Another great addition by Maureen Johnson but I must say.. No ma’am, I need another book to explain this insane ending. Come on Stevie!

The case in this one definitely kept me interested throughout the book. Especially compared to some of the previous books which I lost interest in whole reading.

Overall, it was nice to get away to a new city and new case. I really do enjoy Stevie and her friends and how the new case Stevie was trying to solve had to do with really close friends.

It was a easy ready and enjoyable. You got some twist and turns thought out as you tried to figure out who was the murderer, but it all came together at the end.

My only thing that made me give it a 4 star ⭐️ read was the very end. Like I can see that it’s going to set it up for the next book, but I feel like that wasn’t a good direction…definitely threw me off.

Unfortunately this book fell flat for me. I love the Truly Devious series and I was really excited to revisit Stevie, Janelle, Nate, and Vi, but the plot line and characters in this book didn't hit the mark for me.

First, the characters. I love Stevie and he group of friends. Johnson has done a great job crafting them as unique, interesting, well rounded characters but for some reason in this book they were all two dimensional and seemed to only show two emotion, frustration and boredom. Usually Stevie and her friend have such a great dynamic and provide a bit of life and fun to a story that is focused on murder and terrible things but this whole book they lacked all of that charm and charisma from previous books. The best part of the whole book was Stevie's conversation with Nate about his sexuality. Otherwise, every interaction the characters had seem to have no purpose except make you frustrated as the reader. And David, I have no idea what was going on with that character this book. I love that in previous books Stevie is with David but her whole life isn't about him, well this book seemed to take a full 180 on that and all of Stevie's moods were about him, she's constantly droning on about him, and it seemed so out of character for her and really disappointing.

Second, the plot and the murder. It really lacked the pizzaz and complexity of the other books, but mainly I just couldn't believe the premise. As a reader you are supposed to go along and believe that an entire group of friends STAYS friends and in contact with each other after two of their friends are brutally murdered and it's pretty obvious that one of them was the one who did it. And not just that, but the fact that none of them question it for almost twenty years and then one suddenly does and she disappears too. Like none of that was suspicious. I had such a hard time believing that and it made the final reveal really underwhelming.

The book ended on multiple cliffhangers and as much as I loved the first trilogy, I really don't know if I will ever read another book in this series again and I wouldn't recommend this book to fans of the first trilogy even if they want to read more.

3.5🌟 nine liars is the fifth book in the truly devious saga, following stevie bell and her friends on a weeklong study abroad trip in london. there, she meets Izzy, a friend of David’s, who basically hands her another case on a silver platter. back in the 90s, Izzy’s aunt and her theatre troupe went on a trip, where two of their friends were murdered with an axe in what appeared to be a burglary gone wrong. but izzy’s aunt isn't so sure, so stevie takes on the case.

i'm always partial to stories set around theatre groups, for the drama and the closeness that their dynamic provides. however, I did feel like out of books in the series, this mystery wasn’t my favorite. it may have been due to the structure of the book. jumping right into the background on the case was a little hard to do out of context, especially with there being 9 people involved, and because of that, we get little time to actually care about them. also, this may just be a me thing, but i found myself pretty indifferent about the reveal. i still love being in Stevie’s orbit, though. she’s so funny and quirky and smart, and the found family between her and her friends is top tier. specifically her closeness with nate warms my heart. david... smh. i can't wait to read the next one.

Maureen Johnson is such a great author and this stand alone novel is a great example of why. I loved the setting and the feeling of being in this old, creepy house. The shifting timelines made the books super fast paced. Great read!

I enjoyed this book. The plot was well paced and the characters felt fully developed. I would recommend this book to others and am looking forward to other works by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Katherine Tegen Books for allowing me to read this book! This series is still as good as ever! Still love relationships between the main characters and still love the mysteries and murders that they uncover. Is was spooky, fun, suspense, and relatable! A good 4 ⭐️star read!

I KNOW this book did not just end like that.

This is a nice entry into the saga of Stevie Bell, teen detective. This adventure takes her overseas to visit her long-distance boyfriend David and of course the whole crew has to go with her! While there she hears about a cold case involving a tight-knit group of friends called The Nine and it seems that mysterious disappearances and murder may be happening again...

I really love this series and how we have this super complicated mysteries framing a great coming of age story. This one was particularly stressful for the crew from Ellingham as they are quickly approaching graduation and most of them have absolutely no idea what to do after they graduate. Stevie was particularly impactful for me because of her panic attacks. The senselessness of the triggers and how all it takes is one small comment or moment to put her down for the count for hours. The way she tries to ignore this realtiy because this looming doubt of "I am not as important and significant as my friends" follows her through this book. Add on the confusion and stress about moving forward in her relationship with David and you have a really nice addition into the Stevie Bell lore.

