(2) YA After establishing the absorbing origin story of Stevie Bell in the Truly Devious trilogy (Truly Devious, rev. 1/18, and sequels), Johnson gleefully takes a stab at the slasher movie trope by sending her teen detective on a cold case at a summer camp. Stevie is offered a job by a wealthy "tech bro" who wants to create a true-crime podcast. He's hoping that she will crack the case of the notorious Camp Wonder Falls murders, where four teenagers were bludgeoned to death in the summer of 1978. Stevie accepts and gets right to work interviewing locals and collecting clues, which is a welcome distraction from her ever-present anxiety and complicated relationship with her boyfriend. But there is someone in Camp Wonder Falls who will do anything--including murder--to keep our heroine from discovering the dark truth. This satisfying standalone mystery will delight fans of teen horror flicks and true-crime documentaries, as well as those who prefer their mysteries wrapped up after one volume. Crime history geeks will be particularly tickled by the multiple references to, and author's note about, Frances Glessner Lee, the woman who "basically established forensics in the United States." Here's hoping this highly entertaining volume isn't the last we hear from Stevie Bell.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) YA Truly Devious series. In this satisfying conclusion to the trilogy (Truly Devious, rev. 1/18; The Vanishing Star, rev. 3/19), student sleuth Stevie Bell believes she has solved the eighty-year-old cold case of the Ellingham family kidnapping and murders. But before she can tell anyone, she must connect the dots between the past and the recent deaths of three people connected to Ellingham Academy. Her investigation is disrupted by yet another accident (thankfully not fatal this time), the surprise return of her duplicitous ex-boyfriend David, and a massive snowstorm that immobilizes the remote Vermont boarding school. While trapped on campus with her friends, Stevie finally identifies the person responsible for murdering her classmates Hayes and Ellie and her mentor Professor Fenton. But will she be able to reveal what she knows before the killer closes in on her? The ending is grimly gratifying. As a layered, complex character who solves crime while also battling anxiety, Stevie Bell reads like the redoubtable love child of Jessica Fletcher and Adrian Monk. This entire series--inclusive, inventive, and vastly entertaining--has been a boon to young adult literature, a category thirsty for mystery and detective tropes.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) YA Truly Devious series. In this absorbing continuation of Truly Devious, amateur gumshoe and anxiety-sufferer Stevie Bell is still trying to solve both the eighty-year-old cold case at Ellingham Academy and her classmate's recent murder. As Stevie continues her investigation, Johnson judiciously doles out some satisfying partial answers to the historical case while (presumably) saving the big reveals for the next installment. This fulfilling second volume will gratify serious mystery fans.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(2) YA Truly Devious series. Aspiring sleuth Stevie Bell starts her junior year at Ellingham Academy with a classmate dying under mysterious circumstances in one of the Vermont school's hidden tunnels. The event uncannily evokes another tragedy from eighty years earlier. Told in alternating chapters chronicling the past ordeal and Stevie's current detecting, Johnson's finely tuned plot effectively employs classic-mystery tropes while maintaining a thoroughly modern sensibility.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(4) YA Also written by Robin Wasserman. Simon helped save the world in the Mortal Instruments series, but he lost his memories. Ten stories chronicle his time at Shadowhunter Academy, re-learning how to be a hero (and Isabelle's boyfriend); recurring characters appear as "guest lecturers," filling holes in the mythos and dropping hints about future series. Despite the underwhelming plots, some characters do undergo real development, and the school setting offers familiarity.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) YA Shades of London series. Still reeling from Stephen's death, Rory is split between finding his ghost and discovering what it is about her powers that has a ghost cult attempting to kidnap her. Despite the narrative focus on Rory, it's the villains who steal the show in this third book. Tense emotions and a spooky ending keep the copious blocks of information from slowing down the plot.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers

(4) YA This illustrated companion to the Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series collects eleven short stories about fan-favorite recurring character Magnus Bane. Though the historical settings are intriguing and the stories shed light on the immortal warlock's fabulously checkered past, he doesn't grow or change here. The most interesting stories are those that develop Magnus's relationships with characters from the main series.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(2) YA Shades of London series. Rory and her friends in the Shades return and regroup after defeating a spectral Jack the Ripper copycat killer at her boarding school in The Name of the Star. While not as taut and engaging as Name, this second installment in the series still offers promising developments, such as Rory's new supernatural power. Fans of the first book should be sufficiently intrigued.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2013

(2) YA Shades of London series. Arriving in London for the school year, Rory is told that someone "pulled a Jack the Ripper." Soon after, Rory starts seeing people her classmates don't and falls in with a group investigating the murders. Smart, breezy, self-deprecating narration and textured boarding school atmosphere provide easy entrance to this increasingly eerie murder mystery.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2011

(1) YA In this 13 Little Blue Envelopes sequel, Ginny goes on another European scavenger hunt--this time with a posse. As in 13, the setting is vivid and the situations are hilariously absurd. The group's dynamic is always authentic, usually funny, and occasionally heartrending. Johnson excels at conveying emotions through natural-sounding dialogue in this celebration of growing up, moving on, and embracing the unexpected.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2011

(2) YA In her second book, Scarlett Martin deals with a failed summer relationship and the insanity of her new boss, theatrical agent Amy Amberson. Her older brother gets his first big acting break (but at what cost?); her older sister has an identity crisis; and her younger sister is being worryingly...nice. Johnson skillfully balances the story's camp with warm family drama.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2010

(2) YA Three popular YA authors offer funny, heartfelt snapshots of love and misadventure on one blizzard-blanketed Christmas Eve in these linked novellas. The authors share an ironic, quirky sense of humor that helps bind their stories, each with a slightly different tone and take on love, into one interconnected volume brimming with romance and holiday spirit.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2008

(2) YA Drama queen Mrs. Amberson moves into Scarlett's family's occupancy-challenged Manhattan hotel. She hatches schemes to save the hotel, resolve Scarlett's love life, and jumpstart Scarlett's brother's acting career. Johnson keeps the laughs coming while delineating sibling dynamics with warmth and insight. Pointed characterizations and a family future in peril drive this over-the-top comedy, all presented with wry New Yorker aplomb.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2008

(3) YA Seventeen-year-old Clio isn't thrilled about cruising the Italian coast with her father and his secretive colleagues who are looking for a turn-of-the-twentieth-century shipwreck, especially since it means being separated from her crush. However, once Clio gets into the search, she's hooked. Flashbacks are neatly woven throughout, tying Clio to the treasure hunt and increasing the story's suspense.

Reviewer: Lauren Maggio

(2) YA Cynical high school senior Jane initially admires Lanalee, the ultra-cool new sophomore at her all-girls Catholic school. But the unsettling makeover of Jane's hapless best friend after Lanalee takes her under her wing gives Jane reason to suspect something is amiss. Has Allison really sold her soul to the devil? This shrewd, playful Faustian drama delivers genuine chills and suspense.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2006

(3) YA Three sisters try to cope with their father's death and a growing distance from their mother. What sets this book apart is the clear, straightforward writing style and air of melancholy surrounding these flawed characters. When the girls steal their father's ashes and grind them into the pitcher's mound at Camden Yards, their catharsis is palpable.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) YA Nina, Avery, and Mel have been best girlfriends forever. The summer before their senior year, Nina experiences first love at an academic summer program, while Mel and Avery explore their romantic feelings for each other. The book delicately and realistically presents the complexities of friendship and young love, with a minimum of sentimentality.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz