Death at Morning House is another phenomenal mystery from a maestro in the genre.
Maureen Johnson just knows how to write the kind of stories that keep you reading until the early hours. They are incredibly well paced, with stellar characterisation and terrifyingly good twists. Many of us have fallen in love with Stevie Bell across the Truly Devious series and while we await the next thrilling instalment, Johnson has concocted something to whet your mystery loving appetite in the meantime. This is a great standalone mystery from Johnson—pivoting across two timelines to create two compelling and complex cases.
In the present day, we follow our protagonist Marlowe who is smart, driven and passionate—following her heart and her head in equal measure. I loved her sometimes sardonic sense of humour and the asides Johnson includes in her thoughts are hilarious. Marlowe is outcast within her own community after gaining a bit of a pyromaniac reputation due to an unfortunate accident. This injects a touch of humour into the narrative initially and we all recognise that drawn out teenage longing and angst. She is the type of person that puts their all into something, consequences be damned. I liked the relationship throughline in the novel, particularly because of the sapphic representation. It added some levity and hope, but also stayed messy and authentically flawed as teenage relationships often are. There are a few different dynamics to keep track of here and the sort of web that came from friendships and relationships and flirtations was enjoyable. Marlowe works as our outsider looking into this close knit group and trying to work out precisely what happened last summer.
As to be expected from Johnson, the mysteries are top class. The modern plot line is gripping and so well executed. It builds gradually, feeling that hair raise on your arms like when you know a storm is incoming. The isolated setting, like a classic Golden Age mystery, really adds to the atmosphere and the foreboding feeling in your body. I loved how it meshed the historical into the present—you have Marlowe essentially trying to solve two mysteries simultaneously. That research and unpicking at long buried secrets clashes with the more recent events and the way those are manipulated. The two collide and intersect in really interesting ways as well.
The 1920s storyline instantly has that kind of uncanny feeling to it—easy to create when you already know it will end in tragedy. There is something so off about the forced routines and the strange feeling of this entire family. You can recognise hints and clues that feed into the wider picture. Johnson just has this knack for pulling the rug from underneath you every single time. You are led on a merry dance but it all pays off in the end. With this, it helped that our 1920s perspective shifted occasionally so we saw a new angle on previously established events. All of it feels predestined because we know the ending, but we do not know the details and therefore do we truly know the ending at all?
It also adds this meta layer of exploring the impact of true crime upon a place and its community. The mysteries we are captivated by involve real people with genuine feelings and consequences for their actions. This book does a great job at encapsulating the way that ricochets throughout the community and stretches out for years beyond. We all love a good story and often the bloodier, the better. It also does a good job at exploring that tension between locals and visitors, particularly driven by a tourism around tragedy.
Death at Morning House is the YA mystery of the summer, potentially the year. Miss it at your peril.
Death at Morning House is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of August 6th 2024.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
From the bestselling author of the Truly Devious books, Maureen Johnson, comes a new stand-alone YA about a teen who uncovers a mystery while working as a tour guide on an island and must solve it before history repeats itself.
The fire wasn’t Marlowe Wexler’s fault. Dates should be hot, but not hot enough to warrant literal firefighters. Akilah, the girl Marlowe has been in love with for years, will never go out with her again. No one dates an accidental arsonist.
With her house-sitting career up in flames, it seems the universe owes Marlowe a new summer job, and that’s how she ends up at Morning House, a mansion built on an island in the 1920s and abandoned shortly thereafter. It’s easy enough, giving tours. Low risk of fire. High chance of getting bored talking about stained glass and nut cutlets and Prohibition.
Oh, and the deaths. Did anyone mention the deaths?
Maybe this job isn’t such a gift after all. Morning House has a horrific secret that’s been buried for decades, and now the person who brought her here is missing.
All it takes is one clue to set off a catastrophic chain of events. One small detail, just like a spark, could burn it all down—if someone doesn’t bury Marlowe first.
