Review Detail

Five books into the series and the storylines are still gripping and on point for a great mystery. I am impressed with the characters Maureen Johnson has created because there are so many cold cases in which Stevie Bell’s potential for more stories is unlimited. Stevie is so relatable as a character. She only has an okay home life with tension and financial burdens. She gets overwhelmed and avoids conversations and decisions yet is also completely brilliant when it comes to solving crime.
David is an interesting romantic interest because he is flawed. He has overcome the playboy rich boy past now that he is away from his toxic father yet he still is privileged and learning who he is and wants to be. He is Stevie’s first love and they both are holding on as much as they are fighting and not getting along. Their relationship went to the next level and then there was trouble between them. It is refreshing to see such a real and complicated relationship depicted in a YA book.
Changing the scenery to London was fun and added an extra level of intrigue to the mystery. The premise of why Stevie went to London was believable. However, as much as I love her relationship dynamic with Nate, Vi, and Janelle it is getting a bit formulaic and unbelievable that twice she was able to get the whole team with her on a case off the grounds of Ellingham. Each person has their own paths they are pursuing so I wonder about upcoming books and whether Stevie will learn how to do this on her own or if there will be a thin excuse to continue to bring the whole group with her. They have depth as support characters that become a bit flat if they continue to join her.
I enjoy the two timelines so we can both see the murders unfold and gain a sense of who the victims and murder suspects are as people as well as Stevie trying to put together the cold case and find the culprit. The final reveal is always surprising and satisfying. Once again, every book is set up with this formula which on the structural level is repetitive, yet it still works so well that I open the book knowing I will be satisfied and devour the whole story quickly. I think it speaks very highly of any book when you want to read it again. With this series, you can have the experience of the mystery unfolding the first time you read and then of reading it again to see the clues that were missed the first time.