ARC from NetGalley - The fifth installment in the Truly, Devious series is a fun, twisty ride. If you loved the first four, this one is a must read! I will be recommending to students and buying a copy for my classroom library when it is published.

Maureen Johnson's Stevie Bell mysteries are truly some of my favorites! I am so excited that I had a chance to catch up with Stevie and the gang on their latest adventure in England. As the novel opens, Stevie is back at Ellingham after solving the mystery of the Box in the Woods. Her boyfriend David, who is studying in London, presents an opportunity for the group to travel abroad for a couple of weeks. And of course, an unsolved murder falls into Stevie's lap just as the trip begins. David's friend Izzy is concerned that her Aunt Angela has been hiding information about a murder for years. As Stevie and co. gather more information, Angela disappears. So, it's time to round up who is left of The Nine, a group of friends who formed a theater troupe in college, and discover who murdered two friends years ago and who may be threatening Angela now. Intricate details plus Johnson's signature wit make this novel a delightful page-turner. In addition, I enjoy the camaraderie between the friends. We all need a "Scooby Gang" like Stevie, Janelle, Vi, and Nate to turn to when times get tough. Hand this novel to anyone who has enjoyed any of Stevie's previous exploits . . . or use this novel to introduce mystery readers to the gang. Johnson gives readers enough background information to allow new readers to jump in here; they will then want to find out what they have missed! And the only thing I will say about that ending is, Maureen, when can I read the next book?
Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advanced copy!

The Stevie Bell mysteries are so good, and this one is no exception. Maureen Johnson is an expert at crafting page-turning mysteries that also have a heavy dose of interesting character dynamics and a lot of heart. Reading this made me want to reread the entire series, and I I want more Stevie Bell mysteries.

Stevie Bell is taking her detective skills international as she spends a week in England with her boyfriend and friends while also tackling a mysterious unsolved murder case surrounding a group of friends. Stevie Bell’s boyfriend David is studying in England and invites her to come visit him for a week under the guise of studying abroad. Stevie has been struggling to figure out what she’s going to do with her life after she’s finished school, in fact, just doing apps is having her struggling. She misses her boyfriend terribly and so when he suggests this, this is the perfect opportunity to get her mind off things. Yet when she gets there she meets his friend Izzy who begs her to help her solve her aunt’s mystery. In 1995, nine friends from Cambridge University go to a country house and play a drunken game of hide-and-seek... and two of them were found murdered in the woodshed the next day. Nobody knows who did it, and its been left as a cold case ever since. But Izzy’s Aunt, one of the friends, is determined to solve it and Izzy thinks Stevie is the perfect person to crack the case. Yet while she is consumed by this case Stevie is also having issues with her boyfriend David ( let me maintain this, I have always disliked David, every book I hope Stevie finally see’s what we all see and just DUMP HIM AND MOVE ON. I never liked him in the previous books but this book just highlights Stevie’s strange fixation on David, and the guy really does do NOTHING to deserve it and he really is the blandest guy ever. With the way he treated her in the previous books i was so over him and was hoping maybe this time he’ll finally just go cuz seriously Stevie, you can do better, just because he’s cute doesn’t mean he’s a good fit for you seriously I would rather you just be single and focus on solving cases than be constantly mooning on and on about how great you think he is when he does absolutely nothing. MORE TO COME IN THE SPOILERS). So while Stevie is trying to break down this case she is beginning to realize that the Nine all have their own secrets and that they are definitely lying.... and that one of them is the murderer. I had fun with the mystery it was the relationship stuff with David that dragged this book for me. The mystery itself was a fun one to read but I honestly wished there was more tension or building, and that it focused on the relationship between the Nine rather than Stevie and David relationship drama. With the way the book ends, there is definitely another book coming... but honestly I don’t now if I’ll be reading it. If you’re looking for good young adult mysteries with some romance check out the books by Karen M. McManus.

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Katherine Tegen Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I love this friend group so much! I’ll read any books about them, especially after the ending of this one. Overall this book was good, but not my favorite of the series. It was slow and took a long time for the action to start but once it did it was incredible! But even the slow parts were still entertaining, reading about all my favorite characters and getting a tour through London. The plot was beautifully crafted and had me hooked from the start, I would definitely read a book about the Nine! The concept was great and executed well! I only had some other minor issues, mainly with the ending and Stevie’s certain fashion choices… I just tried to look past whenever the word onesie was said… But this book had a great spin on these characters and I liked Izzy who was introduced! I hope the series continues, I need to know how the relationships develop (and also what college Nate picks).

Has Maureen Johnson *ever* written a bad book?
Nine Liars is certainly superior to the previous two entries in the Truly Devious series. The English setting breathes new life into the 5-book series, and Stevie and the gang are as entertaining as ever.

