When I read Truly Devious a few years ago I knew it was something special. While it was too YA for my middle school library and for the award committee I was reading for, I myself was hooked. Last year, during a lag time on the committee, I reread Truly Devious and read the other 2 books in the series - and bought them for myself (I don't buy many books for myself really). So, when I saw this on the Goodreads of a friend I rushed right over to Amazon to get it. Drat - not published yet, so the next best thing - get it on NetGalley and read it. Don't worry - I will be purchasing it for myself.

After solving the Ellingham mystery Stevie has time on her hands and no plans. When she is invited to work at a summer camp where murders took place in 1978 she jumps at the chance to work on another mystery. But for a long time she is stumped - was it a drug deal gone bad, a serial killer called the Woodsman, or something else entirely? Maybe it's just enough to find a mysterious missing diary of one of the victims... except that the diary is dangerous and could expose everything.

Loved this - favorite characters back, good mystery, and just darn good overall. Now I think I may need to read more by Maureen Johnson.

As always, Maureen Johnson's skill at detective stories is A++. Although this book was in a different setting than the original Truly Devious mysteries, Stevie is no less a compelling protagonist, and the twists are just as delightfully twisty. Did I worry the magic wouldn't be there if the book wasn't at Ellingham? Yes. Were those fears unfounded? DEFINITELY.

Stevie does it again. Maureen writes snarky young heroines like no one else. And the cast of supporting characters are truly hilarious and a great example of friendship through thick, thin, and murder. I fell in love with Maureen Johnson reading her lighter romantic comedies, and while I miss those, I am impressed with how she creates the same warmth and fun in suspenseful books like this one. She makes me like this genre more than I thought I would.

I have such mixed feelings about The Box in the Woods! I loved the original Truly Devious trilogy so I was excited to be back with Stevie and everyone else, solving a new (old) mystery, but this one never quite came together for me. This started out alternating chapters between the present and the past, but eventually became just the present and the parts about the past crime felt more like an info-dump than an organic story. The case also seemed to wrap up really quickly at the end and while I enjoyed Stevie's best Poirot, I also felt a little cheated because there didn't seem to be any way for the reader to come to the same conclusion based on what was in the text. While I didn't like this one as much as Truly Devious, it's a good summertime mystery and I'll be handing it to my library teens.

“The Box in the Woods” by Maureen Johnson

I’m pretty sure I could be the leader of the Stevie Bell fan club. After devouring books one through three of the Truly Devious series by author Maureen Johnson in one sitting, I was in no way ready to let go of Stevie Bell and her friends. Lucky for me, neither was Maureen.
Stevie is back, and this time she’s headed to summer camp. If you know anything about Stevie, you know she’s not exactly “camp counselor” material. But she’s been handed an opportunity to escape her less-than-exciting summer at home to spend a few months at Sunny Pines, formerly known as Camp Wonder Falls—the same camp where four counselors were found dead in the woods back in the 1970’s. The new owner of Sunny Pines only wants one thing from Stevie—for her to solve the cold case that has plagued the small town of Barlow Corners for decades—and she even gets to bring her friends along for some added extra fun.
However, it’s not long before we come to realize that not everyone in Barlow Corners wants Stevie to solve the mystery of Camp Wonder Falls. And when a family member of one of the camp’s victims winds up mysteriously dead, Stevie must do everything she can to keep her own head above water…or die trying.
I love a good horror film and the flashbacks to the camp during the time of the murders will remind you of some of the best ones to hit the screen. Remember that famous hockey mask worn by a familiar ‘crazy’ named Jason? Stevie and the rest of the cast of this murder mystery will leave you begging for at least a few more of the Truly Devious series. Coincidentally, a series that’s truly awesome to read!

Reviewed by Abbey Peralta for Suspense Magazine

ARC/NetGalley

The Truly Devious trilogy by Maureen Johnson about a teenage sleuth at a mysterious upscale boarding school, was one of my favorite YA series in recent memory. So I got a little nervous when I heard a series I thought was concluded (and concluded well) was adding another chapter. Well I shouldn’t have worried because not only is The Box in the Woods great, it may be my favorite of the entire series.

Stevie Bell and her friends are invited by an eccentric millionaire to solve a decades old murder at his newly acquired summer camp. Creepy, campy and fun adventures ensue. And yes there is a box in the woods.

