As the bodies pile up, Rippermania spreads throughout England and Rory gets stuck in the middle of it all when she becomes a witness after seeing a mysterious man on school grounds. Her arrival in England coincides with the outset of a series of gruesome murders by what seems to be a Jack the Ripper copycat. The Name of the Star follows Rory Deveaux, an American teenager from Louisiana as she attends her senior year at a London boarding school. Why did I read this book: I love Maureen Johnson! That is all.

How did I get this book: I got an ARC thanks to a generous friend. Stand alone or series: Shades of London, book 1. 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. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn’t notice the mysterious man. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. 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. For Rory, it’s the start of a new life at a London boarding school. The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (US) / Harper Collins (UK) Genre: Mystery, Contemporary, Young Adult

The name of the star by maureen johnson