The country holds its breath, and when there is another murder a week later – following the Ripper’s pattern – the media goes wild with Rippermania. But on the same day that Rory arrives at Wexford, a young woman is murdered – in the same place, in the same fashion, and on the same date as the first of the murders attributed to Jack the Ripper. Summary: Starting her senior year at a prestigious boarding school in the middle of London would ordinarily be exciting enough for Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux. Why do I have it? I liked the other books/stories of Maureen Johnson’s that I’ve read, and then someone says “Jack the Ripper” and I’m sold. Genre: Young Adult, and somewhere at junction of Supernatural/Mystery/Horror The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (2011) I listened to it for the Ripper connection primarily, and there were enough innovations there to make this worth my while.149. Perhaps those who enjoy paranormal YA works will enjoy it more than I did. I don't think I'll be following up on more of this series, but I'm not sorry I listened to the novel. In addition, I normally really enjoy Nicola Barber's narrations, but her varied attempts at a Louisiana drawl were so outrageously bad that they kept shocking me out of the story. The less said about the teen romantic scenes, the better. Johnson telegraphed at least three of the intended 'big reveals' far in advance, so the mystery angle of the book fell flat. I couldn't unsee Torchwood throughout this section of the novel.) In some ways the novel hangs together - thank heavens Maureen Johnson confined herself to the copycat killer and didn't go back to the mystery of the original Ripper - but in some ways this combination felt overly ambitious, as if everything but the kitchen sink had been thrown into the mix. (Think of the Torchwood group dedicated to ghosts. But wait, there's more! This book also serves up a paranormal coming-of-age and coming-into-your-powers narrative about ghosts (or shades), those who see them, and the secret police who are in charge of cases involving them. This aspect of the novel, with its atmospheric descriptions and creepy depiction of the morbidly fascinated public at large does work on its own, although it's somewhat jarring next to the more upbeat schooldays story. The novel is also a Jack-the-Ripper thriller about a copycat murderer who uses the original Ripper slayings as inspiration for 'tribute' killings, with some clever and chilling contemporary updates to the 1888 story. As a glimpse of London life, popular culture, and history through an American lens, it's a very successful and often laugh-out-loud funny tale. For one, it's a YA fish-out-of-water tale about a small-town Louisiana girl who suddenly finds herself in a boarding school in London.

It's hard to rate this novel, because it does many things.