Truly Devious Books in Order
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson contains 6 books, published between 2018 and 2026. The first book is Truly Devious (2018) and the newest is The Velvet Knife (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 6
- Published
- 2018–2026
- Pages on record
- 1,269 in 3 of 6 books
- Reading time
- 21–32 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,269 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 3 of 6 titles with a page count on record.
Truly Devious is Maureen Johnson's mystery series for young readers, set at Ellingham Academy, a private school in Vermont founded by the tycoon Albert Ellingham for inventors, artists and thinkers. Soon after the school opened, Ellingham's wife and daughter were kidnapped, and the one clue was a riddle listing methods of murder, signed Truly, Devious. Six books run from Truly Devious (2018) to The Velvet Knife (2026). Boarding schools, cold cases and murder fill the subject tags.
How many Truly Devious books are there?
Truly Devious has 6 books, released between 2018 and 2026.
Truly Devious Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 6 Truly Devious books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 1Truly Devious2018 · 432 pages · confirmed 2/420184322/4
- 2The Vanishing Stair2019 · 373 pages · confirmed 2/420193732/4
- 3The Hand on the Wall2020 · confirmed 2/42020–2/4
- 4The Box in the Woods2021 · confirmed 2/42021–2/4
- 5Nine Liars2022 · 464 pages · confirmed 2/420224642/4
- 6The Velvet Knife2026 · confirmed 2/42026–2/4
Is there a chronological order for Truly Devious?
No separate chronological order is on record for Truly Devious, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.
Do you have to read Truly Devious books in order?
You should read the Truly Devious books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Truly Devious book also stands alone.
Where to start with Truly Devious
Start with Truly Devious (2018), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Truly Devious book?
The Velvet Knife (2026) is the newest Truly Devious book released so far.
Is there a new Truly Devious book coming?
No next Truly Devious book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Truly Devious at a glance
- Still running
- Truly Devious is still running, with a title published as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- Truly Devious books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 1,269 pages across the 3 of 6 books with a recorded length, a median of 432 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Truly Devious books, 4 of 6, were published in the 2020s.
What the Truly Devious books are about
4 of the 6 Truly Devious books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: boarding schools is tagged on 2 of 4. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Boarding schools 2 of 4 books
- Children's fiction 2 of 4 books
- Mystery & detective 2 of 4 books
- Schools 2 of 4 books
- Vermont 2 of 4 books
- Cold cases (criminal investigation) 1 of 4 books
- Murder 1 of 4 books
- Young adult fiction, thrillers & suspense 1 of 4 books
More books by Maureen Johnson
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Maureen Johnson books in order 23 books