In 2019, British author Holly Jackson published A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, which quickly rose through the charts. This YA mystery-thriller novel became a Sunday Times and a New York Times bestselling book and stayed on this list for quite a while. The feelings of suspense and fear that Jackson creates in her writing has readers continuously asking questions, looking out for clues, and debating on whether or not they even want to find out what’s next — what devastating twist has Jackson concocted now?
The story started 5 years ago – Andie Bell was murdered and her boyfriend Sal Singh was the culprit. Bell’s body was never found and Singh ended up taking his own life after sending a sketchy text to his brother, where he confessed to the crime. The news of Andie Bell’s disappearance shook the town and Pippa “Pip” Fitz-Amobi is not letting it go any time soon. Pip is a seventeen-year old in her senior year of high school. As she’s planning her capstone project, the final one of the school year, she decides to base it off one of the biggest cases that has happened in her area. Andie Bell’s case. When she begins to reexamine the details, the mystery and tension seems to grow. The dots don’t seem to connect and the work seems to be unfinished. Pip is determined to get to the bottom of it, no matter what or who it takes.
A Good Girls Guide to Murder is so different from other books I have read. I was definitely intrigued by Jackson’s writing style, and it dragged me in until I finished the book. She included interview transcripts and journal entries along with a view on Pip’s perspective that made me feel like I was solving the mystery right alongside Pip. So as I got further in, I simply just couldn’t stop turning the page.
As I read I was able to get to know Pip as the ambitious and driven person she is. She would put herself into risky situations which some can argue were unrealistic, but demonstrate how she was willing to do anything to succeed in her investigation. You also find that sometimes her drive for this case, along with her loyalty and need to protect her loved ones, interfered with her relationships. Jackson made sure to include Pip’s friendship with her best friend Cara Ward and Pip’s family dynamic, so groups of readers could have something to relate to.
The topics in the book are intense and there were so many twists that I definitely didn’t expect. Due to it being a book based on crime, there are some mature themes that readers should be aware of. The book includes sensitive topics on violence, assault, kidnapping, and also mentions the death of a pet.
Also, note that this book and series has two different versions: a UK version and a US version. These versions have small but notable differences. In the US version, Pip lives in a small town located in Connecticut called Fairview. In the UK version of the town, Pip conducts her investigation in a town called Little Kilton which is based on a village in Buckinghamshire, England. Different slang may also be spotted throughout the books, but it’s all with the purpose of having readers connect with them more. Despite the differences, both versions still focus on the same storyline of Andie Bell.
The book series starts off with A Good Girls Guide to Murder, then is followed by two more installments of Pip’s story, Good Girl, Bad Blood and As Good as Dead. In 2021, the book Kill Joy was published and set as a prequel. All in all, the four books all have their own special story to tell. If you find yourself watching murder mysteries, thrillers, or true crime, then these books are for you!