Johnson makes good use of the flashback sequences for the first 25% of the book, to make up for the set-up of getting Stevie to London. Although Stevie doesn’t begin sleuthing until about 40% in, the pacing never feels sluggish or tedious.
However, some of the Nine somewhat blend together, particularly Peter and Yash. Through the first flashback sequences, I often found myself forgetting who some of these people were. Starker differences between Peter and Yash would help.
Unlike previous books, Johnson makes less use of red herrings. Regrettable, since the final perpetrator reveal falls slightly flat. Clearer motivations and increased suspicion would have made the resolution stronger.

The backbone of this series has always been Stevie and her friends. Johnson remains an underrated banter magician. In particular, conversations between Stevie and Nate are hilarious and sharp. However, I struggle to understand how Vi fits into this group. They don’t provide any wit or story development. More backstory is needed to help solidify Vi’s place in this narrative.

David features more heavily in this entry, but his relationship drama with Stevie seemed to be his only function. David needs more character development to be relevant to Stevie’s adventures. At the moment, Nate and Janelle are the only companions worth keeping.

Johnson’s prose particularly shine when establishing autumnal ambiance. Mystery thrives when the setting becomes a player of its own.

Overall, this book is a step in the right direction, after the slightly disappointing (but still delightful) The Box in the Woods. Sending Stevie to international locales revives the series and the cast of characters remains as absurd as ever.

Wow! What a great installation in this series. Stevie is such a comfort character. The story progressed at the perfect pace. I think that in most stories with dual timelines or perspectives you have a favorite, and in this book I didn't! I loved them both and looked forward to each new section. The payoff of the mystery was great, and the character relationships developed perfectly. I can NOT wait for the next book because THAT ENDING!!!!???? MJ will be the death of me...

*5 Star Book Review*
While I had no idea this book was part of a series, I found that it was still pretty easy to understand what was going on in the book. The book starts slow but when it builds up that’s when the action starts and it gets really good! I definitely have to found the other Stevie Bell mysteries and catch up. Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this advanced reader’s copy!

I had no idea the Truly Devious series was continuing so, when I saw this on Netgalley, I jumped at the opportunity to review it!

If you are unfamiliar, this is book 5 of the series which follows Stevie Bell as she solves yet another cold case. Nine Liars takes her across the pond to England, where she gets roped into looking at a double murder from 1995.

I love these books because they immerse you in the investigation through flashbacks, police documents, newspaper articles, etc. You are right there alongside Stevie solving the mystery.

I do have to say, however, that this one may be my least favorite of the series so far. The secondary storyline wasn’t very good and distracted from the actual mystery. I found myself impatiently trying to get through these scenes.

I was so excited to see that Maureen decided to give us another Stevie Bell mystery novel and this is TRULY another fun spinoff from the original series.

This time we get to follow Stevie and the gang as they head to London without plans of a solving a murder. But we all know murder mysteries find her anyway. This book did have a little slower start but I felt like it let us catch up with our characters and before diving too far into the mystery. We also got a new character who was fun and quirky and a great addition.

The mystery itself was great. Going back and forth between flashbacks and police transcripts it was fun to watch the mystery unfold. I was proud of myself for picking up a few of the clues but the actual ending was still a surprise.

And that ending.... woah... here's to hoping we get one more book (at least)!

If your looking for a fun murder mystery with a likeable cast of characters PICK THIS UP! It's not necessary to have read the Truly Devious series or the Box in the Woods before hand - BUT I mean you should read them because they are all excellent.

Thank you HarperCollins Children's Books, Katherine Tegen Books, NetGally, and Maureen Johnson.

Nine Liars
Maureen Johnson
5/5
Genres: YA, mystery, fiction


I don't read alot of mysteries but I am a sucker for a truly devious mystery. I loved this new installment! And London! I love the new setting. The three books set at Ellingham were awesome and it got me into Stevie bell and her group of friends, but I really really love the new one-shot mystery adventures that Stevie and her friends go on. It means endless mysteries. In this book, I enjoyed the wide cast of characters too, l really had a lot to think about, and I didn't know how it was all going to come about. Like always, the clues are there in the book for me to see, but I'm not putting it all together until Stevie dees her big reveal. Sherlock style. This always feels so dramatic, like Im in suspense the whole time and I get the big reveal when all the other characters do. And as always, there is a cliff hanger that will make me buy the next one as soon as it comes out! I also appreciated that this book felt more adult. The group is on their own in a new place, and Stevie and Davids relationship is more fleshed out. I know that a book where murder is the primary plot, it's hard to write that into a young adult book, but this one felt more mature. In a good way of course.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Definitely not my favorite in this series, but still a reasonably entertaining book. I do love Stevie and all her quirks! The pace of this book was slower and harder to get into than the past books.

While I didn’t mind the location change to England, I felt that a lot of time was spent on describing the random itinerary they were supposed to be covering for school credit instead of actually advancing the plot.

The book ends suddenly, which leaves the door open for another installment of the series. I look forward to reading that one too!

Thank you to #netgalley for this ARC of #nineliars

While I thoroughly enjoyed being back with Stevie Bell and friends, this mystery (which was in and of itself a great one), was overshadowed by a focus on furthering Stevie and David's relationship. While I totally understand Johnson's desire to have Stevie and David's relationship grow and adjust as her audience matures, the obsession that she conveyed with this and the focus she put on it detracted from the mystery as a whole. Additionally, the many characters of the Nine were at times difficult to keep track of, but I didn't mind this as I enjoyed being surprised at the end, and I know an entourage of characters can help with this! Overall, I will recommend this to students, as it was wonderful to spend more time with Stevie and crew.

(4.5⭐️) Maureen Johnson strikes again with a great Ya mystery!! I loved the whole London Country house Murder vibe, it was definitely such a cozy mystery!! The murder was also well woven into the original stories and characters while still being new and fresh. I love how the books 4-6 have their own standalone murders, it keeps it new and interesting!! (Although I definitely loved books 1-3). I think “box in the woods” (book 4) might be a tiny bit better, and the plot of this one was a tiny bit more predictable than book 4, but this one was still great. I love how Maureen Johnson is exploring different settings with book 4-6, as the first 3 books were boarding school mysteries, but book 4 and 5 were completely different yet somehow worked so well. (Book 4 was a summer camp slasher-esque setting, book 5 was a London country house Cozy mystery) even with these complete setting shofts, Johnson still manages to make the story fit so effortlessly. It’s very rare to see further books in a series/spinoff series that are as good as the original, but these definitely hold up in quality to the originals. I am excited to see what setting Johnson explores next, but whatever it ends up being, I know it will be great.

Just like the previous books, you will probably just want to binge the whole thing in one sitting. If I wasn’t working and at school, I definitely would’ve done that!! Just get some tea and hang out by the fire with this Maureen Johnson twist on a cozy mystery!

We got to see a lot of the character growth of the main characters as they are getting ready to graduate and start their lives apart from Ellingham. We got to see all of their relationships grow deeper and more complex as the individual characters grow and change, which I love. I have loved this journey of growing and maturing with the characters over the past few years!

Again, like I have said in every book, I love how prominent and unapologetically Stevie’s anxiety and panic disorders are portrayed. Stevie is such a well developed, complicated, flawed but still extremely lovable character. I love how we get to see all sides of her and how her brain thinks through mysteries but also how it copes with these mental health issues. Such amazing mental health awareness, as well as so much LGQBTQIA+ rep, which is amazing!!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the sixth (but hopefully not final) Truly Devious book!!

Age rating: 13+, closed door, just violence

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ebook advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book #5 in Maureen Johnson's "Truly Devious" series. I love that the five characters (Stevie, Vi, Janelle, David, and Nate) are once again together. David convinces everyone to apply for a week-long study abroad program so they can come to London, where he is attending University. While there, they meet David's new friend, Izzy. She is a delightful character and quickly convinces Stevie to investigate a cold case where two of her Aunt's best friends were murdered.

I really enjoyed the way the cold case played out and the interactions of both friend groups - Izzy's aunt and her friends, "The Nine", and Stevie' and her friends. I didn't love the interactions between Stevie and David, their relationship didn't feel as genuine and engaging as in past novels. That being said, the murder mystery part was very engaging and I was completely immersed in the suspenseful plot. A must read for fans of "Truly Devious"!

Thanks to Maureen Johnson, NetGalley, and HarperCollins Children's Books, Katherine Tegen Books for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review.

Stevie Bell is back! And we're going to London! 🇬🇧

I'm not a big cozy mystery reader but Nine Liars is almost perfect. It sets the whole autumny slightly spooky atmosphere to the point you, the reader, are right there in London, too. Even if you've never been there. I've never been there. It's definitely different from Stevie’s other adventures. And as a long time reader of Maureen Johnson, this is the first time I've seen some of the author in one of their fictional universes. You can tell Nine Liars is a piece of Maureen's heart.

Stevie and company are off to London for a short study abroad trip but also as a ruse to see David. And of course, Stevie finds a little bit of murder. As a treat. My biggest dislike is how Stevie is ooc during parts of Nine Liars. And most of that has to do with David. Is he supposed to be written as unlikable? I have never once, even a tiny little amount, liked him. And I hate that there was so much forced romance stuff between him and Stevie in this book. That's coming from me, a reader who will usually not read a book unless there is some romance. Stevie and David are not good together. But, small spoiler, I feel like where they end up at the very end of Nine Liars means there will be more Nancy Drew, I mean Stevie, books in the future. And I will devour them all.

