Please never use AI audio narrators again. This was awful to listen to - no inflection, no voices for different characters, and no soul. AI was not made to do this work.

When it comes to thrillers a good setting can be a huge difference in the story, in this case the secluded island was a complete win.
Suspenseful, gripping and even a bit humorous, this book told in dual timelines kept me engaged from start to finish.

There are two murder mysteries going on in this novel, one in present time and another from 1932, all from the same mansion. I loved the 1930s story from beginning to end and would have given it a 5 star review BUT the present time story was sooooo lame. It was filled with over the top relationship drama and lots of edibles. I think the emphasis that edibles helped someone survive an emergency finally did it in for me.

It was hard to get into the story with the synthesized narration. It was a good story that I probably would have enjoyed more if I had read it instead. I normally steer clear of synthesized narration but I like to read Maureen Johnson so I thought I would try it.

As usual as soon as I saw that Maureen Johnson was writing another mystery I added it to my TBR. Doesn’t take much for me to want a book from her lol Was I upset that it wasn’t another Stevie Bell and Truly Devious book? Yes. Was I going to read it anyway? Absolutely.

The beginning of this one was so weird lol I didn’t know where it was going when I first started reading it. And then the THING happened and I was very confused. No weirder than Johnson’s other books, but still. Usually she starts the book when the person is already on the way to the place they’ve been banished to lol So this was weird but good and I couldn’t wait to get to the mystery.

The characters were funny tho. Marlowe was hilarious. I still can’t believe all of this happened because she had a crush on a girl. And like girl, I love love, but she was doing too much lol I hated that she just wanted to get closer to the girl and then that happened. Definitely wasn’t what she was expecting at all I’m sure. But the way she handled it was crazy. But she went on to do some amazing things on that island. And I will say, I liked that we didn’t learn everything about her at once. This made it feel no info dumpy and that was perfect.

The mystery was weird. I liked that we went back and forth from the past to the present. And it wasn’t giving us too much at once so there were no spoilers. I liked it so much. But I did think this one was a little more weird than her others. The “dad” was terrible and I hated him. Everything they mentioned about him was terrible. I couldn’t figure out how in the world people kept giving him kids! But it all made sense in the end. So please, don’t let this man keep you from reading it! You NEED to get to the end.

I don’t want to say too much more about this since this is a mystery, but I will say the ending had me say out loud, “WTF!” Because when it happened it was just mentioned so casually lol They were so proud. It caught me off guard. So please, read this and let me know if you feel the same. I need to know I’m not alone!

I liked the FMC; Johnson always writes great FMCs. I also enjoyed all of the other characters especially Van. I thought the pacing was great and I think this has lots of teen appeal. However, Johnson always does something I hate. Her B stories do NOT have teen appeal.

I have read all the books in the Truly Devious series and the main story is always interesting and full of teen angst but the B story never has teen appeal. What teen cares about eugenics? None of them. The B story didn't get good until the end.

What a wild ride of a story. And I'm very surprised to not have an author's note or information regarding her choice of setting in the Thousand Islands and along the St. Lawrence because I'm assuming she's taken liberties with the story of Boldt Castle on Heart Island-- the man began building this extravagant house and more before his wife died. He left it unfinished and never returned to the island. Kids in particular would boat over and completely vandalized the upper floors (which are still like that as a nod to the history) including graffiti. It's opulent. But if you take boat trip you can also hear the stories of the Prohibition era rum runners and so much more that's been added to the ambience of this story.

All that aside, Johnson creates the spookiest mystery that includes a man of importance who believe in eugenics and who "adopted" a handful of children. They keep strict schedules and diets. A wife is added to the mix and they have a child. That child drowns, another falls off a balcony. That was in 1932. But then there's a contemporary story of Marlowe who is going to be a tour guide at Morning House and the death and mysteries compound. As a standalone, it hit all the right notes though a few of the red herrings and side stories didn't mesh overall, but I can move past it.

Really the setting (for me) is what made it, second is the situation with its rich, dark historical vibes.

