A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

Written by Holly Jackson

Narrated by Bailey Carr, Marisa Calin, Michael Crouch and 8 more

THE MUST-READ MULTIMILLION BESTSELLING MYSTERY SERIES—NOW ON NETFLIX! This is the story about an investigation turned obsession, full of twists and turns and with an ending you'll never expect.

Everyone in Fairview knows the story.

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.


And don't miss the sequel, Good Girl, Bad Blood!

"The perfect nail-biting mystery." —Natasha Preston, #1 New York Times bestselling author

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Feb 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9780593155257

Holly Jackson

Holly Jackson is the international bestselling author of the YA crime series: A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER, which has sold millions of copies and adapted into a major television show. Don’t miss her bestselling standalone novels FIVE SURVIVE and THE REAPPEARANCE OF RACHEL PRICE! Follow Holly on TikTok @hojax92 and Instagram @HoJay92

Reviews for A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

[Chyane Rayne Crowder · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolute loved this book. I love Pip and her relationship with her family. friends and Ravi. I loved the mystery and how it all unraveled, the narrator did an amazing job.

[cgalvin-774225 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Ummm. No. Not going to recommend. And what’s up with all the slut-shaming?

[thanesh_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

About a month ago I was at my kid's karate competition and next to me was a young person reading this book which I took notice of. I always find it interesting what others are reading as it represents a recommendation for that book right there! I asked them if it was a good book and whether they would recommend it and off course they replied with a positive response, so I promptly added the book to my to be read list. So, about the book, well it is full of twists and turns as you would expect from a mystery story and the YA themes make for interesting reading. and I finished off the book pretty quickly as the pace picks up it become un-put-downable. I watched the Netflix series based on the book, and it is a beautifully shot with wide angle shots of the quaint British small town with beautiful houses and countryside. The acting was pretty good, and the story stuck pretty close to the book so was a pleasure to re-live the reading experience in living color.

[nancynova · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

journaled bookbox; For her Senior Capstone Project, Pip decides to reexamine the 5 year old murder-suicide case of Andie Bell and Sal Singh. It's an engrossing mystery that will keep you guessing, as Pip uncovers bit and pieces. Andie's body was never found, so is she really dead after all? And then she discovers lots and lots of "secrets", false leads and rabbit holes. I had never heard of a murder board before. The ending will come as a bit of a surprise. I thought the premise was a bit odd for Connecticut, but found out the book was also published set in a UK town.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First in a series of YA books.
For her senior Capstone project, Pippa decides to solve the murder of popular girl Andie Bell, who was supposedly killed by her boyfriend, Sal Singh.Sal subsequently killed himself after he was accused. Or so that is what everyone believes. Pip is not convinced.
Pip begins her project by interviewing Ravi Singh, Sal's brother
As she delves into the mystery of what happened, Pippa becomes obsessed. She also begins to get threatened. When the threats hit close to home, she wants to quit. But how can she let this murder go unsolved when it is tearing up her small town?
Great start to a series!

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This one reminded me more of One of Us Is Lying more than Nancy Drew, but I’ve heard the comparison. A fun mystery, but forgettable. I don’t feel pulled to try the next book in the series. I liked the main character’s drive, though her motivation was misguided. As is the case with many amateur detectives, she doesn’t seem to think through her actions before she barrels forward into danger. Good twist and turns though!

[smashbasile · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a fantastic murder mystery. I was captivated the whole way through. I was in the dark until the end about the who, what, and where of the case and I enjoyed finding out what really happened. I was devastated about the DOG.

I absolutely recommend this book!

[electrascaife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pip has decided to do her senior capstone project on the 5-year-old cold case of a girl who went to the same high school. Under the guise of approaching the project from the topic of social media’s role in crime cases, Pip really intends on clearing the name of the other student – Sal - who was presumed to be the murderer after his apparent suicide and finding out what really happened to Andie Bell, whose body was never found. She teams up with Sal’s brother, Ravi, who also believes in Sal’s innocence, and together they set out to uncover the truth. But Pip quickly learns that there are layers of secrets here that she hadn’t guessed, and someone is out to stop her from investigating.

An okay mystery with some attempted twists at the end, although they didn’t have the shock value I would have liked them to, and in general the pacing was a little slow. I didn’t dislike it, but I also didn’t love it. The best part is the sweet slow burn romance between Pip and Ravi.

