Mystery

The Box in the Woods

The Box in the Woods

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-02 10:51:47
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Maureen Johnson
  • ISBN：0063032600
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Summary

After solving the case of Truly Devious， Stevie Bell investigates her first mystery outside of Ellingham Academy in this spine-chilling and hilarious stand-alone mystery from New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson。

Amateur sleuth Stevie Bell needs a good murder。 After catching a killer at her high school， she’s back at home for a normal （that means boring） summer。

But then she gets a message from the owner of Sunny Pines， formerly known as Camp Wonder Falls—the site of the notorious unsolved case， the Box in the Woods Murders。 Back in 1978， four camp counselors were killed in the woods outside of the town of Barlow Corners， their bodies left in a gruesome display。 The new owner offers Stevie an invitation: Come to the camp and help him work on a true crime podcast about the case。

Stevie agrees， as long as she can bring along her friends from Ellingham Academy。 Nothing sounds better than a summer spent together， investigating old murders。

But something evil still lurks in Barlow Corners。 When Stevie opens the lid on this long-dormant case， she gets much more than she bargained for。 The Box in the Woods will make room for more victims。 This time， Stevie may not make it out alive。

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Reviews

Kimberly ，

I honestly just really like this series。 It’s rare to find a solid mystery series for teens。 I was concerned it wouldn’t be as good as the original Trilogy but I liked that it was solved in one book and seeing the characters develop。 I am hoping there will be a fifth！ Thanks to the publish and Edelweiss for my copy。

Kameswara ，

June！！！！！ 1 and a half months to goooooooo！ I'm currently reading the hand on the wall， and I'm enjoying it ！ Loving it ！ Killing it ！ June！！！！！ 1 and a half months to goooooooo！ I'm currently reading the hand on the wall， and I'm enjoying it ！ Loving it ！ Killing it ！ 。。。more

Leah ，

It really was a delight slipping back into the world of Stevie and co。 The book hummed along with its excellent and clever writing， an entertaining mystery （I did guess the culprit about three-quarters of the way through， even though I rarely solve anything， but it was still engaging）， and its now-familiar characters， who are so specifically described， flawed and loveable。 Even the flashbacks， which were fairly prevalent and could sometimes get a bit info-dumpy， felt like miniature studies of th It really was a delight slipping back into the world of Stevie and co。 The book hummed along with its excellent and clever writing， an entertaining mystery （I did guess the culprit about three-quarters of the way through， even though I rarely solve anything， but it was still engaging）， and its now-familiar characters， who are so specifically described， flawed and loveable。 Even the flashbacks， which were fairly prevalent and could sometimes get a bit info-dumpy， felt like miniature studies of those side narrators。I do think that there was a sense that this book was somehow ancillary， almost like the noncanonical stories or novellas that are sometimes inserted between entries in a series。 This was somewhat fitting for a book out of the traditional setting of the others and especially for one that takes place during summer vacation。 But there was a noticeable focus on the mystery， without a balance with side elements from past books （e。g。 Stevie’s struggles with her anxiety， her feeling of alienation） to round things out; the relationship drama which might have served this purpose came quite late and barely seemed to be dealt with。Although I wouldn’t necessarily start with this one， readers who have enjoyed the other books in the series or Holly Jackson’s work will likely enjoy this jaunt as well。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC。 。。。more

GavStar ，

Reading a good story like this one， I suggest you join Novel Star’s writing competition on April。

Robbie Short ，

"The Box in the Woods" was a thriller， mystery that should live on in readers minds for years to come。 I went into reading this book not knowing it was a sequel however， it was not hard to pick up and follow along with at all and just like every Maureen Johnson book the story is thought out， written very well and leaves you in suspense。 I went into this book because I love the author and the book cover was very interesting。 I would not adapt this into my classroom however， I would suggest this t "The Box in the Woods" was a thriller， mystery that should live on in readers minds for years to come。 I went into reading this book not knowing it was a sequel however， it was not hard to pick up and follow along with at all and just like every Maureen Johnson book the story is thought out， written very well and leaves you in suspense。 I went into this book because I love the author and the book cover was very interesting。 I would not adapt this into my classroom however， I would suggest this to my high school students for summer reading options。 。。。more

