The Madness Underneath: Book 2 (The Shades of London) [Hardcover]

Maureen Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 26, 2013 | Series: The Shades of London (Book 2)

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 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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

FROM KIRKUS REVIEWS:
 
“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.”
 
 
FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: 
 
“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.”

About the Author

Maureen Johnson (www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com) is the author of nine young adult novels, and is contributor to two short story collections, including the New York Times bestselling Let It Snow.   Maureen lives in New York City. 

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (February 26, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039925661X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399256615
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maureen Johnson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Like a lot of people who end up writing books, she was always reading. This paid off in the end, but also resulted in her not playing any sports, so she is spectacularly uncoordinated, and is easily injured by harmless household objects, like endtables.

She studied writing and theatrical dramaturgy at Columbia University. Before she could spend all her days writing, Maureen served up hamburgers in the company of mad scientists and talking skeletons in New York, tended bar in Piccadilly Circus, nervously worked alongside live tigers in Las Vegas, and once got mixed up with the entire cast of a major West End musical.

Maureen lives in New York City, and when she is not writing, spends her time in a relentless pursuit of the perfect cup of coffee. If you know where it is, get in touch with her at once.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A Bit Erratic February 28, 2013

By KVB99

Format:Hardcover

This is a sequel to the Name of the Star (TNOS), but it doesn't have quite the same sizzle as TNOS. The story picks up with Rory in Bristol in therapy and lingers there a bit too long. This story needed a strong start right out of the gate, like TNOS, but it flounders, treading water for several chapters in Bristol, where not that much happens. Finally Rory does return to Wexford, but not really. Rory never really re-integrates in Wexford and we don't see that fun interaction with her Wexford circle of friends like we did in TNOS, IMO a big let-down. Also, Rory is now this big ghosty terminus, but there is surprisingly little ghosty encounters here. So, too little Wexford and too little ghosts. These were two big legs of the stool that made TNOS such a fun read. What we have in place of this is a rather weird cult story that develops rather late in the book. The cult thing was not developed very well and I found it to be rather laughably implausible and uninteresting. And then there's the ending. Initially I didn't like it at all, but having slept on it I'm not going to ding the book for it. It's not the way I would have ended the book, but I can see that this is a legitimate direction for the story to take. On the plus side, Rory continues to be a very engaging character and the author's sassy writing style really brings Rory to life. My gripe is with the tepid story in which Rory is placed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what... March 8, 2013

By mindy silver

Format:Kindle Edition

How can the next book not be out already? I could not stop reading this book!!! Maureen Johnson knows exactly how to stick an emotional knife into you and twist it so it hurts the most. But god was this book good

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars very fun sequel/set up for next book March 11, 2013

By Jaime

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This story does something I've rarely seen in YA and delves into dealing with the aftermath of a horrific event. The story picks up with Rory as she is in therapy, recovering from the trauma of the Ripper attack of the previous novel. Feeling adrift, she decides to return to school and attempt to reconnect with her old life as well as with the members of the ghost hunting police force. Dealing with a new found power as well as a mountain of schoolwork Rory tries to get beyond her victim status and has to deal with more murderous ghosts.

This is very much a story of Rory trying to find her new identity in the wake of her trauma, and as a result, with the possible exception of Stephen the other characters are very much in the periphery. Stephen is given more backstory, but the members of his squad aren't seen as much on the page. To be mysterious: something exciting happens that I was very much hoping for, but it was like being given a present and then having it snatched away. The novel is entertaining as Rory very much maintains her sense of humor, but while there is a ghost murder it is dealt with quickly, while many pages are dedicated to lamenting undone schoolwork. The setting of London is once again acting like another character and the writing style is clear and concise.

Perhaps it is an inevitable result of a middle book in a series, but this story lacks the focus and resolution of The Name of the Star. A new and interesting antagonist is introduced but little more than that, leaving the real threat for the future. The book as whole has the feeling of set-up more than a story that stands on its own. Not many questions are answered or issues resolved. A sudden wrench is thrown in the plot then the book doesn't end as much as it stops, with a dramatic "to be continued".

However, I still enjoyed this novel for its setting, humor and characters, and am very much looking forward to the sequels.