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

I have been wanting to read this book and I was lucky enough to get a signed copy at BEA last spring.  Maureen was a delight to meet as well.  I took forensics in college right after From Hell came out and Jack the Ripper got big so I find the mystery both interesting and disturbing.

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.

This book has some amazing characters.  I really don't think you can really dislike any of them.  (Well, the murderer is pretty awful.)  Rory has lots of sass and her interactions with her fellow students are pretty funny.  I enjoyed her roommates as well.  They are each endearing in their own way.  It was interesting to see how such different people could interact.  There are just too many great characters to describe them all.  Maureen  Johnson is amazing at creating characters that you love so much that you want them to be real.  Stephan and Alistair were some of my favorites.  Jazza was the kind of roommate that I would have loved having in school.  I didn't really know what to expect from this book except that it had something to do with Jack the Ripper.  This book was a total surprise and I loved every moment of it.

You can find Name of the Star on Goodreads here.  The sequel, The Madness Underneath, will be released on February 26th- click here to add it to your Goodreads.  You can find out more about Maureen Johnson and her books on her website.  You can also follow her on Twitter.  The Name of the Star earns 4 Fairies for a great book that I can't wait to read the sequel to.