Megalong Books ，

I enjoyed this so very much。 I loved getting to dive back into Stevie Bell’s true crime obsessed brain。 I loved seeing Nate and Janelle and David again。 I loved the banter and Maureen Johnson’s writing and the casual diversity felt so good to read。 Just- queer people and POC and it felt like real life。Definitely another new favourite。 Cannot wait to read this again soon。 - Hayley

Catalina ，

Ok so while the ending was a surprise to me and I didn't expect that， I was close！ I definitely was going down the right path。。I hope we get more Stevie in the future because her stories are insanely entertaining！ We can now travel to England with her， hint hint。 I loved the themes in this book。 The 90s slasher movies were my absolute thing growing up and the atmosphere of this one gave me what I wanted。 The family themes flowed really well as well as the small town hating on outsiders feel。 I w Ok so while the ending was a surprise to me and I didn't expect that， I was close！ I definitely was going down the right path。。I hope we get more Stevie in the future because her stories are insanely entertaining！ We can now travel to England with her， hint hint。 I loved the themes in this book。 The 90s slasher movies were my absolute thing growing up and the atmosphere of this one gave me what I wanted。 The family themes flowed really well as well as the small town hating on outsiders feel。 I would have liked a bit more of Janelle and Nate。 Thank you to the publisher for the advanced readers copy 😊 all opinions are my own。 。。。more

Catherine ，

ARC provided by NetGalleyAlright， where to begin。 I guess I’ll start with saying I am OBSESSED with the Truly Devious series。 I flew through each of them the day they came out and I’ve read the series multiple times。 I knew this book wasn’t necessarily part of the TD series but it was still a spin off of sorts and I was really looking forward to it。 The Box in the Woods missed the mark of being a good follow up and I was pretty disappointed with it。 I am going to keep this review spoiler free bu ARC provided by NetGalleyAlright， where to begin。 I guess I’ll start with saying I am OBSESSED with the Truly Devious series。 I flew through each of them the day they came out and I’ve read the series multiple times。 I knew this book wasn’t necessarily part of the TD series but it was still a spin off of sorts and I was really looking forward to it。 The Box in the Woods missed the mark of being a good follow up and I was pretty disappointed with it。 I am going to keep this review spoiler free but I do talk about my feelings about the ending。 I don’t describe the ending， just my feelings towards it。 Pros: Nate—He’s still so great。 The setting—I love old slasher films and camp is always a great setting for a murder。 The case Stevie is asked to solve is really interesting。 Cons:The plot itself？ The stakes never actually felt high and there was not much driving the plot。 For me， part of that is the fact that the characters were kind of boring。 They weren’t invested enough and didn’t seem to have any real drive。 Characters — They lacked the same spunk and charisma they had in the TD series。 It’s like something had fizzled out in them。 The ending was…it was something。 Random， choppy， sudden， and incredibly far fetched。 Like just really out there。 Unsatisfying to me but creative at least。 Overall， this was not what I expected and I am sad when I say I didn’t enjoy it。 。。。more

✧･ﾟ⁽⁽ଘ Shreya ଓ⁾⁾✧･ﾟ ，

I need this so bad after that last book！！！！ It's so unexpected but now that I've seen it， I need to read this as soon as possible！！！ My family: what are you doing， didn't you just shut down your computer？Me: *me requesting an arc and then frantically checking to see if I go it or not*Me: Ummm， I'm just checking my emailMe: *proceeds to frantically reload page before making myself read something else* I need this so bad after that last book！！！！ It's so unexpected but now that I've seen it， I need to read this as soon as possible！！！ My family: what are you doing， didn't you just shut down your computer？Me: *me requesting an arc and then frantically checking to see if I go it or not*Me: Ummm， I'm just checking my emailMe: *proceeds to frantically reload page before making myself read something else* 。。。more

emma ，

i am so excited for this book and i am so certain i am not going to like it。 we exist

