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.
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"Really really good!!! Much better than the first one and the last 80 or so pages were superb!!!! Really good characters and super awesome plot movement and quick realistic dialogue. I'm jammin with this hardcore. 10/10 would recommend"
— Caitlyn (5 out of 5 stars)
“Rory’s internal monologue sparkles with the wit that Johnson’s fans (and most of Twitter) will recognize, which is plenty entertaining. The second half will satisfy readers’ craving for what they came for—Rory’s investigation of London’s latest ghost crimes—while laying tragic groundwork for the next book.”
— Publishers Weekly“Creepy, clever and ambiguous second volume in the Shades of London series…As always, Johnson wields words with a supple facility that keeps those pages turning. The London minutiae are utterly engaging, the villains satisfyingly weird and numerous. And there is kissing.”
— Kirkus Reviews" That ending is NOT OKAY. Not okay at all. Maureen Johnson is evil. Review coming soon! :) SO. GOOD. "
— Bella, 2/10/2014" Nothing happened in the first half of this book. Then, in the second half, there were too many unconnected and unfinished plotlines. Very disappointed. "
— Beth, 2/9/2014" I cannot hold the feelings. Maureen Johnson should not be allowed. "
— Bernardo, 1/30/2014" I am on the fence about this one. I really like The Name of the Star and was excited for The Madness Underneath. I liked that Rory was working through her issues during this book. She was just viciously attacked at the end of the last book so it would make sense that she is a little lost. I did think the book had an identity crisis around the last fourth of the book. Too many things started to pop up and there wasn't any real closure/follow through on some topics. I also really disliked how the book ended! I will probably read the next one though to see what happens. I do really enjoy Maureen Johnson's writing style. Rory is a very "real" character. "
— Elisa, 1/26/2014" Wow. What a great companion to The Name of a Star! The ending was quite a surprise and left a great opening for the next book. Love Maureen Johnson! "
— Claire, 1/13/2014" I actually liked it better than the first book in the series. :-) "
— Leisa, 12/20/2013" In spite of Maureen Johnson's terrific writing, I don't think anything in this series can match the delightfulness and suspense of the first volume when everything was still up for grabs, plot-wise. "
— Gwen, 12/14/2013" I can't even handle what happens in this book. Well done Maureen Johnson. "
— Lizzie, 12/13/2013" A fabulous read. I love Rory, am intrigued by Stephen, wary of Jane, etc. Maureen Johnson's cast of characters has me hooked. The ending is a giant cliffhanger that had me begging for the third book, please! "
— Kim, 11/26/2013" The pacing was somewhat lacking in the first half of the novel but it definitely picked up, and OH MY I DID NOT SEE THE ENDING COMING. "
— Sophie, 10/4/2013" Very lovely romance that made me tear up. Beautiful book and I can't wait til the next. This series is great YA lit "
— Katie, 8/26/2013" When is the next book coming out!? "
— Natalie, 8/21/2013" Grrrr! How can it end like that? I won't give anything away but I'm not happy. Roll on book 3. "
— Noodles78, 8/19/2013" Very curious about where she's going with this. Still a page-turner but I'm hoping there will be more ghosts in the next one besides..... well, can't say due to spoiler effect. "
— Lynn, 7/19/2013" FNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN "
— Caelin, 5/21/2013Maureen Johnson is the bestselling author of several novels for young adults, including the Truly Devious series and the Shades of London series, among others. She has also penned collaborative works, such as Let It Snow with John Green and Lauren Myracle and The Bane Chronicles with Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, BuzzFeed, and the London Guardian, and she has also served as a scriptwriter for EA Games. She has an MFA degree in writing from Columbia University.
Nicola Barber, is an Audie Award and Earphones Award-winning narrator whose voice can be heard in television and radio commercials and popular video games such as World of Warcraft. She is also an Audie finalist in the prestigious category of solo female narrationfor her work on Murphy’s Law by Rhys Bowen and Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth. She has performed on the stage in New York City and at a number of top regional theaters in the United States. Her film and television roles include The Nanny Diaries with Scarlett Johansson, and Law & Order’s 2009 season premiere. Originally from England, she currently resides in New York, a multicultural background that enables her to bring a broad range of accents and characterizations to her role as a full-time voice-over actor.