“A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,” is a 400-page murder mystery novel written by Holly Jackson, and has been rising in popularity since its publication in 2019. The book takes place in a small town, where a cold case murder still haunts those affected by its aftermath and the families of the victims. Andie Bell, a well-known, beloved girl, disappeared and was presumed dead in the year 2014, on the same day her boyfriend, Sal, was found dead and, with enough evidence, was named her killer.
Years later, Pip, a teenager fascinated by the case, decides as a school project to work together with Ravi, Sal’s brother, to find Andie and Sal’s real killers. Along the way, Pip realizes that there is more than one person who wants her to stop investigating the deaths of both Andie and Sal, but she must learn the hard way. Pip’s lovable character will keep the reader enticed and on their seat throughout the entire read! I enjoyed this read very much, and was invested throughout the entire book.
The storyline follows the life of Pip, an eighteen-year-old entering her senior year of high school. Pip possesses the characteristics of a lovable protagonist; she is kind, understanding, and protective of those she loves, with a heavy fascination with murder mysteries.
Pip’s intelligence, traits of perseverance, loyalty, and attentiveness to detail make her the perfect candidate to solve a mystery, even one with the risks of a murder case. Pip’s narrative of the entire book will surely keep you interested; all of her traits make her an excellent detective.
I recommend this book to audiences fourteen to sixteen years old. It talks mainly about suspicions to help solve Andie’s murder and involves some violence, but not a lot. Throughout the course of the story, Pip investigates evidence from the murder with help from Ravi, as their growing friendship and compatibility gets them closer to solving the murder. Both characters work so well together and display all the traits of friendship, allowing the reader to automatically have a more friendly connection to them throughout the novel. The genres for this novel fall under mystery and young adult fiction.
As most people may know, due to the growing popularity of this novel, it has been confirmed by Holly Jackson herself that the book is soon to be transformed into a series airing on BBC, being released within the next few years, under the same name.
This is a book I would recommend to put on your bookshelf. It is a nail-biting murder mystery that keeps the reader enticed throughout the novel and is a fantastic murder mystery you will certainly enjoy.
