Mystery thriller books are one of my favorites!
After talking with many book readers, I learned that mystery thriller is one such genre that almost everyone loves.
The 2019 released YA mystery thriller book ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’ has gained immense popularity. The fame led the author, Holly Jackson, to continue it as a series.
I have read the complete series, and in my view, not all the parts are equally good. When it comes to the writing quality and mystery aspect, there are slight differences between the books.
In this article, I will review the series and briefly describe each book. If you are curious to know more about the series or looking for some thriller recommendations, this post is for you.
Overview of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Series by Holly Jackson
Before diving into my review, look at the overview of the books under the series. I have provided short descriptions of each to give you an overall idea about the story.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is the first published book of the series. The book introduces us to Pippa Fitz-Amobi, one of the main protagonists of the series.
She is a high school student who decides to investigate the closed murder case that happened five years ago in her town, Fairview, Connecticut, for a school project.
Andie Bell, a high school senior and among the popular girls in school, was found dead. This news created a chaos in the town.
With the intervention of the Police, it was concluded that Andie’s boyfriend, Sal Singh, was the murderer. But later, Sal was also found dead, and his death cause was reported as a suicide. Hence, with this, the case was officially closed.
It’s been five years since then. Sal’s family has been totally cut out from the town, suffering and living a solitary life.
Pip starts her investigation with Sal’s family. In their house, she meets Sal’s brother, Ravi, who also joins her in the investigation.
Believing that Sal is not the killer, Pip and Ravi embark on a journey to uncover the truth of this cold case and, on the way, discover many secrets of the town and its people.
Good Girl, Bad Blood
The mystery behind Andie Bell’s murder is solved, and Pip has decided not to get involved in any more cases. She did a podcast on the murder case, which became very popular.
It’s been six years since that incident, and the whole town is organizing a memorial for Andie Bell and Sal Singh. The town faces another tragedy on the same day when Pip’s friend’s brother goes missing.
Seeing her friend’s worried state, Pip cannot refuse the request for help. They reach out to the Police first, who decline to take over the case.
This leads Pip to investigate the case on her own. Many more dark secrets of the town are revealed, which surprises everyone. Will she be able to find the missing person? And what about the threat looming around her?
As Good As Dead
‘As Good As Dead’ is the final book of the series. After whatever happened in the last case, Pip is struggling to recover and move past. The tragic experience left her in trauma.
She has many followers on the podcast channel who love and support her. But Pip is also receiving threat comments, and one particular account is continuously posting the same threat comment, which raises suspicion.
Due to this, Pip gets anxious and talks to the Police department, but unfortunately, they deny to help her. Soon, she discovers that she has a stalker who is intending to harm her.
Pip decides to find her stalker on her own. With threat lurking around, will Pip be able to save herself this time?
This investigation leads to many more discoveries, and something happens that causes Pip to distance herself from family and friends.
My Review of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Series
The first book in the series, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, is my favorite among the three.
The book is the perfect blend of mystery and thriller!
Well, I agree that some of the tasks done by the main protagonist (who, by the way, is a high school student) seem a bit unrealistic. However, the narration and quality of writing are excellent, overshadowing this particular argument.
I liked the characters in the books and felt the nerdy Pippa Fitz-Amobi extremely relatable. The bonds of friendship and family are depicted incredibly within the entire series.
I was astonished by the way Pip was organizing everything to examine meticulously; it was like a trained detective trying to put the dots together to reach the actual culprit.
Trust me when I say this YA book is a must-read; once you start, I can assure you it will hook you from the beginning.
Let’s come to the second book, Good Girl, Bad Blood. I didn’t like this book much. Although it takes the story forward and narrates a different mystery case, it is not as gripping and enjoyable as the first book.
Here, the flaws of the law system are highlighted through Pip’s numerous failed attempts to prove a crime.
This book also shows that although Pip has the brains of an intelligent detective, she is still a teenager who shouldn’t be exposed to such dark things.
Overall, this part was a good read but nothing extraordinary.
Last but not least, the third book, As Good As Dead, was better than the second but still isn’t on par with the first book.
In this book, readers can sympathize with traumatized Pip, who now investigates to find her own stalker.
This book turns dark and shows that sometimes when faced with evil, the good ones do bad things without thinking about the outcome. This part felt relatable, and I’m sure many will connect with it according to their own experiences.
So, yes, the series started really strong but lost its essence in between and was somewhat back to the initial point again.
Overall, I enjoyed the series, but for me, the first book would be at the top when choosing the best among the three.
If you skip the other two books, you will still be content by reading the first book. Well, I am not suggesting you should, but if you wish, you can.
But do not miss out on the first book. It’s unputdownable!
Wrap-Up
Holly Jackson has done an amazing job with this series. She became the New York Times Bestselling author for the series’ first book, her debut novel. And the novel does deserve appreciation!
I hope this review of ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Series’ was helpful to you. Now, you can decide whether to pick it or not easily.
Have you already read this book? Share your review in the comments below!