I absolutely love the truly devious series and even though I don't usually like when authors try to make series longer than they should be I was really excited to read this book.

And the wait was worth it!! I love how Maureen writes with dual timelines and how well they help set the mystery. The puzzles were definitely one of my favorite parts of this book. Also I was just really happy to see more of Stevie, David and all of their friends. And the way London was described made me feel like I was there too.

More Stevie Bell murder mysteries? Yes please! I was delighted with Truly Devious and now with Nine Liars. Maureen Johnson is an accomplished writer who will entrance you with her characters and fast paced writing.

Nine Liars is an ingenious continuation of one of the all-time best YA mystery series ever.

It is no secret that I adore the Truly Devious series with my whole heart. The way this series has grown and adapted is brilliant, with these new stories adding so much more to our characters and their development over the series. Johnson keeps adding these new layers that enrich your reading experience, particularly in superb character work and these incredibly well-plotted mysteries.

Maureen Johnson’s work just always hits that sweet spot for me. There’s that sense of cosy crime, a familiarity and a comfort to the characters and the world. It is genuinely like a modern day Agatha Christie, but way more diverse and updated to suit our world now. Johnson has that touch of something so special and unique, but also always with a sense of something so fresh and new. She is just impeccable at constructing overarching plots that will totally destroy your mind and everything you thought you knew. Though Stevie and the gang may have moved away from the Truly Devious case, I would love to continue reading about their exploits evermore. Every book offers a totally original and fascinating mystery, while continuing to develop these characters and relationships we have come to know and love.

Stevie Bell is an icon. This has already been clearly established. She’s Sherlock Holmes for the Instagram generation, with a discerning wit and a mind that moves at a million miles an hour. Her powers of observation are mind-blowing and watching her piece together the puzzle, or reveal everything in a lengthy speech is endlessly entertaining. That classic denouement and unveiling of every last detail is always a moment that makes me drop my book in shock. Minor details you had not picked up on earlier become earth-shattering revelations. Nine Liars is no exception to this rule, with an exceptional finale that had me staying up into the early hours to complete. Of course, she is joined by a stellar cast of supporting characters, all of whom have grown so much since their first introduction. It feels like settling back with old friends and that tension of evolving and moving on is one that drives a lot of character dynamics here. There is a natural end in sight to their days spent together, with university looming, and Johnson threads in those fears of being left behind or not quite knowing where your future lies perfectly.

Johnson always makes setting play such an important part in the story, almost becoming its own character. This is such a quintessentially British mystery. I loved all the English references, though they are very much with an American tourist gloss on them. The bubble of London is burst with a rustic countryside estate, complete with an unsolved murder to boot. Of course, I ate it up! For me, it felt like a love letter to the Golden Age of Crime and the British cosy crime mysteries that Johnson is inheriting from. There are plenty of meta references and woven in tropes, though these are often challenged and undermined. The homage is clearly there but Johnson never takes the easy route. Instead, you are lured in with that sense of familiarity, but nothing is ever as it seems in the world of Truly Devious.

Nine Liars is essential reading for anyone who enjoys a good old fashioned mystery, but with a distinctively modern twist. Prepare for Johnson to fool you all over again.

I received an ARC copy from @harpercollinsch and @katherinetegenbooks. Thank you!! All thoughts below are my own!

I enjoyed this one! I have noticed that reading this series verses listening is a dramatic difference for me. I liked the books more when i read them. This mystery was a fun one to try to solve and kept me guessing until the end.

This story follows Stevie and the gang their senior year. Stevie is struggling to figure out what her future has in store for her. She and her friends convince the new head of Ellington to allow them to go visit England on a "study abroad." Stevie's boyfriend David is currently studying there. Stevie is presented with a new mystery to solve. There are nine suspects and two murders. The murderer is still on the loose. Can Stevie solve the mystery before she has to head home?

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Read if you enjoy:
❔🕵️Mystery
🇬🇧England
🍂🪵History
🧡Tiny bit of romance


Content: heavy make out,murder

I absolutely love Stevie Bell and want her to solve all the mysteries in the world. What starts off as a trip to see her boyfriend overseas turns into Stevie solving a cold case from 1995. Throughout the book Stevie struggles with spending time with her boyfriend, maintaining relationships with her friends, and trying to solve a double-murder with very little evidence. After reading this book and experiencing all kinds of emotions because of the great writing of Maureen Johnson, I can give this book 5 stars. I highly recommend this book as a great mystery read. I will now be impatiently patiently waiting for the next book in this series!