BookgirlonGoodreads ，

I recently read the Truly Devious trilogy written by Maureen Johnson， so I was delighted to see The Box in the Woods available on NetGalley。 Stevie's amateur sleuthing continues， this time at a summer camp notorious for a brutal series of unsolved murders in the 70s。The Truly Devious trilogy was a similar premise。。。Stevie works to solve a decades-old mystery （with murder） at the Ellingham school while navigating present-day mysteries as well。 There are a lot of nods in all of the books to typica I recently read the Truly Devious trilogy written by Maureen Johnson， so I was delighted to see The Box in the Woods available on NetGalley。 Stevie's amateur sleuthing continues， this time at a summer camp notorious for a brutal series of unsolved murders in the 70s。The Truly Devious trilogy was a similar premise。。。Stevie works to solve a decades-old mystery （with murder） at the Ellingham school while navigating present-day mysteries as well。 There are a lot of nods in all of the books to typical murder mystery tropes。 Stevie even talks about Hercule Poirot's method of gathering the cast of suspects together to reveal the killer， which she then does at the end of both the trilogy and The Box in the Woods。The summer camp murders in The Box in the Woods are equally evocative of slasher movies from the 80s， something one of the characters notes。 In other words， there are VERY visible and obvious homages here to the mainstays of the genre。 Does Johnson add anything new？ Not really。 Teenage sleuths who get pulled into improbable situations that dozens of investigators can't solve have certainly existed in many forms。 Summer-camp slasher？ Nothing new。 The ultimate reveal was interesting and the killer's motivation was a twist， but one accessory to the murder seemed a bit implausible to me。 I also felt that the clues were very vague。 It seemed like not much was really happening and Stevie was making no headway - and then all of a sudden she understood all of it。 On one hand， it made for a nice surprise。 On the other， it felt like the reader wasn't really allowed to even guess at what was happening as it was all obscured。The setting and characters are fun， as they were in Truly Devious。 The mysteries are interesting and have enough of a disturbing element to make them even more compelling。 The reveal， as noted， was a surprise。 There just wasn't quite enough revealed along the way to make this all work as well as the Truly Devious mysteries。 Additionally， The Box in the Woods felt even more firmly YA than the Truly Devious trilogy。 A mostly enjoyable， if ultimately forgettable， book that is likely to find an audience with fans of the series。 。。。more

Jennifer ，

A new Stevie Bell mystery set at a summer camp that was the scene of quadruple homicide in the 1970s- I was hooked by the premise and the book did not disappoint！ Stevie is given a chance to explore the “Box in the Woods” murder while being a camp counselor at the camp where the murders occurred， and the story alternates between the present time and the summer of 1978 at the camp。 It’s delicious， and I found myself stopping periodically toward the end of the book because I didn’t want the book t A new Stevie Bell mystery set at a summer camp that was the scene of quadruple homicide in the 1970s- I was hooked by the premise and the book did not disappoint！ Stevie is given a chance to explore the “Box in the Woods” murder while being a camp counselor at the camp where the murders occurred， and the story alternates between the present time and the summer of 1978 at the camp。 It’s delicious， and I found myself stopping periodically toward the end of the book because I didn’t want the book to be over！ This is a must read for Stevie Bell fans， and it is an absolutely perfect book to lead you into the summer season。 。。。more

Kimberly ，

I LOVE NATE！ I also LOVED this book！！ I finished this book in practically a day， I just couldn't put it down。 The ending was surprising to me， I didn't guess the culprit at all， hahaha。 The entire time I read this book， I kept saying to myself， "oh yeah， this is the murderer。。。。。。no， this is， wait。。。maybe this person。。" lol。I've really grown to love all the main characters and the writing style keeps me engaged。 Nate's character always makes me smile and I kept laughing at his witty banter。 He i I LOVE NATE！ I also LOVED this book！！ I finished this book in practically a day， I just couldn't put it down。 The ending was surprising to me， I didn't guess the culprit at all， hahaha。 The entire time I read this book， I kept saying to myself， "oh yeah， this is the murderer。。。。。。no， this is， wait。。。maybe this person。。" lol。I've really grown to love all the main characters and the writing style keeps me engaged。 Nate's character always makes me smile and I kept laughing at his witty banter。 He is the best！I can't wait to read more books with these characters！！！Thank you so much to HarperCollins Childrens Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Elizabeth ，

