Holly JacksonA Good Girl's Guide to Murder

1000/5!!!In fact, I'm writing this post in my notes before you're reading it because this book was THAT good. I don't want to forget the heart pounding, toe curling feeling I'm having, I want it to be stamped in time. Always visceral in my memory.As I've said before, this book remained unopened for MONTHS. No fault of the book, I just developed a bad habit of purchasing books and leaving them until I had the time to read (spoiler alert, I never did have the time). Anyway, can I just say, the suspense. The tension. How soon we jump right into the story was so delicious! I didn't ravage this book and finished in one day or two. No, it took me closer to a week to read it. I was trying to solve a murder after all and that's not done overnight.I actually felt so distressed at the injustice surrounding Sal's accusation and eventual death. It made me want to continue, to see those who vilified him after all that time eat theirwords, and though it didn't play out like that, it was a little reprieve. Though I'm still saddened.The writing was spectacular. And Pip's diary entries wrapped me so much into the story, it was like watching a movie. I only hated the stereotypical throw caution to the wind that the character always managed to do. Find someone pedaling drugs? Go to their home at night and confront them with the evidence. Gets threats? Walks her dog in the middle of the night. A little far fetched and unreasonable in my head. Especially when she went around accusing people who could very well be evil not once or twice but more times than I could count. Pip's self preservation skills left a lot to be desired.The reveal had me slapping my hand over my mouth in disbelief. What worked for this book is that there were so many suspects, someone may have fallen through the cracks. And a mystery fiend like me, I LOVED being stumped. It was sooo good. Especially when the mystery kept on giving. And reveal after reveal. Bits and pieces came together.And as mentioned at the end of the book, and what I noticed. There were still gaps. Other factors are at play. And we may never understand fully. But what if we can?This one has broken my rating scale and I will love everything about it for a long time!

This book was an unexpected read for me. I read it for a local book club, and didn't know what it was about when I started. The author chose a unique perspective by which to tell the story, and I found it to be a great way to lead readers on the journey. The characters were well developed, and the plot had many twists and turns. I appreciated the use of diagrams and the frequent Recaps to keep me on track with what was happening.The author tied up the mystery fairly quickly toward the end, and I was a bit surprised with the ending. I loved it though. I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy Mysteries, good characters, and a unique storyline. I will be looking for other books by this author because I enjoyed the writing style.

I devoured this book like a decadent dessert after an ill-advised fad diet. The pacing was perfect. The characters are well developed and not too perfect. I kept guessing until the conclusion. I read tons of mysteries, so I usually figure it out early on. Not this time. Guilty party made my suspect list, but I didn't nail this one down. It was kind of like real life. Not cut a dried and a little messy and utterly life changing for our main character.

A popular girl went missing and then presumed dead in a Fairview and Sal Singh was blamed for it. And a few days later, he was found dead with a confession texted to his dad. Authorities said it was a sure sign of guilt and the case was closed. This was 5 years ago. It has haunted Pip so much that she decided to investigate this for her cornerstone project. She discovers a web of lies and hurt, a big list of suspects and finds herself in great deal of danger.Oh boy! This book really kept me hooked 🪝. It has so many good twists, very unpredictable, kept me guessing and wanting to read more. When I thought it might be a particular suspect, the next chapter would shatter my whole theory! I unfortunately have to put it down because of work and chores but I was itching to get to it as soon as I can. I enjoyed this book tremendously. Midway through this book, I already asked hubby to order the next one for me.

So I stumbled across this book googling adult murder mysteries. It had good reviews, a ny times best seller. I just bought it. No jacket review or reading reviews since I like to form my own opinion. I was hoping for an adult main character, Pip is a high-school student. Which is fine bc the story doesn't really read with childish hs behavior and if it wasn't mentioned you can easily place her as a young professional. The story was a easy, entertaining read, I read it in 3 days. I kept guessing who did it, needless to say, I was wrong every time. I won't add spoilers but there were 2 main parts that I wasn't really into, almost eye roll worthy but good enough for me to purchase book 2.

