Another great Stevie Bell mystery. The ending has nothing to do with the overall mystery (no spoilers), so with that being said… WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I NEED ANOTHER BOOK TO EXPLAIN THE REASON WHY I’M ON THE FLOOR AFTER HAVING THE RUG PULLED OUT FROM UNDERNEATH ME!!!!!!

I love Stevie Bell and the gang solving mysteries. And an English countryside axe murder at that! The time jumps and the way the mystery unfolded was so good. The new characters were so interesting and delightfully difficult to read. This is a solid continuation of one of my favorite series. And just as expected, I could not put it down.

These mysteries by Maureen Johnson are my favorite stories I've read by her. Stevie and her entourage keep growing as characters with each installment and I love each and every one of them.

I really liked the setup of this mystery and the setting of London. It gave me Sherlock Holmes vibes and (just a tip) listening to a "reading mystery" playlist while reading it was elite.

While the mystery setup was amazing, the murderer reveal left a bit to be desired. This was the first of these novels where I was able to guess the murderer early, and I wasn't satisfied with the explanation of why they did it.

The ENDING?!?! Stevie didn't deserve that. I'm mad on her behalf. Can't wait for book 6!

I received this e-ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Stevie Bell AND London? Yes please. Johnson's deep interest and love of writing about London is very clear in this story. Stevie feels a little lost with no big case, her boyfriend David in London, and no clarity on what college will look like for her. But then she and her friends find a way to go to London for school (God bless Ellingham, honestly. If only my own boarding school has been as cool...) and David's friend gives her a cold case to work on.

This book definitely has a different feel from earlier Truly Devious stories. It's more centered on the relationships of the characters and interpersonal drama. Stevie's also in a darker place emotionally.

I admit I prefer the earlier books in the series, but this one still didn't disappoint. Can't wait to see Stevie back again!

I'm writing this now that the strike has ended. It wasn't my favorite of the series, but it wasn't bad. It honestly felt a little tacked on. And I hated the David storyline. I do hope there's another to fix it. And because I actually do love this series and want to read more that doesn't seem like it was a last minute cash grab. Real rating 3.5

I loved this book. I thought the different setting of an English manor house made this book extra good. I liked the addition of a new character or two but Johnson also brings the friends who we love to London with Stevie. I love this one just as much as the others and I can't wait to see what comes next for Stevie Bell.

Honestly, I thought this series was going to end with the original trilogy — I'm so glad that it's continued on. I loved Nine Liars — loved that it was set in England!! Can't wait for more Stevie mysteries (there are more ... right?!)

A solid book 5 in the series. One thing I appreciated is that I did not have to have a super solid recollection of the previous books in the series as this book sits alone pretty well.

I liked the mystery, it was so interesting how everything unfolded and the reason why and who committed the murder was a surprise for me. It did end somewhat unresolved and left itself open for another installment. I like that this was a standalone mystery since the first in this series was a trilogy and while they reference the other murders that Stevie has solved, there is no mention of who the culprit was or why so you are free to go back and read the other 4 books before this without any spoilers other than she solved the crimes. I liked Stevie's process in solving the murders and how compulsive she got on figuring it out and having to solve it.

Thanks to Katherine Tegen Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

Once again. Maureen nails it with another Masterpiece.

Stevie Bell and her friends go abroad to help David and his new friend solve a crime from the past.
Maureen again share history of a past crime and plenty of historical information about where this book is taking place.
We are introduced to new, fun, and interesting characters. We also see the growth changes in Stevie and her friends as they navigate through the "almost" adult age.
This book is clever and flawless. There are clues if the reader pays very close attention.
The reader will enjoy the strong loyal bonds between all these characters.

This book definitely leaves the reader wanting more and we will all be running to the store when the next book is out.

I love these novels so much! I thought this was a great edition to the series! And I guess there will be a third 👀

This book did not disappoint, but geez is the ending cruel! I feel like it makes for a great series in the future though. Cliffhangers make it easier for a reader to fly through a completed series. I loved that these books take the main characters all over the world, and you can tell Stevie's character development has evolved with each new book.

Let me start by saying I have been a huge fan of this series and really appreciate that the stories have been able to continue outside of the school, Ellingham Academy. This latest in the series has Stevie and her friends in London. This was a great mystery and cold case, the locations were amazing including an old historic English manor. Unfortunately I struggled getting into the rest of the story. I was disappointed in Stevie and the way her story unfolded. I found her to be callous and the way she interacted with her friends made her very unlikeable. Her relationship with David was very strange and their story seemed unnecessary.
The bottom line is that this is a great mystery but for me the relationships and angst were a deal breaker for me. At this point I am not sure I will continue with the series.
4 ⭐️ for the mystery, 2 ⭐️ for the drama= 3 ⭐️ overall

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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I have been a longtime fan of Maureen Johnson (at the risk of dating myself think "way back when Tumblr was the best way to connect with authors you loved.") and let me say, I feel personally victimized by the ending of "Nine Liars." MAUREEN! How am I possibly supposed to wait for another Stevie Bell mystery to tie up all of the loose threads you left us? I literally gasped out loud when I realized that the final page was, indeed, the end of the novel. I wanted another hundred pages!

Stevie (and by extension, Maureen) are at their very best in "Nine Liars." We have an English country murder house, we have a long-unsolved mystery, we have Stevie and Co. traveling internationally, we have the end of Ellingham and the beginning of a new chapter quickly approaching, and we have dreamy coat-wearing David. It was an absolutely superb reading experience.

