“The Hand on the Wall” by New York Times bestselling author, Maureen Johnson, was released on Jan. 21. Johnson’s final book in the “Truly Devious” trilogy gives readers a captivating ending to the series. Photo fair use of Read’em and Weep
“The Hand on the Wall”, the finale to the “Truly Devious” trilogy by Maureen Johnson, is riveting despite a slow start.
New York Times bestselling young adult fiction author Maureen Johnson released the third and final installment of the “Truly Devious” series, “The Hand on the Wall”, on Jan. 21. The novel gives readers a brilliant closure to the intense, mysterious storyline of Johnson’s first two books, “Truly Devious” and “The Vanishing Stair”.
The series follows the exciting journey of teenage detective Stevie Bell as she is accepted into the notorious Ellingham Academy on her quest to solve the 1936 case of the founder’s missing daughter, Alice Ellingham, after her mother was found dead, floating in a nearby lake.
“The Hand on the Wall” picks up after Bell has finally solved the case, but with recent complications including the fiery death of her mentor, Bell faces a multitude of challenges as she pursues her investigation, adding an exciting element of disaster to the book.
This final installment portrays Johnson’s excellent ability to make readers feel as if they are a part of the story even though the book is written in third person. Along with this, Johnson uses unique characters that formulate a fantastic group complementing Bell’s story in a way that makes the plot more interesting.
While Johnson does a phenomenal job of depicting Bell, her surroundings and her friends, the action doesn’t start until closer to the end of the book, leaving readers wondering what is going to happen for far too long.
While “The Hand on the Wall” starts off slower than readers would anticipate which detracts from the overall value of the final book, it is still an amazing end to the trilogy due to Johnson’s exquisite and descriptive voice and interesting storyline.
