Do you long for the feeling of reading Nancy Drew or Miss Fisher mysteries? Have you been longing for a new mystery, a new strong willed female detective, a new adventure? Look no further than Maureen Johnson’s triumphant new book, Truly Devious.
Greatest Hits:
Not only is this book a love letter to the mystery genre, it winds itself around your soul until you are compelled to finish it in a single sitting. The pacing is phenomenal, the prose has a cinematic quality that is executed flawlessly, and the characters are so lovable it’s almost impossible not to get attached to them.
Possibly my only complaint is that the love interest doesn’t have much chemistry with the protagonist and actually is the only character I had a hard time rooting for. If I had to guess I’d say that at some point in a later book the protagonist is going to realize she’s not into this character at all, but perhaps I’m reading too much into that.
In any case the protagonist herself is so utterly delightful that she lifts the book into the stratosphere of my all time favorite few. Her voice rings off the page with such believability that I wondered briefly if she might be a real person. I got lost in this book, and that is owing largely to the fact that it is so character driven.
My conclusion:
This book is a must read for mystery fans and those just dipping a toe into the genre. If you like character driven stories with suspense, this is absolutely for you.
Happy reading!
-Kat
Kat Pollock 