this cast of characters is so fun & I immediately get sucked back into stevie’s world of solving mysteries and crimes every time 😮‍💨 but sadly, this one didn’t live up to the hype for me!

this time, stevie and her friends are studying abroad in london (for only a week though? hmm okay), juggling spending time with her long-distance boyfriend david (who is literally the worst) and seeing the “culture” of london - but in pure stevie fashion, she gets roped in to solve a cold case… yes, again…

from the beginning, the mystery gave AND THEN THERE WERE NONE vibes, but it was written as though only the reader and stevie could see that 🤔 and while I love how maureen writes the slow burn realization in true sherlock holmes x nancy drew form, it was a little far-fetched for me. the reasoning behind the crime needed a bit more substance in order to feel justified! 

and the personal drama? no thanks!! david and stevie couldn’t be more different from each other, and they both annoyed me to no end in this one! stevie actively lies to her friends and puts them in harms’ way because her sole focus in life is to solve mysteries without thinking of how that might affect her friendships, while david spends most of the book not spending time with stevie? and that ending? ugh hard pass 🙄

I do really enjoy the old school YA detective style vibes of this series, and I need the next book immediately!!! 

rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: mosel riesling