Holly Jackson pulls no punches! I loved this book. The characters and the plot had my stomach in knots. One minute I was all tense, and then I was crying. It had this air about it that sucked me in. This has great plot development, with thrilling mini climaxes that had me hooked.The story is narrated through two styles; Pip writing in her project logbook, and what is unfolding in real time. This worked because one delivered the plot’s progression by discovering new information, character interactions and so on. The other (through the logbook) provided a diary feel, and acted like a murder board, where the reader gets to contemplate all the facts and evidence Pip has gathered. And oh boy did I! Everyone was a suspect at some point or another… It genuinely felt like I was there with Pip, trying to figure out what was essential to solving the case. I loved this personal tone, because it had me completely invested.I admired Pip immensely because of her tenacity, intelligence and how much she cared. And I cared so much for Ravi and Sal. Ravi’s humorous personality provided entertainment, and his partnership with Pip gave that dream team vibe that were capable of anything. The fact that these characters were so likeable, it made the story even better.I’d say my only qualm with this, is there wasn’t a hardcover available. That’s hardly the author or the story’s fault, though. I felt the font used for the logbook chapters was a bit challenging at times, and could be impossible to read for those who struggle with small font (see photos)Overall, I read this in three days and it’s getting all 5 stars.This is a well plotted and cleverly written story. I can’t quite believe it is a debut novel, never mind it being classified as a young adult book. This has honestly bested what would be considered as adult and mature mystery/thrillers, with its suspense, characters and overall plot. I’d recommend it to everyone – not just teenagers. If your favourite genre is mysteries and thrillers, this is worth reading because it’s currently my favourite mystery/thriller of 2019. Well done Holly Jackson, and thank you so much for writing this excellent book. I cannot wait to see what is coming next from this fantastic author!

This is a good idea, badly executed. The characters are false-sounding - nobody has conversations like this, using such stilted dialogue - and the journal entries are a weak plot device. Early on, she used 'chasm' repeatedly in one paragraph. I think the lead's sneakers 'succumbed to the chasm', at one point. What? It just feels clunky and wrong and that's where a good editor could have helped.It actually reads like she watched 'Virginia Mars' and thought, ooh I could do that. But she couldn't. I gave up after trying very hard to find something to like. It's just wrong.

Being a crime lover, the title alone grabbed my attention for this book. Even though it is of the YA genre, it can of course be enjoyed by adults also and would highly recommend giving it a go.Pip decides to investigate the death of a school girl that happened five years prior for her project for school which just happens to be the same school that the dead girl went to. As you can imagine, this opens a can of worms for a lot of people in the town who would rather things be left alone. I wondered how a teenager would be able to find out anymore than what the police had previously done as after all, what could she possibly learn?I think in Pip’s favour, people don’t take her too seriously so tend to open up that bit more. It isn’t long before she is compiling a list of suspects but also putting herself in danger. I enjoyed how she becomes friends with Ravi, the brother of the one who was blamed for the school girl’s murder. The friendship that grows between the two was lovely to see, more so as Ravi and his family have been made to feel like outcasts after what had happened.A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is the first in a trilogy of which I can’t wait to read more of Pip’s antics. If you loved murder/mysteries when you were growing up, more so books with a young protagonist like Nancy Drew, you will enjoy this novel. The author kept me guessing throughout as to who the real killer was with some well played out twists that made this an entertaining read. A dark and not too gritty story with a likeable teenager at the heart of it!

For her A level journalism assignment, Pippa Fitz-Amobi decides to review the disappearance five years ago of Andie Bell, a girl from her school in the small Buckinghamshire town of Kilton. Andie had never been found, and in the immediate aftermath of her disappearance, suspicion had fallen upon her boyfriend Sal. Emotions ran high while the search for Andie continued, culminating in Sal being found dead in local woods, with a general presumption that this was suicide provoked by his guilt over Andie’s fate. In the intervening period Sal’s family, who still live in the area, have been ostracised within the town. Five years on, the story remains a subject of immense sensitivity around the town, and everyone seems to accept the ‘official’ version, that Sal killed Andie, and hid her body so effectively that it has never been recovered.Everyone, that is, except Pippa. Though a few years younger than them, she knew both Sal and Andie, and refuses to believe that Sal might have been responsible. This prompts her to undertake an investigation, reviewing the available evidence and going through all the available facts with a fine toothcomb, helped by some of her schoolfriends, and Ravi, Sal’s brother.I found it a very appealing book. Although it is apparently aimed primarily at a young adult audience, I felt it stood up in its own right, and didn’t hold back from addressing serious issues, including drug abuse and the use of Rohypnol. While reading it I was struck several times by echoes of the first ‘Serial’ podcast, and found the format very engaging, with its mix of straight narrative and extracts from Pippa’s notes and transcripts of her interviews.There is always a risk with this sort of book that the protagonist comes across as too self-righteous and always correct. Ms Jackson deftly dodges that bullet: Pip is a highly engaging, character, but far from faultless.All in all, I found this very entertaining, and I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

Pippa is a 17-year-old schoolgirl who decides to solve an old murder case for a school project. I really enjoyed the fast pace of the novel and the many twists and turns it took. Every chapter is packed with revelations and I really did not guess who the culprit was, which was refreshing for a crime novel.However, there were several issues that hampered my enjoyment of this book. There was A LOT of characters to keep track of and some of them were a bit 'samey'. All the adults just 'succumb' to Pippa's questioning, even when she is really prying into their personal lives, which was unrealistic. Pippa, who is meant to be super smart, also makes silly mistakes (like not blocking her number when she rings someone 'dodgy') Also, the scenes with her family, I think are meant to show her as a 'normal' teen, but they were not connected to the plot and felt forced.