A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

By Kate     28th November 2023

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Published: Electric Monkey, May 2019

Rating: ★★★★★

Genres: YA Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Mystery

Age Rating: 14+

About the Book

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 Review

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder written by Holly Jackson is her debut novel and the first book in a thriller trilogy. And let’s just say that I can’t wait to read the next book! I loved this book! It follows the story of a girl called Pippa Fitz – Amobi, or Pip for short, trying to uncover the true story surrounding the murder of Andie Bell many years ago, and who really committed the crime…

I tore through this book. It grabbed hold of me from the start and didn’t let go. It’s an absolute page-turner! This book is the first crime thriller book I’ve ever read. It was recommended to me by a friend who gave it a glowing report. I can safely tell you they were so right! I can confidently say that I can join them in their love for this book. I enjoyed this book from the get-go and especially appreciated the short chapters and mixed formats in the book which made it a breeze to read.

I enjoyed meeting the various characters Pip questioned along the way, but my favourite one was Ravi Singh, Sal Singh’s brother. At first, he was understandably cold towards Pip, but after he warmed up, they became quite a good team and cracked the murder case. I also really like the character of Pippa Fitz-Amobi and her sidekick dog, Bandit. ***Spoiler Alert!*** If you’re a dog lover, be prepared to ugly-cry. Trust me, tissues are a must! You’ll have to read the book to understand it, but I ended up liking Sal. There were also many other characters that I can’t say I liked, but they intrigued me.

I don’t think there was ever a moment that I became even the slightest bit disinterested. I was very interested in how she went about solving it and conducted the interviews and how she eventually solved it. All the characters interested me, and I loved the mystery aspect of the book.

Another part of the book I liked was all the production logs. It gives bonus nuggets of information concerning the case and kept me on my toes. I really enjoyed the interviews, as well as the persons of interest list. It was like being a detective alongside Pip.

I was hooked on every sentence, every word. I could hardly put the book down and finished it in a matter of three or four days. I loved the way it was written, the short chapters, interviews, text messages, reports and even the font made it easier to read. The story was interesting, was paced nicely and I liked the ending. Pure perfection whilst leaving room for a second book. I’m still thinking about it almost a month after I finished reading it. I’d give it 6 stars, but unfortunately, I can’t. 5 stars!

Again, I can’t wait to read the other two books, and let me know if you’ve read the trilogy and what you think!

Have you read A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder?

If not, don’t forget to add it to your TBR list.

Happy reading!

Kate x