The Madness Underneath

Book/Author: The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson (Shades of London)
Genre: YA, Mystery
Series: Yes (second in the series)
Publication Date: February 26^th (I pre-ordered it and it came early!)
Buy It: Amazon
Add It: Goodreads

 (Slight spoilers for The Name of the Star possible!)

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance. But Rory's brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she's become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades—the city's secret ghost-fighting police—are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it's too late.

My Thoughts

I absolutely loved the first book in the series, The Name of the Star. As for this book… It was even better! So many series, especially YA it seems, suffer from ‘second book syndrome’. Amazingly, this doesn’t! I love Rory’s voice, her sense of humor and the way she looks at things. I’m an Anglophile to begin with, so I loved reading a story that takes place in London. It’s not just set in London to make it interesting, it’s part of the story and adds as much to it as the characters do. The story never dragged either, it kept going at a great pace, I stayed up far too late reading because I simply could not put it down. The ending... It's been a while since I've had an ending impact me so much.

Who would like it?

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, wants a book placed in London, or is looking for a book with a strong, fun main character.

My Rating

5+ Stars! I love this book!