"Death at Morning House" is a YA mystery thriller by author Maureen Johnson, who wrote the popular "Truly Devious" series. Similar in some ways to "Truly Devious," the protagonist, Marlowe, finds herself at the site of two long-ago deaths. Were they murders? Marlowe has her own problems, trying to fit in as a tour guide at Morning House, the former home of a "cursed" family whose luck turned bad after the death of their youngest child. The novel switches viewpoints between the past and the present, but keeps you guessing as to who might be a murderer. A must-buy for YA collections where mysteries are popular.

This book started a little slowly for me but once it picked up I was hooked. I love a good historical thriller and the way the author blended with past and present was so interesting! There was a lot of suspense and some chilling moments that had me gripping my kindle. I give this 4.0/4.5 and would recommend it to my reading friends.

I enjoyed the pretty cover on this book and I liked the author's Truly Devious series, but this one fell flat for me.

It felt slow, convoluted, and I never found myself really connecting with the characters.

Thank you, Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a solid, fun YA mystery. It’s back and forth between present day and 1932 summers on Ralston Island. Present day, Marlowe has been “banished” there for work and in 1932, the unique Ralston family spends their summers there. During each timeline there is something a little off and creepy going on and Marlowe finds herself in the middle of it. If you liked Johnson’s Truly Devious series, particularly the first few, you will like Death at Morning House. Each time line could have been a stand alone story as they overlap in the smallest of ways. The 1932 storyline was actually more interesting to me, but Marlowe’s character makes up for any lost interest in the present day timeline. I could see Marlowe driving her Smart Car at a quick 21 miles per hour into her own series, but this is perfect as a stand alone. I liked the characters, the representation, and the fact that these kids were capable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy and a chance to read this early. All opinions are my own.

I have really enjoyed other books of Maureen Johnson, and this is a great one to add to that list! It by far isn't my favorite, but it still hooked me and kept me in the story until the very end.

After an accidental fire ruins her first date, Marlowe finds herself in a depressive slump. A summer job far away may be just the thing to take her mind off the disaster of her life. But when she arrives at Morning House, she finds that things may be just a little off there. All of the other summer employees are locals and know each other from school and they all just lost a friend a few months ago, leaving a void in their group and a lot of questions for Marlowe. Did someone push Chris? Or did he have a horrible accident? And what happened almost 100 years before with the original residents of Morning House? How did two children die on the same day? Was the family cursed?

As Marlowe searches for clues to the historical mystery, she may just stumble across the information that leads to a modern-day killer. But will she put the clues together fast enough to escape with her life?

This is a fun new series very similar to Truly Devious. Part modern-day, part historical, the clues are slowly revealed as the story progresses. Relationships between characters and conversations they have felt realistic and read true to life, and the inner turmoil of the MC also felt authentic.

A great new read for fans of the mystery genre, especially Johnson's Truly Devious series and Jennifer Lynn Barnes Inheritance Games.

You had me from “petrichor”!
I don’t know what Maureen puts in her books but I just can’t get enough!
The characters have depth and the story kept me on the edge of my seat. I fell victim to all the obvious red herrings and never knew what would happen next!
Great read!!

“Death at Morning House" by Maureen Johnson is standalone YA thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Set in a mysterious island mansion with a dark past, the story follows Marlowe Wexler as she tries to repair her reputation and rediscover herself, but the secrets of Morning House, past and present, leave Marlow with even more questions.

When her boss goes missing and dark secrets about the island and her coworkers come to light, Marlowe must confront her own fears in order to unravel the mystery and save herself.

The dual timeline narration paces the plot nicely and keeps the reader guessing as secrets of the past and present are uncovered. The characters are likable and relatable to young readers, and fans of the Truly Devious series will love this book!

“Death at Morning House" is a must-read for fans of suspenseful YA thrillers & mysteries.

A big thank you to NetGalley & Harper Collins Publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had recognized the author from the truly devious series (which I still haven’t read, I feel like they’ll be good fall books) and thought this would be a fun read. It was a little slow to start but once they started getting into the mystery it really picked up! Normally I’m not a big fan of dual time lines but it didn’t bug me with this one. I will mention that the culprit was a little predictable but I expect that from YA. The characters were fun and endearing. And the mysteries did catch my attention. I really thought it was clever how both the mysteries paralleled each other

Oooohhhh… this book was delicious! It’s told from alternating timelines. The story of the family who lived in the house in the 1930’s and what happened to them to make them abandon it and a teen girl from the city (present time) who is asked to be a summer tour guide along with some local teens. I couldn’t resist reading the book in 2 parts: the 1930’s family first, then the modern story.