[familiar_diversions · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Five years ago, pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell disappeared. A short while later, his alibi in tatters, Sal Singh, her boyfriend, confessed to killing her and then killed himself. Although it was never proven in a court of law, everyone in town accepted that Sal was the murderer.

Everyone except Pip. Now that she's a high school senior herself, Pip plans to use her senior capstone project to investigate the truth behind Andie's disappearance and apparent murder. The Sal she knew was a nice guy - she's never been able to accept that he might have killed his girlfriend, and it's always bothered her that the entire town so readily accepted this narrative. She convinces Ravi, Sal's brother, to help her, and the two of them begin picking at the various threads of the original investigation, trying to find things that the police missed.

A star student hoping to get into a good college almost certainly wouldn't have picked a senior capstone project with a high probability of getting disqualified (Pip was told flat out that any ethical violations would get her disqualified). But the author needed a reason why Pip would be able to devote this much time and effort to a single thing - if you can accept that, the investigation in general was pretty interesting. I enjoyed the way Pip dug into her topic and tried to find various holes or inconsistencies. At least until the end, the way everything was laid out (including things like Pip's map, her attempts at a timeline, etc.) made it feel like readers could follow along and try to solve the mystery with her.

Pip was so focused on her investigation that it was, unfortunately, easy to forget that she had family or friends. Anytime any of them had on-page appearances, it was a bit of a surprise. I had particular difficulty remembering the names of Pip's friends. Maybe that's part of the reason why Pip herself never really grew on me as a character. I enjoyed her investigation, while she was just the way that investigation was communicated to readers.

And about that investigation...for someone who was supposedly so smart, Pip made some truly boneheaded decisions at times. The ones that stuck out to me the most were the ones that literally put her in danger. I get that she wanted more information than the police would likely give her later on, but confronting a likely murderer all on her own was really, really stupid, especially considering that her investigation had already led to more death.

While I generally liked this book, I haven't decided yet whether I'll continue on with the series. As far as I'm concerned, this book works fine as a standalone.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

[enid007 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is probably something I should have read when I was like 15 or 16 years old. This is why I'm like balancing between a 3.5 star and 4 star rating, so I will write my thoughts and maybe by the time I finish writing I would have made my final decision.

This story is about a girl named Pip that is either a junior or senior in high school sorry, details like that tend to escape my mind. Anyway, Pip has this capstone project she has to do, basically like a report or thesis on any topic of her choosing. Pip's topic of choice is about a girl named Andie that disappeared 5 years ago and the investigation. I won't say too much about that because then we dive into spoiler territory.

The premises of the book seems a lot like Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard mind you I have never read those books but I did watch and love the TV show, so if you read or watch the show you will understand my meaning. There are some parts in the beginning that were identical to PLL and I almost dnf'ed it because I wasn't feeling the mirror copy of someone else's work but I gave it a chance and I am glad I did.
Pip dives into trying to solve the disappearance of Andie and gets a lot more than she bargained for, you have murder, drug dealing, and kidnapping however there is no spice and in my opinion nothing that can be traumatic, but in any case always look up any trigger warnings that may affect you. Some of the aspects are just not realistic but because I love this sort of thing it didn't bother me and again I had to remind myself this is a young adult book. I love the characters and I stayed in tuned once I got passed that 1st chapter.

Overall I did like this book and I am definitely going to finish the series. Recommend to anyone that enjoys young adult mystery so NO SPICE, LOL, just a fun mystery to read.
4 stars after all.

[Detintaypapel · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What you expect when reading the title is what you will find; it will neither be the best book of its genre nor the worst. You will have a few entertaining hours in the mind of a teenage girl convinced that the guilt of a boy from her town named Sal for a murder that happened five years ago is far from being as the police and the judge determined. (Translated from Spanish)

[santiagomonge · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book, many plot twists and Pipa is an excellent character that you won't get bored with and she will make you want to keep reading. (Translated from Spanish)

[sheriawilkinson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #1) By Holly Jackson

For Pip's end of the year final project, she decides to write on a murder/suicde that happened at her school five years prior. Sal Sighn murdered his Girl friend Andie Bell, then took his own life.

As Pip starts her investigations, she begins to have doubts. Slowly she compiles a list of likley suspects, seems everyone has something to hide. The more she learns, the more (her life) is in danger. One thing for sure this won't be an ordinary assignemnt.

