A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

THE MUST-READ MULTIMILLION BESTSELLING MYSTERY SERIES--NOW ON NETFLIX! - This is the story about an investigation turned obsession, full of twists and turns and with an ending you'll never expect.

Everyone in Fairview knows the story.

Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.

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But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?

Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn't want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.

Admittedly, I'm not a huge murder mystery girl, despite A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro being one of my favorite books. (The adventure in that series is great, but I primarily read for the complex will-they-won't-they friends-to-lovers dynamic, complex characterization, and precise cinematic detail that creates such an immersive, colorful atmosphere.) Many others like Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, which bored me to tears (sorry, reading is subjective.) So I'm cautious. But A Good Girl's Guide to Murder knocked it out of the park for me.

The book focuses on Pip, who's decided that as her senior thesis project, she's going to solve the murder and disappearance of previous It Girl, Andie Bell, and prove her ex-boyfriend Sal Singh's innocence. After her disappearance, he showed up in an apparent suicide in the woods, with a haphazard apology note.

The town tells her to let it go and not pry up old wounds, but she just has a feeling. And, as in any mystery, the delight of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is in its clever, refreshing execution.

PLOT & STRUCTURE

The book unfolds over a mix of narrative chapters but also includes suspect lists, recorded interviews, case reports, and more—always seamlessly integrated, never awkward. The process of her project makes the reading experience feel very active, like you're discovering and second-guessing and doubting at the same too. If you looked at scene variation, there wouldn't be much difference between the conversations occurring at various developments (lots of Pip grilling various characters) but somehow it never stops being riveting; any other author or execution would have lost me already.

In fact, if you're a murder podcast person—this is the book for you. It kind of feels like Serial in book form. I'm so not a podcast person but even I was rapt. The structure benefits and supports the story, which is just so gratifying.

I am so not an audiobook person but I have listened to A Good Girl's Guide to Murder in addition to reading it in print the first time. As an audiobook, this one is phenomenal. Usually, I can't listen to monotonous sound on a road trip because I'll get sleepy; the only podcasts I can listen to are those like Switched on Pop that alternate between talking and musical analysis, because of the built-in variation to keep me from lulling—or I'll do a chapter of an audiobook then switch to a playlist. Regardless, the mixture of narrative, interviews, etc,. was so phenomenal to listen to, with a full-voice cast that made the entire story come to life. Cliché phrasing but true. My mom listened with me and also loved.

CHARACTERS & PACING

Pip is such a fascinating and distinctive character because she is tunnel-vision focused on her pursuit. As an "intense" someone who also stubbornly clings to a long game project with very little deviation, I related to her, and I always love "prodigy" characters who define themselves by their excellence and devotion to a project. While there are friendships and crushes and family conflict layered effortlessly into the story (in a way that feels so natural to high school that it actually took me back to the exact feeling of doing homework at the kitchen counter before lacrosse practice), A Good Girl's Guide to Murder never loses sight of the case you're reading it for.

She can occasionally be a little heartless or blunt in a way that's not very kind to others, but that also makes her better to read. She is by no means flawless—just very specific. She felt like a real person, for that reason.

For that reason, it's so singularly refreshing and absorbing as a mystery. Like I said, being privy to Pip's circles and intellect and double-backs makes you so, so invested in each twist. I am never surprised by mysteries anymore, but I didn't predict this one.

And you'd think the pacing would get old, but it didn't—especially when it becomes immensely clear throughout that someone doesn't want Pip digging. Certain scenes had me afraid. The tension was pulse-pounding when it happened. When I finished this one, I was at an oyster bake fall party with friends and couldn't put it down. I was flipping pages in the corner.

OVERALL

Overall, I'm absolutely obsessed with this series. It's straightforward without being flat, and still somehow manages to be twisty and engrossing. It's nearly perfectly proportioned, which (in my opinion as an author) is the single hardest element of a book to nail. There's a reason it's such a massive bestseller.

The sequel, Good Girl, Bad Blood, is actually my favorite of the series. It darkens and intensifies, pulling in the very real trauma of the first book in a way that feels genuine (and for that reason, a little horrifying to consider.) Pip's character changes as a result of what happens in the first book, although she hasn't lost her core—and that grappling with identity shifts feels very real for a situation like this. And the twists! And the thrill! I looooove the first book, but I practically worship the second. (The third is polarizing, so tread carefully; I prefer to pretend it doesn't exist.)

Anyway: read for a razor-sharp heroine who still feels grounded in reality, with zeal and passion that propels the story. The mystery is never muddled by subplots, although it is complicated by them. Reluctant readers and other key demographics will love.

For fans of:

How to Get Away with Murder (TV); Serial (podcast); The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes; Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson; academic characters; A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro.