This is the story of an investigation turned obsession

I’d like to thank Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. I am a little late to post this but was sick for a few weeks but hopefully, I’m back to my regular blogging schedule.

 

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

Author: Holly Jackson

Publication: Random House Children’s

Genre: Teens & YA, Mystery

Publication Date: February 4, 2020

Synopsis: Everyone in Fairview knows the story. Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, 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?

First Thoughts

For her senior project, Pip decides to reopen the Andie Bell murder case and try to prove Sal’s innocence, documenting interviews and findings, which are part of the book. I like when books change things up, and this reminds me of Sadie, which is another murder-mystery I recommend. But while that was partially a podcast, we learn information through Pip’s journal entries and recordings.

The beginning caught my attention right away as Pip begins her interviews with friends of Sal and Andie’s and we learn about the case. And as she digs deeper, the worse it gets for her. Most of Pip’s life revolves around solving this case, so much to the point that there’s not much else to her character.

Which is kind of funny as Pip has to write an essay for college about herself and she has nothing to say, except that she’s trying to solve a murder, and that’s how I would describe her as well.

Pip’s “side-kick” during the investigation is Sal’s brother, Ravi, who truly believes his brother is innocent. The two connected right away and Ravi is a likable character, which makes it easy for you to root for a potential relationship between the two.

Quibbles

A few times I had to stop reading because of a decision Pip made. A decision she didn’t think about the consequences of, but there weren’t many of those. I couldn’t believe how much Pip got away with when it came to interviews/going to great lengths just to get some evidence.

And I’m not just talking about calling up some people who want nothing to do with the case anymore. When threats start coming in and she refuses to tell anyone and things get much, much worse, as in life-or-death situations, you’d think she’d realize it’s time to tell someone.

Overall

When it comes to the actual mystery and whether it’s good or bad: I think most people would enjoy trying to figure it out. There are plenty of twists and turns and when you think this person did it, you find something else out, and now you’re not sure. I don’t read a lot of mysteries, I’m getting more into them, so I can’t say if it’s easy, but like I said, I enjoyed the beginning.

The latter half of the book did drag for me. I found myself wondering how much more there could be, so for a YA novel, I think it’s a bit long.

But overall, it’s an enjoyable read and a fun mystery to solve. I don’t know if it’s for everyone, I could see some getting bored by the tedious tasks of Pip calling around for information, but I would recommend A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

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