Review: A Good Girl's Guide To Murder Series
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder was my introduction to Holly Jackson’s writing, and that was all it took. I was hooked.
A few years back, my husband and I listened to the Serial (season one) podcast. I was captivated. If you are unfamiliar, Serial (season one) follows the story of Adnan Syed and his whereabouts at the time his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, went missing and was later found murdered and buried in a shallow grave. Sarah Koenig combined interviews with witnesses, as well as Adnan, to try to piece together what happened in January 1999. Her ability to draw listeners in and keep their attention focused is a force to be reckoned with.
I imagine Holly Jackson would agree, if asked. A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, the first in a series of three, follows the story of Pip Fitz-Amobi as she attempts to solve the mystery of Andie Bell and Sal Singh. When Andie Bell ends up dead, her boyfriend, Sal Singh is the prime suspect in her murder. Sal kills himself shortly after, leaving the Faifield police an open and shut case. Pip refuses to believe the story is as simple as it seems. Her attempt at the truth ultimately turns into a true-crime podcast, A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, to prove the Sal is innocent. Somewhere along the way, she develops a relationship with Sal’s younger brother Ravi, who wants nothing more than to see his brother Sal’s name cleared of a crime he never believed Sal committed.
Book two in the series, Good Girl, Bad Blood, follows Pip again as she delves into the world of true crime podcasting and crime solving. When a new case hits too close to home, Pip refuses to let sleeping dogs lie and decides to solve a case the Fairfield police seem too busy to investigate. With the help of boyfriend, Ravi Singh, Pip is determined to find out what happened to Jamie Reynolds. While this book is far less Serial than the first novel in the series, it is still well worth the read. Jackson takes readers into the mind of Pip, allowing them to try to solve the case as Pip uncovers new evidence and leads.
Book three in the series, As Good As Dead, flips the script on Pip. In the final installment of the A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder series, Pip is no longer searching for the perfect case. Instead, she finds herself in the midst of a game of cat-and-mouse. She needs to find out who is after her or risk becoming the victim in a game she never wanted to play. This had all the suspense I have come to expect from Jackson, as well as cameos from characters we met in the first two installments of the series.
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder holds a special place in my heart, as it drew me in and kept me captivated. I loved Serial, and that connection certainly helped with my interest in the story line. The second book, Good Girl, Bad Blood, brought me back for more of what I loved in Holly Jackson’s writing. She gives you just enough to keep you hanging on and reading to see if you can solve the case before Pip. The third book, As Good As Dead, was a refreshing change of pace. I was invested in Pip and couldn’t wait to see if she was going to make it out alive, or if Pip would end up as the subject of someone else’s true-crime podcast.
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