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The Vanishing Stair

by Maureen Johnson

A historic mystery with present-day stakes

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Regular price $25.40 USD Sale price $15.24 USD
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Paperback New English

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Awards & Recognition

  • Bestseller

    Publishers Weekly bestseller

    Described in the supplied metadata as a Publishers Weekly bestseller.

  • Book club selection

    Junior Library Guild Selection

    Junior Library Guild selection.

  • Editorial selection

    Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books of 2019

    Included in Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books of 2019.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A historic mystery with present-day stakes

Stevie Bell’s return to Ellingham Academy reconnects the school’s 1936 kidnapping and triple-murder case with the murder of a classmate and the tensions of her own life. The mystery is built around linked questions: the identity and whereabouts of a killer, the meaning of a riddle left by Albert Ellingham, and the case’s consequences in the present. As the second book in the Truly Devious series, it continues Stevie’s investigation while bringing her back into contact with David, whose connection to Senator Edward King complicates her return. The story’s central interest lies in the way an old crime remains entangled with current relationships and danger.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teen and young adult readers interested in mysteries and detective stories
  • Readers following the Truly Devious series and Stevie Bell’s investigation
  • Readers who enjoy stories connecting a historical crime with present-day questions

Themes

Unsolved crimeHistorical mysteries and present-day consequencesTruth and deceptionFriendship and trust

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller!

In New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson's second novel in the Truly Devious series, there are more twists and turns than Stevie Bell can imagine. No answer is given freely, and someone will pay for the truth with their life.

The Truly Devious case--an unsolved kidnapping and triple murder that rocked Ellingham Academy in 1936--has consumed Stevie for years. It's the very reason she came to the academy. But then her classmate was murdered, and her parents quickly pull her out of school. For her safety, they say. She must move past this obsession with crime.

Stevie's willing to do anything to get back to Ellingham, be back with her friends, and solve the Truly Devious case. Even if it means making a deal with the despicable Senator Edward King. And when Stevie finally returns, she also returns to David: the guy she kissed, and the guy who lied about his identity--Edward King's son.

But larger issues are at play. Where did the murderer hide? What's the meaning of the riddle Albert Ellingham left behind? And what, exactly, is at stake in the Truly Devious affair? The Ellingham case isn't just a piece of history--it's a live wire into the present.

* Junior Library Guild Selection * Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books of 2019 * Hypable's Best Books of 2019 *

Praise for Book One:

"The Agatha Christie-like ecosystem pairs with lacerating contemporary wit, and alternating past and present scenes makes for a multilayered, modern detective story." --New York TimesBook Review

"Remember the first time reading Harry Potter and knowing it was special? There's that same sense of magic in the introduction of teen Sherlock-in-training Stevie Bell." --USA Today (four stars)

"Be still, my Agatha-Christie-loving beating heart." --Bustle

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