Review: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Blurb:

“The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it. 

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the crime, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?”

My thoughts:

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is an immersive, entertaining and clever thriller that has so many fantastic and unexpected twists and turns.

It follows schoolgirl Pippa as she uses her class assignment to search for the true killer of Andie Bell, who was murdered 5 years ago.

Sal Singh, Andie’s boyfriend, is suspected by the entire town as the murderer but Pippa thinks the allegations are wrong so she goes searching and it seems more than one person is a hiding a secret that they don’t want revealed.

One of the things I like about the book is the fact it is fast-paced. There is no filler, everything is relevant to the plot. The book has a multimedia format which makes the plot very intriguing and the story a lot more fun. This includes reading part of Pippa’s transcripts, emails, and text messages.

Pippa is a likeable and relatable character. She is funny and hardworking. Her determination to find the killer doesn’t overpower her personality and she also has some awkward teenage moments too which makes the story a lot more realistic.

All of the other characters in the plot are relevant. I love the relationship Pippa begins to have with Ravi, Sal’s brother, as he helps her solve the case. Their friendship breaks up the darker scenes, with a bit more lightheartedness.

It’s nice to see a story where an intelligent, young woman can strive and be successful but still fit in and be friends with “the popular crowd” and have a friendship with other students from different year groups.

This is one of the most fascinating and thrilling murder mysteries I have ever read. Every character’s motives were questioned and the revelations were both shocking and satisfying. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a murder mystery or anything true crime related.

Rating: 5 stars

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