THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES • Everyone is talking about this addictive must-read mystery with shades of Serial and Making a Murderer 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 … 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.
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.
And don’t miss the sequel, Good Girl, Bad Blood!
“The perfect nail-biting mystery.” –Natasha Preston, #1 New York Times bestselling author
more
This is the best fiction book I’ve read since Harry Potter, through all of the crime books I’ve read this is one of the only ones that have kept me on my toes almost the entire time. Everything came together in the end and all the details pulled in with it too. I could really see myself in Pippa, the main character, in all her decisions and theories. The book formatting is awesome too, it included pictures of the maps she made to map out the murder and emails and text messages between the suspects. The book gave you everything she knew and what she thought about the evidence. The book even had a LGBT character, which was just the cherry on top.
The mystery in this book is so good!
For her senior Capstone project, Pippa wants to prove that Sal Singh did not kill Andie Bell 5 years ago. She’s given strict instructions by her teacher to not involve the families involved, which in the spirit of a feisty teen, she promptly ignores. What unfolds is a mixture of Pippa’s entries for her log and story setting as she goes about interviewing people involved.
Pippa had a lot of good, self-reflecting moments on her journey to the truth. I particularly liked when she said: “But sometimes remembering isn’t for yourself; sometimes you do it to make someone else smile.”I liked the connection that Pippa built with Sal’s brother Ravi, who always believed his brother was innocent, but because the town was angry with his whole family, he couldn’t do much about it.
There were quite a few elements going on to build this complex story, which slowly unfolded with each person interviewed. Jackson covered topics such as suicide, rape, and self-harm, because there was just so much going on, it worked well in the story. Pippa is strong-willed, and she’s not afraid to be a bit of a bully to get people to be honest with her. From start to finish, this was a fun read with excellent characters and an engaging storyline. Thank you Random House Children’s Books for sending this along!
Nancy Drew does an EPQ. Great cold case murder mystery gets solved by an A grade sixth former as part of a school project. Plenty of suspects and lines of enquiry clearly explained to the reader by the likeable seventeen year old sleuth.
I read this in the summer and I remember every last bit of this fantastic book by Holly Jackson. I just couldn’t put the book down. I really recommend this book for people thirsty for a murder mystery that will blow your mind.
As soon as I saw the title to Holly Jackson’s debut, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, I knew I wanted to read it. And that was before I read the synopsis and before I started seeing everyone raving about it on social media! And I have to say that it’s very good for a debut novel and first in a series.
I really enjoyed all the extras that Jackson added to the story like interviews, maps, text messages, etc… It added an interesting layer to the novel that made you feel like you were included in solving the mystery, like you were a detective following the clues.
Jackson also did a fantastic job with character development. These felt like kids I was friends with in high school, or at least I knew in passing. It was a bit strange how Jackson kept switching back and forth from first to third person. I really can’t see any reason that this was necessary and at times it was a bit jarring and threw me out of the story for a couple of paragraphs. I found myself going back a bit to see if I had missed something.
And I always appreciate a story that lulls me a bit into thinking I’m so smart and know what is going on. I did know some things that were coming, but then, Bam!, Jackson would throw a twist that added more depth to the story. There was one reveal towards the end that I thought was a bit out there and was expecting it to go a different way. I think if it had gone the way I was thinking, it would have been more believable. But since it’s a work of fiction, the writer can do whatever she pleases.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder would make a great beach read and I am looking forward to the second book in the series, Good Girl, Bad Blood.
Great read! Totally different perspective on a cold-case murder plot. Held my
interest from beginning to super-satisfying end. Highly recommend.
I loved this one. Pip decides to re-investigate a local murder as her school project, five years after the culprit committed suicide. She partners up with the alleged murderer’s brother and starts poking around but somebody, perhaps the real culprit, isn’t happy with her efforts as she uncovers a web of local secrets and several plausible murderers.
Very well constructed plot, believable characters, and I was rooting for her throughout. Top quality thriller. Read late into the night. Delighted my daughter chose this for my birthday.
One of the best thrillers I’ve read! I devoured this book in one day and couldn’t put it down. The writing makes you feel like you’re right there along with Pippa as she investigates a 5 year old murder for a class project.
The only issue I had with it was the verbal variations as it was clearly written with British terms, but I’ve gotten used to most of the differences from previous books.
This was a roller coaster ride that I never wanted to end, with plot twists you won’t see coming, which is a rarity for me anymore, so I was pleasantly surprised. I immediately bought the books in hardback so my co-worker could borrow them, mainly so I’d have someone else to discuss my theories with!
I usually don’t read thrillers because I am more into fantasy and dystopian books, but this was just amazing!! Great characters, all with different personalities and backgrounds. The way Holly Jackson wrote the book made me sit up hour after hour at night, reading (and that does not happen often). I just had to get my questions answered! I just thought “just one more page, then I will go to sleep”.
So if you haven’t, please, please read this!
PS This is way better than One of us is lying
4.5
I really enjoyed this story. It’s amazing how different things can appear from the way they really are… There were a number of unfortunate occurrences throughout, but it is a well written, riveting book nonetheless.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson was an absolute treat to read! From the writing style, storyline, to the characters and themes, this book kept me engaged from beginning to end. If you’re in the mood for an excellent YA murder mystery, I highly recommend it!
Loved it. She is doing a senior year project about a girl who disappeared and her boyfriend who appeared to commit suicide. He was then blamed for killing her. She sets out with his brother to clear his name. Lots of twists and turns
Wow. This book is so clever! And scary! Fair warning, don’t read this at night. About a girl who decides to do her capstone project on a murder that happened in her town because she thinks the so-called murderer was innocent. I loved the main character because she’s strong, capable, and intelligent. I couldn’t stop reading it! I loved that all the clues were presented for the reader to figure things out. So many twists and turns. This was a joy to read!
Great story full of page-turning suspense. I read this in one setting because I just had to know what happened. Definitely kept my attention and am looking forward to the next one in the series.
I really loved this book. Definitely a favorite!
One “tell” as to whether or not I like a book is how disappointed I am to find out that it’s the author’s only novel. Case in point: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. What an outstanding debut! From the excellent cover, interior graphics and design, to the intricate plot, this is a real gem. Fans of One of Us is Lying will devour Jackson’s well-placed clues and foreshadowing in this tense, YA whodunit. A few small drawbacks include one typo, and one glaring error–irrelevant to the plot but it should have been caught: The protagonist’s little brother dons his “Harry-Potterish” Halloween costume, then goes trick-or-treating one sentence later as a Ghost-buster. In addition, the British use of, “on the Monday” this happened, and “on the Thursday” that happened is jarring for U.S. readers. Those small nitpicks aside, this book is an exciting, fun, well-written mystery. I can’t wait for Holly Jackson’s next book, and hope it’s a sequel to this one.
I loved the key characters and their chemistry working together to solve a closed case. This story had so many twists and turns. It was a quick and entertaining read! It kept my guessing about the real truth right up until the end!
This is the best fiction book I’ve read since Harry Potter, through all of the crime books I’ve read this is one of the only ones that have kept me on my toes almost the entire time. Everything came together in the end and all the details pulled in with it too. I could really see myself in Pippa, the main character, in all her decisions and theories. The book formatting is awesome too, it included pictures of the maps she made to map out the murder and emails and text messages between the suspects. The book gave you everything she knew and what she thought about the evidence. The book even had a LGBT character, which was just the cherry on top.
The mystery in this book is so good!