While this story is technically a stand alone and does not REQUIRE knowledge of the previous 3 books it is enriched by them and also they’re great. Why haven’t you read them? This is a great series for people who love the mystery and suspense of true crime but don’t like it too gory.

When I saw this beauty pop up on Netgalley I knew I had to request it immediately. More Stevie Bell? Yes please! Even though this is technically a stand alone book we get to see the beloved Janelle and Nate again. And of course the infamous David. 👏🏼
This time Stevie is asked to help crack a cold case murder of 4 teenagers back in the 70s while working as counselors at a camp. This gave real Jason Camp Crystal Lake vibes and of course the hilarious Nate makes the comparison throughout the book. (I love him).
Not sure if this is to be considered a novella but it was definitely a quick read. We get some flash backs to the characters in the 70s as we did with the Ellingham case. There was some suspense and excitement. A general mystery of whodunnit. But. I wanted more. More background on the case, more build up and more of the gangs banter. I still enjoyed this book but I really hope there will be more of Stevie Bell.

I was very excited to be back with Stevie and the rest of the gang again after the trilogy ended, and it lived up to my expectations. I love the characters so much, and I would happily follow them in more adventures (in fact, I demand it. Please, Maureen Johnson, give me more.) The mystery, for me, is almost always secondary to the characters, but I liked how it played out. We got more Nate! My only minor quibble is that I could have used another 50-100 pages. It was over too soon!

The Box in the Woods is a fun addition to the Truly Devious mysteries. We follow Stevie and her friends to summer camp as they try to solve a group of murders in a small town. Would definitely recommend if you enjoyed the Truly Devious trilogy!

#TheBoxintheWoods
A wonderful end to a great mystery series. I absolutely recommend this series to young adult who enjoy a great mystery!

I loved this book! Maureen Johnson never fails to write the funnest mystery novels. This was an excellent addition to the series, and it lived up to all the others beautifully. Rating this 4 stars because it wasn’t anything ~revolutionary~ but it was a super fun read :)

And Maureen Johnson nails it again!! This book is amazing!! I was trying to guess everything and did not see that ending coming! I can’t say much because I don’t want to spoil anything! I really hope this isn’t the last book in the series because I love Stevie and all the characters so much!!

What happens when Stevie becomes a camp counselor to solve an old mystery that happens at a camp in the woods? You get a book that's half chilling old B scary movie and half Stevie Bell gems. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this one. I somehow found time to read this that was not in the middle of the night because I'm a baby who can't take a hint of scary past midnight.

But if you liked the other mysteries for their mystery, this is for you. It's not a boarding school mystery any more so that particular charm is gone, though there are some emotional things happening but it's not the majority of the book. The majority is mystery, which works for me.

I really enjoyed this book, it was so fun to catch up with the characters from the Truly Devious mystery books. I’m fairly sure that I would not have enjoyed this book as much if I was not already a fan of the other books. It was so easy as a reader to slip back into the world that Maureen Johnson has created with these characters. I’m hopeful that this is the first in a several books that follow Stevie Bell and her crew of friends.

In this book, we have Stevie who is invited to work at a summer camp where 4 people were tragically murdered during the summer of 1978. Stevie was able to invite some of her friends along, so Nate and Janelle are there to help her along the way. Because this is a stand-alone mystery I feel like some of the ending was rushed to reveal the “who did it” part of the story.

Overall, I give this book 4 stars. However, if I was not familiar with the characters, I would have probably given it a 3-star rating.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
#TheBoxintheWoods #NetGalley

When I heard that Stevie Bell was coming back to solve another cold case, I was amped. My favorite murder girl back to solve some crimes! And a summer camp murder from the 70s to boot!

This installation follows Stevie and some familiar faces as they spend their summer at a camp to try and help solve an old murder so that the new owner of the camp can create a podcast about it. Excellent. We follow as Stevie deals a little with imposter syndrome after putting the Ellingham murders to rest and has to try and prove herself again.

I loved how much we got inside Stevie’s head in this one. For as much as Maureen Johnson writes about how Stevie feels the need to prove herself in the first three books, the style of it is different here. This time around, we get the anxiety that comes with having a spotlight on you, having people know your name, and having people expect something from you. More than that, it’s expecting something of yourself.

