The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson is a novel set in the streets of London during a new school year, but the story is not all fictitious for the killings that are present are nearly identical to Jack the Ripper’s.
The main character Rory Deveaux is headed to London to start a new school year at Wexford, a boarding school. She arrives at the same time that the copycat killings start. Someone is copying Jack the Ripper’s killings exactly, yet no one has any idea of who the suspect may be. The police start investigating as soon as the first killing occurs, and they are still left with very few leads and have found no one who has witnessed the murders, except for Rory. She has seen a man who she thinks is the main suspect of all of the murders occurring, yet she is the only one who can see this man, and he knows this. The suspect has now turned to Rory as his next victim, so she cannot tell the police about what the man has done. The police begin to realize that the man may have been a former police officer since he is purposely killing in front of cameras, yet nothing is certain.
The Name of the Star was probably one of my favorite. Mysteries interest me more than anything else because of the suspense. I like the overall plot throughout the novel, but what really kept my attention was always thinking what is going to happen next?
Lauren Beadle is a sophomore in the Gifted program at Hahnville High School. She enjoys softball, outdoor activities, and socializing with friends.
Editor’s note: Book reviews are published weekly in agreement with Hahnville High School gifted English teacher Deborah Unger in conjunction with the Brown Foundation Service Learning Program.
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