I was so excited to see that Maureen decided to give us another Stevie Bell mystery novel and this is TRULY another fun spinoff from the original series.

This time we get to follow Stevie and the gang as they head to London without plans of a solving a murder. But we all know murder mysteries find her anyway. This book did have a little slower start but I felt like it let us catch up with our characters and before diving too far into the mystery. We also got a new character who was fun and quirky and a great addition.

The mystery itself was great. Going back and forth between flashbacks and police transcripts it was fun to watch the mystery unfold. I was proud of myself for picking up a few of the clues but the actual ending was still a surprise.

And that ending.... woah... here's to hoping we get one more book (at least)!

If your looking for a fun murder mystery with a likeable cast of characters PICK THIS UP! It's not necessary to have read the Truly Devious series or the Box in the Woods before hand - BUT I mean you should read them because they are all excellent.

Thank you HarperCollins Children's Books, Katherine Tegen Books, NetGally, and Maureen Johnson.

Nine Liars
Maureen Johnson
5/5
Genres: YA, mystery, fiction


I don't read alot of mysteries but I am a sucker for a truly devious mystery. I loved this new installment! And London! I love the new setting. The three books set at Ellingham were awesome and it got me into Stevie bell and her group of friends, but I really really love the new one-shot mystery adventures that Stevie and her friends go on. It means endless mysteries. In this book, I enjoyed the wide cast of characters too, l really had a lot to think about, and I didn't know how it was all going to come about. Like always, the clues are there in the book for me to see, but I'm not putting it all together until Stevie dees her big reveal. Sherlock style. This always feels so dramatic, like Im in suspense the whole time and I get the big reveal when all the other characters do. And as always, there is a cliff hanger that will make me buy the next one as soon as it comes out! I also appreciated that this book felt more adult. The group is on their own in a new place, and Stevie and Davids relationship is more fleshed out. I know that a book where murder is the primary plot, it's hard to write that into a young adult book, but this one felt more mature. In a good way of course.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Definitely not my favorite in this series, but still a reasonably entertaining book. I do love Stevie and all her quirks! The pace of this book was slower and harder to get into than the past books.

While I didn’t mind the location change to England, I felt that a lot of time was spent on describing the random itinerary they were supposed to be covering for school credit instead of actually advancing the plot.

The book ends suddenly, which leaves the door open for another installment of the series. I look forward to reading that one too!

Thank you to #netgalley for this ARC of #nineliars

While I thoroughly enjoyed being back with Stevie Bell and friends, this mystery (which was in and of itself a great one), was overshadowed by a focus on furthering Stevie and David's relationship. While I totally understand Johnson's desire to have Stevie and David's relationship grow and adjust as her audience matures, the obsession that she conveyed with this and the focus she put on it detracted from the mystery as a whole. Additionally, the many characters of the Nine were at times difficult to keep track of, but I didn't mind this as I enjoyed being surprised at the end, and I know an entourage of characters can help with this! Overall, I will recommend this to students, as it was wonderful to spend more time with Stevie and crew.

(4.5⭐️) Maureen Johnson strikes again with a great Ya mystery!! I loved the whole London Country house Murder vibe, it was definitely such a cozy mystery!! The murder was also well woven into the original stories and characters while still being new and fresh. I love how the books 4-6 have their own standalone murders, it keeps it new and interesting!! (Although I definitely loved books 1-3). I think “box in the woods” (book 4) might be a tiny bit better, and the plot of this one was a tiny bit more predictable than book 4, but this one was still great. I love how Maureen Johnson is exploring different settings with book 4-6, as the first 3 books were boarding school mysteries, but book 4 and 5 were completely different yet somehow worked so well. (Book 4 was a summer camp slasher-esque setting, book 5 was a London country house Cozy mystery) even with these complete setting shofts, Johnson still manages to make the story fit so effortlessly. It’s very rare to see further books in a series/spinoff series that are as good as the original, but these definitely hold up in quality to the originals. I am excited to see what setting Johnson explores next, but whatever it ends up being, I know it will be great.

Just like the previous books, you will probably just want to binge the whole thing in one sitting. If I wasn’t working and at school, I definitely would’ve done that!! Just get some tea and hang out by the fire with this Maureen Johnson twist on a cozy mystery!

We got to see a lot of the character growth of the main characters as they are getting ready to graduate and start their lives apart from Ellingham. We got to see all of their relationships grow deeper and more complex as the individual characters grow and change, which I love. I have loved this journey of growing and maturing with the characters over the past few years!

Again, like I have said in every book, I love how prominent and unapologetically Stevie’s anxiety and panic disorders are portrayed. Stevie is such a well developed, complicated, flawed but still extremely lovable character. I love how we get to see all sides of her and how her brain thinks through mysteries but also how it copes with these mental health issues. Such amazing mental health awareness, as well as so much LGQBTQIA+ rep, which is amazing!!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the sixth (but hopefully not final) Truly Devious book!!

Age rating: 13+, closed door, just violence

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ebook advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book #5 in Maureen Johnson's "Truly Devious" series. I love that the five characters (Stevie, Vi, Janelle, David, and Nate) are once again together. David convinces everyone to apply for a week-long study abroad program so they can come to London, where he is attending University. While there, they meet David's new friend, Izzy. She is a delightful character and quickly convinces Stevie to investigate a cold case where two of her Aunt's best friends were murdered.

I really enjoyed the way the cold case played out and the interactions of both friend groups - Izzy's aunt and her friends, "The Nine", and Stevie' and her friends. I didn't love the interactions between Stevie and David, their relationship didn't feel as genuine and engaging as in past novels. That being said, the murder mystery part was very engaging and I was completely immersed in the suspenseful plot. A must read for fans of "Truly Devious"!

Thanks to Maureen Johnson, NetGalley, and HarperCollins Children's Books, Katherine Tegen Books for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review.

Stevie Bell is back! And we're going to London! 🇬🇧

I'm not a big cozy mystery reader but Nine Liars is almost perfect. It sets the whole autumny slightly spooky atmosphere to the point you, the reader, are right there in London, too. Even if you've never been there. I've never been there. It's definitely different from Stevie’s other adventures. And as a long time reader of Maureen Johnson, this is the first time I've seen some of the author in one of their fictional universes. You can tell Nine Liars is a piece of Maureen's heart.

Stevie and company are off to London for a short study abroad trip but also as a ruse to see David. And of course, Stevie finds a little bit of murder. As a treat. My biggest dislike is how Stevie is ooc during parts of Nine Liars. And most of that has to do with David. Is he supposed to be written as unlikable? I have never once, even a tiny little amount, liked him. And I hate that there was so much forced romance stuff between him and Stevie in this book. That's coming from me, a reader who will usually not read a book unless there is some romance. Stevie and David are not good together. But, small spoiler, I feel like where they end up at the very end of Nine Liars means there will be more Nancy Drew, I mean Stevie, books in the future. And I will devour them all.

I guess Nine Liars can be read as a starting point and kind of stand-a-alone because we get some vague throwbacks to anything important to the story. But I still recommend starting with Truly Devious to see the bigger picture and backstory.

I was a big fan of the original Truly Devious trilogy but not as much of The Box in the Woods. This one felt like a return to the earlier storytelling style and I really enjoyed it. There were many moments where I was frustrated with Stevie, who seems stuck in many ways when she doesn't have a mystery to solve, but then I had to remind myself that she's like a 17 year old high school senior and I needed to cut her some slack. It's not her fault that her friends all seem to have their shit together more than she does. I have really mixed feelings about David but that's not new, and I feel like he's kind of supposed to be that way as a character.

This story takes Stevie and her Ellingham crew international. David, her boyfriend, is studying in England and encourage Stevie to seek a short-term (week-long) study abroad to see cultural sites and stuff. Mostly it's just an excuse for Stevie to see David and her friends to be supportive. And also to go to England. But of course, when they get there, David's English buddy Izzy reveals that she has a mystery for Stevie to solve. Her aunt Angela, a former Cambridge student who was part of a close group of friends who were all in a comedy group together called The Nine, was at a country house party with the rest of the group in 1995 during which two of the members were brutally murdered. While Izzy was caring for Angela after a surgery, Angela revealed that she thinks the murder wasn't as random as they made it out to be. I really liked how things unfolded in the past storyline (though it was very intense at times), but the present-day stuff with Stevie started off a bit slow. In the end, the two storylines caught up with each other in a way that I thought worked well. I thought the mystery was satisfying (and much more believable than The Box in the Woods), and I found the whole story compelling overall. I definitely hope there are more to come in the series.