This is a perfect story by no means and I'm not positive I like the murder story being drug along for as long as it was but I understand why that device was used. I look forward to additional books in this series because I think I am sufficiently addicted to Stevie and the Crew.

Another great Stevie Bell mystery. The ending has nothing to do with the overall mystery (no spoilers), so with that being said… WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I NEED ANOTHER BOOK TO EXPLAIN THE REASON WHY I’M ON THE FLOOR AFTER HAVING THE RUG PULLED OUT FROM UNDERNEATH ME!!!!!!

I love Stevie Bell and the gang solving mysteries. And an English countryside axe murder at that! The time jumps and the way the mystery unfolded was so good. The new characters were so interesting and delightfully difficult to read. This is a solid continuation of one of my favorite series. And just as expected, I could not put it down.

These mysteries by Maureen Johnson are my favorite stories I've read by her. Stevie and her entourage keep growing as characters with each installment and I love each and every one of them.

I really liked the setup of this mystery and the setting of London. It gave me Sherlock Holmes vibes and (just a tip) listening to a "reading mystery" playlist while reading it was elite.

While the mystery setup was amazing, the murderer reveal left a bit to be desired. This was the first of these novels where I was able to guess the murderer early, and I wasn't satisfied with the explanation of why they did it.

The ENDING?!?! Stevie didn't deserve that. I'm mad on her behalf. Can't wait for book 6!

I received this e-ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Stevie Bell AND London? Yes please. Johnson's deep interest and love of writing about London is very clear in this story. Stevie feels a little lost with no big case, her boyfriend David in London, and no clarity on what college will look like for her. But then she and her friends find a way to go to London for school (God bless Ellingham, honestly. If only my own boarding school has been as cool...) and David's friend gives her a cold case to work on.

This book definitely has a different feel from earlier Truly Devious stories. It's more centered on the relationships of the characters and interpersonal drama. Stevie's also in a darker place emotionally.

I admit I prefer the earlier books in the series, but this one still didn't disappoint. Can't wait to see Stevie back again!

I'm writing this now that the strike has ended. It wasn't my favorite of the series, but it wasn't bad. It honestly felt a little tacked on. And I hated the David storyline. I do hope there's another to fix it. And because I actually do love this series and want to read more that doesn't seem like it was a last minute cash grab. Real rating 3.5

I loved this book. I thought the different setting of an English manor house made this book extra good. I liked the addition of a new character or two but Johnson also brings the friends who we love to London with Stevie. I love this one just as much as the others and I can't wait to see what comes next for Stevie Bell.

Honestly, I thought this series was going to end with the original trilogy — I'm so glad that it's continued on. I loved Nine Liars — loved that it was set in England!! Can't wait for more Stevie mysteries (there are more ... right?!)

A solid book 5 in the series. One thing I appreciated is that I did not have to have a super solid recollection of the previous books in the series as this book sits alone pretty well.

I liked the mystery, it was so interesting how everything unfolded and the reason why and who committed the murder was a surprise for me. It did end somewhat unresolved and left itself open for another installment. I like that this was a standalone mystery since the first in this series was a trilogy and while they reference the other murders that Stevie has solved, there is no mention of who the culprit was or why so you are free to go back and read the other 4 books before this without any spoilers other than she solved the crimes. I liked Stevie's process in solving the murders and how compulsive she got on figuring it out and having to solve it.

Thanks to Katherine Tegen Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

Once again. Maureen nails it with another Masterpiece.

Stevie Bell and her friends go abroad to help David and his new friend solve a crime from the past.
Maureen again share history of a past crime and plenty of historical information about where this book is taking place.
We are introduced to new, fun, and interesting characters. We also see the growth changes in Stevie and her friends as they navigate through the "almost" adult age.
This book is clever and flawless. There are clues if the reader pays very close attention.
The reader will enjoy the strong loyal bonds between all these characters.

This book definitely leaves the reader wanting more and we will all be running to the store when the next book is out.

I love these novels so much! I thought this was a great edition to the series! And I guess there will be a third 👀

This book did not disappoint, but geez is the ending cruel! I feel like it makes for a great series in the future though. Cliffhangers make it easier for a reader to fly through a completed series. I loved that these books take the main characters all over the world, and you can tell Stevie's character development has evolved with each new book.