i love these characters so much。

Vickie ，

Maureen Johnson's latest in her 'Truly Devious' series is enjoyable but nothing to write home about， in my opinion。 Once again it follows Stevie and her friends as they spend their summer at a sleep away camp as part time employees and part time murder mystery solvers。 As usual this novel is a little bit Sherlock Holmes mixed with a teen version of CSI。My biggest issue with The Box in the Woods is how Stevie is portrayed this time around compared to the previous 3 stories。 All of a sudden her lo Maureen Johnson's latest in her 'Truly Devious' series is enjoyable but nothing to write home about， in my opinion。 Once again it follows Stevie and her friends as they spend their summer at a sleep away camp as part time employees and part time murder mystery solvers。 As usual this novel is a little bit Sherlock Holmes mixed with a teen version of CSI。My biggest issue with The Box in the Woods is how Stevie is portrayed this time around compared to the previous 3 stories。 All of a sudden her logical personality is completely thrown out， as she become a whiny teen who doesn't understand why all of her friends and boyfriend won't bend to her will。Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this advanced reader copy。 The Box in the Wood will be published on June 15， 2021。 。。。more

Deidre ，

Here's what Truly Devious fans （like me） would want to know before starting this book （even though we all are compelled by our love of the series to read it anyway）。 No spoilers。1。 This is a one-and-done sequel novel to Johnson's "Truly Devious" series。 Stevie solves the case by the end， don't even try to beat her to it， you can't。 It's twisty。2。 In "The Box in the Woods" you get a 70's summer camp slasher mystery with Ellingham Academy pals Stevie， Nate， Janelle and David investigating/counseli Here's what Truly Devious fans （like me） would want to know before starting this book （even though we all are compelled by our love of the series to read it anyway）。 No spoilers。1。 This is a one-and-done sequel novel to Johnson's "Truly Devious" series。 Stevie solves the case by the end， don't even try to beat her to it， you can't。 It's twisty。2。 In "The Box in the Woods" you get a 70's summer camp slasher mystery with Ellingham Academy pals Stevie， Nate， Janelle and David investigating/counseling in present day。 （No Vi， no Hunter）。 Nate participates more this time around。3。 You will sincerely hope for more sequels continuing into the kids Senior year， college and beyond！ I am thoroughly expecting David to get into some trouble only Stevie can get him out of。 This book is in no way a series killer。4。 This is a quick， compelling read like the others。 You look down and fifty pages have gone by in a flash。 I wish it was about 50 pages longer。 。。。more

Jennifer ，

Delightful and creepy in equal measure。 Review to come。

Jaimie ，

The Box in the Woods is a spin-off standalone （I think？） of the Truly Devious series and includes the best elements of a series and the best of a standalone。 We've already been introduced to the characters and I was ecstatic to get more of Stevie and David and their friends。 The book didn't need to waste a single page establishing the characters or relationships and benefitted from the ability to dive right in to the story。 But as a standalone mystery， I， as the reader， did not need to remember The Box in the Woods is a spin-off standalone （I think？） of the Truly Devious series and includes the best elements of a series and the best of a standalone。 We've already been introduced to the characters and I was ecstatic to get more of Stevie and David and their friends。 The book didn't need to waste a single page establishing the characters or relationships and benefitted from the ability to dive right in to the story。 But as a standalone mystery， I， as the reader， did not need to remember small details or clues from a previous book to be fully engaged in this crime and case。 An issue I had with the original trilogy was that there was not quite enough story to spread out over three full-length novels and I think the series would have been stronger as a duology than as a trilogy。 That is， of course， not an issue here。 The case is creepy and fascinating and complex and I enjoy the dual timelines of the original crime in the 70s and Stevie's investigation in present day。 And I loved the camp setting。 I hope there is more to come for Stevie。4 stars 。。。more

