Book Review #23: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, by Holly Jackson

Review of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, by Holly Jackson

Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is one of my favourite mystery books I have ever read. The story follows Pippa Fitz-Amobi, a student who decides to investigate the murder of Andie Bell for her school project. Five years earlier, Andie was murdered and her boyfriend, Sal Singh, was blamed for it. Everyone in the town believes Sal was responsible, but Pip isn't convinced. With the help of Sal’s brother, Ravi, she starts investigating the case and quickly discovers that the story everyone accepted as the truth is much more complicated than it seems.

What I loved most about this book was actually being part of the investigation. Pip doesn't just walk around having convenient detective thoughts while the reader watches; we get to see her interviews, notes, evidence, messages, maps, timelines, and theories. It made me feel like I was investigating the case with her. I was constantly making my own theories, crossing people off my suspect list, putting them back on it five minutes later, and thinking I had finally figured everything out—only for Holly Jackson to throw another piece of evidence at me. The investigation keeps going down one rabbit hole after another, and somehow every rabbit hole leads to another rabbit hole. At some point I stopped trusting literally anyone.

I also loved how the characters are connected to the mystery. Pippa starts with the idea that she is investigating a case from five years ago, but the more she learns, the more personal it becomes. Her determination is one of her best qualities, but it also gets her into some seriously dangerous situations. I liked that she wasn't written as a perfect detective. She makes mistakes, gets things wrong, and sometimes lets her curiosity get the better of her. Ravi was also one of my favourite parts of the book because he isn't just there to help Pip solve the mystery; his connection to Sal makes the investigation much more emotional.

The twists were another HUGE reason I loved this book. Just when I thought I knew what had happened, something would come along and completely wreck my theory. What makes the mystery so satisfying is that the clues are actually there. When a revelation happens, you can look back and realise that the information was sitting in front of you the entire time. There are red herrings, lies, secrets, and misleading assumptions everywhere, but they don't feel random. Everything gradually comes together until the original version of the murder barely resembles the truth.

If I had to criticize anything, Pip can sometimes make decisions that had me internally screaming, “WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!” Some parts also require you to accept that a teenager can get away with investigating things that would probably have an entire police department yelling at her to stop. A few twists can also feel slightly convenient. But honestly, I was far too invested in the mystery to care.

The impact of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder comes from how completely it takes over your brain. I didn't just read this book—I investigated it. I was thinking about clues when I wasn't reading, changing theories, suspecting everyone, and trying to work out what Pippa had missed. The book made me feel like I was solving the case alongside her, which made every revelation so much more exciting. It is clever, addictive, tense, and incredibly difficult to put down. Most importantly, it reminded me why I love mysteries in the first place: give me a pile of clues, a suspicious cast of characters, and one question I absolutely need answered, and I am GONE.