Another great mystery with Stevie Bell. I thoroughly enjoyed this one just as the previous one. Johnson’s switch from series to stand alone is transitioned so well. I hope to see more of Stevie in future stand alones.

Nine liars was fantastic with the puzzles and clues, I really enjoy seeing how Stevie tries to piece things together, even though at times I’m yelling at her “it’s right there!”
I really enjoyed the cha ge of scenery again, going to a new place and a new “cast” of characters.

Johnson is creating a new YA era of Agatha Christie with Stevie Bell and I love it. I’m looking forward to the next installment.

I've not read a Stevie Bell book before but I see she has a lot of fans! I'll want to check out the previous books as the chemistry between the characters def seems to have been set up in those books and here it coasts a little on know who is who and how the pieces fit together to really get a feel for it. The author clearly loves London and delving into its history. The mystery has a definitive Agatha Christie feel to it, As a standalone murder mystery it's good but I know those with a connection to the series will enjoy it more.

I was SO EXCITED to receive an ARC of Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson! I LOVED the Truly Devious series and thought it was a perfect young adult mystery. Nine Liars does not disappoint and is a great addition to the Stevie Bell saga.

In Nine Liars, Stevie has returned to Ellingham Academy for her senior year, but she is grappling with the uncertaintity of where she wants to go to college and also missing her boyfriend, David. David invites Stevie and her crew to come visit him for a short "study abroad" program and, as usual, shenanigans ensue. David's new friend Izzy has an aunt whose friends were mysteriously murdered back in the 90s. With David talking about Stevie's amazing crime solving abilities, Izzy asks Stevie to step in and help investigate the suspicious murders. As the story progresses we see Stevie push the limits of her friendships. While Stevie solves the mystery, Maureen Johnson leaves us with a relationship cliffhanger and I was ABSOLUTELY not ready. But you bet your bottom dollar I will be first in line for the follow up!

As previously mentioned, this is a young adult novel - so don't go in expecting brutal murders and love affairs. As Stevie is growing older, I can tell the books are growing with her, but they are still relatively tame. This lighter nature of the series makes them quick reads and I can usually finish them in a day or two. Sometimes in one sitting! Though - Nine Liars did seem a bit longer than the rest.

I enjoyed the change of scenery from the first few books. Being a home-grown New Englander I am very familiar with the areas of Vermont and Massachusetts, so having the characters travel out of country was great! I enjoyed the descriptions of Merryweather and the English country side, but there were a TON of settings in this book and sometimes it was hard to remember them all.

I appreciate the author's dedication to diversity. There are characters of various races and sexualities and Johnson makes it seem like no big deal - EXACTLY how it should be in real life. I appreciate the representation and, for that alone, I think these books can be impactful for young adult readers.

I am a little bit salty about the ending. I just want Stevie to be happy, especially in a time of such turmoil, so I am interested to see where Maureen Johnson goes with the next book.

4/5 stars from me!

I *love* this series and when I heard there was another one coming out, I rushed to Netgalley to see if I could read it early. I'm so glad I was able to, and I read this book all in a single sitting. Maureen Johnson is just so good at crafting these mysteries and tying together the two storylines of past and present.

Also, a couple minor spoilers: I was excited to see ace representation! And oh my gosh the endinggggg.....it's not a cliffhanger in terms of the mystery, but it's a cliffhanger all the same. The only time I regret reading books early like this is I can't even go on Twitter to beg the author for a sequel, not when this book literally hasn't even come out yet haha.

Tl:dr: I loved this book and can't wait for the next Stevie Bell mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the chance to read and review this ARC.

I'll admit, I was a little wary about this series being expanded beyond the original trilogy because sometimes when authors do that, it feels like the characters are just dragging on. But this didn't happen with this book; I feel like I can't get enough of Stevie and her friends (other than David. I could do with a little less David, but that's another conversation). Maureen Johnson just does such a good job of creating an atmosphere of suspense and a mystery that is so different from the others yet similar enough that there is a cohesive theme between all of the books.

