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.

Maureen Johnson is an autobuy author for me. Her works are all fast-paced and easy to read through. I love the mystery element. This was another great read- quick and easy. Would have loved more of a twist / a more interesting ending, but overall, good summer read.

**Thank you so much to HarperTeen for giving me an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! The thoughts below are entirely my own.**

I really enjoyed reading this book! The twists and mystery kept me hooked from start to finish. I had to force myself to put it down at night so I would go to bed.

The writing style was really great! All of the characters felt unique, and they read like actual teenagers, which was awesome. I also liked how the book switched between present-day and the past. It connected all of the storylines really well.

The mystery was amazing! I did not see the twists coming at all. My only problems with the book were the cursing/drug use and the relationships. This was a really fun read, though, and I would recommend reading it if you like YA mysteries!

While this was an interesting story, I had a challenging time connecting to Marlowe. I really enjoyed the alternating time lines and the story in the 1930s was fun and enjoyable. Unfortunately this story fell a bit flat for me and was a bit slow on the pick up. I didn’t see the final twist coming though, and thought it had a good ending.

Ok, look. Without giving anything away, the whole fire thing is a bit of a stretch but Marlowe is so charming that you just kinda let it slide. The way her voice is written is relatable and funny and you’re totally down to go solve some murders with her.

At first, I thought I was diving into a more supernatural sort of murder-y book, and the start of this seemed to sort of kind of mildly gesture that way, but don’t be confused. It’s a good ol’ fashioned who-dun-it. And a pretty well written, entertaining one at that. The book time jumps between the original family who lived in the house and their host of issues, and present day. Sometimes those sorts of books just don’t flow well, but this one works it out just fine.

This is a fun one to kick back and wander through on a day off while you ignore your phone and, really, the outside world. A… lighthearted murder book, if you will? That sounds weird. But even with all the deaths and problematic people of the past, this one is not heavy reading. And that’s nice sometimes.

What a great book. I was instantly taken by Marlowe's sarcastic, dry humor from the start. The way her mind worked was just sheer joy to read. Every chapter ended up being one of those "just one more chapter" moments. The mystery was fast-paced and dawn out perfectly.

After a series of unfortunate events, Marlowe finds herself accepting a job on an island for the Summer. Her new gig as a tour guide at Morning House turns out to be more than she bargained for. Maureen Johnson has a way of spinning a good murder mystery that just sucks me in everytime. I really enjoyed the jumps in time from past to present. It kept me hooked the whole way through. The mystery surrounding the deaths of the family who once lived in Morning House and the group of teenagers on the hunt for a killer in both the past and the present. This was a fun YA mystery that had me guessing til the last page.
Thank you #maureenjohnson and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

I'm reviewing this book with the assumption that this, no matter the look of the cover and timing, is NOT the next Truly, Devious book. So let's start there.

This book is about Marlowe not Stevie, so if you were hoping this was the next TD book, or in that world, it is not.

Spoiler marker from here because it is a mystery. <spoiler>

I was so excited to get this book. I'm not gonna lie, I also thought I was getting our next Stevie book and was ready to find out what mystery and what personal chaos we'd be getting. But, when I saw it was a different story, I was equally excited bc the idea of Maureen Johnson starting a new series in the same type of space before we're done with the TD books so there's no loss of mystery reading was equally exciting.

Unfortunately, and I might be in the minority, this isn't in the same realm as those books. Even with spoilers I'm going to keep this pretty narrow - but I'M ABOUT TO SPOIL THIS BOOK YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

So, first off, Marlowe is a really passive heroine in a lot of ways. Things definitely happen TO her. And, while I'm all for that (I don't understand the people who scream about it) it does not work for me here.

Marlowe is not a detective. She's not actively trying to learn things or figure out the mystery that is literally handed to her day one. She is just kind of hanging out, letting all the other teens do their thing, just doing day-by-day. Later, much, much later - like when she finally is like "oh, I should figure this out" later - she's like "way back when I was little I used to solve logic problems" ... maybe tell us that way back at the beginning, and also act like you see the logic problem and are solving it. It's far too late in the game for me when she does start actively detecting.

