The Vanishing Stair
Readers rate it 4.0 (259 on Hardcover)
373 pages · Released 2019 · Katherine Tegen Books
Content report card
The Vanishing Stair parent’s guide: what’s inside
LGBTQ+ themes
Substance use
What it offers
Educational value
A note for parents
The Vanishing Stair is a mystery novel centered on solving murders and kidnappings, with discussion of death but not graphic depictions. The primary content concerns involve the psychological weight of investigating serious crimes and some emotional conflict around trust and loyalty. Strong themes of curiosity, friendship, and perseverance make it appropriate for mature middle-grade and young adult readers who enjoy mysteries, though parental awareness of the murder plot is warranted.
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From the publisher
WHERE DO YOU LOOK FOR SOMEONE WHO'S NEVER REALLY THERE? The Truly Devious case--an unsolved kidnapping and triple murder that rocked Ellingham Academy in 1916--has consumed Stevie Bell for years. It's the very reason she came to the academy. But then her classmate Hayed Major was murdered, and though she identified... WHERE DO YOU LOOK FOR SOMEONE WHO'S NEVER REALLY THERE? The Truly Devious case--an unsolved kidnapping and triple murder that rocked Ellingham Academy in 1916--has consumed Stevie Bell for years. It's the very reason she came to the academy. But then her classmate Hayed Major was murdered, and though she identified his killer, her parents quickly pull her out of school. For her safety, they say. Stevie's willingness to do anything to get back to Ellingham, be with her friends, and solve the 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, the guy she's conflicted about at all times,and the guy who lied about his identity--Edward King's son. But larger issues are at play. Was Hayes's death really solved? Where did his murderer hide away to? 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. The path to the truth has more twists and turns than Stevie can imagine, and moving forward involves hurting someone she cares for. In New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson's second novel in the truly devious series, someone will pay for the truth with their life. This description comes from the publisher. The Vanishing Stair is the second book in the Truly Devious series, the first of which is Truly Devious.
Shelved under
- Murder, fiction
- Boarding schools, fiction
- Vermont, fiction
- Schools, fiction
- Mystery and detective stories
- Children's fiction
- nyt:young-adult-hardcover=2019-02-10
- New York Times bestseller
- Boarding school students
- Juvenile fiction
- Cold cases (Criminal investigation)
- Murder
Books in the Stevie Bell Mysteries series
Full series in order →
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ISBN 9780062338082 · Katherine Tegen Books