A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

Author: Holly Jackson

Published in: 2019

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult

What does a good girl got to do with murder? For me the name was enough to get my hands on this book and every penny was worth it. 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder' is a riveting thriller that keeps you on the edge right from the first chapter. Andie Bell, a high-school girl, was murdered by her boyfriend Sal Singh. Fast forwarding to five years, Pippa Fitz , who lived in that town so engrossed by the incident, gets a chance to satisfy her theories concerning that motiveless murder. She opts for it as a study case for her final year project. But things soon start to get out of hand as she unravels the menacing secrets of the town. And it gets difficult to stay on track when someone is hot on her trail to stop her.

This book comprises of all the elements of an epic thriller detective novel with the perfect balance of humor and subtle romance. The typed interview transcripts and e-mails, log entries, pictures and maps in between the story texts gives it a realistic touch. Moreover, the author incorporated the use of the internet and creation of a crime podcast by the characters making it a contemporary mystery book. 

This book gave me three sleepless nights with all its twists and cliffhangers. The best thing about this book is that it tackled issues like drug abuse, sexual assault and bullying without making them the central theme and maintaining the mysterious aura. The affects of bullying have been shown in form of mental health issues and how it deranges the victim's future. It taught me that there is nothing wrong in depending on people,  who love and care for us. After all we are human beings too. And no one possesses a black or white personality. Each of us stands in a grey area owning a multi-layered personality. For any crime around us we, as a society, are responsible.  

Following are my favorite lines from this book:

" They were each other's crutch to lean on when life got too much to carry alone."

-------

" The people you love weren't algebra: to be calculated, subtracted, or held at arm's length across a decimal point."

- Holy Jackson