I loved how the twist and turns were written such a good writer. I really enjoyed reading this mystery book.

Maureen Johnson never lets me down. The way the author writes, the mysterious that unfold and the twist that you did not see coming all contribute to this book being absolutely amazing!

Absolutely love this series and will follow Stevie and team across the pond and wherever else the next mystery takes them! Readers are in capable hands with Johnson at the helm - the writing is witty, the mystery is clever, the setting is detailed, and the characters are lovable. Be warned - this one ends on a cliff hanger!

[ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review]

Oh, my relationship with this book is a tricky one. On the one hand, I was so happy to get the whole Stevie Bell Brigade back together again with a murder mystery. On the other… the ending left me wondering if maybe we shouldn’t have left these books back at Ellingham after the third one.

Stevie and her friends are invited by her boyfriend David to come to London for Thanksgiving. With very strict guidelines and very reluctant permission, Ellingham lets them go. As these things go, Stevie finds herself captivated by an old, unsolved murder that only she can untangle and solve.

Maureen Johnson writes flashbacks that are so delicious. I found myself combing through them trying to find clues to solve the murder before Stevie. But Johnson knows how to give just enough information that you’re never too far ahead of our detective.

I really wish this had been a four or even five star book for me. This was headed in that direction. But character decisions were made towards the end that made me so overwhelmingly frustrated at things happening. Things that felt so wildly out of character and not anything like what had been set up in the previous four books. It was enough that it dropped my enjoyment of the book a full star. If this is the path we’re going to go down for the sake of just adding drama, I’m not sure that it’s something quite for me anymore.

Who am I kidding. I’ll come back for the next one. But cautiously, this time.

3 stars

This was nice. It was not fantastic and mind-blowing or even as twisty as I would've liked, but it was a nice read. Maureen Johnson always comes up with these fantastic concepts for a mystery, but the execution of these concepts always flops for me. I thought for sure this installment would be a win because who doesn't love English manor murder mysteries with a large cast of characters? This just didn't give me the Agatha Christie vibes i was hoping for, unfortunately.

The actual solving of the mystery doesn't even start until the halfway mark, so everything (the clue finding, the piecing together, the big reveal, etc) was rushed by the end. The majority of this book is spent on Stevie being anxious about college or being anxious about her relationship. I can't complain too much given that this book is intended for kids about to graduate, and I know I would've loved to see Stevie's anxiety representation when I was her age.

However, thinking about this purely from a murder mystery standpoint, the book is so bogged down by regular contemporary stuff that the mystery suffers. Sure, the answer makes sense, but we barely see any hints concerning who the killer is. There wasn't enough to keep me guessing, which is the best part about murder mysteries. When Stevie is going on about how she figures it out, all of her evidence seems like a stretch and was somehow also vague. Maureen Johnson could've had her pick of the killer, and the evidence given would have made sense for any of the people involved. I would've liked more specific clues pointing towards the actual killer.

I didn't hate my time reading this book, but I'm left wondering if Maureen Johnson will ever impress me again after loving the Vanishing Stair. I will 100% be reading the next book in this series if only to find out what happens to David and Stevie.


*mild spoiler* Stevie needs to forget about David's ass because a boy who doesn't like that his girlfriend is more successful is not worth the dirt on your shoes. I don't even hate David like everyone else seems to, but his actions at the end make me want to fight him on sight.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book. I'm sorry the review is months overdue.

I quickly devoured the rest of this series last year, so I was excited to learn another book in the series was being released. And we are back with another cold case for our motley crew to solve.

Overall, I did enjoy this mystery; I wish the plot was more focused on the mystery and less focused on the main character's relationship - but understand a secondary plot is important to make all the characters more real to us.

This was fast-paced, set in the beautiful and historic London, and I think was an excellent addition to this series.

This newest Stevie Bell novel was just wanted I needed at just the right moment to bust me out of a slight slump. A new setting in lovely London was the perfect backdrop and I’ll be waiting (not so patiently) for the rest of the story!

I love Stevie. I love her friends. I love the atmosphere that Maureen Johnson creates with these books. So it really pains to say this is my least favorite of the series. The amount of relationship drama was almost insufferable, and I am officially a David disliker. There’s a lot of time spent on Stevie and David’s first time, which is honestly done well. It’s a good conversation and really honest and awkward. There’s also more sex talk involving the mystery, which is fine and fun, but it does make it so this is the first book in this series that I wouldn’t put in my junior high library. The romance drama makes the mystery take a real backseat, which is too bad, because there’s so much potential. The cast of characters tied up in the murder are so interesting and fun, and needed more page time than they got. The countryside manor needed to be featured more often, but instead we spend time in a dorm room.

Also, Stevie’s friends are as wonderful as ever. Janelle and Vi are a positive and supportive force. Nate continues to be the best character, and has a couple really, really lovely moments in this. This is why, when Stevie treats blatantly lies to them at one point, it really stings. I always root for her, and I think her mental health journey in this book is so relatable and heartbreaking. Still, it should not lead her to act like a totally different person. That being said, I was hooked in the end, and I think her arc was a good one!

I hope book 6 leads to more independence and more great Nate moments and an actual great mystery!

Another excellent Stevie Bell installment from Johnson! Loved this next episode from this series. I could have done with less of the relationship between Stevie and her boyfriend (I just want the mystery!), though I know teens will definitely appreciate that aspect. I liked that the mystery seemed to fall into Stevie's lap naturally and there were multiple storylines to follow (relationships, lying to the headmaster, the mystery). Overall great read from Johnson!

This was yet another great installment in the series. I really love this group of characters and the mysteries.

I am a huge fan of the truly devious series, like it’s one of my faves! So when I saw that I could request an ARC I jumped at the chance. I honestly couldn’t believe I got approved. I ended up listening to the audio because I love thr narrator so much.

Stevie is back with the crew, except for David who is studying in London. While everyone is putting in college apps Stevie doesn’t know what to do with herself since there aren’t any mysteries to be solved.

When David invites the crew to London, they all jump on the chance. They have strict orders to stick to their schedule, especially Stevie. But of course a mystery that needs to be solved falls into her hands when David’s friend Izzy introduces them to a double-murder cold case. Stevie can’t resist not solving it and puts everyone else in jeopardy of getting in trouble. But no one is really surprised 🤷🏻‍♀️

I loved this book! I couldn’t stop listening and trying to guess who the murderer was. I was constantly wrong 🤣 But I loved the past and present storyline and exploring everyones friendship more. I love this group of friends and will never get tired of reading them!

If you love the previous books in this series, you will love Nine Liars!!!!! I gave this baby ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love the Truly Devious series and I loved The Box in the Woods...but this one didn't hit for me and it crushed me. I thought the mystery was intriguing but it just fell flat and I really am not invested in the romance aspect of the book series. I acknowledge that I am not the demographic for this book but I think it would be stronger without the romance.

I always manage to forget how much I love this series until I pick up the next installment. This book kept me flying through the pages, especially as it's set in London (my favorite place that I've never been) and had a contemporary (ish) mystery that really kept me guessing.

In the fifth book in this series, Stevie is starting to panic about a lot of things. She's a senior this year, and while all of her friends are filling out college applications, Stevie has no idea what the future's got in store for her...and she doesn't really want to think about it. Her boyfriend, David, is studying abroad in London and invites Stevie and her friends to help solve a mystery from 1995. Stevie, anxious for another puzzle to solve, talks the whole gang into heading to London to work on this mystery, and to see the sights. Stevie hopes, that along the way, her future may become more clear to her.

The only problem I had with the story was that there were nine people involved in the 1995 mystery, and it took me a while to get them all straight. Maureen Johnson, though, is a complete master and was able to flesh out all of the characters as we went and I soon was able to remember who was who. I think the fear that Stevie is dealing with regarding her future was captured beautifully and felt genuine to the reality that a lot of high school seniors face.

Another wonderful installment, and with that cliffhanger, I'm already counting down the days to the next one!

Honestly I was skeptical about keeping this series going for more than three books, but it is working surprisingly well. I’m getting attached to our insecure sleuth and her quirky friends. I did think the plot was a bit contrived, but it kept me interested all the way through. I’m really excited to find out what happens next since there were some hints of what might be coming.

My favorite part of these books is Stevie’s characterization - how she talks, observes the world around her, adapts to growing up, and her Sherlock Holmes-style unveiling of each crime that she solves. Seriously - if I could be friends with Stevie in real life, I would. And Nate! I got so much Stevie and Nate in the last book, but I feel like I barely got time with them together in this one. In fact, I sort of feel like the mystery took a back seat to each of the characters’ personal crises. And David? Fuck that guy. I haven’t liked him since book #4.

Johnson’s twists and turns of the actual mystery is always a fun ride - and I liked this one. I just wish there would have been more active mystery solving throughout the entire plot. Regardless, I’ll still read book #6 - especially because I’m hoping David gets a swift kick in the dick like he deserves.

I always love the feeling of returning to characters I already know and love. Stevie is one of those characters for me - I love that while she’s super smart and solving murders, she’s also an awkward teenager who is figuring out her way through awkward teenage moments. This was a quick read - but there’s a part of the ending that didn’t make sense to me (button). I also wish it hadn’t cut off right where it did. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

I like that this book is more than just a mystery. While we have the standard teen detective elements, Johnson also manages to include a lot more relationship complexity than we typically seen in a genre novel. Both romantic and friendships are complex and not always healthy. A decent series that presents a consistent product.

Nine Liars was a little disjointed from the related books, but I thought the story still stood on it's own and sucked me in from the very beginning.

Maureen Johnson is one of those Authors i will read anything she puts out and adore it. This i loved as much as every other by her, and I'm always eager to dive back into the cast. I love the story she is investigating, and I had fun deciding what happened on that long ago day and who was lying and why. It was fun to revisit the cast I've come to love and can't wait to add a physical copy to my collection

Wow! This book was fantastic. I am honestly shocked to say but I am enjoying these standalone mysteries more than the series itself. And talk about a cliff hanger ending?! I’ll just be over here waiting impatiently for the next book