Maureen Johnson is a new to me author, and Death At Morning House has cemented the fact they I need to read her backlist.

I really enjoy YA mysteries and Death At Morning House nailed it. The characters are fantastic and this book captivated me from the first page and never let go.

This is the perfect new mystery for fans of the Truly Devious series. Between the writing style and them both having dual storylines with different mysteries unfolding throughout the story, the vibes are similar.

While our new female main character, Marlowe, isn’t the dedicated detective Stevie Bell is, Marlowe is a great MC all on her own. She is smart, observant, and quirky. I enjoyed being inside her POV. I totally wasn’t expecting a sapphic MC but was pleasantly surprised.

Overall, I liked this stand-alone, and would love to see this cast of characters again.

If you're looking for an interesting, mysterious story with not a lot of profanity, sex, etc. Then this is the story for you. It was thoroughly intriguing and I loved the back and forth points of view from past to present. I thought I had it figured out but the last few chapters shook me. Lol. Definitely a good read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an e-arc of this book!!

Marlowe Wexler is pretty much having the worst summer of her life, when it was initially looking like it would be the best. Marlowe is working at the ice cream place in town and gets put on a few shifts with her crush, ultimately leading to them going on a date together. Afterward, Marlowe brings her to a really nice house on the lake that she cleans. While the two girls are hanging out, Marlowe lights a candle, which ends up burning pretty much the whole house down. While the owners don’t blame Marlowe, accepting that it was an accident, it’s clear that members of her town think she did it on purpose. Dealing with stares and whispers, Marlowe retreats into a lonely, depressive state at home- until one of her old teachers brings her the opportunity of working as a tour guide at an infamous house converted mansion on an island in the Thousand Islands region.

Marlowe jumps at the chance to go to the island and get out of her town for the summer. She’s excited to meet people who don’t know about the fire, only to arrive and realize they have already been told. Still, her new coworkers seem friendly enough and it’s still better than being at home. Everything seems pretty normal at first, until Marlowe finds out that she has come to the island to replace Chris, a worker who died mere weeks before. The death was ruled an accident, but as more weird and sinister things come to light throughout the summer, Marlowe begins to wonder if she is stuck on the island with a killer.

At the same time, the mysterious circumstances of the family who lived in the house is also unfolding throughout the summer. Everyone knows that the family was a bit odd, but no one can pinpoint what happened on the day that the youngest son and oldest daughter both passed away, resulting in the family completely abandoning the house.

I really enjoyed this novel! It definitely kept me guessing and had the same fun spirit as the Truly Devious series, also by Maureen Johnson. I think that fans of that series and the Inheritance Game series by Jennifer L Barnes will want to pick this one up!

I liked the idea of this one, but I struggled with the voice/tone of the modern day segments. I preferred the style/tone of the historical chapters, which surprised me because I'm usually not the biggest fan of historical stories. Unfortunately I just wasn't very invested in this mystery.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.

Death at Morning House is a standalone story from Maureen Johnson, the author of the Truly Devious novels.

"Marlowe didn't mean to burn the house down. It was the candle's fault. I mean, what kind of candle explodes?!? Her parents send her to the Morning House for the summer to work with the teens doing tours. The house was the site of the Ralston family tragedy back in the 30's when two children died the same day. Marlowe finds out she is replacing a kid who died and wonders what she's gotten into."

Johnson writes characters that are a little bit on the fringe. Marlowe is awkward, but has the same feelings as most teenagers. The group at Morning House is full of personality. It may seem like there's some stereotypes but Johnson adds just a little more. There is a dual timeline where we find out what really happened on the long ago day to the Ralston family. Johnson gives an important clue so if there's a word you don't recognize, look it up. You probably won't guess either killer. Nice ending from Johnson, too.

Great standalone, entertaining story from Johnson.

I loved this dual-timeline YA mystery from one of my favorite YA authors, Maureen Johnson. After a date goes disastrously wrong, Marlowe needs to get out of town and starts working at Morning House, a historical home and site of a family tragedy. As time goes on, we learn what really happened at Morning House that fateful day, and see those events mirrored in the present.

If you are a fan of the author's Truly Devious series, you will find a lot to like here: funny, quirky characters, an atmospheric setting in the form of a creepy, isolated house, and a locked room mystery (times 2!) that unravels. The pace was fast, and kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved Marlowe, and the side characters in the form of her coworkers were also a treat. The sense of unease throughout the whole book kept me on the edge of my seat. I read this book in 2 days, because I truly could not put it down without finding out what would happen next.

I have been reading Maureen Johnson books for about 15 years and books like this ensure her as a must-buy author for me.

Marlowe Wexler has the worst luck. All she wanted was a romantic date with her crush, Akilah, but when things went up in flames (literally), and thinking Akilah wouldn't have anything to do with her after that, she took a summer job at Morning House, a mansion built on an island in the 1920s and abandoned shortly thereafter when the family staying there suffered unthinkable tragedy. Now, for the first time since that happened, they are opening the island up for tours, and Marlowe gets a job there as a tour guide. What she discovers while staying there is the mystery of why the previous occupants left, and why history seems to be repeating itself.

I really liked this book. The mystery was fresh, and the characters were many, varied, and unique. Watching Marlowe enter the group and try to find her place in it was interesting, but the best part was, of course, the mysteries themselves. The dual timeline and POV kept things hopping, and the ending tied things up nicely.

I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.

5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books/HarperTeen, and Maureen Johnson for the opportunity to read and review Death at Morning House.

Death at Morning House

By: Maureen Johnson

Publish Date: August 6, 2024

Publisher: Harpercollins children’s Books/Harper Teen

Mystery and Thrillers/Teens and YA

#DeathatMorningHouse#NetGalley

200 Book Reviews Professional Reader

I would like to thank both Harpercollins and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Book Review:

I gave this book 4 stars. It was a little slow at the beginning, but it started to pick up around 60% of the way through. It is a dual timeline. Present time and July of 1932. On July 27, 1932, two children died. One from drowning and the other from a fall. The family left the next day. The house has remained empty since. Present day the home has been bought and renovated and is open for the summer for touring before it is closed to the public for private use. There is an historian who is doing research on the house and the family who used to own it. She is also the boss of the 6 teenagers who are working there for the summer. Three of them are in charge of the tours, one is a lifeguard for the lagoon pool, 1 is in charge of the water equipment such as the boat and jet ski and the last one is in charge of the gift shop. 5 of the teenagers are from the local area and the 6th one is from out of town who was just recently brought in to fill an empty spot. Why was she brought in instead of using another local teen? You will have to read the book. There are actually several mysteries in this book, and you really need to pay attention to get the clues. I was surprised at one of them and barely figured out the other ones just before the reveal.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the friendship; even though some of the friends weren’t perfect but that is how life is. I liked how they worked together even though they didn’t think they could trust each other.

So I gave this 4.5/5 stars. I really enjoyed this books. I loved all the characters, they are were likeable. I loved the dual timeline and multiple POV. Marlowe was smart and I loved the way she thought. I could not put this book down and when I thought I knew what was going on I didn’t. There were so many twist and turns. A good mystery always keeps you on your toes and this did that so well. The filler and commentary were great and did not take away from the story. It flowed so smoothly . The ending was great to see it all come together and it got a big “WTF” lol so I highly recommend this book yall! I will probably take a stab at her other books as well!

I will read anything that Maureen Johnson writes, so I was super excited to read Death at Morning House. When four teenagers are working on at a mansion on an island, the new comer realizes there are secrets no one is sharing. Is the house haunted or is there something else going on? The book discusses a coming of age story, betrayal, the power of family, and has an overall feel-good message by the end. Will be purchasing for my library. Highly recommended.

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

Somehow, I still haven’t read Truly Devious, but now I feel the feral need to go back and read that series asap after loving this one so much!

If you like:
🤣 deliciously dark humor
👯‍♀️ Great Cast of character
🔐 Locked Room Thrillers
🔍 Who did it?!
✌🏻 Dual Storylines
💨 Fast Paced Thrillers
📓 YA Books

Maureen absolutely nailed the frustrating and often faulty logic and overly brave actions of teenagers!

All the clues, twists and turns, and misdirection were so well done to bring this story together and to keep me reading unable to put it down!

The dual timelines and multiple POVs absolutely made me eat up the story even more needing to know the connection…

Thank you so so so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my review! I hope others enjoy this one as much as I did and I now fully get the hype around this new to me author!

This book was such a good take on the 1920’s making the reader feel and see the story. It was a good mystery that kept me hooked from the very beginning. It had me at the edge of my seat praying for her safety, loved this read.

I loved the Truly Devious series and was excited to see a new Maureen Johnson. This is very similar, but such a fun read. The back and forth between timelines and perspectives made for a good story.

After accidentally setting a fire on her date, Marlowe decides to take the summer off and become a tour guide on an island... and finds herself having. to solve a mystery that has bodies dropping while simultaneously trying to figure out an unsolved mystery of an a mysterious family on the island. Marlowe Wexler was just trying to impress her date... too bad that ended with her accidentally setting the house on fire and her crush quitting the same job they had too. Marlowe then decides to get a new summer job: working as a tour guide on the same island where Morning House is, a famous mansion that was abandoned due to the fact that there were so many deaths and that the house has a horrific secret that remains unsolved. Not to mention the new friend group she has also had one of their friends mysteriously die... and now another body has dropped. Marlowe is determined to find out what is happening and who is doing this before she becomes the next target. Can she figure out who is killing people and who had killed the family at Morning House? This is definitely a summer mystery read. While I was iffy on the mystery, I did like the two separate mysteries and the dual timeline. I kind of wish the pacing was a bit better and the mystery a bit more fun to unravel, but you can't win them all. Its an overall okay mystery read for me but I definitely would recommend it for YA readers looking for a summer mystery.

Release Date: August 6,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperTeen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Told from past and present this book unravels the tale of a family led by a patriarch obsessed with the science of eugenics. But the death of two of his children causes him to abandon his home which is bought and reopened for tours years later. However the house has more secrets to discover and some may be deadly.

Marlowe Wexler is a tour guide at Morning House, a 1920s island mansion. But the longer she's there, the more she thinks something isn't quite right.

This is a good book with lots of twists and turns. Alternating between the past and the present is like getting a twofer!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available August 6, 2024

I requested Maureen Johnson’s newest standalone YA mystery DEATH AT MORNING HOUSE because I’m a big fan of her Stevie Bell mysteries, and this book did not disappoint! After a mishap at home, a teenager takes a job leading tours at the historical Morning House in the thousand islands. Mysteries and mayhem in classic Maureen Johnson style ensue.

The pacing of this book was really excellent. Johnson is a master of her craft. The characters were likeable and funny, and the mysteries satisfying. I really thought I’d had it figured out, but my suspect was a red herring. Can’t wait for more! Hope we see Marlowe, Van, Riki and Akilah again.

Fans of Truly Devious series will love this one!
I enjoyed the duel timelines it has historical fiction vibes with mystery and it flowed smoothly between the timelines.
Maureen did a good job showing the individual personalities of the characters, Some I liked some I didn’t.
I like the MC Marlowe the way she thinks and all of the interactions and relationship she formed. The old mansion on the 1000 Islands was cool. I thought I had it figured out but the twist made it so exciting ☺️🤓💜📚
I liked this book!
Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️