The 1930’a story was fascinating and had a shocking twist to the end I didn’t see coming. It’s a shame other people in the family didn’t; maybe someone could have been able to prevent the tragedies that happened. But then the story wouldn’t be as dark and dramatic as it is.

The modern half of the story was equally fascinating. Trying to figure who was the destructive force in the group was a bit of a challenge but I did and wasn’t surprised. I did enjoy the ending and how it all tied together nicely. Looking forward to reading more by the is author especially anything similar to this book. It was a really fun and intriguing read!

This author is always brilliant about suspense and I have loved every single book of hers.
Excellent writing style that draws in and can make every part of the story that much more interesting. This book has Igbt representation in it. More and more of that is coming in YA and this is the first time I have seen it in her books. The actual house has so much going on with it. I also love settings on islands so this was a fun summer read. This one keeps the mystery rolling until the very end and was overwhelming with how the story would conclude. It is a long read and will make you think about what is going on. Any book that achieves speculation and thought process makes me feel like I am solving the mystery myself. Those are the best kind and Maureen
Johnson delivers them.

Things are not going well for Marlowe, and it only gets worse when she accidentally burns down a house while on a date with her dream girl. A change of scenery is in order, and soon she finds herself moving away to take a summer job giving tours at the historic Morning House. There are quite a few mysteries to unravel, both in the past and present. Why was the Morning House left abandoned and what happened to the family that used to live there? Who's job did Marlowe take over and why was she brought to this island?

If you're a fan of the Truly Devious series (which why wouldn't you be? those books are great) then you will love this standalone novel. Marlowe is a great narrator and her snarky tone brings a lot of humor to an otherwise dour and creepy story. It was hard to put this one down and I loved that there were multiple mysteries to solve along the way.

Death at Morning House started off a bit slow for me. Told in a duel time line format the mystery of the Ralston family curse and the current life experiences of Marlow, who has taken a job as a tour guide on Ralston Island after a very embarrassing first date with the girl of her dreams goes awry.

Upon arriving Marlow soon realizes that she is in an outsider in a group of teens who have grown up together. All struggling with a shared experience. They all seem to be left to their own devices as the Professor who is doing research on the island has made it clear that she is not a babysitter. Marlow tries to make friends with the group but finds herself drawn to Riki who has a rebel air about her. Marlow doesn’t know who to trust when she hears people sneaking around in the dark, the other teens are hot and cold towards her and then professor goes missing.

I enjoyed this book. It’s geared towards teens more than adults, but I feel anyone with a love of mysteries would enjoy it. I did not get an overly anxty teen vibe from the story. I was a bit disappointed as I was intrigued by the story line thinking it would be more of a ghost story or a haunted mansion rather than a look into the past and present double mystery sort of thing. The story started slow but once the pieces started to fall into place with both timelines it was a struggle to put down.

This was a fun, fast-paced murder mystery (that also had its funny moments, Marueen Johnson knows how to combine the perfect amount of humor with mystery). Similar to her Stevie Bell series, Death at Morning House is split into two time periods, each with its respective mystery. Marlowe was a really fun main character and I loved all of the queer representation in this book!

Maureen never fails. She has a way of keeping you on the edge of your seat! This book did just that. I couldn’t put it down.

Marlowe Wexler takes a job offer after an unfortunate encounter with a candle ruins her relationship with her dream girl.

Morning House is an eerie tourist attraction that was once home to the unfortunate Ralston family. Here, Marlowe meets a cast of unique characters and becomes a part of her own mystery.

Told in dual timeline, Death at Morning House is a quick-paced and entertaining read that covers mysteries past and present. Johnson has such a unique voice and I found myself laughing while also on the edge of my seat.

My favorite portion was the Ralstons. The twists were well-done and once the book was finished, I was hungry for more!

Definitely recommend!

