The Madness Underneath is the second book in Maureen Johnson's Shades of London trilogy. The story picks up not very long after the events of The Name of the Star. Rory is still dealing with the events of book one and trying to come to gripes with the twist that left us with. Her parents think the best thing for her is to remain in Bristol, but the people who have answers for her are back in London. When her therapist suggests that heading back to Wexford might be exactly what Rory needs, she jumps at the chance. The problem is Stephen, Boo, and Callum have moved and their phone numbers have all been changed. With new murders happening a bit too close to Wexford for comfort, she needs to find them and convince them that there's definitely something not right going on. 
 The lack of the Jack the Ripper had me a little less enthralled by book two. It took on a much more crime story vibe and seemed to lack an overall focus. Reading the books back to back made a good portion of the beginning feel a bit redundant, but it would let someone who took time in between ease back into the story nicely. It definitely keeps in the same vein as The Name of the Star. Lots of details of London and other bits of history which makes for a slow and informative read. Light romance that's definitely not a focal point of the story. Rory is such a fun narrator that I enjoyed this for the most part, but very little actually happens in this and it just lacked the driving force that book one had for me. Mostly set up for the third book and then Johnson hits us with a doozy of an ending. 
 And now the wait begins to see where The Shadow Cabinet will take us.