The Vanishing Stair: The New York Times Bestselling Second Truly Devious Young Adult Mystery Novel

It was amazing! I loved the plot, the switch between time, and ghostly mystery. The snippets of romance and connection between characters were impossible to miss but reading this amazing, jaw-dropping book still got your brain thinking, who did it? Overall, this book is one of my favorite mystery books and, NEVER STOP WRITING MAUREEN!

"'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?

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.

The second book in the Truly Devious trilogy is brilliant because it answers many of the questions we are left with at the end of the first book and creates many new questions that readers will be waiting impatiently for the third book to answer. I especially love what Albert says about the value of books at the end of The Vanishing Stair. I am a retired English teacher, not a young adult, and I think readers of any age would enjoy Maureen Johnson's books. I have read most of them--I love the characters; the vivid, colorful, quirky details; the balance of humor and compassion; and the solid plots. Ms. Johnson is also very entertaining if you follow her on Twitter (Zelda is such a good girl).

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson is the stunning continuation of Stevie’s story at Ellingham’s school.Stevie Bell lives for mysteries–reading about them, thinking about them, and solving them. When she enrolled in Ellingham academy, her goal was to solve the mystery of the Ellingham murders. What she wasn’t expecting was to find one of her classmates dead. With a real life mystery on her hands, Stevie works to solve the case.Just as she’s starting to put together the pieces of the murders, her parents pull her from the school, citing safety concerns. Separated from Ellingham academy, Stevie is not only taken away from the murder mystery, but also David, a boy she was beginning to fall for. A boy with secrets and issues of his own.Then a deal is presented to Stevie by none other than Edward King, David’s father, and a man she politically loathes. The deal is this: King will help Stevie get back to Ellingham academy if Stevie helps to keep David from self-destructing.She takes the deal.I really enjoyed reading The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson. I think I liked the second book in the series even better than the first book!The mystery starts to heat up in The Vanishing Stair. With a student missing and the Ellingham murder mystery on her hands, Stevie stays plenty busy. While she’s been warned not go traipsing around where she doesn’t belong, Stevie has a detective’s nose and an insatiable desire for answers.David’s character takes an interesting turn in The Vanishing Stair. While he was certainly quirky in Truly Devious, his character takes on an unbalanced, dangerous note in The Vanishing Stair. I’m really interested to see where his character ends up in the third book.I loved the ending! So much happens! And finally, the readers get some answers on the Ellingham murders. Unfortunately the book doesn’t end on a happy note, but I think that will be explored further in the next book.If you enjoy mysteries, check out Truly Devious and The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson. These books are a lot of fun!

So the second I finished Truly, Devious in November, I 1) Preordered this book 2) Re-read it to be sure I was sure of all the clues about who the kidnapper was and so I knew and could satisfy myself as I waited to learn the answer to that all consuming riddle. (P.s. magnificent author lady, if you are reading this, I asked everyone I knew to come up with answers, and we all had so many. And of course I thought about it every single day when I woke up, and yet didn't come up with the answer and it's literally so simple I was so mad at myself!) So last night I was thinking about how I would get to read this today, I'd literally marked my Calendar, when it was delivered to my kindle at 11 pm central time! HUZZAH FOR ME, but alas not for my sleep schedule. I started reading it right away because I had to know the answer to the riddle, and I was about 76% of the way through when I realized, Holy Shark, I have read 76% of this book. Then I was so sad that it was going to be over soon, that I thought about putting it down. It was 1:30 am after all. But I couldn't. So onwards I went. And now I'm going to have to wait a whole year just to read the next one, which has me in the pit of despair. If you haven't read the first book in this series, please read it, and then come talk to me about it. I need to converse about this. I've read A LOT A LOT of books in my lifetime, and I rarely write reviews, but this series has stuck with me, and inspired me in my own writing, and I just want to share it with everyone. Maureen Johnson is so talented, my creative writing major self is made extremely insecure by her immense talent. This is me, bowing down to the new queen of mystery. That is all. (Off to re-read and try and solve the modern day stuff because I am thoroughly vexed by this wait time)