As for the actual solving of the murder at the end, I felt a little thrown because it was not something that I think a reader would have been able to figure out on their own. Those are, I feel, the best mysteries. But this was all still enjoyable enough that I wouldn't dissuade anyone from reading it for this alone.

I hope that this isn’t the end of Stevie and the crew. I’d love for them to return to Ellingham and to have Steve deal with… I don’t know. Maybe just normal high school life.

I’m just kidding. I obviously want her to solve all the cold case murders.

4 stars!

Everyone has something to hide or a story in which they leave something out. Maureen Johnson draws the reader in from the start and continues with quick pacing to create a fun suspense read that is a great quick pick. When Stevie is called in to solve another cold case at a camp, she assembles her friends from Ellingham Academy to solve the murders of four teens years ago has haunted a small town for a generation. It begins with intrigue, danger (of course), crafting on a new scale, and sleuthing through a town full of characters all interconnected to the case, This is a stand alone title, but it explains how the cast of friends adds their unique skills to help solve the case. Fans will not be disappointed.

Maureen Johnson knocks it out of the park again! In this stand-alone follow-up to the Truly Devious trilogy, we rejoin Stevie Bell and her friends from Ellingham Academy as they work together to solve an unsolved murder that took the lives of four teenagers.

Fans and newcomers alike will be hooked after taking this thrilling ride. Stevie and her friends are just as fun to follow as they were in the Truly Devious series, and prior knowledge of the series isn't required to enjoy THE BOX IN THE WOODS. It's a book I'll definitely be purchasing for my library collection, and after reading I was inspired to go back and finish the Truly Devious series, which I enjoyed but never ended up finishing back when the books first came out. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a fun thriller you can finish in an afternoon.

Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious series is perfection. Absolute perfection. This followup book shows Stevie's life after solving the Ellingham murders, and asks the question: is she as good as she thinks she is? The Box in the Woods takes place at a summer camp in a small town, and (as Maureen Johnson does so seamlessly) goes back and forth between the 1970s and the present. All of Stevie's friends are back in this book, as well, each getting jobs at the camp or taking some time to visit. Unlike the original trilogy, this mystery is solved in one book with no cliffhangers. I highly recommend this book (and series) to anyone who likes a good mystery or some great story telling!

So excited to get back to these great characters in a new stand alone book.

After solving the century old famous cold case at Ellingham Academy, teen sleuth Stevie has been called on to help solve another infamous murder case from the 70s. Along with her friends Janelle and Nate, and boyfriend David, Stevie and her friends spend the summer working at Camp Sunny Pines. In 1978 the camp, then known as Camp Wonder Falls, was the site of the brutal murder of four camp counselors, dubbed the Box in the Woods Murders. Was it a serial killer? Was it a drug deal gone bad? Stevie is on the case, and hoping she and her friends make it through the summer...alive!

I read the Truly Devious series last year, and really loved the trilogy! Such great characters, engaging plot and author Maureen Johnson is an excellent writer. I was excited that it was announced there was going to be a stand alone book bringing back Stevie and her friends, but solving a new crime. I will be honest, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the previous ones. Johnson's writing is still superb. So much detail and research goes into these books, that even though Stevie is in her teens, she feels like a seasoned detective. The plot is original, and I did enjoy that it had the feel of a 70s/80s slasher film set at a sleepaway camp.

But I think because it was a stand alone book, the pressure to solve and finish the case in one book was too much. The reveal of the killer at the end felt rushed, and the resolution felt like it was coming from left field with information we hadn't been given throughout the book. Yet we were expected to believe that Stevie had solved the case even though she had the same information we had. The book was a bit short, I would've loved 50 or even 100 more pages where she was able to ascertain all this information, so it didn't come as such a head scratcher when it was revealed at her suspects meeting. I also felt like the strong point of the previous novels were the characters, and I felt that besides Stevie, we barely got any time with Janelle, Nate and David. It felt like the dynamic amongst them was off.

With that said, this is still an entertaining and engaging book. If Maureen Johnson is to write anymore stand alone books from this series, of course I will still read them and I will still recommend them to other readers looking for a fun, original detective series. Thank you to Harper Collins, Katherine Tegen Books and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy.

I loved the Truly Devious trilogy and was so sad when it ended. But a stand alone Stevie Bell novel made it all better. It was great to have Maureen Johnson showcase her character's detective skills outside of her usual area of expertise. I love trying to figure it out alongside Stevie. What a ride!