Samantha ，

Honestly， this might be the best book in the series。 I love Stevie Bell and also creepy murder camps in the woods。

Thuanhnguyen ，

Stevie does it again。 Maureen writes snarky young heroines like no one else。 And the cast of supporting characters are truly hilarious and a great example of friendship through thick， thin， and murder。 I fell in love with Maureen Johnson reading her lighter romantic comedies， and while I miss those， I am impressed with how she creates the same warmth and fun in suspenseful books like this one。 She makes me like this genre more than I thought I would。

JustVitt Books ，

thank you Maureen for single handedly saving 2021。

lapetitepritt ，

[ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review]First of all， let me tell you that I am going to miss Stevie and the gang so much。 Stevie Bell is one of the book characters I relate to the most and being able to read another one of her mystery adventures was a blessing。I was having a rough reading month， as you maybe can tell by my latest ratings， but then Harper Collins International decided I was worthy of Mjoln- of an e-ARC of my most anticipated read of the year and literally [ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review]First of all， let me tell you that I am going to miss Stevie and the gang so much。 Stevie Bell is one of the book characters I relate to the most and being able to read another one of her mystery adventures was a blessing。I was having a rough reading month， as you maybe can tell by my latest ratings， but then Harper Collins International decided I was worthy of Mjoln- of an e-ARC of my most anticipated read of the year and literally saved me from slump。I am such a big fan of the Truly Devious trilogy， so when this book was first announced I was over the moon with excitement。 Then I started to dread it， because I was afraid it would disappoint me。Luckily， Maureen Johnson is clearly a goddess of mystery writing because she wrote yet another favourite book of mine。I really hoped this would be a trilogy， like a companion series， but it is a standalone and it is perfectly crafted as such。 It's not easy to write a compelling and original mystery nowadays， especially a YA mystery， I find。 Maureen Johnson does it with an ease which never fails to amaze me。Of course， I already knew and loved the characters， as I said Stevie is one of my favourite character of all times and definitely a kin of mine。 I also deeply love her friends Janelle and Nate （which I hereby declare as aroace， I don't care what y'all think。 He's for me）， which tagged along with Steve for this new adventure。 I have mixed feelings about David， but I was happy to see him again， too。 And Stevie seems genuinely happy with him， so that's fine with me。 I loved that Nate had more of an active role in this book， but I wish Janelle had as well。 However， she looked very happy with all her arts and crafts， so it's fine， because she needs peace。The new characters -- the ones related to the new cold case -- were also very interesting and I wish we had more time to get to know them。 I loved the small town vibes （they reminded me of the small town in A Good Girl's Guide to Murder， but in the 1970s）， as I am a big fan of small town murder mysteries， where it must have been one of the townspeople。 The mystery in general was very interesting and I didn't expect the final twist， to be honest。 I thought I had it figured it out， but I was only partially right。 That's what I like the most about Maureen Johnson's mysteries: I often guess part of it， but there's always one or two things that leave me with my jaw hanging because I didn't see it coming。 Also！！ I was about to forget。。。 I very much enjoyed the fact that the author used a very very common mystery trope， leading you to believe everything revolved around it， when in reality maybe it did or maybe it did not。The writing style is also very good， perfect for this kind of book。 I love every little reference to true crime and mystery novels， they make me relate to Stevie even more！ I also deeply enjoyed the references to the previous books and the mention of the moose， which has become the symbol of this series for me。 You could totally read this one as a standalone， but it it ten times better if you have read the first trilogy。So， in case it wasn't clear: I loved this book so much and I wish Maureen Johnson would write endless books in this series。 As England is mentioned at the end of the book， I like to imagine Stevie meeting Pip from A Good Girl's Guide to Murder。 They would be such great partners in crime （literally， they would solve every cold case ever） and I could cry forever and ever if they ever met。 。。。more

