The Hand on the Wall (Truly Devious, 3)

New York Times and USA Today bestseller!

New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson delivers the witty and pulse-pounding conclusion to the Truly Devious series as Stevie Bell solves the mystery that has haunted Ellingham Academy for over 75 years.

Ellingham Academy must be cursed. Three people are now dead. One, a victim of either a prank gone wrong or a murder. Another, dead by misadventure. And now, an accident in Burlington has claimed another life. All three in the wrong place at the wrong time. All at the exact moment of Stevie's greatest triumph . . .

She knows who Truly Devious is. She's solved it. The greatest case of the century.

At least, she thinks she has. With this latest tragedy, it's hard to concentrate on the past. Not only has someone died in town, but David disappeared of his own free will and is up to something. Stevie is sure that somehow--somehow--all these things connect. The three deaths in the present. The deaths in the past. The missing Alice Ellingham and the missing David Eastman. Somewhere in this place of riddles and puzzles there must be answers.

Then another accident occurs as a massive storm heads toward Vermont. This is too much for the parents and administrators. Ellingham Academy is evacuated. Obviously, it's time for Stevie to do something stupid. It's time to stay on the mountain and face the storm--and a murderer.

In the tantalizing finale to the Truly Devious trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson expertly tangles her dual narrative threads and ignites an explosive end for all who've walked through Ellingham Academy.

Praise for the Truly Devious series:

"Readers, hang tight: there's one more round to come, and if the signs are right, it'll be to die for." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The Agatha Christie-like ecosystem pairs with lacerating contemporary wit, and alternating past and present scenes makes for a multilayered, modern detective story." --New York Times Book Review

"Remember the first time reading Harry Potter and knowing it was special? There's that same sense of magic in the introduction of teen Sherlock-in-training Stevie Bell." --USA Today (four stars)

"Be still, my Agatha-Christie-loving beating heart." --Bustle

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384 pages

Average rating: 7.97

38 RATINGS

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6 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

Anonymous
Aug 22, 2024
10/10 stars
HOLY SHIT. God. Amazing.
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Writer13
Feb 13, 2024
10/10 stars
***review coming soon***
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nickimonkey
Nov 27, 2023
10/10 stars
A wonderful conclusion to this trilogy. On to the standalones
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Sheriklemm
Jun 19, 2023
7/10 stars
It holds your interest and wraps up the series but I found it a bit too formulating and wrapped up too “neatly.” The way “ghost alice” is playing with the ball in the ballroom while her “parents” watch is reminiscent of how in titanic everyone returns to ballroom when rose dies to live happily ever after in the afterlife. The author makes it seem like iris and Albert were this happy couple in the afterlife but what about his years-long affair with the house mother at the school? Also maki g Charles the bad guy makes the least amount of sense. To me having the nephew do it would make more sense. He always wanted to go to the school. He was poor and could’ve benefitted from inheriting the millions in rewards. He had contact with Hayes and Ellie in town AND could’ve gotten the info from his drunk aunt that he said he wasn’t that close to. Relationship between Stevie and David feels artificial too.
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Anonymous
Apr 24, 2023
6/10 stars
The third book in the Truly Devious series ties everything up as well as you'd expect. It was enjoyable but by the time I finished the trilogy, I was more than ready to be finished with the characters. This may be my personal preference about series in general than anything else. The mystery was well-thought and the dialogue was clever, so I can see why this series is so popular. I personally would have preferred a standalone.
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