Nine Liars
“Angela had not gone off to be by herself. Someone had taken her. Because of this case, because of something she knew or might have been on the verge of knowing. And they were all going right into the heart of the beast. To Merryweather. To the Nine.”
Summary
In the fifth installment of the Stevie Bell series, the gang once again leaves the hallowed, yet cursed, halls of Ellingham Academy under the pretense of a week-long study abroad trip in London. Of course, there are ulterior motives. Stevie's boyfriend David has spent his first semester of college in London studying International Affairs, and her best friends Janelle, Vi, and Nate are hoping to pad their college applications. Yet, as it always does, what seems to be a simple excursion free falls into a murder investigation.
Nine Liars is told in two timelines: one set in Cambridge, UK in 1995, and the other in the present day. The 1995 storyline follows "The Nine," a comedy group of nine best friends who met at Cambridge University, and became a relatively successful comedy act. Upon graduating, the Nine set off for Sebastian's family manor, Merryweather, where they have vacationed in the past. As only college students can do, the Nine drank well into the morning hours, playing a competitive game of group hide-and-seek amidst a violent rainstorm. When seven were found, the storm caused the power to go out, leaving the rest to reenter the manor and wait for the other two to find their own way home. Yet in the morning, when sober, although hungover Sebastian and Theo went looking for their missing friends (Rosie and Noel), they found them brutally murdered in the shed, which had supposedly been locked.
In present day, Stevie and her friends are applying for colleges and embarking upon their senior year of high school. When Stevie's boyfriend asks her to come visit for a week, they somehow manage to convince the headmistress Dr. Quinn to let them study abroad (with a very strict schedule). But of course, when they arrive, David's British friend Izzy has a different plan: getting Stevie to solve the murder that happened 25 years ago to the Nine--one of whom is Izzy's aunt Angela.
Stevie is reluctant to involve herself with another murder; she only has a week with David, and Dr. Quinn is breathing down all their necks, but she's Stevie Bell, and inconvenience has never stopped her before. But shortly after talking to Angela about the fateful night years ago, Angela goes missing, causing Izzy to call together the Nine to find her aunt, and maybe solve Rosie and Noel's murders in the meantime.
Will Stevie be able to work her mystery magic on foreign soil? On a time crunch? With not only her future, but her friends' futures at stake? Or will the lies of the Nine and her own pile up until she can't find a way out?
Thoughts
Although this wasn't my favorite of the Truly Devious series, I did like it better than A Box in the Woods. I think Nine Liars captures more of the original trilogy's essence, and does a good job with delayed reveals and suspense. However, I did find this book to be quite repetitive, especially during The Nine points of view. The various police reports, flashbacks, and telling the same story over and over became dull, especially when no new facts were revealed each time. I also wanted more growth from Stevie as a character. It seems like every book she faces the same character flaw: not being entirely honest or open with her friends, and every time it hurts her. There were so many instances that made me side with Janelle and David rather than Stevie, and it's becoming annoying to constantly be in Stevie's head when you know she's making the same mistakes over and over.
Furthermore, while I found the mystery of The Nine interesting, having nine characters to keep track of is daunting, especially when they’re not the main focus or narrators. A lot of The Nine characters were incredibly similar, and it was hard to keep them straight in my head.
I’ve always loved the dynamic between Stevie, Janelle, and Nate, but this book seemed to stray further from that trio, and more on Janelle and Vi’s relationship, and Stevie and David’s relationship. I’m hoping that Stevie Bell #6 goes back to the foundation of the three to solve what seems to be the final mystery for the group, especially as they near graduation.
Overall
Despite these problems, the massive cliffhanger at the end of this book will of course have me returning for Stevie Bell #6. I think Maureen Johnson has a great style of storytelling, and has clearly found a mystery formula that works for her. My only hope is that she makes sure to end Stevie’s journey before it gets too repetitive, and doesn’t draw the series out to the point of exhaustion.
My rating: 4/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.22/5
Information
Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson (Katherine Tegen Books)
Publication Date: December 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-0063032651
Hardcover: $19.99