The Hand on the Wall

The Truly Devious mystery is finally solved, and in this third and final book in the trilogy the story seems to really find its groove. I was intrigued by the story, and I read the whole series, but I definitely think this is the strongest book. The world has been built, we’re ready to solve the mystery, and we get a good balance of the past/present POVs. Plus, stuck in a snow storm at a boarding school? The scenario of my dreams, TBH.

Stevie has finally solved the Truly Devious mystery that rocked Ellingham Academy in the 1930s, but three people are now dead…so she’s going to have to solve a lot more than an old case. Someone’s intrigued by the codicil, but is it real? And if it’s real, what’s going to happen with it on Alice’s 80th birthday? Throw in some boy drama (ugh, David, am i right?) along with a snow storm hitting the mountain, an art hippie in town, and lots of pacing–and this trilogy finally finds its feet and it’s end. Alongside Stevie’s present day POV we get Ellingham in the 1930s and we find out what really happened with the Truly Devious letter and the live and death of Alice Ellingham.

I’m not saying I didn’t like the first two books in this series, but I felt good about the third one. It had a good balance with the POVs, it answered the questions, and it didn’t try to spread itself too far. I listened to it on audio, as I’ve done with all the books, but I may do a complete, sequential reread in a few years and see if the series holds up. If you like mystery and boarding schools, you’ve got to read this book, even if it’s not a jaw-dropper.