After solving the crime of the century, Stevie Bell finds herself home for the summer with nothing to do. Then she is contacted by the new owner of a summer camp infamous for the murders of four camp counselors that occurred on its grounds in 1978. The owner has plans to create a true crime podcast and he believes that Stevie is just who he needs to guarantee its success. Stevie agrees to join him and days later she and her friends are set to have a fun summer investigating a unsolved murder from decades ago. But as Stevie gets deeper into the case she finds that the danger from all those years ago may still be lurking in the woods.

This book brought back my favorite characters from the Truly Devious series for an irresistible summer mystery. Stevie is a likable and determined character with a passion for solving mysteries. The Box in the Woods has Stevie in her element as she channels her energy into investigating old clues and interviewing those who were at the camp at the time of the murders. Stevie grew on me during the Truly Devious series and I loved reading more about her adventures.

Stevie’s friends are another part of what makes this book so great. Nate is a funny and shy character who rediscovers his love of writing in this book. Nate provides a calm and reliable presence for Stevie as she struggles to keep all the facts of her cases straight. Janelle is another of Stevie’s best friends who is always there for her. Janelle is a fashionable and organized girl with a passion for engineering. Together Stevie and her friends have the adventure of a lifetime solving mysteries past and present.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the man who hired Stevie to come help him with his true crime podcast, Carson Buchwald. He is a successful businessman and CEO of the company Box caBox, where he sells subscription boxes where you are delivered a box of boxes every month. I found this idea really funny and this egotistical character who kept getting in Stevie’s way really funny as well. Maureen Johnson is really great at creating new and unique characters.

The story alternates between the past and present in the same style that the Truly Devious trilogy did. This way readers get to learn about the circumstances surrounding the murders from the point of view of characters who were there to see them as well as watch Stevie unravel the case. I always enjoy this style of writing as it really engages me in the mystery and connects me to the victims of the crimes.

I would give this book an eight out of ten stars. I did not enjoy it as much as the books in the Truly Devious trilogy, but I loved reading about my favorite characters again as they uncovered the mystery and caught the killer. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries and true crime.

Check out The Box in the Woods from the Newport Beach Public Library!