The story moves at a fast pace, told in a brillant way. Pip is very likable, she is abitious and determined. As she progresses with her investing, many new suspect occur along with secrets revealed, twists and turns.

Overall I found A Good Girl's Guide to Murder very enjoyable and feel those who love a great murdery mysetry will enjoy it as well. I suggest to Young Adults and Adults as well. I look forward to reading the next two books in this series.

[WeBookLand · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

? The Good:
"Murders for Beginners" is a light and quick read. From the beginning, it hooks you with an intriguing plot that keeps you in suspense until the end.

? The Not So Good:
There isn't much to criticize. The plot unfolds brilliantly, keeping attention and interest on every page.

? Final Verdict:
I recommend it as one of the best mystery books I've read. The combination of fast pace and constant suspense makes it hard to put down. (Translated from Spanish)

[onlyfiction · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The real question is, why did I read this? This has bad writing, an unrealistic plot, the "white savior" trope, the "I'm not like other girls" cliche, and the most irritating main character ever.

Pip’s feelings are the focus of the book, as well as resolving her situation. No one examined or acknowledged the casual racism displayed by all parties as a factor in blaming an innocent person of color for a crime he didn't commit. There is no justice in the story for the Singh family, but closure for Pip.

As for the mystery itself, it was hardly a mystery at all. The pacing was off, things made no sense, and everything was terribly convenient. Pip's investigation involved many random decisions and suspicions until she finally guessed correctly. It was at that point in the book that I was simply counting down how many pages remained.

Pip's only personality trait was her desire to help others, which was emphasized throughout the book. There’s never any explanation given for why these people talk to Pip and tell her all about their lives, or even why she would launch such an investigation. At the end of the novel, her character is still exactly the same as when we first met her.

It’s a shame that I read this. A waste of time and clearly not for me.

[librarianryan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is getting made into a UK TV show and I completely understand why. It is told in a pretty unique way. You know that the main character is doing her senior project to graduate high school. And she decides that she is going to solve the murder. Technically, the town thinks they already know who the murderer is, and unfortunately that young man is dead. However, our main character is sure he didn’t do it because he’s not that type of guy. It’s five years after the murder and she is going to find who did it. She gets a little bit of help from the man’s brother, and they go about trying to find all the lies and miss directions that lead this town to believing that an 18 year old kid killed his girlfriend. While this is not the best written book in the world, It keeps you entertained and once you start you do not want to stop. The fact that this book has two sequels is more amazing because now you want to know what happens next. There are questions at the end of the book and the read thinks: wait a minute I don’t have an answer for this, and I need to know that answer!” This book was incredibly fun to read and it’s going to be a YA staple for the next decade maybe longer.

[jkj94 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Holly Jackson's writing was exceptional. A creative plot, wonderful characters, and a satisfying finish. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time as I tried to figure out who did it. Highly recommend!

[Monika · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very good young adult book. It has a hint of mystery and immerses you in the story through the protagonist, who uncovers everything that happened five years ago when a girl from the town was murdered, and her boyfriend, the supposed killer, committed suicide afterwards. The protagonist, Pippa, is a young woman who is very active, very curious, and has set out to investigate the murder of a former student at the school. She contacts the brother of the alleged murderer, interviews the victim's old friends as part of a project, but the information she gathers leads her to want more and to be less sure that things happened as everyone assumes. Very entertaining until the end and very enjoyable to read; I will definitely read the second part. (Translated from Spanish)

[dayge3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Revenge for the victims has left me with a bittersweet feeling. I couldn't help but think during the second half of the book about everything Pip could have done differently. In the end, she became her own gray area. However, the trilogy is one of my favorites, and I won't hesitate to recommend it. (Translated from Spanish)

[Tefi 1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very good thriller, I love that there are many suspicious characters and that it's not revealed until the end who it is and the reason. I recommend it. (Translated from Spanish)

[funstm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this. I thought I would - I'm really enjoying all the true crime inspired cold case type mysteries lately. And it was good.

Pippa was smart and determined and I enjoyed her quirky pun filled sense of humour. She was mostly safety conscious until towards the end when she started to make some really dumb decisions (breaking and entering, following suspects at night alone, blackmailing the possibly dangerous drug dealer, etc).