(3.5/5) I read this book in a single day (in multiple sittings, though, because one must eat). I find Maureen Johnson’s writing so devourable, and I love her main set of characters being thrust into a new location with new mysteries to solve. To me, this book felt a bit slower than the first trilogy but it wasn’t too much less enjoyable. I didn’t guess the culprit before it was revealed.

But the ending???????? I don’t wanna talk about it 😤

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is out TODAY!

🕵️‍♀️ NINE LIARS by Maureen Johnson 🕵️‍♀️

★★★★★

Happy pub day to this amazing book! Thank you so much to Harper Collins Katherine Tegen and NetGalley and for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

🍾 Drink: Elderflower Fizz! This mocktail is so yummy, I’ve been making it non stop the last couple of weeks! Inspired by Stevie’s drink of choice at the castle 👀

🌟 Review: I am a HUGE fan of Maureen Johnson and her “Truly Devious” series. I DEVOURED those books last year and I think about Ellingham Academy and my fav group of friends alllll the time. I’ve read the series and also listened on audio - so you better believe I was SO excited to get the ARC for Nine Liars!!!

This book did NOT disappoint. I loved the new setting of London and the English countryside, and the new obstacles all of the characters face as they’re getting older. Genuinely this story kept me up until 2am so I could finish it in one sitting!!

Lastly , Maureen Johnson what the heck with that ending!!!!!!! How am I supposed to wait another year to continue this story 😭

As always, a great murder mystery. I enjoyed continuing to get to know the other characters more as they are in their senior year. I am a bit mad about that cliffhanger ending though!

1995: Meet ‘The Nine’: 9 friends that form a theatre group in Cambridge. This is the last week they will be living together, as they finish college and have to part ways. They decide to spend their last day in a huge mansion owned by one of their families, and play a game of hide and seek, even though it is late and it’s raining outside. By the next morning, two of them will be dead.

Present day: Stevie’s boyfriend, David, is studying and working in the UK. After being apart for months, he invites Stevie and the rest of the gang to spend a few days with him in London. As soon as they get there, David’s friend, Izzie, asks for Stevie’s help: her aunt was one of the Nines and she thinks there’s more to her friend’s deaths. When said aunt disappears the next day, things take a dark turn. Can Stevie help unravel the mystery before it’s too late?

I must confess that all the previous four books (except for the third, which was quite good) were only ok for me. I kept coming back to the series because they’re entertaining enough and it’s always cool to read how people solve mysteries, but none of the books were really that exciting for me.
This absolutely changed with this book! I loved it. I loved reading about the nine and I loved reading about the present-day gang. True friendship is really the best thing in the world ❤️
Also, the mystery about the murders was really cool, too.
4,5 stars and OF COURSE I will be continuing with this series!

I am so deeply invested in these characters, that I will follow them anywhere! Lucky for me, this installation in the series took us to London where Stevie has managed to convince her friends to take a “learning trip” with her. The fact that her boyfriend David is going to school there is just an added bonus, no biggie! 😜

Initially, I felt a bit frustrated with Stevie’s emotional intensity about being with David, but I think that’s because my wanderlust had me feeling more like Janelle and Vi. I loved all the descriptions of the English countryside and the beauty of London!

Confession: my favorite character is Nate! I just want to learn more and more about him!

I love how Maureen Johnson has stories within stories in her novels. I love the historical fiction vibes the plots give. My only complaint is I wanted more of this and less of the teenage drama. Her others in the series dove so deeply into the mysteries that I couldn’t put the books down. This one, not so much!

Nonetheless, I loved the mystery and Maureen Johnson always ends her novels in a way that makes it certain I’ll be reading the next!

In the meantime, I think I’ll reread The Box in the Woods! ☺️

Last thing: I loved the way music played a role in this book! I could heavily relate to it!

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stevie Bell is back! Stevie, Vi, Jinnell, and Nate are back at Ellingham Academy finishing up their senior year and thinking about college when David, Stevie’s boyfriend, presents them with an idea to go to London, England for study abroad as part of their curriculum. Before you know it, Stevie is wrapped up in a proper English mystery!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book in the series! I love the dual timeline entries that help set up the murder mystery, and helps the reader understand the additional characters’ involvement. I like the way the main character solves mysteries; the way she puzzles everything together is really fun! The pacing of the story kept me reading; I couldn’t put it down, and I love seeing how the characters have evolved since the very first book. Be warned, there’s a cliffhanger! I can’t wait for the next book!

This book and the entire series is perfect for secondary students who may be reluctant readers.

Many thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an advanced readers e-copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

I love Maureen Johnson’s books. This absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to read more from this author! I loved it from start to finish.

Stevie Bell continues to be an absolute delight while David continues to be a dingbat in this fifth entry by Maureen Johnson. David has been dishonorably shipped to the UK by his dad, and Stevie and her peers manage to create their own educational field trip to visit. Of course, cold cases find Stevie wherever she is, and she quickly gets stirred up in a decades-old dual murder that took place in the English countryside. I was thrilled to see a destination abroad for Stevie and co., especially since Johnson’s Shades of London series is one of my favorites!

Pros: Stevie, Nate, and Janelle are the friends I need in my life. The atmospherics of the UK were well-written, and I was incredibly drawn to the Nine and their friendship dynamics. The dual timelines and many perspectives were crafted strongly and uniquely.

Pits: I fail to see any redemptive characteristics of David. The ending/resolution of the mystery snuck up on me, and I wish there had been a little more clarity.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy!

I physically could not put this book down! I was hooked from the beginning and could not read it fast enough! The storyline is incredibly thought out, the characters are all just the right amount of suspicious, and the way everything unfolds just the right way is incredible! If you have even a passing interest in murder mysteries then you need to read this book!

Prepare yourself for all that happens in this story! In the latest installment of the series finds Stevie solving another murder, this time aboard. I always enjoy the mystery aspect of the story and the way Stevie's mind works to solve things. That is what keeps me reading. However I felt like this story had a lot of fluff that did not add anything to solving the overall mystery. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and I found myself having to go back to previous chapters to keep things straight. I thought that the studying abroad and relationship issues that get brought up during the story are distracting and at times very boring. The mystery is what kept me reading. After 5 books I think it is starting to become annoying with Stevie and David going back and forth on whether they are together or not. All that being said I still enjoyed the story and the mystery and will eagerly await the next installment.

There’s nothing quite like an English country house for setting the stage for murder and mystery. So for the latest Stevie Bell mystery, Nine Liars, author Maureen Johnson leaves Ellingham Academy behind, taking her beloved young characters to England for a classic whodunit at a stately old manor.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery.

I've really enjoyed this series and I appreciate that it's branched out if the setting of the first 3 books. That said, I found the characters all hard to deal with in this book. I liked the story and how it wove into what happened in the past and I didn't guess who did it, which I always love. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫.

After devouring the rest of this series earlier this year I loved having another chance to read another addition to Stevie Bell and her crew!

The English setting was so much fun and I had a great time reading this book

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

Stevie and her friends are back at school for their 2nd and final year at Ellingham Academy. While the rest of her group are preparing for college applications, Stevie is stuck. No mysteries to solve at school. No boyfriend to distract her. Lucky for her, Ellingham is a special academy. So, when David offers everyone a chance to "study abroad" for a week in London, it's a no brainer. While the Ellingham group has plenty of tours and excursions lined up, David's new friend Izzy has a different plan for Stevie. Solving a murder, naturally. Back in the 9os, Izzy's aunt was away with 8 friends for one last hurrah before college. When after a game of hide and seek two of those nine are found brutally murdered on the grounds. While the murder was chalked up to a burglary gone wrong, Izzy's aunt may have a nagging suspicion it was one of the nine liars.

The Good: The actual case. I think it was totally compelling and I could've read way more about these friends and their days at Cambridge and the events leading up to the murder. I think the solution was clever and I enjoyed the roundtable lay out of the facts at the end to trap the murderer.

The Bad: Everything else.

Wow, was Stevie always this annoying? I'm all about continuing this series, but not at the expense of totally destroying the characters and their growth. Stevie cannot still be this insecure about David. And since when is David this insecure? Why even bring Nate, Vi, and Janelle along if they aren't going to provide anything to the mystery? And don't even get me started about the "sex hoodie". Look, I understand that we're in YA territory here. That means angst and immaturity. But nothing any of the main characters did in this installment made sense and that's what is the most frustrating of all.

Maybe it's time Johnson focuses on other mysteries, something she totally exceeds in writing, and just let these characters go now that she's backed herself into a corner with their insufferable or nonexistent personalities.

I"m greatly enjoying Stevie being transplanted into classic murder scenarios (boarding school, slasher film, agatha christie style English mystery). Hope this series continues, I can't wait to see what happens next for Stevie and the gang.