This was decent. I will say I’m a huge fan of Maureen Johnson’s Stevie Bell books so I had super high expectations for this one. I love the way Maureen writes mystery thrillers. For some reason Death at Morning House just fell a bit flat for me. I liked how it started with a brief summary of the dark history of Morning House and the tragedies that plagued the Ralston family. The dual timelines were done well and I never felt like it was too jarring or took me out of the story when it would switch. After an unfortunate date goes awry Marlowe joins a group of local teens at Morning House to be a tour guides for the summer. The characters were fun and quirky. I liked Marlowe. She’s a shy, good hearted queer character who also has a photographic memory that comes in real handy with connecting pieces of the mystery together. I do think the mystery felt less of a mystery and more of a kind of tell us type story. It didn’t feel so much like the Stevie books where we had to piece the puzzle together. We are sort of just shown events as the story goes on so the ending felt a bit underwhelming. I did like the mystery but I think personally I just wanted more. But overall it was a cute coming of age story with some sapphic summer romance vibes. I think it’ll be great for fans of stories with quirky YA characters that have a lot of heart but that are also looking for something with a bit of a darker background mystery.

Maureen Johnson's Death at Morning House is a compelling YA mystery that intertwines two gripping stories - one set in 1932 and the other in the present day. Marlowe Wexler, our teenage protagonist, takes on a summer job as a tour guide at the Morning House, a mansion with a tragic past. She soon finds herself unraveling a mystery from the 1930s while also dealing with a present-day mysterious disappearance.

The narrative alternates between the events leading to the 1932 tragedy and Marlowe's current experiences, creating a captivating read that kept me turning pages. Johnson masterfully develops her characters and builds suspense, making both timelines equally engaging.

The plight of the Ralston children, subject to their father's eugenics beliefs, adds depth to the historical mystery, while the present-day storyline offers its own set of twists and turns. The storm during the climax heightens the tension, making the resolution even more satisfying.

Death at Morning House stands out as one of the best books I have read in 2024. Its engrossing plot, intriguing dual mysteries, and excellent storytelling make it a must-read for mystery fans. Highly recommended!

Haunted house books are some of my absolute favorites, so I loved the premise of house sitting a creepy mansion from the 1920s! Abandoned short after it was built and chock full of a history of mysterious deaths, Morning House has been burying a secret for decades. The synopsis almost made this seem like horror so I went into this thinking it would be a horror, in the same vein as a haunted house book, but it actually is a mystery thriller, not unlike the Truly Devious books that Maureen Johnson is known for. It’s actually super similar in feel to Truly Devious. I personally prefer horror, but I love a good murder mystery too! If done right, a thriller can be just as creepy and gripping as horror, and this one was well executed!

The Morning House itself is fascinating and a place that I’d want to visit if it were real. It’s technically a two story playhouse, the same size as a large family home, built for the children of a wealthy doctor with a weird obsession with swimming. Two of the children mysteriously die not long after the Morning House is built, which is the core of the mystery. The rest of the family members start to die one by one, by seemingly natural circumstances, but the fact that it was practically everyone in the immediate family one after another was just….odd. The situation behind the deaths of the first 2 were suspicious and you sense from the get go that someone was probably behind them, but everyone else’s were just strokes of bad luck that I couldn’t see how a person could be behind. Things like drunk driving or heart attacks or not knowing they were walking on a frozen pond and accidentally falling through the ice. If I didn’t know Maureen’s style, I would’ve considered the explanation being supernatural and some kind of family curse, but I’ve read enough of Maureen’s books to know that the evil in her books are strictly human. So I really couldn’t come up with a rational explanation for something so odd. The whole time I was like, with the rest of the family, if this all ends up just being a coincidence, it’s a hell of a coincidence. You do find out all the answers in the end, though.

The book has flashbacks to the 1930’s, to the POVs of the children before their deaths and what their lives were like, which I thought was a great touch. It just makes it even creepier reading the flashbacks, knowing that you’re in the heads of characters that will die young. It switches back and forth to the present time, it turns out the house is open to the public for one summer, and there’s a whole group of teens who are living there for the summer, acting as guides.

There’s also something comforting about reading YA as an adult, almost like it’s nostalgic of when times were simpler. Diving into a YA book and getting into the head of a younger character is always fun because it reminds me of my youth lol. This is super similar in tone to Truly Devious, with mysterious family conspiracies surrounding a seemingly cursed family. If you liked Truly Devious, you’ll like this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

I really just need to go a full (consecutive) month without a teenage podcaster solving a cold case. We nearly made it.