Rounded up from 4.5! Marlowe is a wonderfully awkward, lovable main character that is thrust into the middle of some major friend group drama during her summer job in a death mansion. Obviously, chaos ensues and the bodies and fires start to stack up. Death at Morning House wonderfully filled the Stevie/Truly Devious mystery sized hole in my heart. This book had many similarities to the Truly Devious series - takes place in an old mansion with secret tunnels, mysteries of the past are layered with new mysteries, teenagers with little to no adult supervision, police that don’t seem to so much of anything, etc. However, it was clearly its own story and had all the twists and turns one would hope for. I also thought Johnson did an excellent job of weaving in LGBTQ characters in an authentic way that accurately reflects the world of teenagers in 2024. There were a couple parts that I wish were better developed or described, hence the half star off, but I read most of it in one sitting, which is the highest praise I can give a book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is my first Maureen Johnson and I absolutely loved it. Will pick up other books by her. I really enjoyed that the story telling was told from the past and present perspectives. The mystery was intriguing and loved trying to guess "who dun it." Looking forward to future novels by Maureen Johnson.

Maureen Johnson never disappoints. I was worried about adjusting to a world of mysteries with out Stevie Bell. However, Marlowe is an absolute delight. I also worried that the AI/robotic voice would make me enjoy the reading experience less. Maybe it did, but I read the book in two sittings. I plan on re-reading the book when it's officially released in August.

I think this pinpoints what made Truly Devious really fun to read and takes those elements without making it feel derivative. Also, Marlowe could date a pile of glass and I'd enjoy the romance more than Stevie and David's in the Truly Devious series. Marlowe is a character who I really related to. She's prone to bad luck and she's extremely gay. That's all I need to feel seen.

While the mystery takes a while to set in, I didn't find the journey boring. I think interspersing the modern day story with Marlowe's sections really helped with pacing where it would otherwise drag. I think having the majority of the story set on an island also alleviates a lot of the "why don't you call the cops" or "why don't you just leave" types of questions that can so often get lobbed at YA mystery/thrillers.

I loved this book just as much as I thought I would.

This was an interesting mystery and I did not guess either of the reveals. I liked the alternating points of view between the present and the past and watching the mystery unfold in both timelines. I loved the ending and how it tied together both stories and connected to the beginning of the story.

I look forward to reading more of Maureen Johnson's work in the future.

As this was a mechanized voicegalley, I do not have any opinions about the future narrators of this novel.

If you enjoy the Truly Devious series (and who wouldn't? If you enjoy those novels, you'll adore this stand-alone story. Marlowe is a fantastic storyteller, and her biting tone adds a lot of comedy to an otherwise gloomy and unsettling tale. I had a hard time putting this one down, and I really like that there were several riddles to unravel throughout. I honestly haven't read the Truly Devious YET but definitely will after reading this one!

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.

Marlowe is looking for a new summer job after accidentally setting a house on fire that she was house-sitting. She finds out about an opportunity at Morning House, an abandoned mansion on an island, where she will be a tour guide. When the person who offered her the job goes missing, Marlowe starts to investigate not just the disappearance, but the murders from long ago. Will she survive this summer job or will it be up in flames like her last?

There's 2 different crimes in this story - one from the 1920s and the other current. I felt the connection between the two was a bit forced, but it was a fun read.

Maureen Johnson reliably creates atmospheric, teen-friendly murder mysteries. This does not disappoint.

Perfect setting and a great cast of characters. It was hard for me not to compare Marlowe with Stevie so that diminished her a bit for me. I loved the flashbacks to the Ralston family and the original crimes at the house. Narrator was excellent.

This is not a Stevie Bell story, which I truly love. Yet, as a stand alone it was a true Maureen Jonson mystery. Death at the Morning House has all the elements of a Maureen Johnson novel, especially her ability to have two stories going in one, with out there being confusing. Must read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Audio & Maureen Johnson for an advance audio ARC of Death at Morning House in exchange for an honest review.

I did not realize when I requested this audiobook that it was not the final REAL narrated version. That info was stated very plainly, however, I just wasn't paying attention. I HATED the fake narration, but will not deduct anything from my rating for that.

In a nutshell, Marlowe runs off her former girlfriend after an unfortunate arson incident. So Marlowe begins her hunt for a summer job to fill her time & ends up giving tours at Morning House, a 1920s mansion that was abandoned soon thereafter. Soon she comes to the knowledge of the many deaths that have plagued Morning House. Will Marlowe be next?

This book was extremely atmospheric & had a great mixture of several genres all in one (historical, romance, humor, mystery, suspense). It was kind of the total package. I know this author has a pretty popular series called Truly Devious, but this was actually my first read of hers. I can't wait to re-listen to this later with the real narration.

I am rating it a 4 Star read for now. I may edit that once I can listen to the real narration.