A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #1)

I was going to rate this a solid 4, until the unnecessary death of Pips beloved golden retriever Barney. Barneys cute antics and loving disposition were described often throughout the book. The author even referred to Barney as Pips shadow. The following is an excerpt describing Pips last encounter with Barney: All right Puppuccino, Pip said to Barney, bending down to un-clip the leash from his collar. Off you go. He looked up at her with his sloped, smiling eyes…. Needless to say, Barneys death was devastating to Pip. Following burial in the backyard, sadness lingered on, as a few days later: Someone knocked on the front door, and the absence of Barney was an immediate punch to the gut. No skittering claws on the polished wood racing to stand and greet. In summary, the author made Barney a much loved endearing character. Barneys death was unnecessary to the story, and caused a high degree of sadness which overpowered the otherwise suspenseful ending.

I have no idea what people are talking about. This book is … not good. I mean, bless her for getting a book written and published, but it’s just not good. The narrative shifts, from first to third person, drove me crazy. The pretense of being set in America was blown when she continually wrote things like, “on the Wednesday.” Brits talk that way, Americans don’t. So much promise. Oh, well.

I found this book by just browsing the kindle store and decided to take a chance on it based on the reviews. It was worth it! If you consider yourself an armchair detective and true crime lover this is a book for you. It makes me think that I could go out and solve a murder in my town…but I don’t suggest it.

Just a heads up, this is probably a book better suited for a physical copy since it uses pictures, graphics, other sets of typing that can be hard you read on kindle.

Wow, what an incredible surprise! I bought this book on a whim and ended up glued to my Kindle, almost physically unable to put it down. This is easily among the very most engaging and addictive mysteries I’ve read in years. The writing style, plot and pacing are all superb. The characterization was subtle, but I ended up feeling like these were interesting, multidimensional people with distinct strengths and (especially!) flaws. As you’d expect from a story about a murdered teen, it’s got its share of unflinching darkness, but it isn’t relentlessly grim and ‘edgy’—in fact, there’s a surprising amount of humor and hope. Our protagonist is lovable and someone you naturally root for without being unrelatably perfect. And here’s the biggest compliment I can ever pay to a mystery: even knowing the resolution, I’d still reread this book in a heartbeat because it was just such a supremely compelling and enjoyable ride. I could not possibly recommend this more highly to anyone who likes mysteries and/or YA fiction and is looking for a story that immediately grips you on every level and never lets go.

Cross Veronica Mars with Pretty Little Liars, throw in a heroine sleuth worthy of Trixie Belden or Nancy Drew, and you have A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

In 2012 pretty popular senior student, Andie Bell, left home to pick up her parents from a dinner party, and never arrived. Police zeroed in on her boyfriend Sal Singh when it was discovered he’d lied about his alibi for that night, and to date, the town of Little Kilton has maintained that Sal killed Andie, even though her body has never been found.

Five years on, 17 year-old Pippa Fitz-Amobi chooses the topic of Andie Bell’s disappearance for her A-level project. Her instincts tell her Sal is Innocence and she’s determined to prove it. But, Little Kilton has many a secret, and Pip’s investigation places her life, and the lives of those she cares about, in imminent danger.

Tense, satisfying, and entertaining, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder twisted and turned, raising more questions than answers the deeper our heroine delved. Pip was intelligent, determined and daring, and maintained her loyalty, integrity, and sense of justice in the face of each revelation. Pips innocence and naivety was refreshing, I loved that she acted like a teenager, and wasn’t too sophisticated and worldly for her age, as authors sometimes make that mistake when writing young adults. It made sense that her approach to asking questions and following leads was a little too enthusiastic and impulsive (to begin with anyway), leading to her placing herself in jeopardy without fully comprehending the risks.

The added addition of Pips production log entries, which summed up her clues, and conclusions, and also included transcripts of interviews, emails, maps, persons of interest list, and other evidence, was a unique way to convey Pip’s investigation progress. There was some serious content, but I found this read lighter, less disturbing, than other YA mysteries in this vein, with few instances of profanity.

I’m thrilled that this is the first in a series. Good Girl, Bad Blood is set for release on the 30th April, 2020, so I don’t even have long to wait yay!

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