A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder: TikTok made me buy it! The first book in the bestselling thriller trilogy, soon to be a major TV series starring Emma Myers from Netflix’…
£4.80£8.50 (-44%)
The New York Times No.1 bestselling YA crime thriller that everyone is talking about. Soon to be a major BBC series!
THE WINNER OF THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS’ CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES CHILDREN’S BOOK PRIZE 2020
‘A fiendishly-plotted mystery that kept me guessing until the very end.’ – Laura Purcell, bestselling author of The Silent Companions
A debut YA crime thriller as addictive as Serial as compelling as Riverdale and as page-turning as One of Us Is Lying
The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.
But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the crime, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth … ?
Perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying, Gone Girl, We Were Liars and Riverdale
Holly Jackson started writing stories from a young age, completing her first (poor) attempt at a novel aged fifteen. She lives in London and aside from reading and writing, she enjoys playing video games and watching true crime documentaries so she can pretend to be a detective. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is her first novel. You can follow Holly on Twitter and Instagram @HoJay92
Holly Jackson’s book ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’ was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 18-09-2023.
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Additional information
| Publisher | 1st edition (2 May 2019), Electric Monkey |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 448 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1405293187 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1405293181 |
| Reading age | 14 years and up |
| Dimensions | 12.9 x 2.8 x 19.8 cm |
by Amazon Customer
I started reading it and immediately it went straight to the main topic of the book, when I was reading it I didn’t want to put the book down
by Rachael Andrew
I nearly gave up on this book but so glad i didnt! Slow to start but i really enjoyed it. The ending was unexpected. Would recommend!
by Alana_thebooknerd
This book, I loved it! It was intense and everything you want in a Mystery novel, with developments in the plots in all the right places to keep readers enthralled with the story line.
The book is set in a small English Town, I loved that this book is set in England. The description of the towns perception on the accused murderer is what you would expect from a rural town and the impact on the accused murderer’s family is very realistic, seeing them ostracised as they are is how I’d imagine it would be in real life. I left like this little town could be placed in any part of the UK and this story still make sense which I really like, as it isn’t restrictive to a certain area.
I love Pippa, I’m not as smart as her but the nerdy parts of her I could totally connect with. I loved how tenacious she is and that she wasn’t put off by picking such a tough and sensitive topic for her project. As you get through the book you really can’t help but route for her and at parts feel for her. I admire her greatly and as soon as I finished this book I pre-ordered the second book so that I could spend more time with Pip and her adventures. My heart bled for Ravi, being treated like dirt on peoples shoe for what they think his brother but still having such a lovely disposition. There’s a lesson to be learned in this book on how we treat people and human decency. Ravi’s sense of humour really bounced of Pip’s more serious nature and created an enticing rapport between them, seeing them both learn to trust each other than become friends. Beautiful work.
I give major kudos to Holly for not have a romantic sub-plot within the book, I feel that would have detracted from the over story arc. Saying that, I did route for Pip and Ravi as they started to drawer closer so I’m super excited to see what happened with them in the second book. If they’re together, I’ll be super interested how Holly balances their relationship with the new plot.
There are two narrative styles in this book, one based on Pip’s project logbook and the other following Pip’s investigation in real-time. I found this balance worked really well and supported the progression of the plot. The real time sections takes the reader on the discovery of new information, introduction to new characters and also experiences Pip’s life during and around the investigation. These sections helped me build a connection with Pip and Ravi, seeing and feeling how they do as the investigation gets closer to discovering the truth. They’re also the more emotive causing chapters, I went from being tense to laughing to tears in a few chapters. The logbook is where the facts and outcomes of Pips investigation are presented along with her suspect, these allow the reader to create their own hypothesis and agree/disagree with Pip’s representation of the facts and suspects. This totally suits me, I’ve watched a whole heap of crime TV series (Elementary, Bone, NCIS) so guessing the bad guy is part of the fun with murder mysteries. These styles latch on to you and create so much suspense to that you can’t help but read on. Who is the murderer?!
Summary
I loved pretty much everything about this book. It gave it a full 5 stars. The way this book is written with the two narrative styles kept the pace running smoothly. The characters, even the side characters are relatable and people you can imagine knowing.
This is a book where you check the time at night and know you should be going to sleep cause you need to get up in the morning and if you don’t go to sleep like RIGHT NOW you’re going to be a grumpy pants in the morning. BUT still debate reading just one more chapter! It is that addictive. If you love murder mysteries, or mystery books in general this is an excellent one. It is described as a YA book, but I think people of any adult age could enjoy reading this book. I just need to find out where I can squeeze the sequel into my tbr list cause I gotta know what happens next for Pip and Ravi.
by Melissa
I was sceptical at first to read this book, but I am very glad I did. The writing style & inclusion of various media added to the reading experience. Great mystery book, likeable characters and actually not predictable! Would recommend to any crime book lovers. I am on the second novel now
by Amazon Customer
This was a very enjoyable read. The mystery definitely hooked me, although I felt the writing style was a bit clunky at times. I will be purchasing book 2
by Andrew Huthwaite
So many twists and turns not predictable and so easy to follow. Loved it. My first crime mystery read and I loved it
Highly recommended
by MrsGreen
I am a very picky reader. I pull stories apart and I over analyse everything but I can hand on heart say I adored this book! It was wonderfully written and kept me hooked from start to finish. There was no boring lull and I didn’t skim read ever! The ending was clever and I could never have guessed it (but without it being truly ridiculous as you get in a lot of these “psychological thrillers”). I enjoyed this book immensely and huge credit goes to the author of such a fabulous book!
by Abbey
I loved this book. I usually find mysteries very predictable but this one had me constantly guessing. I loved that we were discovering all the clues along with the main character.
This book also did something a lot of others don’t do – it doesn’t make you wait forever to find out where a clue leads but still manages to be gripping and subvert your expectations. I love that the main characters actions are pretty much always justified and that she cottons on to things quickly instead frustrating the reader.
I also loved the chemistry between Pip and Ravi, it was believable and didn’t try to shoehorn a romance in.
Overall I really enjoyed this book! Now I can’t wait to read the next one.