Wealthy Albert Ellingham envisioned a school for children who were gifted. So in the 1930's, he built and opened Ellingham Academy in the woods of Vermont. Shortly after opening, Albert's wife and daughter were kidnapped. A ransom request was received, but the Ellingham women were never seen alive again. At the same time a student at the academy was killed. A riddle signed by Truly Devious was found near her body.

Now in the present day, Stephanie "Stevie" Bell is a new student at the academy. She loves a good mystery and is convinced she can solve the Mystery of Ellingham Academy. But it's only a few days into the semester when a student is murdered. A new riddle is left by Truly Devious.

I thought this sounded like an interesting story, but I could not get into it. The story is told from two timelines. We go back and forth between the kidnapping/murders in 1936 and present day. There were many students and teachers introduced in both timelines. It was a little hard to sort out. The worst part was the story just dragged. After a while I didn't care who killed who. That was a good thing because by the end of the book, nothing was solved. It ended with a cliffhanger. The only part of the book I enjoyed was the riddles from Truly Devious. My rating: 1.5 Stars.

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