The Box in the Woods
by Maureen Johnson
read by Kate Rudd
Katherine Tegen Books, 2021. 9 hours, 13 minutes.
Review written June 27, 2024, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
I’ve been meaning to read this book for ages, probably since it came out in 2021. Not sure why I never did, but I’m not going to make the same mistake with the next book in the series.
The Box in the Woods features Stevie Bell, the teen detective of the Truly Devious trilogy. Because of her success with that case, Stevie is given an opportunity to look into another cold case – The Box in the Woods. In 1978, four teenagers were in the woods outside summer camp at night smoking pot, and they got stabbed to death. Three of their bodies were stashed in a box in the woods. It sounds like a teenage slasher film, but it’s real to the family members and the people of the town.
The new owner of the camp offers Stevie a summer case to solve, and she can bring her friends. What could be better than friends and murder?
Now, the folks in the nearby town aren’t thrilled about that old case getting dredged up. And sure enough, before long there’s a modern-day death of someone important to the case. The reader will not be surprised that investigating further puts Stevie and her friends in danger.
This book is a wonderful teen mystery/thriller. I liked listening to it, as the reader gave personality to the characters, including Stevie’s obsession with murder. The solution was one of those oh-yes-it-all-makes-sense revelations. We also got more insight into the relationships of Stevie and her friends.
You can read this as a stand-alone mystery without having read the first trilogy, but having the background makes it that much more fun.
Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Teens/box_in_the_woods.html
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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
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