The Name of the Star: Shades of London
            by Maureen Johnson


I almost gave up reading this book when I saw Book One on the title page.  I won't read a book that leaves me hanging. I flipped, skipped through the book and then slowed down and read, when I discovered it's a complete story, in and of itself.

Rory Deveaux accompanies her parents to England, where they are going to work and she is going to a boarding school in London. At the same time, someone mimicking Jack the Ripper's killings is on the loose in the city quite near her school. 
She settles into the routine of school and into a relationship with Jerome, a senior student. He takes her and her roommate Jazza to the scene of the second murder. There Rory bumps into a strange gentleman who is astonished when she apologizes to him. Later, looking out her window, she catches a glimpse of something or someone, but when she looked again, it was gone. 
She doesn't realize it, but everything changes for her after she has a near death experience. She and Jazzy sneak out one night and return to the dorm at 2:00 a.m. The same man appears as she's sneaking back in. He says, "Should you be doing that?"to which she replies "It's okay, I go here." He says "good night, girls" and walks off. Rory has a problem - Jazzy did not see the creepy man even though he was right there. From here, the book takes off a supersonic speed and you won't be able to put it down.