"In life, the murderer is anyone. The reasons, the methods, the circumstances - the paths to becoming a murderer are as numerous as the stars."The Vanishing Stair was one of my most anticipated sequels for 2019 after falling absolutely in love with Truly Devious last fall. I was really excited to see what happened after that incredibly rude cliffhanger, and hoped to get more answers in this installment. 🕵️ I am pleased to say that we got some much-needed answers (& some new questions!), as well as more actual investigating, but overall this one fell into the middle book syndrome for me. It was an enjoyable and I will finish the series, but if I am being honest I could have done without the first 40% of this book.The book opens up with Stevie back home in Pittsburgh, her parents having removed her from Ellingham Academy after news got out about what happened - and Stevie's involvement - in the end of the previous book. She's trying to readjust to life back home while still obsessing over the Truly Devious case, but we as readers feel the same disconnect she does once she leaves the Academy. Lucky for everyone she gets back into Ellingham, but not without strings. And the longer she keeps that truth hidden, the worse it is going to be for her."Murderers aren't a type. They're anyone."I got 40% into the book before any real investigating started to take place, which was a lot more of a disappointing pace than in the first book. I feel like there was a lot of repetition and reiteration in the narrative of The Vanishing Stair, and in my opinion there is little of value that was added in the first half of the book to where the mysteries uncovered here could have been part of book 1 and it may have been stronger for it.I was rather disappointed with the "secrets for getting back into Ellingham and the subsequent fallout" plotline. The conflict made little sense to me and I was left wondering why she even kept it a secret to begin with. (For conflict, that's why.)I will say that this series has some amazing anxiety representation in it, and I really appreciate how Stevie's anxiety is almost a character itself in this book. As a person who suffers from chronic and crippling anxiety, it means a lot to me to see it depicted with care on the page and have it normalized.Despite my not really enjoying myself for almost half of the book, once the investigation and clues begin to fall into place I was absolutely hooked! I really enjoyed how everything was unraveled slowly, and you can tell than Johnson has plotted the main points of the overall mystery with care. I'll admit that I guessed the big twist, but that isn't uncommon for me to do so it never really lessens my reading experience. I felt like the ending made sense and I am excited to see how things wrap up!Overall, while this wasn't a perfect read for me it was definitely an enjoyable addition to the Truly Devious trilogy! You'll learn the solution to Ellingham's final riddle in this one, but there's still more of this mystery to uncover. Looking forward to seeing how this one ends!

Pros:- This book starts off right after the end of Truly Devious which is great because we were left with a horrible cliffhanger. Stevie is still on the case of the Ellingham murders, but she also has to deal with what is happening in the present at Ellingham. I continued to appreciate the juxtaposition between 1936 and the present throughout the book, but this book was definitely more focused on the present.- Second books in series can often be challenging since there is so much hype and potential to live up to, but I'm happy to say this book still kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what was going on and how everything was connected.- The side characters in this series continue to be some of the best characters and really add so much to the story. I think they are what make this story great, it isn't just the mystery of Ellingham and Stevie trying to solve ALL THE CRIMES. It is also whom she has around her and their life stories. I truly care about David, Janelle, Nate, and Vi and what is going on with them, even Mudge had some great moments in this one (I really wish we could learn more about all the other students that are there but we focus on Stevie's circle).Cons:- With the cliffhanger ending to this book, I am pretty mad that I have to wait another year to find out what actually happened. But based on what we learned in this installment, I have a few questions about it will take an entire book to solve everything that has happened. I feel like Maureen Johnson may have revealed too much too soon in this second book.

Highly recommend

Better than any pulsating norb. Satisfying, fun, intense. Scary, but in a good way, like tasting claustrophobia, without being in a tight space, yourself.

Ofcourse good as the first part was. This Truly Devious series is the best story I have read I usually take almost three months to read such thick story books but for these ones I only took less than one week. They are really suspenseful and has a lot of twists which is why it's so interesting. If you are a true crime book lover than I highly recommend this book. And I am obssesed with these series.

Bello

I don't want to risk any spoilers, so all I can say is READ IT! Once again, Maureen delivers a fantastic story with complex characters that feel like real, actual humans you'd want to hang out with (or love to hate, maybe). Can't wait for the conclusion of this trilogy!