I liked the progression of the investigation and how Pippa worked to uncover the evidence. Particularly at the start when she was busy compiling the details from the news reports. I also really liked the focus on how the media and the town at large condemned Sal without ever looking at the facts and regardless of the lack of conviction - or charges for the matter. Especially their condemnation of Ravi and his family. The mystery itself was interesting and I was drawn into the drama and speculation of who was guilty and what happened.

I loved her relationship with Ravi. The romance was incidental rather than a main plot line. Pip and Ravi were mainly friends for the majority of the book and whatever happens between them in terms of defining their relationship happens off screen. It was a refreshing change of pace for a young adult read.

It wasn't perfect but it was pretty good. I'll definitely be picking up the next one in the series. Solid 4 stars.

[blbooks-14314 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First sentence: 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.

Premise/plot: Pippa "Pip" Fitz-Amobi is a senior on a mission. Her senior project is to research a missing person's case--a suspected case of murder. If the alleged murderer hadn't been found dead in the woods, well, he might have been convicted of murder despite the fact that there was no body. Andie Bell is the missing person. Sal Singh is the alleged murderer. Pip thinks that Sal is innocent and she teams up with the alleged killer's brother, Ravi, to help her make sense of this case. The longer her suspect list gets, the more threats she receives. Will she survive long enough to break the case?

My thoughts: This one felt so familiar to me. There's no proof whatsoever that I actually read this one years ago--when it came out. But it was almost how spooky how familiar the story, the characters, the crime even. So strange. I don't think it's a case of an author writing in super predictable ways. Though I have read several YA books where the main character is investigating an old case from the community. So maybe I've just read a few too many this year.

I liked this one.

[riida_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This has all the trappings of a YA murder mystery...but it turned out to be so much more sophisticated. Sure, there were moments of levity that were welcome breaks from the surprisingly dark plot (i think this should come with some trigger warnings), and I really enjoyed the protagonists' humor...but this was a really complicated cold-case murder mystery, a very well crafted puzzle, with satisfying twists and ending. The titular good girl makes for a brilliant detective too. By the end I was exhausted and heavily invested and very much looking forward to the second book in the series.

[Michellesoto · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't know how to start, I think it will definitely be my favorite book of this year, it's a book that keeps you attentive and alert with every word, you can't do anything but devour it. (Translated from Spanish)

[CasGarcia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oh God, what a good book! My head was about to explode ? and really, all my theories went out the window ?

What a way to keep the reader hooked ? (Translated from Spanish)

[ahef1963 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable YA book about an academically-focused teen who has decided to re-investigate the murder of a teenage girl for her senior project. What she finds puts so many people in danger, herself included (of course). It was definitely a quick read; I whipped through it in a day.

[tuusannuuska-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a pretty good YA mystery. I have a hard time taking books with self-appointed sleuths no matter the age range, but even more so when they are 16-year-olds. I did like the depictions of the main character's family life, as well as her friendship with Ravi.

There were moments where I felt like screaming at the main character for the choices she made, and some plot points were left afloat in a very lazy way (basically just shrugged off at the end as unnecessary to the central mystery). Maybe they'll be explored more in the sequels, but the way they were dropped here bothered me.

The structure and format of the book were interesting, but not necessary.

[randymorgan-144387 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Pip is a high school senior working on her capstone project. She has decided to conduct her own investigation into the disappearance of Andie Bell. Everyone in town believes Andie was killed by her boyfriend, Sal. What will Pip uncover?

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a young adult mystery. The full cast audio helps immensely, especially with all the interviews that Pip does. As most mysteries go, this one starts with a slow collection of data and a big unveiling at the end. It was a truly unexpected outcome.

[deslivres5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cool whodunit framed as a capstone project of Pip, a high school senior.
Pip wants to re-investigate a murder/suicide which took place 5 years ago in her small town.
Seems a bit preposterous as a capstone topic, but just go with it.
Lots of red herrings thrown in to really keep things interesting!
Pip is very smart one minute and then turns around and takes too many naive risks. She makes deals/keeps secrets when it suits her, which I found a bit disingenuous.
But overall, I enjoyed the chase and the outcome.

[dominiquedavis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I haven't been this enthralled with a thriller in a long time. I usually find YA thrillers to be very standard and nothing special. But due to the hype surrounding this book gotten I had to check it out. The hype is deserved. This is a top-tier YA thriller and a great thriller in general.