I did love that Marlowe wasn't fickle. Just bc things took a bad turn with her girlfriend, doesn't mean she was over her. And I love how that played out ❤️
The past mystery isn't really a deep mystery like the other Johnson mysteries. It's pretty much right there for you to figure out. The red herring is obviously bright red.

But, I did love that we're getting dual timelines and dual stories again. I don't know how she does it, but she makes it look effortless. I love the setting and ideas and even the murder in the present day. The fallout is definitely fallout.

I love that the past story (while, she hands you everything pretty early so it's obvious who WOULD do this and why and also). The setting, the ideas, the twisted patriarchy, things that were unfortunately very vitally looked at at that time and were part of the two wars the story sits between.

I found the teens in the past actually more compelling. And wished the present day story had more of that vibe.

There was one final twist that, because I'd kind of given up thinking at the 60% mark bc it felt like "well, we know how this is going to play out" I completely missed but absolutely makes sense - the letter at the end is just... heartbreaking and genius.

I'm rating this a 3.5 and rounding up for author love. Not my fav. Most of her mysteries are 5s for me, but sometimes a 4 it is.

Now, we wait for the next TD book or the next... Marlowe? book! I'd grab either of them up in a heartbeat.

</spoiler>

Thanks to Maureen Johnson and HarperCollins for this digital ARC. Another great story from Maureen Johnson. Marlowe solves the mystery of Morning House while trying to recover from her own personal drama. Great mystery/thriller.

4.5

This book doesn’t come out for like a month and a half so I’m going to keep this review brief.

I did really love this book but the only thing that keeps it from being a 5 is that I felt like the main character Marlowe needed more agency and determination in solving the mystery to warrant being the sole narrator.

The mysteries themselves were very engaging and I always enjoy Maureen Johnson’s employment of dual narrative. I think it is very effective here in a way that’s different from the Truly Devious series. The plot itself is very strong and compelling and I found this book to be very compulsively readable the entire way through. The solution was also very intriguing if slightly predictable. I also like the way Maureen Johnson kind of gets around Marlowe not being a through and through detective like Stevie is in the way the secrets of the past come to light at the end.

Marlowe as a first-person narrator is great. The prose is effervescent and fun to read. Maureen Johnson hones her writing with each book, but I also love how I can always tell it’s one of her books. Her style is so specific in a way that I greatly enjoy. The characters in both timelines are also very interesting but there are a lot of them. It gets easier to differentiate as the story progresses, but just know you have to pay attention to the introductions in the early chapters of both narratives.

The setting was also very interesting and a good location to showcase Johnson’s skills as a writer and storyteller.

Overall, this was a great book. It’s a perfect summer read with two great mysteries, funny and endearing and messy characters, amazing prose, and a setting that always boasts surprises.

This was a great time. Our protagonist Marlowe Wexler might be a new favorite character of mine. With her witty inner thoughts and humor, I found myself intrigued and rooting for her at every turn.
We have 2 main timelines where we are trying to piece together what happened and I found myself equally intrigued with both. The mystery of what happened in 1932 was interspersed expertly with the developments of present day. It was great to think I had it figured out only to realize that the revelations were still unfolding.

Thank you to the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVE Maureen Johnson and I was delighted to get access to her new one-off mystery on Netgalley. It was everything I wanted and more. My only complaint is that it ENDED. I absolutely flew through this book and was glued to every page. There are queer characters, a beautiful yet spooky old mansion, edibles, friend group drama, a petrichor scented candle, and so many more juicy details. The setting is unique and gives elevated-summer-camp-counselor vibes. I did not see the plot twists coming, but everything made perfect sense and fell together neatly in the end. I love when an author gets away with organically getting rid of adult characters and leaving us with a bunch of teenagers thrown together. The cover is beautiful and I will be purchasing this when it comes out, and maybe even giving it a re-read.

I think this is a good book just not the book for me. The mystery didn’t grab me and in the end I skipped a large portion of the book because I lost interest.

Good YA Mystery novel with multiple different POVs which swing back and forth well! I enjoyed the plot a lot it had a good pacing!

