Welcome to Ellingham Academy, a perfect school for the brightest thinkers, inventors, artists, and a place where learning is game, founded by the early twentieth century tycoon, Albert Ellingham.

Unfortunately, shortly after the school opened, Albert's wife and daughter were kidnapped and a student was killed on the school premises. The suspect, who gives riddles as clues, calls itself, Truly Devious. This became one of the greatest unsolved crimes in history.

Fast forward to the present, Stevie Bell, a true-crime obsessed student who knows everything there is to know about the ellingham case, is set to begin her year at Ellingham Academy. She has her one main goal: to solve the school's mystery case.

“10/30/38
Where do you look for someone who's never really there?
Always on a staircase but never on a stair”

okay oop, my brain tried to answer this. I tried. Anyways....

The first half was really slow, I waited patiently for the murders to happen. Eventually, the next half improved, it was still slow but not really slow and at least we were finally getting somewhere.

I loved the mystery aspect and the setting- a boarding school with a mystery?! Yes, that was what I was looking forward to in the first place. I mean, books with boarding schools are so cool to read.

Most of the characters were 'average' and 'meh', nothing fascinating much. Well, except for Nate, a writer and a great friend to Stevie. Nate is precious. Must protect Nate. Don't hate on Nate