The Name of the Star (Shades of London #1) by Maureen Johnson

Hardcover, 372 pages

Published September 29th 2011 by Putnam Juvenile 

 

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

I love a good murder mystery and add in Jack the Ripper... I am definitely hooked. Admittedly, though, this book has been on my shelf for a while and I don't know why I am just now getting to it. I feel I need to write Maureen Johnson a personal letter of apology. I now have quite a few of my students lined up for it as well, so I know it will be a well read book before the end of this school year. That is definitely NOT going to be a problem to me. 

Rory moved from Louisiana to England in hopes of finding the fun and newness of life in a place I would love to me to as well. What she doesn't expect is to find herself back in the center of a murder spree that parallels those of the infamous Jack the Ripper. I love how Maureen weaves the past with the present in this novel. Jack the Ripper is one of those things in history that we still talk about because it is the ultimate mystery and throughout this book, I definitely found myself looking things up online (some I wish I probably hadn't) but loved the new twist to the story through Rory's experience. 

I now have to run and get the next book because I can't wait to see how the saga continues. Check out Maureen's blog here and you can see what other goodies she has! 

Happy reading!