Truly Devious

From the moment it is first introduced to the reader, Ellingham Academy is set apart from other schools. Founded by the wealthy American industrialist Albert Ellingham, the school prides itself on having “no restrictions to [student] learning and access to whatever [they] need” (3) to guide their own studies. The school is beautiful, free to attend, and meant to liberate young minds while creating an atmosphere of fun and excitement. However, there is a dark side to Ellingham Academy, and as Dottie Epstein and Stevie Bell soon learn, the magic and grandeur of the school creates the perfect atmosphere for unsavory behavior, namely, murder. Ellingham Academy is symbolic of the legacy of Albert Ellingham himself and the idea that something beautiful on the outside can turn rotten in an instant.

Albert Ellingham was a lover of puzzles and games, and according to Stevie, the process of getting into Ellingham Academy is like a mind game: a test of its own and a riddle to be solved. Stevie explains that “Ellingham ha[s] no application, no list of requirements, no instructions other than ‘If you would like to be considered for Ellingham Academy, please get in touch’” (19-20). The sphinxes at the front of the school represent this special riddle. In Greek mythology, sphinxes are “mythical creatures that ask [a person] riddles before [they’re] allowed to enter a place” (24). The sphinx symbolizes the riddle or puzzle that one must solve to be admitted to Ellingham, and only the best and the brightest can gain access to the unique world of learning at this school for “creative geniuses, radical thinkers, and innovators” (19). During his interview, Leonard Holmes Nair complains that although Albert was going to “fill [the school] with prodigies,” but “half of them are just his friends’ children and not the sharpest ones at that” (286). Still, Janelle reminds Stevie and the reader that there is more to the Ellingham Academy acceptance process than just a high IQ or exceptional test scores. Ellingham students are set apart because, according to Janelle, “[they’re] all kind of fixated on something” and they are “all kind of in [their] own world” (192). Ellingham Academy’s student pool is built on passion more than brains, and people like Albert Ellingham look for a special spark in their students.

Ellingham is an impressive school with seemingly endless resources for its students, and it has a transportive, otherworldly atmosphere that makes it feel like stepping back in time. Students are provided with anything they could ever want: books, fine teachers, and free schooling during the Great Depression. The school also has tunnels, trapdoors, and “little architectural jokes that amused Albert Ellingham to no end and made his parties infamously entertaining” (14). The property is the epicenter of celebrity-attended parties, and “actors, writers, artists,” and “socialites” all come to “have their champagne here, to dance under the stars” (181). These parties and the glamor of the celebrity guests add another layer of secrecy and privilege to Ellingham and his school: These connections reinforce his untouchable status and remind the reader that Ellingham Academy is an exceptional place that is supposed to be above reproach when it comes to safety. After all, if the most famous celebrities of the time spend their time on this mountain in Vermont, how dangerous could it be?

At a glance, Ellingham Academy is a dream come true: It is idyllic, beautiful, and isolated from the outside world. But while secret passageways might be fun for games and extreme isolation makes for a more intimate gathering, these features also make it easier for a murderer to run rampant. After all, as Dottie notices, “the grounds [of Ellingham Academy] [are] vast and full of hiding places,” and Ellingham welcomed his students to “study and wander” (5) at their leisure. When Dottie finds herself trapped with a murderer, she remembers that she is in the middle of nowhere, and the wilderness she once loved to explore will enable her murderer to act without being caught. In the modern day, Stevie and her parents learn that “the campus had not been designed for lots of cars” (16), which makes it difficult to escape quickly in the event of an emergency, and with terrible Wi-Fi and cell tower signals, calling for help is out of the question. Ellingham Academy is the perfect hunting ground for a murderer to trap their prey and escape without notice, and as the writer of Murders on the Mountain points out, schools “are not supposed to be famous for murders” (14).