Five Questions With Author Maureen Johnson

She writes the beloved "Truly Devious" series

A few years ago, a friend suggested I check out Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious series. I devoured the first three books in three frantic days, squeezing in reading about teen sleuth Stevie Bell investigating a cold case at her elite boarding school whenever I could.

The series’ fifth book, Nine Liars (which takes Stevie and her friends to London), comes out December 27th. It combines Maureen’s love of traditional English mysteries with the Truly Devious world.

Maureen has kindly agreed to give away a copy of Nine Liars to a subscriber of this newsletter. To enter to win, leave a comment about a mystery series you love.

Maureen answered a few questions via email about her books and what’s next for Stevie Bell.

Truly Devious began as a trilogy and now has five books in its series. What made you realize you had more than three books with these characters and stories?

As a kid, I was a lover of detective mysteries. When I say lover, I mean an obsessive fan. I set out to make a detective—one that could then appear in various mysteries, working on different cases. I have dreamed of fictional detectives all my life!  So it was always planned that way.

Credit: Angela Altus

You wrote Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village and now, with Nine Liars, you've written a traditional English manor murder mystery. What draws you to that form? What do you make of its enduring popularity?

I think it’s a few things. For one, it’s a closed circle. You have your setting, your characters in one location. It’s also a good set—lots of good backdrops, nooks, passages, secrets. And not for nothing, I think people are generally more accepting of knocking off Lord-so-and-so. Eat the rich. Or, conk the rich over the head with their own marble statue.

Can you preview what's next for Stevie and the gang? Will we have a book six?

You will have a Book Six! And a Seven! And there will be another, totally different mystery in the mix as well. That’s coming up next. Then Stevie Books Six and Seven will follow shortly thereafter. I have everything cued up and ready to go and am hard at work!

How does Stevie's obsession with true crime shape her as a character? 

Wanting to solve things, to unpick the mystery—that’s such a powerful motivation. I think true crime is an anxiety displacement, which is why I think it tends to bloom again during periods of upheaval. (Mysteries are also fun.) So it helps with her anxiety about the world, and being the observer, the detective, allows her to sink into the background and watch, to defy convention (she loves to break in to where she doesn’t belong). It’s a good only child activity—and I say that as an only child who loves mysteries.

Any books you want to recommend?

There’s always too many! This question makes me sweat. I’m so nervous now. I look like I did it. I can’t answer. I want a lawyer.

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Thanks to Maureen for her answers. You can buy her books here and follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

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