Reviews with content warning for Child death - Němý viník

I guess I'm along for the ride and these mysteries and cliffhangers are working on me. It's like when you're watching a show and you don't think you love it, but you can't stop watching it. David is driving me nuts though, I'm in agreement with everyone from the first book who was tired of his shenanigans.

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ceeceereads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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itsheyfay's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

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books4em's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book made me remember why I love thrillers - but not just any thriller, those thriller series where you are left without the one last answer to the mystery. You have so many of the pieces fitting together, but then there's that one question that leaves you hanging. Add in a new cliffhanger, and you've got those specially amazing thrillers. That was The Vanishing Stair. I am about to immediately pick up the third book in the Truly Devious series because this was so good. Johnson really knows how to write a story that keeps you captivated. Reading the two timelines at the same time is a key aspect of this series and one I enjoy greatly. Combined with the fantastic descriptions of the setting of Burlington, Ellingham, and Vermont in general, it is truly amazing (pun intended). The whole subplot with Edward King I'm not a fan of, but I see its purpose. Same with the Dr. Fenton and Hunter subplot - not sure where that's going. As with Truly Devious, I appreciated the queer rep with the side characters (one of whom uses they/them pronouns and it's seamless) along with the mental health rep. I liked how these points continued from the first book. I also liked how this book focused more on solving the Ellingham case, not just the one in the current timeline. And by far, the best moment in this book is on page 348 where Stevie is talking through the murders with those involved in the cupola and the ghost of Dottie looks at George Marsh's ghost and turns to Stevie and nods and Stevie nods back. Yes!!! That moment of understanding and thanks from Dottie is insurmountable! But still, where is Alice and what's the secret surrounding her?! I need answers, so on to book 3!

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lily1304's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

I feel like this one was even better than the first!! It's so, SO satisfying as a reader when you can piece together a mystery before it's stated.

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bzliz's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

The Vanishing Stair poses many new questions in the Truly Devious series while answering a few previous ones. Stevie is taken back to school by David’s father- a stuck up conservative senator who lacks any moral compass- because he thinks she can keep his son contained at the school. It works for a time. Like the first book, pretty much every adult seems kind of shady.

Character death spoiler:

Stevie and David find Ellie’s body in a tunnel previously unknown. We aren’t given a clear picture of her death but it weighs on Stevie to know that her body has been there the whole time people had been trying to puzzle out her escape.

We meet a few new characters- Dr. Fenton and her nephew Hunter- who are also involved with the Ellingham case. Stevie manages to piece together the identity of Truly Devious as well as pinpoint someone who was absolutely involved in the kidnapping of Iris and Alice Ellingham.

Something I haven’t decided if I like or not is the way we cut back to the 1930’s for some chapters. On one hand I enjoy getting to see how things actually happened but on the other hand it feels like cheating since there’s no way for Stevie to ever be privy to these details so it feels like we’re waiting for her to catch up to us. I will be continuing the series but I hope it doesn’t drag out terribly.

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liesthemoontells's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed this book far more than the first Truly Devious novel as the characters were more relatable and the mystery plots (especially the historical mysteries) felt far more organically incorporated into the main narrative.

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widgetknits's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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