Author Spotlight on Maureen Johnson

I thought it was long past time for an Author Spotlight on Maureen Johnson. Let’s talk about Maureen Johnson’s new book, all Maureen Johnson books in order, her popular Truly Devious series AND what I think is her best series.

Author Spotlight on Maureen Johnson

Let’s discuss:

• Maureen Johnson’s Books in Order
• My encounters with Maureen Johnson!
• What I think is Maureen Johnson’s best series!

Maureen Johnson Books in Order:

Maureen Johnson was known for YA contemporary books from the early 2000s to the 2010s. She published her first Shades of London book in 2011. In 2018, she stared her Truly,Devious series which was popular, with five books.

Standalone novels:

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• The Key to the Golden Firebird (2004)
• The Bermudez Triangle (2004)
• Devilish (2006)
• Girl at Sea (2007)
• Let It Snow (with John Green and Lauren Myracle; 2008)
• Vacations from Hell (with Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Claudia Gray, and Sarah Mlynowski; 2009)
• Cruella: Hello, Cruel Heart (2021)
• Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village (2021)
• Death at Morning House (2024)

Series books:

• 13 Little Blue Envelopes: 13 Little Blue Envelopes (2005) and The Last Little Blue Envelope (2011)
• Suite Scarlett: Suite Scarlett (2008), and Scarlett Fever (2010)
• Shades of London series: The Name of the Star (2011), The Madness Underneath (2013), The Shadow Cabinet (2015)
• Truly Devious series: Truly Devious (2018), The Vanishing Stair (2019), The Hand on the Wall (2020), The Box in the Woods (2021), Nine Liars (2022), The Velvet Knife (2026)
• I have a post with plot summaries for all six books in the Truly Devious series.

Fun Facts About me and Maureen Johnson

• Maureen has been a YA author since 2005, which is before I started blogging. She has written through the early 2000s “YA is for teens” years, and the 2010s “YA is for adults” years and is STILL writing today
• Back in the 2010s, I went to a panel in New York called How Nice is Too Nice? Critical Book Reviewing in the Age of Twitter, starring Maureen Johnson. She was hilarious. Her Twitter was legendary. Not sure if she is still on there.
• I (almost) met her about 6 years ago. We were both in the waiting room of a veterinary hospital oncology department, with our dogs. I almost told her I was a fan, but felt it was a weird place to do that.

What do I think is Maureen Johnson’s best series?

My favorite is the Shades of London series. It had a Jack the Ripper inspiration, a London setting, and a supernatural element Her Truly, Devious series is probably her most popular and spanned the years 2018-2026, with one more book coming.

Maureen Johnson: Pros and Cons

Pros: Her imagination and sense of fun is unparalleled. She’s so creative!

Cons: TERRIBLE romance in The Shades of London series AND the Truly Devious series. Terrible. She has one book left in the Truly Devious series to fix this! Please, Maureen!