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 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


I thought the premise of this book was awesome - and when I say premise I read "Jack the Ripper" and kind of tuned out everything else.

OK so Rory is the fish out of water in London, but quickly makes some really good friends. She settles in, and almost immediately the murders start happening. I put myself in that situation and I would tell you this: I would be calling my parents up and tell them to pick my @ss up. Clearly, that can't happen in this story.

So the murders are happening and then some really weird things start happening to Rory, like when her and her roommate, Jazza, and her sneak out and then Rory sees someone but Jazza doesn't. And then there is that weird officer. So there's a bunch I would like to comment on but I can't. But in the end, Rory is "special" and she has seriously pissed off the person who is doing the Ripper murders.

The Ripper. What a fascinating topic. I learned a lot more from this book, like who named the Ripper the Ripper. I had never thought about it, but the Ripper had never been caught, so how would they know his name was Jack.

There was subtle romance in this book. There were brief make-out sections, but it was NOT a big part of the book. There were two crushes in the book and I will tell you I prefer Stephen over Jerome. Who agrees?