A Good Girl's Guide to Murder: a young adult mystery thriller

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson is the first book in the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder trilogy. In the small town of Fairview, Connecticut, everyone knows the story. Andie Bell, the pretty and popular high school senior, disappeared and was believed to be murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself after confessing to the crime. It is a story everyone still talks about and it haunts the town. For a senior project, Pippa Fitz-Amobi decides to reexamine the case, to cast doubt on the original investigation and the accepted narrative. She knew Sal as a child and she can’t shake the feeling that he did not kill Andie. As she begins to question the people who knew Andie and Sal, she finds clues of darker secrets and proof that Sal is actually innocent. However, someone in Fairview doesn’t want Pip digging around as the threatening notes begin. Could her own life be in danger? 

I have seen A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder on social media for a while and it wasn’t until my preteen daughter was interested in reading the book and Netflix's new series that I decided to give it a try. Popular BookTok books have been hit and miss for me but I enjoy young adult books and mystery thrillers. I also wanted to read the book before checking out the series. I loved Pippa and her determination to cast a shadow on the accepted story. She was smart and intuitive. There were plenty of suspects and people who had secrets to hide. The twists and turns kept me guessing and the revelations at the end were unexpected but looking back on the clues, the hints were there. I enjoyed this story so much that I will be continuing the trilogy. If you enjoy young adult stories and mystery thrillers, you will enjoy this story. I highly recommend A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. 

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook