A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (A Good Girl's Guide To Murder, #1)

by Holly Jackson

I really liked this. I thought I would - I'm really enjoying all the true crime inspired cold case type mysteries lately. And it was good.

Pippa was smart and determined and I enjoyed her quirky pun filled sense of humour. She was mostly safety conscious until towards the end when she started to make some really dumb decisions (breaking and entering, following suspects at night alone, blackmailing the possibly dangerous drug dealer, etc).

I liked the progression of the investigation and how Pippa worked to uncover the evidence. Particularly at the start when she was busy compiling the details from the news reports. I also really liked the focus on how the media and the town at large condemned Sal without ever looking at the facts and regardless of the lack of conviction - or charges for the matter. Especially their condemnation of Ravi and his family. The mystery itself was interesting and I was drawn into the drama and speculation of who was guilty and what happened.

I loved her relationship with Ravi. The romance was incidental rather than a main plot line. Pip and Ravi were mainly friends for the majority of the book and whatever happens between them in terms of defining their relationship happens off screen. It was a refreshing change of pace for a young adult read.

It wasn't perfect but it was pretty good. I'll definitely be picking up the next one in the series. Solid 4 stars.