Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Absorbing, mature murder mystery with lesbian teen sleuth.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In DEATH AT MORNING HOUSE, Marlowe is busy working at an ice cream parlor for the summer and finally gets up the nerve to ask out her crush, Akila. Everything goes perfectly on their date—until Marlowe invites Akila to a place she housesits and a candle explodes and burns down half the house. Marlowe is sure she'll spend the rest of the season moping in her room, until she's offered a job as a tour guide on Ralston Island in the St. Lawrence River. It's an idyllic place with a mansion called Morning House at its center—the summer home of an eccentric family that never returned after two of their children died on the same day in 1932. Naturally, then, tourists are drawn there. So are the teen tour guides who Marlowe will be working with all summer, all of them friends who grew up together, and all of them mourning the loss of their friend Chris, who drowned on an adjacent island the night of prom. As the story shifts from Marlowe's perspective back in time to that of the Ralston teens, dangerous secrets and likely suspects begin to emerge.
Is It Any Good?
Teen summer murder mysteries don't get much more absorbing than this gem featuring a lesbian protagonist, suspicious deaths in two timelines, and an idyllic island mansion setting. Well, idyllic except for the creepy underground bathrooms. And except for all of the tension among the teens Marlowe meets, who share the loss of a friend who drowned on prom night and a lot of relationship baggage besides. Marlowe makes for a great outsider who's brought low before her arrival. Everyone knows she's the girl who burned a house down. And readers knows how important the truth is to her, even if it—heh—really burns. When she literally stumbles into a clue to one murder, Marlowe begins to unravel the others under quite dramatic circumstances. Not to give away any spoilers, but as the story is set on an island, there's no easier place to get trapped with no way out except prison.
And then there's the 1930s timeline, which really anchors Death at Morning House and adds fascinating layers. Through interspersed chapters mostly from the perspective of Dr. Ralston's teen children, readers learn about the patriarch's obsessions with eugenics, natural foods, and controlling the family's daily routine. And we learn about the quiet rebellions when Dr. Ralston isn't looking. There are plenty of whos and whys to speculate over as we anxiously await the two Ralston deaths. The only thing lacking in this mystery—and which author Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious series does so well—is fuller portraits of her eccentric characters. We could have used more time especially in the heads of Marlowe, Riki, and the female Ralston teens.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Marlowe's integrity in Death at Morning House. When she burns a house down by accident, she confesses right away and deals with the consequences because she doesn't like to lie. How do difficult truths set free all characters of both the present and past in this story?
Teens drink and vape in this story, to party and celebrate, to rebel from a controlling father, and to self-medicate after a loss. Who in the story is affected the most by substance (ab)use? How do substances play into the murder investigations?
The Truly Devious series all featured Stevie Bell as the teen detective. Would you read more about Marlowe, the budding teen detective?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Mystery
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Courage , Curiosity , Integrity , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : HarperTeen
- Publication date : August 6, 2024
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 384
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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