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Series · fantasy
Shades of London
The Shades of London series by Maureen Johnson has 4 known books (4 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with The Name of the Star (2011). The Shadow Cabinet is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.
- Books
- 4 known books (3 novels + 1 novella)
- Published
- 4
- First published
- 2011
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
Start here: The Name of the Star (2011)
— then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Name of the Star
The Name of the Star, published September 29, 2011, opens the trilogy as American teenager Rory Deveaux witnesses a modern killer recreating Jack the Ripper's 1888 murders and discovers she alone can see him -- because he's a ghost. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Name of the Star - Book 2:
The Madness Underneath
The Madness Underneath (February 2013) grew to 383 pages as Rory trains further with London's hidden ghost-hunting police squad, with Maureen Johnson pushing the Ripper-copycat plot -- and Rory's own increasingly precarious grip on her ability -- darker than the first book. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Madness Underneath - Book 3:
The Boy in the Smoke
At just 96 pages, The Boy in the Smoke (February 2014) is a prequel novella centered on squad member Stephen, published between the second and third novels. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Boy in the Smoke - Book 4:
The Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet (February 2015) runs 374 pages, continuing the numbered trilogy's escalating plot and ending on the unresolved cliffhanger that closes out the series -- Johnson has confirmed no further Shades of London books are planned. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Shadow Cabinet
Our shelf-tested path for first-time readers.
- Book 1:
The Name of the Star
The Name of the Star, published September 29, 2011, opens the trilogy as American teenager Rory Deveaux witnesses a modern killer recreating Jack the Ripper's 1888 murders and discovers she alone can see him -- because he's a ghost. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Name of the Star - Book 2:
The Madness Underneath
The Madness Underneath (February 2013) grew to 383 pages as Rory trains further with London's hidden ghost-hunting police squad, with Maureen Johnson pushing the Ripper-copycat plot -- and Rory's own increasingly precarious grip on her ability -- darker than the first book. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Madness Underneath - Book 3:
The Boy in the Smoke
At just 96 pages, The Boy in the Smoke (February 2014) is a prequel novella centered on squad member Stephen, published between the second and third novels. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Boy in the Smoke - Book 4:
The Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet (February 2015) runs 374 pages, continuing the numbered trilogy's escalating plot and ending on the unresolved cliffhanger that closes out the series -- Johnson has confirmed no further Shades of London books are planned. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Shadow Cabinet
Key facts about the Shades of London series
The Shades of London series has 4 books on our list. Since all 4 are out now, you can read the whole list today. 3 are novels, while the rest is a novella.
Start with The Name of the Star, since it opens the publication order in 2011. The Madness Underneath is book 2, from 2013. The Boy in the Smoke is book 3, from 2014. The Shadow Cabinet is book 4, from 2015.
We also give a recommended order, while noting it is our own advice. It is not publisher canon.
The Shadow Cabinet is the latest book with a full release date, out on 10 February 2015. The catalogue marks it as ongoing, yet no next book has a date so far.
The books came out between 2011 and 2015, while their length runs from 96 to 383 pages. That is a run of 4 years.
Maureen Johnson has 26 books on our list. Additionally, they write 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Suite Scarlett and Truly Devious. We shelve the books under fantasy.
About the Shades of London series
American teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London for a boarding-school year just as a killer starts recreating Jack the Ripper's 1888 murders across Whitechapel, down to the exact dates and locations. When Rory becomes the sole witness to one of the attacks, she discovers she can see something no one else can -- because a near-death experience has left her able to perceive ghosts, and the modern Ripper turns out to be one. That gift pulls her into a hidden squad of ghost-hunting police operatives, and the series follows her as she's trained into their ranks while the copycat killer's true nature -- and motive -- unspools across the following books.
Maureen Johnson grounds the supernatural premise in a lot of real London geography and Ripper-case history, and lets Rory's voice -- dryly funny, Louisiana-raised, permanently a little out of her depth among London's ghost police -- carry a story that gets progressively darker as the series goes on. The Boy in the Smoke is a shorter prequel novella following squad member Stephen before Rory ever arrives, best read after the main trilogy since it trades on relationships readers won't yet know.
The series ends on a cliffhanger in The Shadow Cabinet, and Johnson has confirmed no further Shades of London books are planned, leaving a vocal fandom still hoping for a conclusion.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Shades of London series?
Four: The Name of the Star (2011), The Madness Underneath (2013), The Boy in the Smoke (2014, a prequel novella), and The Shadow Cabinet (2015).
Where does The Boy in the Smoke fit in the reading order?
It's a prequel set before The Name of the Star, but it's written for readers already familiar with the main trilogy's characters, so it reads best after The Madness Underneath rather than first.
Does Shades of London have an ending?
No -- The Shadow Cabinet ends on a cliffhanger, and Maureen Johnson has said there are no current plans to continue the series, so it remains unresolved as of 2026.
Is Shades of London based on Jack the Ripper?
Yes -- the plot centers on a modern killer recreating Jack the Ripper's 1888 murders in Whitechapel, and the series draws on real details of the historical case.
If you like the Shades of London series
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