Sal Singh murdered his girlfriend Andie Bell before killing himself. At least, that’s what almost everyone in the small town, Fairview, Connecticut believes. Everyone but high school Senior, Pippa Fitz Amobi.
If you were worried about this being a real murder, don’t fret. It’s fictional and from author Holly Jackson in a book titled “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.”
Everyone in Fairview knows about the 2014 murder of then high school Senior, Andie Bell. Everyone is told that it was her boyfriend Sal Singh who killed her before running into the forest and killing himself too. The people of Fairview are happy to accept that fact except for a select few. The Singh family, of course, doesn’t want to believe that their eldest child was a killer, that makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is why now high school Senior, Pip, is convinced that Sal didn’t do it.
Pip has never thought the story sounded quite right. She felt it was missing details, that it was too easy for the police to determine what happened. So when her senior Capstone Project offers the perfect opportunity for her to investigate the case, she takes it.
Pip agrees to the fact that she can research the case as long as she doesn’t connect either family, the Singh’s, or the Bell’s. Pip promptly ignores that agreement and takes her first step by talking to Sal Singh’s younger brother, Ravi.
At first, Ravi has no interest in talking to Pip about the case because he thinks it’s a sick joke. When he realizes Pip really does want to solve the case for real this time Ravi agrees to help her. The pair go around talking to different suspects and anyone who is or might be related to the death of the two teens.
This book is a spectacular debut from Holly Jackson. It’s a mystery that will keep you on your toes. Twists and turns lurk around every corner and the stakes are high. There’s someone who doesn’t want Pip researching this case and will go to whatever means to get her to stop. Pip won’t stop though, her perseverance to fight for the things she believes are wrong is admirable. She’s a great role model to anyone reading. Her partner in crime, Ravi, is hilarious and can always lighten the mood.
The story is engaging from the very first page. Its mixed media approach kept me interested throughout the whole story. I listened to the book on audio and I would highly recommend doing that. The story has so many interviews and phone calls and listening to it really made the book come alive.
Pip’s story doesn’t stop in “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder”, she’s the star in two other books titled “Good Girl, Bad Blood” and “As Good as Dead”. There is also a novella that takes place before the first book called “Killjoy”. If the stakes in the first book seem high than the other books have stakes set so high that if they were visible you wouldn’t be able to see them.
If your a person who likes when books get adapted into movies or shows then that’s another reason to read this book. It’s currently in production with BBC and is set to be released next spring. With Jackson baking the process and making sure the show is accurate to the book, it’s set to be a great show. Pip is being played by Emma Myers who is popular for her role as Enid in Netflix’s “Wednesday”. Ravi is being played by Zain Iqbal.
If you like murder mysteries where the killer isn’t obvious, read this book. It’s dark and sad at times but also funny and wholesome. “ A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” is a phenomenal story that pulls you into the small town of Fairview so easily. If you’re looking for something mysterious for the upcoming spooky season, there’s no doubt you should give this book a try.
I mentioned high stakes in the second and third books earlier and this is what you can expect in the second book. Picture a scene were Pip’s mom wants her to be done with solving murders. This first one really affected Pip. However, her second case arises when the brother of her friend Conner goes missing. His name is Jamie Reynolds and when he goes missing Conner asks Pip to solve the case. She agrees but what she finds goes much further than Jamie. Her investigation turns to and old-time child murderer who may be closer than the people of Fairview might think. The stakes for the lives of the people of Fairview are high and everyone is looking to Pip to be their savior.
