From Homework to Homicide: A Review of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

Everyone in small-town Fairview knew that Sal Singh killed his girlfriend, the pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell, and then a few days later, killed himself. But Pip never believed Sal was guilty. Sal had always been kind to Pip and even supported her when she was bullied in middle school. Five years later, Pip, now a high school senior, decides to reexamine the case for her senior year high school project. What begins as a project turns into an obsession, and this is how A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson begins.  

Pip is a good girl. She is a courageous, passionate, and an over-achieving high school student. I love narratives where a good, smart girl takes on the world. When woven into a genuine whodunnit crime drama, the book is impossible to resist.

Pip is not only a hard worker, but she also believes that she is invincible and is undeterred in her quest to prove Sal’s innocence, even if it means placing herself in dangerous situations. My admiration for her grows throughout the novel as she pushes her investigation forward from clue to clue. Pip is a modern-day Nancy Drew, an everyday girl, who appeals to the reader because if she can solve the mystery, you can, too!

Like any good small-town mystery, you get to know many characters. As Pip’s investigation expands, she eventually has seven persons of interest on her suspect list and a whole cast of family and friends.

Despite the large number of characters, the story is manageable as characters are consistently woven into the plot, making it easy to remember and distinguish them. 

The novel begins creatively and originally, with a photocopy of a document from Pip’s teacher stating what students are and aren’t allowed to do for this high school project. The novel is written in the style of investigative journalism. It combines narrative storytelling with interview transcripts and journal entries, which makes the story extra engaging, creating a feeling of solving the mystery alongside Pip as fresh evidence is uncovered.  

The author has written an Agatha Christie-type mystery with numerous clues and red herrings featured in the journal entries and interview transcripts. This is great for readers who love the challenge of solving mysteries. The plot is intricate and well-organized, with many surprising reveals. Many details introduced early in the novel become important later in the investigation. If you love solving mysteries, this book is a pleasure to read, with many startling plot twists that keep you suspecting everyone and making predictions until the end.

The plot moves forward quickly without a single dull chapter. Many chapters end with an exciting cliffhanger, propelling you into the next chapter and making the novel impossible to put down.

The book is not only a mystery novel but also a suspense thriller. In the novel’s last chapters, there are heart-pounding moments when danger feels imminent as Pip gets closer and closer to finding the guilty person.  

A high school teacher would never approve Pip’s proposal for a project that delves into a relatively recent murder. A teacher would certainly never condone some of Pip’s research methods, like catfishing a witness, blackmailing a drug dealer, breaking into someone’s home to search for clues, or voluntarily placing yourself in the same room as a murderer. However, despite the implausibility of certain events, the novel is highly entertaining and enjoyable, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast-paced crime investigation. The novel is part mystery and part thriller, full of surprises and suspense. It is a quick and clever murder mystery with likable characters and many unseen plot twists. I highly recommend putting A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder on your reading list.