Senior year at Ellingham has found Stevie mostly pining after David, who is studying abroad in London, putting off her college applications, and aimlessly going through the motions as she drifts along looking for her next source of excitement. When David surprises her by arranging a week-long study abroad trip for her, Nate, Janelle, and Vi, she thinks it might be just the thing to jumpstart her mind and help her start looking further ahead than the next 45 minutes.

When she arrives in England, she finds herself unprepared for David's new friend Izzy and taken aback by the fact that Izzy seems to have found the perfect mystery for her to work on during her time in London. Izzy's Aunt Angela was staying at an English country manor with friends when two of them were murdered with an axe during a game of hide and seek. The case was assumed to be a burglary gone wrong, but Angela has carried a key piece of information with her through the decades that might just prove the murder was one of their own party. With little information, virtually no evidence, and the clock ticking down to their return flight to the US, will the third time be the charm for Stevie, or will she finally meet her match?

Stevie's mysteries are a must-read for adult and young adult fans of mystery. The writing is so well done, the clues so expertly laid, and the characters so lovable and real. Fans of Karen McManus, Holly Jackson, and Alexa Donne, in particular, would be good fits for Johnson's deep back catalog. "Nine Liars" is already catapulted itself to my "Top Reads of 2023" and I will be eagerly awaiting our next installment. Special thanks to NetGalley and to Katherine Tegen Books for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy of "Nine Liars" in exchange for an unbiased review!

Coming to Nine Liars as a long-time Maureen Johnson reader (especially Shades of London) is a bit like coming home, albeit with new neighbors. The references to Jack the Ripper and to the Shades of London was a small delight for sure, though the bulk of my excitement was to continue to watch the characters of Truly Devious grow and develop. I will say that, as with all the Truly Devious books, I don’t really see how the reader would solve this mystery with Stevie, and that it took quite a while to even understand exactly how the central mystery would become relevant, but I read these books for the characters and the relationships and for interesting mysteries even if I can’t solve them myself. I would absolutely recommend this book to any young adults and new adults interested in mystery series, and I think it could even serve as an entry point without being too confusing or spoiling earlier mysteries for a first time reader - something that has become quite rare in series.

My Review:

9/10
Before I even start my review, I wanted to say thank you to the HarperCollins team for approving me for this title on NetGalley. That's not all though. Around a month or two ago, Maureen Johnson was holding a giveaway, where there were only 150 printed ARC's circulating the earth, and I won a copy of one of them. It is truly a beautiful thing, and I cherish it. This was the post on Instagram I created and here is what the beautiful book looks like. So thank you Maureen for picking me as a winner!
Now let me get onto the review portion of this review. I am first going to branch out and say that I liked this book much more than the other standalone novel, The Box In The Woods, for one reason. There were more suspects and characters involved in the story. I found it gave my imagination more to work with, and made the puzzle of who the murderer was, more difficult to solve. It was a thinker.
Another reason I enjoyed reading this novel is because there were two mysteries going on simultaneously. Not just who the murderer was, but also a missing persons case. This novel I felt stayed more true to the original trilogy. I mean this in a way that the murder took place in the 90's and it is affecting the missing persons case today. So kudos to the author for that. There is nothing else to really say.

I am very glad I read this book, and I think any mystery fan would feel the same way about it. If you are not a huge reader but are a fan of:

- Knives Out

- Clue

- One Of Us Is Lying

This book might be just the thing to help you fall in love with reading.

Nine Liars is a continuation of Stevie Bell’s story that begins with Truly Devious. You can read this book before the other ones as it is a stand alone mystery, but I highly recommend the Truly Devious series if you haven’t read it. It’s so fun and fast paced. If you want more information on the books, I actually have book reviews for all of the books in the series. ❤️

I loved being back in this world after a small hiatus. This book took us on a journey through England, and it was so much fun! Stevie, Janelle, Nate, and Vi are still such fun characters to follow. The mystery Stevie finds herself involved in was a bit different from earlier ones, but it made it all the more intense as the stakes were higher. It felt like it’s setting up Stevie for the real world.

This book has set up something that I’m so anxious to see resolved in the next book, so I’m highly anticipating the next Stevie Bell mystery. I can’t wait! ☺️

This book was a 4.5/ 5 ✨

Very good! I loved the Truly Devious trilogy and am so glad to continue to get more of Stevie’s detecting adventures. Nine Liars is an excellent addition to this series, keeping me intrigued and interested throughout. I really liked the English setting and found the mystery to be very well done. I didn’t love the ending, but I’m obviously going to pick up the next installment to see what happens next!

I loved joining Stevie and her friends on a new mystery and that ending! I will always love joining Stevie and her friends on adventures and I’d like to add ew, David.

I'm on a quest to get everyone I know to read the Truly Devious books by Maureen Johnson. This latest installment of the bestselling series may be the 5th book, but you don't necessarily need to read the first 4 to appreciate this amazing mystery!

Nine Liars is brilliant. Stevie and her friends cross the pond to visit David and help solve a cold case. No one else could have written this book as well as Maureen Johnson. We learn more about our main characters while also meeting The Nine. Each of The Nine were fleshed out characters in their own right and the mystery surrounding their last week together in College kept me on the edge of my seat! The shocking twists and turns that fans have come to love are present and ramped up! But the very best part of Nine Liars, like all the Truly Devious books is Stevie. Maureen Johnson completely captures how minds work and how sometimes emotions don't just go from A to B in a straight line. I highly recommend Nine Liars!