Dara （Dara Reads OK） ，

ARC/NetGalleyThe Truly Devious trilogy by Maureen Johnson about a teenage sleuth at a mysterious upscale boarding school， was one of my favorite YA series in recent memory。 So I got a little nervous when I heard a series I thought was concluded （and concluded well） was adding another chapter。 Well I shouldn’t have worried because not only is The Box in the Woods great， it may be my favorite of the entire series。Stevie Bell and her friends are invited by an eccentric millionaire to solve a decade ARC/NetGalleyThe Truly Devious trilogy by Maureen Johnson about a teenage sleuth at a mysterious upscale boarding school， was one of my favorite YA series in recent memory。 So I got a little nervous when I heard a series I thought was concluded （and concluded well） was adding another chapter。 Well I shouldn’t have worried because not only is The Box in the Woods great， it may be my favorite of the entire series。Stevie Bell and her friends are invited by an eccentric millionaire to solve a decades old murder at his newly acquired summer camp。 Creepy， campy and fun adventures ensue。 And yes there is a box in the woods。 While this story is technically a stand alone and does not REQUIRE knowledge of the previous 3 books it is enriched by them and also they’re great。 Why haven’t you read them？ This is a great series for people who love the mystery and suspense of true crime but don’t like it too gory。 。。。more

Kimberly ，

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I’m SO glad I did！ I binge read the first three books and as bittersweet as it was to finish this one， I’m happy to have gotten to hang out with Stevie & Co。 again for few hundred pages。 In The Box in the Woods， Stevie heads to summer camp to investigate a cold case from the early 1970s， where four of the camp’s counselors were found brutally murdered in the woods on the camp’s property。 Something that makes this case I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I’m SO glad I did！ I binge read the first three books and as bittersweet as it was to finish this one， I’m happy to have gotten to hang out with Stevie & Co。 again for few hundred pages。 In The Box in the Woods， Stevie heads to summer camp to investigate a cold case from the early 1970s， where four of the camp’s counselors were found brutally murdered in the woods on the camp’s property。 Something that makes this case different from the one at Ellingham， is that friends and family of the victims are still alive。 And， as it always seems to happen， more mysterious and thrilling events take place as Stevie conducts her interviews and works to crack the case。 The author does a fantastic job of giving the reader clues along the way。 I was able to take my knowledge of how she presented the facts in the previous three novels and look at this fourth novel as if I were Stevie’s assistant， which made reading it that much more enjoyable。 Stevie is such a fun and relatable character and I really hope Maureen Johnson continues to add to the Truly Devious series。 Three cheers for this book！ 。。。more

Michelle ，

4。5 This was a fun， fast-paced YA mystery！ It is the 4th in a series， but is more of a stand-alone after the conclusion to the first 3 books。Stevie and her friends are recruited to go to a summer camp to see if they can solve cold-case murders from the 70s。 Stevie is a great character， and you can get her pretty quickly: brilliant and anxiety- plagued。 Her Poirot- like reveal was surprising and entertaining。 The humor just makes the whole book so much fun！ I love Ms Johnson's books precisely for 4。5 This was a fun， fast-paced YA mystery！ It is the 4th in a series， but is more of a stand-alone after the conclusion to the first 3 books。Stevie and her friends are recruited to go to a summer camp to see if they can solve cold-case murders from the 70s。 Stevie is a great character， and you can get her pretty quickly: brilliant and anxiety- plagued。 Her Poirot- like reveal was surprising and entertaining。 The humor just makes the whole book so much fun！ I love Ms Johnson's books precisely for that。 。。。more

Megmar ，

EXCUSE ME？？？？？ A FOURTH BOOK？？？？

Booktastically Amazing ，

Hmmm。HMMMMMMMMI'm trying to think whether I should read this even though I consider that the series could've been a duology。Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Hmmm。HMMMMMMMMI'm trying to think whether I should read this even though I consider that the series could've been a duology。Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Box in the Woods

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Box in the Woods&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Box in the Woods&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0