This was on par with the first Truly Devious in terms of how much I enjoyed it- I have such a book-hangover now!
I do not understand why the publisher has put the pub date In the wild timeless zone of the week before the new year. This book deserves all the love and hype and would have been the perfect autumnal read.

If you’ve already been reading the Truly Devious series I know I won’t have to convince you to read this one. But I can tell you that it crackles with mystery and charm. Stevie and her friends serve up more earnest awkwardness, love, unbridled joy, navigating the transition out of high school, and of course murders to be solved.
A bit of a warning- this ends on a cliffhanger. I may have screamed internally for a good fifteen minutes once I finished the book.

Another fun mystery featuring Stevie Bell. Unpredictable and twisty and a moody, manor setting, make this the perfect book for fall. And the cliffhanger was brutal!

I don’t even know what to think?? I am thrilled that we have another mystery with Stevie and the gang and that we got a chance to travel to London for all of the British mystery vibes. It was a good fast-paced read like we have come to expect. However, I thought the mystery was a little bit less developed than the previous books. It felt squashed into such a short time period (1 week) and was never fully explained. This left the ending not quite as satisfying as the others. And the last couple pages just has me mad! All of that being said, it was still a fantastic book and everything we hoped for out of another Truly Devious mystery. Thanks to NetGalley for the super early ARC!

I’m a Truly Devious addict so I will read anything put out by Maureen. I was so excited to see more of the story continuing. Stevie is a senior this year and having a tough time feeling like she is the only one not sure what she wants to do with her life. David studying over in London isn’t helping the situation at all. When they come up with a plan for all of them to go for a quick study abroad. Once she gets there David has set up a surprise for her. Another murder mystery, this time a double. Murder in a woodshed. Nine friends went to a country estate but only seven came back. Someone is lying and years later it’s time for the truth to come out. Stevie does what she does best and sets out to figure things out. For fans it’s going to be yet another book you love that leaves us on a cliffhanger too which means more books!!!

Thank you so much for the chance to read this new release in one of my favourite series early!!!!

Unfortunately, it was not my favourite installment. I still enjoyed it and read it very quickly, but it did not live up to the previous four books for me. The central mystery that Stevie is solving, the murder of 2 friends in a country home in England, was atmospheric but not particularly compelling, and sometimes difficult to follow given there were nine different people involved and we're very rapidly introduced to them all.

Aside from that, David continued to irk me deeply and I would like to punch his face. Stevie also felt a little bit less sympathetic here, normally I feel teary about how much I connect with her but something felt a bit missing here.

Again - I still love the Truly Devious series and this was not a bad book - it just could have been better.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of Nine Liars by Maureen Johsnon. I have read all of the other books in the Truly Devious Series so I was very excited to read this installment. Just like the other books in her series, Nine Liars is a witty page turner that lets the reader into the mind of Stevie as she works to solve a set of new murders. We will definitely be adding this book to our school library.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 rounded up to 5 stars!

No huge spoilers ahead. I will not reveal anything big - most of the review vaguely alludes to plot, structure, and characters.

---

Stevie Bell is back at it again with another cold case, this time drawn across the pond by Boyfriend David and entangled in the case from there. Non-spoilery review: if you like the Stevie Bell books, you will like Nine Liars. Stevie is very Stevie, the murder is very murdery, and the setting is new and fresh. The interpersonal conflict of the teens are pretty sparingly interspersed throughout the plot, which prevents the book from feeling too capital-T Teen. The setting, which takes American readers far from their comfort zone, is rendered in vivid and beautiful detail. The historical asides are not only fun-fact detours, but also weave into the plot nearly seamlessly. With all that being said, I would have liked to see more of the investigation all throughout the novel - more of Stevie connecting those dots and more details from the original investigation. However, I understand that we are deep into Stevie Lore at this point in the series, and her being able to piece things together totally in her mind - all while not divulging the process to those around her, including the reader - is a part of her charm.

Overall, I found Nine Liars to be a very enjoyable read, as someone who is a fan of the Truly Devious series. I’m giving it a solid four out of five stars because it delivers everything you expect from a Stevie Bell mystery, but I wanted to see a little more. A little more detail would have pushed it beyond the formula I think we’re starting to see with these books. Still fun, still wasn’t able to guess the ending, still very much worth the read.

Again, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!