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A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Young adult

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

Debut

We love supporting debut authors. Congrats, Holly Jackson, on your first book!

by Holly Jackson

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Quick take

Case closed? Not so fast. A straight-A teen investigates the truth behind a murder her town thought was solved.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_FastRead

    Fast read

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_400

    400+ pages

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_Puzzle

    Puzzle

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_Murder

    Murder

Synopsis

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?

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.

This is the story of an investigation turned obsession, full of twists and turns and with an ending you'll never expect.

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Free sample

Check out a preview of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

One

Pip knew where they lived.

Everyone in Fairview knew where they lived.

Their home was like the town’s own haunted house; people’s footsteps quickened as they walked by, and their words strangled and died in their throats. Shrieking children would gather on their walk home from school, daring one another to run up and touch the front gate.

But it wasn’t haunted by ghosts, just three sad people trying to live their lives as before. A house not haunted by flickering lights or spectral falling chairs, but by dark spray-painted letters of “Scum Family” and stone-shattered windows.

Pip had always wondered why they didn’t move. Not that they had to; they hadn’t done anything wrong. But she didn’t know how they lived like that. How the Singhs found the strength to stay here. Here, in Fairview, under the weight of so many widened eyes, of the comments whispered just loud enough to be heard, of neighborly small talk never stretching into real talk anymore.

It was a particular cruelty that their house was so close to Fairview High School, where both Andie Bell and Sal Singh had gone, where Pip would return for her senior year in a few weeks when the late-summer sun dipped into September.

Pip stopped and rested her hand on the front gate, instantly braver than half the town’s kids. Her eyes traced the path to the front door. It was possible that this was a very bad idea; she had considered that.

Pausing for just a second, Pip held her breath, then pushed the creaking gate and crossed the yard. She stopped at the door and knocked three times. Her reflection stared back at her: the long dark hair sun-bleached a lighter brown at the tips, the pale white skin despite a week just spent in the Caribbean, the sharp muddy-green eyes braced for impact.

The door opened with the clatter of a falling chain and clicking locks.

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Why I love it

As a reader who developed her book obsession by devouring every Nancy Drew installment in elementary school, I've been an avid enthusiast of YA crime fiction for most of my life. I cannot resist a good mystery, and am always on the hunt for the next "it" book in the genre. I'm a busy mom of two, so it is rare for me to find a book so special that I can finish it in two sittings, but that's exactly what I found with A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

Pippa Fitz-Amobi is a true-crime-loving teen who aspires to become a top-notch journalist one day. So naturally, she decides to focus her senior capstone project on her small town's most buzzworthy, unsolved crime: the murder of Andie Bell. What begins as a simple proposal quickly turns into an in-depth investigation full of unexpected twists and turns. After teaming up with the alleged murderer's brother, the pair spiral into a web of danger and obsession, and quickly wonder if they're gotten themselves in too deep.

This debut reads as if you are investigating alongside the main characters, and fans of true crime podcasts will rejoice in the multimedia formatting that so wittily engages the reader from beginning to end. If you enjoy a grounded, engaging mystery that features a diverse cast, discussions surrounding racial injustice, and the importance of found family, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Whether you are aged 13 or 102, this book is for you!

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Member ratings (2,197)

  • Amber R.

    Melbourne, FL

    Loved this book and quickly bought and read the others in the series! For being a YA, it didn’t come off as immature or childish like some do. Pip is one of my absolute favorite female characters ever

  • Tedi S.

    Council Bluffs, IA

    An excellent mystery with lots of twists and turns, and some solid character development. Although the whole time I was thinking “girl needs to watch Veronica Mars, learn some things before she goes b

  • Arielle P.

    Jim Thorpe , PA

    Just when you think you know who did it Pippa makes you second guess yourself. Its been a long time since I’ve read a book that kept me on the edge of my seat. Ravi &pippa are the dynamic duo you need

  • Julianne R.

    Mc Kee, KY

    A debut masterpiece. I was hooked from the first page with Pip’s tenacity & drive to uncover the truth about the death of Andie and Sal. Also loved the sweet chemistry between Pip and Ravi. Great team

  • Danielle B.

    Alexandria, VA

    An outstanding debut novel. I loved following along with Pip and Ravi as they deciphered various clues to solve Andie Bell and Sal Singh’s murders. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

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