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Pip is no longer a detective. She’s solved one murder already and it cost her. She can’t go through that again, and keeping her family and her little brother safe should be more important. She promised her parents.
But when someone she knows goes missing, Pip will have to break that promise. Jamie Reynolds, her friend’s brother, disappeared on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the six-year anniversary of Andie Bell’s and Sal Singh’s deaths.
The police won’t do anything. It’s not a high-priority case, and small disappearances are not uncommon for Jamie. His brother and mother believe something is wrong, though, and if the police won’t look for Jamie, Pip will.
Pip already released a true-crime podcast about the murder she solved last year, and the podcast has gone viral. She never planned to post a season two, but if she hopes to find Jamie, she’ll have to use every resource available to her. This time, though, as she roots out more of her town’s dark secrets, everyone is listening.
As time ticks away, Pip is desperate to uncover answers, because this time it’s not just about uncovering truth; it’s about saving a life before it’s too late.
Good Girl, Bad Blood is a rare sequel I found to be just as good as the first book. I actually might have enjoyed it more. This time, instead of solving a murder, Pip and her friends race against the clock to find a missing person. The story has hope. And with the dark tones found throughout this series, a little hope is definitely welcome.
Fact is, this series definitely doesn’t shy away from hard topics. Trigger warnings should be included for rape and sexual assault. The reader is also shown a flawed justice system. Pip deals with dark emotions because of this, as well as because of the trauma she went through in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. She is tired, depressed, despondent, guilt-ridden and, by the end of the book, suffering from some serious PTSD. Overall, while this adds a touch of realism rarely seen in whodunits, I find myself wary. It feels like a downward spiral for the main character, who is beginning to struggle with her own darkness, and I am unsure of where the author will take this in the final book in the series.
Overall, there is an addicting factor to these young adult mystery books, and while I did partly guess the ending, it was twisted enough that I couldn’t anticipate the whole story. As much as I enjoyed that, like I said before, the tone is quite dark and violent, and that is something to be especially aware of before going into a book series like this one. In short, it is not a book to read before bed. (I made that mistake.)
Rated: High, for around 30 uses of strong language, 20 uses of moderate language, 10 uses of mild language, and 10 uses of the name of Deity in vain. Trigger warnings should be present for rape and sexual assault. Violence is high, sometimes going into gory, horrific and bloody detail. Someone is shot multiple times. Pip goes into detail about a mystery surrounding a child murderer who had his young son help in the crime. The details of a rapist’s trial are closely followed and there is talk of his past deeds. A flawed justice system is featured when a guilty man is pardoned and released. Calamity parties and underaged drinking are present, though not as frequently a part of the story in book one. Some characters are found doing marijuana. Internet trolls leave false confessions and death threats. A character unleashes anger with violence and destruction of private property.
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