Horror & Mystery

In the 1970s in Barcelona, Spain, Oscar goes to a boarding school and likes to wander the city in his free time. He walks around an area that’s mostly abandoned mansions, and wanders into one when he sees a light on. This choice ends up changing the course of his life. He makes friends with a girl about his age named Marina and her aging father. Oscar and Marina see an old woman in all black, wearing a veil, visit an unnamed grave in an old cemetary, and this sets them on a quest to uncover a mystery that’s gone unsolved in Barcelona for the last 30 years.

The story is wonderfully told, magnificent and vivid. It’s both beautiful and nostalgic while also harboring moments of horror and mystery between the tales of Oscar and Mariana’s friendship. There are so many layers and characters, and I loved the blend of beautiful literature with mystery and horror.

I’d recommend this book for anyone who wants to watch a mystery unravel by collecting stories, who wants to be immersed deeply in a book, and who’s willing to suspend a little disbelief in return for a fantastic tale.

Generations ago, the Irish drove the Fae out of Ireland for good. And now, the Fae are back for revenge. All teens will eventually be snatched into the Feywild and must fight for their lives for an entire day if they hope to ever make it back. A day in the Grayland is only 3 minutes and 4 seconds in Ireland, and at the end of that time you come back, alive, mutilated, or dead. Teens like Nessa are sent to training colleges to get in shape to run and battle for their lives, learn the language of the Fae, and read the testimonies of survivors who managed to escape. This story follows Nessa and her classmates as they prepare for the worst day of their lives.

I couldn't put this book down! The story shifts from character to character and shows what happens to each person as they disappear into the Feywild. The Fae do gruesome, awful things to the people they drag into their lands, and often return their bodies horrible brutalized. The story blends folklore, horror, and dystopian themes in unexpected ways.

I'd recommend this book for anyone who loved The Hunger Games, can stomach gore, and wants their horror with a heavy dash of folklore.

Book 1: Truly Devious

Book 2: The Vanishing Stair

Book 3: The Hand on the Wall

Stevie Bell is a true crime aficionado who somehow got a coveted spot at Ellingham Academy, the prestigious boarding school for students with niche passions and studies. Stevie is determined to solve the famous cold case, the "Truly Devious" murders, which involved the kidnapping of the founder's wife and daughter, and death of the wife and a student -- though the daughter was never found.

Unsure if she belongs, and plagued by her anxiety and panic attacks, Stevie is just starting to get her feet under her when a death strikes again at Ellingham. Stevie's detective instincts lead her to explore the case, even though it means putting her safety at risk. Can these two cases possibly be related?

As a fan of true crime, I loved Stevie right from the get-go. This book series is a fantastic blend of mystery, murder, friendships, and mental health. Stevie's anxiety is part of her, but doesn't own her. Her friendships are real, and come with all the struggles teen relationships are mired in. The cast of characters are quirky, yet become more round and realistic as you get to know them. And the flashback scenes to the original crimes are no less fantastic.

I'd recommend this novel to true crime fans, lovers of mystery, and anyone who has the time to devour the 3-book series quickly, because you won't want to put it down!

Additional Review by Ms. Ingrid Strange

The Hand on the Wall is the 3rd book in Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious trilogy. Yes, I have read them all, and within a week's time frame as they were riveting! The heroine, Stevie, has been accepted at the exclusive Ellingham Academy in Vermont and is intrigued with the mystery of someone who named themselves Truly Devious when back in 1936 when a student was killed and the wife and daughter of the founder, Albert Ellingerham. The wife is found dead a week later, but the daughter was never been recovered, dead or alive. Stevie has read everything she can get her hands on regarding the tragedy, and is determined to solve the crime committed a lifetime ago. Johnson toggles from present to past, adding a rich, complex layer of backstory that fit together like a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. We meet some very interesting students and instructors while Stevie continues to unearth the clues from over 50 years ago. While she investigates, more deaths happen, as if her peeling back the layers of mystery allows Truly Devious access to the present. The suspense is real and the reveal is surprising.

*CW/TW* Child Abuse

Sadie has spent most of her life raising her little sister, Mattie. Their mom left years ago, taking her drinking and drug problems with her. Mattie is murdered, and soon after Sadie leaves town, telling no one. A true crime podcast hears of this story months later, and produces a season trying to track Sadie down and find out what really happened to the girls. Told in chapters alternating between Sadie and the podcast, the truth is slowly revealed, and it's more than anyone bargained for.

This novel is masterfully written, and both Sadie and the podcast feel so real and raw. The story deals with many forms of neglect and abuse, making it a difficult yet important read. Sadie is always a few steps ahead of the podcast, and readers get to intimately know her through her first person narration. The podcast features those who love the girls, and follows the trail of breadcrumbs Sadie never meant to leave behind. It's a study in the dark side of "true crime" and the realities of the world we'd often rather not face.

I'd recommend this novel for fans of true-crime podcasts, mystery lovers, and people who can cope when stories don't have happy endings.