curveball at us, and had us flailing. A very integral part of the mystery basically went up in smoke. It's brilliant how sometimes a silly act of rebellion gets involved in a much bigger thing taking over the whole case. It's even more insane, how once we figure out what actually happened, we're simultaneously furious, upset and sympathetic with/of the villain! And we really go deep into the lives of those characters involved in the crime and the mystery in the past, we go deep and personal, and what seemed like a rosy, happy life in the first book, ends up becoming much more complex.Very well done Maureen. Very well done.Finally, Stevie and David. I mean, oh my God. Please, just kiss and make up once and for all! Enough drama, because I love you two together, and when they're good...they're REALLY good.Talk about an explosive sequel.

"'Really? You carry crime-scene gloves?''You can get them in any drugstore. Treat yourself.'"4 STARSTW: suicide, dissection lab gore, murder, alcoholism, graphic injuryFun fact: my blog began with a review of Truly Devious. In a way, this series is my origin story, which of course meant that I pre-ordered The Vanishing Stair as soon as I possibly could. This series is part of the Words Gremlin legacy!And oh my god did it deliver.For starters, I want to say that Vi's pronouns were handled correctly this time around, and they were addressed with they/them consistently instead of only in dialogue. It's a small point in some ways, compared to the overall plot, but it was one of the things about Truly Devious that bothered me, and one of the things I was REALLY GLAD that got addressed.Also, they're so stinking cute with Janelle? Between all the drama and murder, those two are so sappy and charming and dorky and it was WHOLESOME.But back to the bigger issues at hand, like, y'know, MURDER. And the 1936 kidnapping, too, of course.I felt like this was a great way of avoiding that terrible second book syndrome where it just doesn't live up to the first. The Vanishing Stair picks up right about where Truly Devious left off, leaving Stevie in the wake of one murder, one disappearance, and one big mystery she hasn't yet cracked. It also introduces new clues, new suspects (at least in my opinion; there's a couple folks lookin' real shady now that I look back...), and new murders.Yes, I say murders. Plural. Because I don't believe for a second that the first one was an accident made in a panic so much as a set-up. Too much doesn't add up for me to believe that [REDACTED SPOILER] died in that particular location if she already knew about it and had been using it enough to make it to that place to begin with. Not to mention there's a decoy involved in her death that I don't think for a second that she had the time or the foresight to set up on her own.And that second murder? Highly suspicious and I don't like that I'm blaming the particular person I'm blaming for it, because that person has so far done no visible harm, only acted in the best interests of Stevie and the other Ellingham students.All this means there's still pieces missing, which makes sense. This is a murder mystery series, after all, with one over-arching mystery tied into all the smaller mysteries along the way! (@ Maureen: please give me the answers, tell me if I'm right I'M SCARED TO BE RIGHT BUT WANT TO KNOWWWWW)On the flipside, there were things actually really truly solved through Stevie's investigation and via flashbacks, including the riddle from the first book: what's always on a staircase, but never on a stair?I won't spoil that for you here (feel free to DM me on Twitter @wordsgremlin if you want to know, though...), but HOLY SMOKES. It's a simpler answer than you think it is, and I figured it out only seconds before reading the actual reveal. So many pieces have fallen into place regarding the 1936 mystery, and yet there are also still pieces ahead, ones that are bound to have heavy impact on the third book.In short, I was actually satisfied this time, not left totally hanging like last time, when nothing really was solved save for one subplot. This was PHENOMENAL about tying up loose ends while chasing new threads, and it gives me the sense that the conclusion is going to be an intense as hell ride.But I did give this four stars, and in short, that comes down to a tiny bit of disappointment (I did think a little bit more would be resolved, so I was left a little hanging), and because of David Eastham.I am unbelievably bored of David Eastham.I know there's some things between him and his dad that are enough to make any kid want to act out and get away. I know there's a history there that isn't a positive one. But also, most of his interactions with Stevie are super flirty, or he's being flippant and rude. They shared one moment I did like in the wake of something tragic, but on the whole, their interactions left me wanting David to just go away, and for Stevie to find someone who can be honest with her and she can be honest with them. Maybe I'm picky about my love interests, or maybe I'm just tired of the charming jerk. Could be either one.Looking over the whole thing, though, I'm absolutely delighted I've read this book, and absolutely CRUSHED the next one isn't available yet. Part of me knows to just be patient and wait for it to arrive. The other part of me is finding that to be very, very difficult because I NEED the answers, NEED to know if I'm right about who's to blame for the current Ellingham problems, NEED to know the full truth about the 1936 kidnappings. Basically, I need more riddles, and I need more answers, and this series is hitting the spot with both. If you haven't picked it up yet, I'd recommend hopping to it as soon as you can. Full steam ahead on that murder train, you know?

Stevie has made a deal with the devil in the form of Senator Edward King, David's father and is back at Ellingham Academy. Once again, she is investigating the 1936 kidnapping/murder case, but this time, she is also trying to figure out what happened to Ellie, who was suspected of having something to do with the death of Hayes Major. When Stevie confronted her, she ran and mysteriously disappeared. Stevie also isn't putting much effort into catching up on the school work that she missed while she was home because she now has more important things to do. Dr. Irene Fenton who wrote the first book on the kidnapping/murder case from 1936 is about to publish an updated version and has hired Stevie to do research using materials in the attic of the Great Hall at Ellingham Academy to which she does not have access. With her new assignment, she has promised Larry, the intuitive security chief that she won't investigate any more of the tunnels, but it isn't long before she breaks her promise and finds something she doesn't expect.The Vanishing Stair begins to bring together clues that connect the past to the present, all the while showing us, through Stevie, the damage that can be done when an investigation reveals evidence that hurts people. There is some humor in the story, such as David releasing dozens of squirrels in the library in order to get Stevie's attention, but it is often cleverly used to show much deeper emotions of the characters. Overall, this is a very well-written young adult mystery and an excellent second book in the Truly Devious series.