Truly Devious

Albert Ellingham, an eccentric millionaire, had a dream to open a school for gifted kids.  That's why he created Ellingham Academy in the Vermont mountains and moved there with his wife and children.  There's no tuition charge, and the students are an eclectic collection of wealthy offspring and poor but gifted teens.  All is well until Ellingham's wife and child are kidnapped. The only clue is a letter signed "Truly Devious."

One of the students and Mrs. Ellingham are later found dead, but Ellingham's young daughter is never recovered.  Despite the tragedy of its first year, Ellingham Academy has endured, and true crime aficionados around the world have been obsessed with solving the case for almost 100 years.

Stevie Bell is one of those crime buffs obsessed with solving the murders.  She can't believe her good fortune when she wins a spot at Ellingham Academy.  It's the perfect opportunity to investigate.  She can't wait to start investigating for herself and explore the hidden tunnels and details of the historic campus.  Plus, it gets her away from her parents and their ideas of what a good daughter should be.

Stevie quickly finds a place at Ellingham, and no one thinks her obsession with the crime is strange.  In fact, she quickly becomes involved in a group project to create a web series based on the case.  But events take a tragic turn when a fellow student is found dead.  Was it an accident or something more sinister?

Switching between the events of the original murder in 1936 and Stevie's investigations in the present, Maureen Johnson has created a well-plotted mystery with interesting characters.  It ends on a pretty big cliff-hanger so make sure you have book two waiting!  Recommended for grades 8 and up.