The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson is Munch-Worthy

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.

The Name of the Star is probably my favorite of all of Maureen Johnson's books that I've read—so far, that is. I'm still leaving myself room for its exciting looking sequel, The Madness Underneath. Clearly, I'm quite eager to see how Johnson will continue Rory's ghost-fighting story.

I also have to say that I absolutely love this cover! The smoky purple, the snowy setting, and the wispy image of a girl are just so deliciously eerie together. And the lettering is quite captivating as well. Even if I wasn't enthralled with the story's premise, I would probably be tempted to take another look based on this cover alone.

Releases February 26, 2013 from Penguin Young Readers Group.