The Madness Underneath - Maureen Johnson

Published: Feb 2013

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Pages: 290

Copy Provided by: Library

Summary: Goodreads

Summary:

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Deveaux 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 to get back to her friends. 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. 

In this follow-up to the Edgar Award-nominated THE NAME OF THE STAR, Maureen Johnson adds another layer of spectacularly gruesome details to the streets of London that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Review:

It has taken me a little while to get to book #2 of the Shades of London series.  I wasn't sure how the story would continue after Jack the Ripper in Book #1. He is a pretty serious player when we think of ghosts in London...unless you count royalty.

In The Madness Underneath, Rory becomes a terminus and can send ghosts onward with just a touch.  It does take a lot out of her though and others have discovered her skills as the ultimate ghost hunter. But they have different uses for her terminus skills.  The old Scooby team comes together again but in a more loose knit way.  Rory is stuck at school and only Stephen can seem to break her out because of his connections with the authorities.  As I was reading, I found myself giving Stephen a British accent in my head.  I'm sure Curlypow would get a kick out of that.

The storyline was rather slow for the first 1/2 of the book but then picked up quickly.  This second book took a turn that was completely unexpected and unpredictable but it worked and right when I was beginning to lose interest in the book.  Maureen re-invented the story and made it interesting again.  I love how this novel has been given a new lease on life.  This new twist has freshened things up immensely! One of the other things that kept me reading was Maureen's sense of humor.  I don't think I have ever read a novel that discusses the main character's boob job.  You really should follow her on Twitter. I get a kick out of some of her posts.

You will find language in this series but it is like a modern day Ghost Hunters (sorry Maureen, I know you don't like this show) meets Nancy Drew.  Fun!

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