Clemmie Judges

A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER

BOOK INFO

Title: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder 

Author: Holly Jackson 

Pages: 433 

Publication date: May 2nd 2019 

Description: 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 murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn't so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year 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?

INTRO

I've always had a love-hate relationship with mystery novels. I think it's because they have this pretentious aura about them—the sense that it all has to be serious, deep, dark. 

And yet, at the same time, Jessica Jones is one of my all-time favorite TV show. And I sometimes have this urge to watch crime podcasts. Oh, and I also read many mystery novels.

This book, however, might be my favorite. I don't know if I'd call it the best—especially not after I've read Sharp Objects—but it certainly is the most fun. 

WHAT THIS BOOK IS

It's a solid murder mystery. That's all it is. You might think that's not that high of a compliment, but it is. Oh, it so is. 

The main character is fantastic. I love the way Miss Jackson (coming out the back door, didn't leave a mark, no one knows it's you...) writes her. There's no sad backstory with her. No unresolved past that motivates her to solve the current mystery. No. Nuh-uh. Pip is a good person, through and through. Why does she want to solve this mystery? Because she knows it's the right thing to do. I love this simplicity. Not to mention she's a cute character too. She's not a perfect girl, and this story makes that clear. She's inexperienced, she makes mistakes, and she gets scared. You see her hesitating, you see her doubting herself. And I love that. She's not this hard-boiled detective with a "cool" drinking problem and PTSD. She's just a girl. 

There's even one moment in the end where I thought, "Oh, she's going to do this." But no. What Pip ends up doing is way better. She's a good person through and through, and I love that.

The themes it tackles are fantastic too. There's one about racism that I like, and this story does not hold back with it. I also like the way this book frames Andie Bell. I can't say much without spoiling the book, but lemme just say; it is nice.

Another thing I like is how cute the growing relationship between Pip and the love interest is. It's surprisingly tame. There's no lust, no pining, none of that complicated stuff; they're just two people who like—maybe even love?—each other, and for understandable reasons. I like that there's practically no drama in it. It's refreshing.

The actual mystery is also fun. Now, I did figure out who the murderer was pretty early on in the story, but! But but but! (Heh, butts.) That doesn't take away anything from the story. It's still fun watching Pip fit the pieces together. 

The story is also brilliant in its own right. Miss Jackson's (he-e-e-e-ey, where will you be waking up tomorrow morning?) writing style is fun. And the short chapters make the book easy to digest. I thought at one point I'd get confused about all the different characters, different suspects, what this and that means, but no. Miss Jackson (out the back door, goddamn, but I love her anyway) has this strange way of weaving you into this strange little town without much confusion. There's never a moment where I wonder, "Wait, who's this again?" 

MY ONE PROBLEM WITH IT

Like I said before, this might be my current favorite mystery novel. That doesn't mean I can dismiss its flaws.

There are tiny flaws in this book—unrealistic dialogue, unfunny humor—but my real problem with it is the lack of challenge the main character faces. I'm not saying she doesn't face problems—yes, she does—but most of them revolve around the mystery itself.

There's this sort of safety bubble that Pip is trapped in, and I keep waiting for the bubble to pop, but it never does. Our actions have consequences, but I think Pip doesn't face enough consequences. 

This, to me, is less because of Miss Jackson's (are you nasty?) ability as a writer and more because of this book being targeted at teenagers. This book does touch on some heavy themes, but it doesn't dive too deep into it. It just skims over it.

I'm not saying this book should be as dark as My Dark Vanessa—goodness no. The reason why I like this book so much is because of how fun it is. But I do wish this book doesn't shy away from the heavy themes as much as it does. Because of that, I think the book's message suffers a little. It doesn't have as much of an impact as it should.

Again: I get that this book is targeted to young people, and I'm not saying it shouldn't be fun. I just wish it tries less to be a YA book and more a murder mystery book.

OUTRO

In the end, this still is an extremely well-written book. I'd recommend it for everyone looking for a good time, a way to pass the time. It's simple, it's easy, and it's fun. Who wouldn't like it?

RATING: 10/10