The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson Feels Like a Finale (book review)
STOP! 🛑 This is the sixth book in the Truly Devious series. Find my reviews for books 1-5 below:
STOP! 🛑 This book contains SPOILERS for certain characters. I don't spoil the actual mysteries.
GENRE: YA Mystery
LENGTH: 391 pages
PLOT
This book picks up just weeks after the events of book 5, so Stevie and David have just broken up. Stevie tags along with Nate to New York over the Christmas/New Year holiday. They stay in an apartment owned by Nate's editor and, of course, it isn't long before Stevie finds herself solving another murder.
CHARACTERS
I was really sad to read Stevie so glum. When David shows up in New York trying to win her back, I was annoyed. David has grown a lot since book 1, but his relationship with Stevie has never been healthy. They need to work a lot on their communications. I was honestly disappointed when she (is implied to) end up taking him back at the end of the novel. I don't think it sends the best message to younger readers.
It's hard to think of Stevie without. having Janelle and Vi by her side in addition to Nate. I assumed they wouldn't really be present, but they end up coming to New York as well. As much as I love Janelle, she does do something that I think was very manipulative. Her intentions were good, but if I were Stevie I wouldn't have been as immediately forgiving.
The primary characters in the past timeline are Dean and Helen/Blue along with Sweet Jane, and Star, and a few others. Dean is the leader of a commune in which he is the only man who recruits vulnerable girls. This commune is, of course, actually a cult. This timeline was so unsettling because it demonstrates how easily a young person without a support system can be swept up in something dangerous. When Helen/Blue first joins the cult they are warm and welcoming and every time they punish her they frame it as them helping her. It's downright sinister.
WRITING
Just like with the other Truly Devious books, this one has dual timelines. The main timeline is present day and told through Stevie's third person perspective. The past timeline is told through the third person perspective of Helen/Blue and takes place in the 1970s.
I was genuinely shocked by the big reveal/twist in the novel. The past timeline and how it fits into the present day murder was my favorite part of the novel over all the relationship drama.
This novel felt very final in a way the others never have. For one, Nate finishes writing his book. He has spent five books avoiding writing his book, but now he's finally actually done it. The primary reason it felt final, though, was that Stevie announces she is done seeking out murders to solve. This is my comfort series and I would be saddened to see it end. I hope that Johnson chooses to continue the series and have Stevie solving mysteries in college, but I won't hold my breath.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This was one of my most anticipated reads this year. Unfortunately, this was my least favorite book in the series to date. The past timeline and mystery were super strong, but the relationship drama between Stevie and David dragged the story down. As I mentioned above, if the series continues I'd be very happy, but if this is the end then I wish we'd ended on a slightly better note.
FINAL RATING: 4⭐️