The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
"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 in the autumn of 1888.

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 now believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was 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."- summary from Amazon

I loved this book. Reading it made me realize how much I had missed Maureen's writing- I don't think I've read anything new of hers since Let It Snow (despite having both Scarlett books and I did also re-read 13 Little Blue Envelopes a few months back). Despite the creepy cover and premise, the book is pretty funny, especially in the beginning before the Ripper action gets involved, though the book does still have some humor throughout the rest of the book. It's still Maureen's style, but a bit darker than her previous books and it works really well.

I really enjoyed Rory as a main character- she's relatable as she tries to make her way in a new place and the voice is just done really well. Her sarcasm was my favorite part, as it usually is since that's my main form of humor. The interactions between all the characters was great and Maureen has a great touch for dialogue because it was always fun and interesting to read and kept the story going. Rory and Jerome were a great little couple too and I liked seeing their romance blossom throughout the book. They're a great match.

I really liked the concept of the ghost police and reading about the history was really cool. The book ended really interestingly and with a twist (actually, two) I hadn't seen coming. Maureen also knows how to work this trilogy by ending the main storyline here but keeping some loose threads open to make the reader want to come back when the next book releases. Although I'll read anything by Maureen because she's an awesome author so I don't necessarily need the loose threads!

Overall, a fantastic start to a ghost thriller trilogy and I can't wait to see where it all goes next!

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.