The Steps
The Steps by Wendelin Van Draanen, published by Holiday House, Incorporated in 2025, is a 256-page thriller that explores the complexities of family dynamics and deception. The story centers around fourteen-year-old chess prodigy Ruby Vossen, who navigates the treacherous waters of her wealthy family’s secrets following the tragic deaths of her mother and aunt. As tensions rise within the Vossen clan, Ruby finds herself at odds with her new stepfamily, whom she suspects of plotting to inherit her family’s fortune.
Readers will encounter a narrative filled with intrigue as Ruby confronts the shifting alliances and dark secrets that threaten her family’s legacy. The book delves into themes of social issues and family conflict, presenting a unique blend of mystery and suspense. As Ruby takes matters into her own hands, she is determined to reclaim her place and protect her loved ones, leading to a thrilling showdown with her stepfamily. This edition offers a captivating look at the challenges faced by a young girl caught in a web of familial betrayal and ambition.
Official synopsis Publisher
Riverdale meets The Queen’s Gambit in this fun, twisty thriller by an Edgar Award-winning author, featuring a deliciously dysfunctional family with dark secrets and shifting alliances.
Fourteen-year-old chess whiz Ruby Vossen tries to keep to herself. She refuses to be a pawn in her wealthy family’s web of deception.
But ever since Ruby’s mother and aunt died in a car wreck, the battle lines drawn within the Vossen clan have ruled her life. Ruby’s father and uncle became irreparably estranged, and within months, Ruby’s cousin/BFF was banished from her life, her father remarried, and she wound up with a gold-digging stepmom who has two teens of her own–The Steps.
So when strange and dangerous things begin happening on the Vossen estate, Ruby sees only one logical explanation: The Steps are scheming to inherit the Vossen fortune. And as things get more and more intense, it seems like killing is in their playbook.
Luckily, Ruby has her own playbook, and she’s not about to go down without a fight. She’ll even break her dad’s rules to get her cousin back on her side of the chessboard . . . It’s time to check-mate The Steps before they can finish the Vossens off.
Secrets, lies, and lethal threats abound in this clever, quirky thriller by the award-winning, bestselling author of Flipped and the Sammy Keyes mysteries.
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