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Writer's pictureEmilia Dodge
Aug 63 min read

Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson


Hello everyone!


I’m super excited about today’s book review. I’m a huge fan of Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious series. I have a full review/recap of that series and its sequel standalone mysteries, which I’ll link below. When I found out that she was writing a new standalone mystery, I was a little nervous that I would spend the entire time comparing it to Truly Devious but when I was given the opportunity to read the book I jumped. Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books, HarperTeen, and Netgalley for the advance copy of the book. This post may contain spoilers.


Let's get into it!


Here are the quick facts:

eBook

Publishers: HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperTeen

Publishing Date: August 6, 2024

Rating: 5/5 stars

400 pages


This book, like the Truly Devious series, has two stories intertwined with one another; the historical crime and the present. In Death at Morning House, the crime from the past is the deaths of two of the Ralston children at Morning House in 1932. Dr. Phillip Ralston, a famed/wealthy doctor, has 6 adopted kids, Clara, William, Benjamin, Unity, Victory, Edward, and a younger son Max with his wife Faye. They summer at Morning House which is on Ralston Island in the Thousand Islands. Dr. Ralston leads a disciplined lifestyle choosing not to eat meat sugar or drink coffee or alcohol. He is a strong believer of eugenics and believes his family is the continuation of the “best” of humans. On July 27, 1932, Max was found drowned in the lagoon on the island and later that evening Clara “danced” herself off the roof of the house, reportedly because of her grief.


In the present, Marlowe Wexler, has a major crush on a girl from school named Akilah. She takes her on a date only to accidentally burn down the house she's watching. Trying to escape her reputation as an arsonist, she’s given the opportunity to spend the summer giving tours of Morning House. There she meets Van, April, Liani, Riki, and Tom, locals who are also staying and working at Morning House for the summer. They’re being “watched” by Dr. Belinda Henson. She is writing a book about the Ralstons, the deaths at Morning House, and their lives after. But when Belinda goes missing and she learns her new friends are still reeling from the death of their friend Chris, Marlowe might be in over her head. 


I loved this book. I went into it thinking there would be a chance that I didn't enjoy it and I was proven so wrong. My favorite part about reading mystery novels is trying to attempt to solve the case as I'm reading. I really enjoy that Johnson makes it hard to guess what really happened for each crime. I also enjoy that its not just one long narrative but a mystery from the past and a mystery in the present that are completely intertwined. In this case what really happened to the Ralstons and what happened to Dr. Henson.


I did find that Marlowe and the other characters seemed melodramatic at some points. At the very beginning of the novel when Marlowe is explaining her crush it seems overdramatic at some points. But because the narrators are all teenagers it makes sense that some aspects of their lives are blown out of proportion.


Death at Morning House is out today, August 6, 2024. I’ll link places below where you can purchase the book. I think that if you enjoyed the Truly Devious series or murder mysteries in general you will enjoy this book. My dad, sister, and I are going to her book signing in a few weeks and I’m looking forward to seeing her talk about her book in person. Thank you again to HarperTeen and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.


Until next time!


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