The Hand on the Wall

By: Ellie Dolan-Yates

Maureen Johnson brings her “Truly Devious” trilogy to a fitting conclusion with the highly anticipated final book The Hand on the Wall. Having solved the “crime of the century” which has been plaguing her boarding school since the 1930’s, the protagonist Stevie is now set on solving the deaths of three of her friends. Stevie also has the disappearance of her boyfriend, David, with which to contend. As another accident occurs and a snowstorm leads to the evacuation of Ellingham Academy, Stevie has to look to the past to help her solve Ellingham Academy’s present-day murder-mystery. The use of in-depth, relatable characters and realistic nature of the way in which the crime is solved makes for a brilliant read for young adults.

The main thing I like about this book is that the story is not far-fetched. Maureen Johnson has managed to write a thrilling and intricate murder-mystery without being over the top. The mystery is easy to follow, but gives you a lot of “Ah, clever” moments. The way Stevie’s thoughts are delved into and processed by the author makes it as though the reader is solving the crime alongside the leading lady. The sense of humor in the story also helps to keep the tale light and its characters believable. Afterall, at the end of the day, these are a group of teenagers at a boarding school and not under-pressure FBI agents.

Moreover, Stevie and her friends are a diverse set of characters whose traits and preferences are subtly addressed without a big deal being made. Stevie suffers from depression, anxiety and panic attacks, but this is normal. It was so refreshing to read about a character who has many traits of myself – wearing the same clothes every day, being too tired to care, having a massive pile of laundry and this just being typical. It’s not mentioned specifically in this book, because it doesn’t need to be by now, but Stevie’s friend Janelle is a black lesbian and her partner, Vi, uses they/them pronouns. Also, pal Nate is socially awkward and doesn’t let anyone near him. It’s nice to see that there isn’t a big fanfare around the personalities of these characters as they are who they are and you can tell that without it having to be spelled out in rainbow colored, capital letters.

The other thing I like about the characters in this story is that what they are doing and achieving is believable. Now, from the outside if you hear “a boarding school student solves the crime of the century” then you might not believe it, but the characters use resources that would ordinarily be available – no fingerprint dustings or high-tech forensic light sources. Stevie uses notes, books, diaries and just her general problem-solving ability to get to the bottom of things. At one point, Janelle uses her bare hand to smash a hole in the wall! Their capabilities are not extended beyond those of regular teenagers (often seeking the use of technology to lend a hand), making the story believable and giving hope to budding young detectives.

Although the book is set in both the past and the present, it never gets confusing. In fact, it is almost as if the mysteries of the past and present are solved together. The way that clues are left by characters in the past is extremely clever, as is the way that these are used by Stevie to solve the deaths in the present. Plus, things that may have seemed trivial at the start of the book will begin to become very important towards the end of it.

All-in-all this book is a great read for both young adults and adults who wish they were young. The Hand on the Wall is more than interesting and descriptive enough to be read as a standalone book, but I would recommend reading the first two books. I say that because I haven’t read them! After giving myself a slap on the wrist, I will make sure I read them because if this book is anything to go by, I won’t be disappointed. With that said, I wish I had someone like Stevie to read about when I was younger. Excuse me whilst I go and buy a magnifying glass and trench coat.