This mystery was so compelling; I liked it slightly less than the one from the original trilogy, but I liked it a lot more than the one from Box in the Woods, and I loved watching Stevie put clues together. Although I will say that I feel like there wasn't that much piecing together of the mystery; it felt more like there was one moment and one clue that helped her out, and the rest of the sluething took the back burner to Stevie's relationship problems.

I feel like nine characters from the 90s was a few too many - it was hard to keep them all straight and felt unnecessary, since they were the secondary group of people. I also didn't really like the cliffhanger ending with David (but that could be because I am a David hater to my core), but overall, the positives FAR outweighed the negatives. I am looking forward to the next adventure of Stevie and her friends!

I love Maureen Johnson, and I love Stevie Bell. I'm so invested in these characters, and I really loved the setting on this installment.

I am so honored for the opportunity to read and review this book. I absolutely love this series, and this book did not disappoint. I see so much of myself in the main character, and I love his world that Johnson has built

I discovered the Truly Devious series during the start of the COVID pandemic and read the first three books within a week.I fell in love with Stevie Bell and her friends from the beginning. I was shocked to see that the series was continued and it was being taken to London and let me say, I'm happy it was! I would love to see more books in this series, whether or not some of the characters return or not and would love to see it continued into Stevie's college years and if not, then another book or two. If you love a good mystery, I highly suggest this for you and if you have yet to read the Truly Devious series from the start, I highly recommend you start there.

Stevie Bell is a student at Ellingham Academy, who with the help of her friends, solved two cold cases. When Stevie's boyfriend David, who is studying in London, invites her and her firends to visit, they jomp at the chance, but when they arrive, Stevie is in for a ride. Stevie is given the chance to look into a double-murder cold case that rocked the close knit group known as the Nine in 1995. Will she solve it in the small amount of time she has in London?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review!

Nine Liars brings back Stevie Bell, a high school detective who has solved multiple murders that no one else has been able to crack, and this time is no different. Shortly after arriving in London to visit her boyfriend, David, Stevie and her friends meet Izzy and her aunt, Angela. When Angela goes missing, Stevie sets out to find her. Enter the Nine Liars, Angela’s college friends who experienced the murder of two of their best friends 25 years before. As Stevie pieces together Angela’s disappearance, she also begins to solve the murders of her friends.

Nine Liars did not disappoint…ok, it did just a little, but by the time I got to Stevie solving the murders, it had redeemed itself. Unfortunately, the pacing was a bit slow, and most characters haven’t changed since the start of the Truly Devious series. That being said, the book left on a cliffhanger that has left me waiting for the next book.

I enjoyed Stevie Bell when she was a part of the action, namely in the Truly Devious series. (disclaimer: I did not read The Box in the Woods!) However, this book, that pulled me out of the main mystery by having Stevie struggling with her relationship, friendships, and post graduation blues, was not my favorite.

It's still well written because it's Maureen Johnson, but it's way too scattered to be fun, thrilling, and suspenseful. I wanted to skip any chapters about Stevie's life because it simply wasn't what I signed up for when reading a Stevie Bell novel-- not like this. It's different when her life decisions affect a murder case; it's not nearly as much fun.

The. Best. One. This is my favorite so far in the Truly Devious series. Growing up for Stevie, Janelle, Nate, Vi, and David is getting series. They're trying to figure out their futures and, as usual, murder finds them. This one kept me guessing and guessing. Every time I thought I had it- NOPE! This book was a blast and yet it still managed to put me in my feels, too. Wonderful balance of fun and deep feelings.

I absolutely loved this book! I never wanted it to end. I’m a huge fan of the entire Stevie Bell series and it’s hard to pick a favorite, but Nine Lives is definitely up there. A lot of times with books that have alternating timelines you’re bummed when you switch away from one, but not so here. I was invested in the Nine, and of course, invested in our Ellingham friends. The mystery is super compelling and combined with the subplots, this is a perfect moody, cozy read. Anything by Maureen Johnson is an instant read for me.