I absolutely loved this book. It was so well written and entertaining.I did figure out who the killer was before the book ended but that’s okay. Plus I’ve been a Maureen Johnson fan for many years.

Thank you Net Galley and Harper Collins for this ARC! This is the first I’ve read from this author (but definitely have her Truly Devious series on my TBR) and I enjoyed her writing style, but it took some getting used to. This was a fun, knives out style who-dunnit and I love that there is a past murder mystery mixed with a present day one and how they align/overlap! The author does a great job at keeping the two stories separate but also blending them in such a great way! I rated it three stars since the story did lag a bit, I found myself getting a bit bored in the middle. I also couldn’t put up with the FMC and her obsession with Akilah - I get it, it was the love story, but it really got on my nerves. The FMC in general annoyed me which is always a bit pet peeve of mine. I also wish there were more details on the friend group and interactions with them and Marlowe.

Overall I did enjoy this read and it was a fun and twisty story! Always a plus when I don’t guess the ending.

The two mysteries take place in the same haunted mansion theme, and the quirky young female lead's attempt to solve the cases might show similarities with the main plot of the Truly Devious series. However, there are differences, starting with the heroines: Truly Devious's Stevie Bell is more devoted, focused, and socially inadapted, obsessed with detective work while dealing with her own family problems. In contrast, Marlowe in "Death at Morning House" is a sweeter character with more engaging qualities. She's self-deprecating, shy, queer, a little clumsy, and good-hearted, but her photographic memory and sharp gray cells help her connect the pieces to see the full puzzle.
If you're a fan of the Truly Devious series, the semi-similar mystery-solving concept may lure you in with more likable characters (thankfully, there's no character as annoying as Truly Devious' David in this book)! The intertwined mysteries take us on a journey between tragedies that took place on July 27, 1932, and the present day, where Marlowe is hired to be a tour guide at Morning House. This is the very place where two deaths haunted the past, and another death occurs, resulting in Marlowe replacing one of the tour guides, increasing the tension.
Marlowe's well-intentioned jest for Akilah, a girl she has a long-time crush on, ends up putting the house into flames, turning her into a pariah! (How could she imagine a $30 candle could explode and cause such a disaster? Poor Marlowe!) When Marlowe gets trapped in her own room, squirming in guilt, and losing her chance with Akilah, a job offer arises as a tour guide on Ralston Island. Here, Morning House has been renovated and opened to tourists after years, where the Ralston Family—a scientist, his ex-celebrity wife, his sister, and seven children-lived in a health-obsessed lifestyle from the 1920s to the 1930s.
Tragedies have plagued the family, with little Max drowning at the age of four, and their eldest sister, Clara, jumping on the roof.
As Marlowe sets foot in the place, she senses the eeriness as if the ghosts of the family still haunt it. Most of her new friends seem friendly, except for Riki, who gives off suspicious vibes and is obsessed with finding out the Ralston history. Her new boss, Belinda Henson, tries to finish her book about the dark mystery of the place and acts as if she wants Marlowe to spy on the other guides from an outsider's perspective. Then, another tragic incident occurs, putting Marlowe's life at risk as she keeps digging for the truth. Could she gather the pieces of the puzzle to find the bridge that unites past and present incidents? Could there be a dangerous killer around them who might do anything to keep their secret safe?
Overall, it's an entertaining, fast-paced, smartly executed YA mystery that I highly recommend! I also loved to see Marlowe back for the later installments!

Maureen Johnson does it again with a gripping YA thriller mystery novel. Known for her best selling series, "The Truely Devious" series, Maureen and write mysteries in her sleep.

This book tells a mystery from back in the 30's while also telling one in present time. One may help solve the other, but if it weren't for the first mystery, today's mystery never would have been answered.

Get ready to go on a ride through the gorgeous morning house and solve a century old murder. Light a fire because this one is hot!

Follow teens though love, laughter and loss. The summer has just begun and not everything goes as planned for everyone. A friend dies, a love interest sets the stage for the rest of the summer.

This is a must read!