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Five years ago, Andie Bell, a popular high school senior, was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then committed suicide. Everyone knows what happened. It was all anyone could talk about, and the tragedy still haunts the town years later.
Pip, now a high school senior herself, can’t shake the feeling there’s more to the story. She knew Sal when she was child, and he was always so kind. She can’t imagine him being a killer.
That’s why, for her capstone project, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for herself. If all she accomplishes is to cast doubt on the original investigation, she’ll be content, but soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets undiscovered by the police — secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent.
The investigation quickly turns into an obsession for Pip, but someone in Fairview doesn’t want Pip digging around for answers. If she doesn’t stop, her life and the lives of those she loves might be in danger. Still, the unanswered questions nag at Pip. If Sal didn’t kill Andie, what really happened the night Andie disappeared? And why was Sal’s body discovered a few days later with her blood under his nails?
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a compelling young adult mystery book. It’s straight-up chilling at times. Short chapters coupled with mixed media, such as maps, journal entries, diagrams, police reports and interviews, made the story interactive and a fast, addictive page-turner.
The way the author pulls the details together with all the twists, turns and plots within plots is pure genius and kept me guessing until the end of the book (which is rare for me). At one point, I thought I’d uncovered a clue, only to find absolutely nothing came of it. Was it a wasted opportunity or another red herring for the reader? Am I reading too much into it? Probably. Either way, there’s definitely enough going on in the small town of Fairview for me to get a sense there will be some clue tie-ins that make a reappearance in the sequel.
Overall, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is very well-written, and I can definitely see why it’s so hyped. However, although it’s not particularly gory, I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone new to thrillers. It definitely has a dark side, and sometimes I found myself having to step back and put it aside for a while before returning.
Rated: High. Profanity includes around 11 uses of strong language, 22 uses of moderate language, 15 uses of mild language, and 17 uses of the name of Deity. Trigger warnings should also be present for rape, suicide, kidnapping and the death of a pet. Cold facts are dealt out in reports, and the details can be unsettling, including details of a suicide and how it was done, and also hinting that the murder happened for reasons of sexual assault. Later, it also details the how and why of the murder. Sexual content includes jokes about a parent being a porn star for “one naked picture in the ’80s.” Characters are asked if they slept together (even though they didn’t, it was insinuated they were not virgins). A cyber bully threatens to pass around the rumor that she was raped by another girl’s brother. She also states online that the girl came from an incestuous family. A girl sends a topless video of herself to a boy, and it is passed around the internet. A practically nude picture of a girl is hidden and kept by by a classmate. Allusions are made to a girl having sex after attending a party. At one such party a guy stares at the main character’s chest, tries to kiss her and angrily grabs at her. She feels unsafe and gets away. At another such party, it is discovered a girl was drugged and raped. An older man was in a relationship with a teen girl. Underaged drinking and underaged drug dealing to high school kids is also present. Among the list of drugs dealt, Rohypnol (or roofies) is emphasized. A character pretends she is drunk (though she doesn’t drink or do drugs) to find the secret drug dealer. A reporter makes racist statements about Indians. At a camping party, boys bring out a ouija board as a joke, though the girls refuse to use it. A character mentions being allowed to watch an X-rated movie when she was 12. A crude name is used as a boy’s secret Facebook page and is mentioned several times. A character shows the middle finger.
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