A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
One of my favorite things for the past couple of years is to have a plan for a series I’m going to read in the fall as cool weather creeps in and pumpkins start appearing in stores and on porches.
Last year, my series was Truly Devious and it was a DELIGHT to listen to all four books during September and October (I can’t even see this puzzle without thinking of those books!).
This year, I knew that 
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder would be this fall’s pick (and by choosing it as the October title for the Everyday Reading Book Club, I guaranteed it would happen).
So when mid September rolled, I snagged the first book in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series on audio and dove in.
I knew I wanted to listen to it, since so many people had RAVED about it with its full cast audio and tons of sound effects.
And I LOVED it.
a good girl’s guide to murder by holly jackson
The basic premise of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is that five years ago, Andie Bell was a high school senior. She was pretty and popular and then her boyfriend, Sal Singh, murdered her and, a few days later, killed himself.
Well. . . that’s not a story that dies down quickly and five years later, Fairview still lives under the pall of the tragedy.
Now Pip is a senior herself and so, for her senior project, decides to investigate the murder/suicide herself, despite the fact the case is long since closed. She knew Sal and he was always really kind to her and it seems incredible to her that he’d have done something so horrific.
Her first stop is Sal’s younger brother who is, along with his parents, is basically considered a pariah in the town because of what happened five years earlier and, to her surprise, he agrees to help her look into the closed case. If there is anyone who would like to see Sal proved innocent, it’s Ravi.
But Pip might be in over her head and the more she investigates the case, the more she finds things that don’t quite add up.
Could everything she knows about what happened five years ago be wrong?
And worse, is there someone out there who doesn’t want the truth to come out?
Because Pip starts to get threatening notes and it seems clear someone does NOT want her digging around in the past.
I BLEW through this book so fast – I just couldn’t wait to see how it was going to turn out and I definitely did not call how it was going to end.
Also, I’m a huge wimp and this book didn’t feel too scary for me. There was maybe one or two moments where I felt a little uneasy, but certainly not a “can’t sleep; double check all the doors” kind of situation.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder stands alone (it’s not a cliffhanger ending like the first Truly Devious book), but there are two more books in the series (Good Girl, Bad Blood and As Good As Dead) and I’m currently listening to the second one. I’ve heard mixed reviews on the second and third but I couldn’t resist revisiting this book world.
Have you read this one? I’d love to know what you thought!
Finished it last week. Couldn’t wait until October to read it!
I’m so excited to read this one! I’m a huge wimp too🙂 but I also love mysteries!
I read this one when it first came out but never finished the series! I’m planning to listen to all 3 in October (if there aren’t long holds for the books from my library) and I can’t wait.