The Name of the Star

I am completely breathless over The Name of the Star (watch the trailer here) by Maureen Johnson.  I've had this book on my mind ever since I saw the cover posted on The Compulsive Reader's list of favorites from a book festival she attended.  Needless to say, it did not disappoint.

This book is a combination of a Jack the Ripper tale and a modern ghost story.  First their is Rory, not Aurora, who has been uprooted from her home in Louisiana by her parents.  They have accepted positions as professors of law at a university in Bristol, England.  Rory happily agrees to go along on the condition that she is able to spend her time attending a school in London.  She begins to attend Wexler where she attempts to acclimate herself into her new surroundings.  Simultaneously, brutal Jack the Ripper type crimes begin happening in close proximity to her school.

Rory's new friend Jerome has taken quite an interest in these crimes.  So much so that he wants to watch for "The Ripper" and persuades Rory and her roommate to sneak out of their dorm to his in order to keep watch.  On their way back from their stakeout, Rory sees a man who seems a bit out of place.  But, the crazy thing is that even though Jazza was right there, she didn't see him....so weird.

The murders begin to stack up, and Rory's mysterious sighting begins to seem important.  So she shares this with the investigators on the case.  As the investigation continues, Rory finds herself involved in the case in ways she could not have imagined.  Why can Rory see this killer when no security camera in London can?

I'm telling you, this is an awesome one!  Maureen Johnson has written several novels including Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes and The Last Little Blue Envelope.  I have these on my to-read list as well.  My sincerest advice to you to sneak away from the traditional Black Friday run on televisions and buy this book.