I guess Nine Liars can be read as a starting point and kind of stand-a-alone because we get some vague throwbacks to anything important to the story. But I still recommend starting with Truly Devious to see the bigger picture and backstory.

I was a big fan of the original Truly Devious trilogy but not as much of The Box in the Woods. This one felt like a return to the earlier storytelling style and I really enjoyed it. There were many moments where I was frustrated with Stevie, who seems stuck in many ways when she doesn't have a mystery to solve, but then I had to remind myself that she's like a 17 year old high school senior and I needed to cut her some slack. It's not her fault that her friends all seem to have their shit together more than she does. I have really mixed feelings about David but that's not new, and I feel like he's kind of supposed to be that way as a character.

This story takes Stevie and her Ellingham crew international. David, her boyfriend, is studying in England and encourage Stevie to seek a short-term (week-long) study abroad to see cultural sites and stuff. Mostly it's just an excuse for Stevie to see David and her friends to be supportive. And also to go to England. But of course, when they get there, David's English buddy Izzy reveals that she has a mystery for Stevie to solve. Her aunt Angela, a former Cambridge student who was part of a close group of friends who were all in a comedy group together called The Nine, was at a country house party with the rest of the group in 1995 during which two of the members were brutally murdered. While Izzy was caring for Angela after a surgery, Angela revealed that she thinks the murder wasn't as random as they made it out to be. I really liked how things unfolded in the past storyline (though it was very intense at times), but the present-day stuff with Stevie started off a bit slow. In the end, the two storylines caught up with each other in a way that I thought worked well. I thought the mystery was satisfying (and much more believable than The Box in the Woods), and I found the whole story compelling overall. I definitely hope there are more to come in the series.

Another great mystery with Stevie Bell. I thoroughly enjoyed this one just as the previous one. Johnson’s switch from series to stand alone is transitioned so well. I hope to see more of Stevie in future stand alones.

Nine liars was fantastic with the puzzles and clues, I really enjoy seeing how Stevie tries to piece things together, even though at times I’m yelling at her “it’s right there!”
I really enjoyed the cha ge of scenery again, going to a new place and a new “cast” of characters.

Johnson is creating a new YA era of Agatha Christie with Stevie Bell and I love it. I’m looking forward to the next installment.

I've not read a Stevie Bell book before but I see she has a lot of fans! I'll want to check out the previous books as the chemistry between the characters def seems to have been set up in those books and here it coasts a little on know who is who and how the pieces fit together to really get a feel for it. The author clearly loves London and delving into its history. The mystery has a definitive Agatha Christie feel to it, As a standalone murder mystery it's good but I know those with a connection to the series will enjoy it more.

I was SO EXCITED to receive an ARC of Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson! I LOVED the Truly Devious series and thought it was a perfect young adult mystery. Nine Liars does not disappoint and is a great addition to the Stevie Bell saga.

In Nine Liars, Stevie has returned to Ellingham Academy for her senior year, but she is grappling with the uncertaintity of where she wants to go to college and also missing her boyfriend, David. David invites Stevie and her crew to come visit him for a short "study abroad" program and, as usual, shenanigans ensue. David's new friend Izzy has an aunt whose friends were mysteriously murdered back in the 90s. With David talking about Stevie's amazing crime solving abilities, Izzy asks Stevie to step in and help investigate the suspicious murders. As the story progresses we see Stevie push the limits of her friendships. While Stevie solves the mystery, Maureen Johnson leaves us with a relationship cliffhanger and I was ABSOLUTELY not ready. But you bet your bottom dollar I will be first in line for the follow up!

As previously mentioned, this is a young adult novel - so don't go in expecting brutal murders and love affairs. As Stevie is growing older, I can tell the books are growing with her, but they are still relatively tame. This lighter nature of the series makes them quick reads and I can usually finish them in a day or two. Sometimes in one sitting! Though - Nine Liars did seem a bit longer than the rest.

I enjoyed the change of scenery from the first few books. Being a home-grown New Englander I am very familiar with the areas of Vermont and Massachusetts, so having the characters travel out of country was great! I enjoyed the descriptions of Merryweather and the English country side, but there were a TON of settings in this book and sometimes it was hard to remember them all.

I appreciate the author's dedication to diversity. There are characters of various races and sexualities and Johnson makes it seem like no big deal - EXACTLY how it should be in real life. I appreciate the representation and, for that alone, I think these books can be impactful for young adult readers.

I am a little bit salty about the ending. I just want Stevie to be happy, especially in a time of such turmoil, so I am interested to see where Maureen Johnson goes with the next book.

4/5 stars from me!