Van Draanen (Mr. Whiskers and the Shenanigan Sisters) skillfully employs chess metaphors while piling on the twists in this campy caper. The cousins friendship both with each other and the connections they make throughout their investigation is a heartfelt counter-point to the Vossens despicable familial relationships and tumultuous history.
Publishers Weekly

Plenty of welcome heart is built into this whodunit that imagines a wealthy, backstabbing family that s so stereotypically horrible that they tip toward the darkly comic. A fun, twisty mystery with a likeable narrator.
Kirkus Reviews

This work finds its groove as a cross between a cozy mystery and a YA thriller with a dash of quirkiness in the form of its chess-obsessed protagonist, making for a somewhat lighter, but nevertheless engrossing, read. Ruby is a plucky, resilient protagonist who is easy to root for when surrounded by a family of ne er-do-wells.
Booklist

A heart-pounding final chase scene, replete with exposed pregnancies, a poisoned dog, a hatchet-wielding psychotic stepsister, and a father-crushing tree, is thrillingly written.
Bulletin of the Center for Children s Books

A riveting, heart-pounding mystery. . . .Van Draanen has had a long and illustrious career in writing books about breaking rules, solving mysteries, and being brave. Many of her titles are funny. But every book she writes is, above all else, full of heart. The Steps incorporates all these qualities, blended into one humdinger of a mystery. Readers especially those who enjoy Jennifer Lynn Barnes's Inheritance Game series or Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson's The Agathas willlikely find Ruby irresistible.
Shelf Awareness