This is a case of personal taste though, and nothing else. Some authors just can't entertain me no matter what. Jenny Han, Victoria Schwab and yes, Maureen Johnson.

There are SO MANY suspicious people in this book, that I think I've just decided to not trust them all. Everyone's a suspect now (minus the crew cuz I really don't think they have anything to do with this). David is also being really suspicious but I don't think he has anything to do with the murders, though I could be wrong. I mean, I didn't think Ellie was evil, but look at how that turned out😕. I heard about her from one of the top librarians at the public library, this girl from Avenue A who read Greek and slipped into one of the rare books rooms three times. They said she was trouble, but good trouble." The implied dot dot dot was “student dies in a terrible accident or maybe murder and another one goes missing.” And please, to people who asked me to read this, just shoo go away you may not be able to Handle this!! I also LOVED HOW THE MYSTERY PLAYED OUT. I don't wanna reveal too much because spoilers, but Maureen Johnson reveals so much, and yet it doesn't answer anything - it just leads to more questions and I thought that was SO INTERESTING !! I loved how the mystery expanded and became even more thorny and strange. I also loved how many clues we're given, and there is a chance to put it all together alongside Stevie (though of course I didn't because I am a dumb dumb). And that ending .. KILLED ME. And you know what? I love a good cliffhanger. Yes they're awful but they're also THE BEST. They get me so hyped for the next book and let me tell you ... 2020 needs to come faster because I am HYPED.I do think had the student been killed around the 25% mark and then we had actually figured some things out, it would have been interesting, but unfortunately that's not what happened so we'll just have to live with the fact that this book that had a really interesting premise turned out to be a really crappy read. So looking forward to read the end of the trilogy! This is not the best YA murder mysteries that I’ve ever read! But it’s still brilliant and the way of storytelling, the references of old Doyle and Christie books makes you satisfied and keep your attention! Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. the last few weeks have been a time of such sadness. What you need to know, what you must know, is that your safety, your health, your emotional well-being is what matters the most. We are going to be here for you. We’re going to have . . .” Stevie wants to solve this mystery once and for all, and her passion for doing so is the criteria that gets her admitted to Ellingham. But even though she has a real purpose, and attends a school that supports that purpose, adjustment isn't as easy as she had hoped. She's never really made friends before, and isn't sure of what to make of her eccentric and creative dorm-mates, including a scientist and inventor, a popular and handsome web-series actor, a novelist, an artist with a penchant for alcohol and the saxophone, and David, a coder, who seemed to get under Stevie's skin from the moment they met.

If you enjoyed the first book, I think you will enjoy this one as well. Honestly though, I did not love this quite as much. the underlying political tones were awesome. i love political references and metaphors and they are very rare in YA, so i appreciated that. Later that night, Stevie and David talk. He finds out about her deal with his dad and is furious about it. Stevie feels terrible. She also wonders if her deal with Edward King will be off if David knows about it. After their conversation, David ignores Stevie completely. She asks Stevie to look into it and you know our Stevie, you are not going to dangle something that tempting in front of her and not have her bite.I absolutely loved the characters, my most favourite being Nate! Ah, he's so damn precious. I would love to steal all his T-shirts someday and we know why. the vanishing stair takes place directly after the events of Truly Devious, as stevie continues to try solving the ellingham case, and the mystery of the death of one of her classmates.