A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson – Summary
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. We’ll dive into the full story — with spoilers. So if you don’t want spoilers, this might not be for you. But if you're here for the full breakdown, let's get started.
The story takes place in the small town of Little Kilton. Five years ago, a girl named Andie Bell was murdered, and everyone believed her boyfriend, Sal Singh, was the killer. Just two days after her disappearance, Sal died by suicide, and the case was closed. However, years later, a high school student named Pippa Fitz-Amobi decides to revisit the case for a school project. She never believed Sal was guilty and begins an unofficial investigation to uncover the truth.
Pippa partners with Sal's younger brother, Ravi Singh. Together, they start interviewing Sal and Andie’s old friends. Pippa’s best friend, Cara, and her sister Naomi become part of the picture, as does Naomi’s father, Elliot Ward — a history teacher at their school.
As the investigation deepens, Pippa and Ravi uncover new details about the night Andie disappeared. They learn that Sal left a house party at 10:30 PM, and witnesses claimed he returned home around 12:50 AM. However, inconsistencies in the timeline suggest something more complicated.
Pippa begins receiving anonymous threat notes telling her to stop the investigation, but she presses on. She discovers that Andie was a school bully and a drug dealer — facts previously hidden from the public. It also comes to light that Andie was in a secret relationship with an older man, though his identity remains unknown.
One day, Pippa’s dog is killed — a warning meant to scare her off. Shaken, she considers quitting, but Ravi encourages her to keep going for Sal's sake. Suspicion starts to fall on Naomi and Max after Pippa finds a photo taken at the party showing Sal was still there at a time when he was supposedly at home. When confronted, Naomi and Max confess they lied to protect themselves — they were involved in a hit-and-run and were being blackmailed into lying about Sal’s alibi.
Pippa’s suspicion soon turns toward Elliot Ward. She finds evidence near his printer that matches the anonymous threat notes. She plants a tracker in his car and follows him to an old house. With the help of the police, they confront Elliot, who confesses that Andie is actually alive — he had kept her hidden in the house. Elliot reveals that he was the older man Andie had been involved with, and that she had been blackmailing him for money. On the night of her disappearance, they fought, and she got injured before fleeing. However, it turns out the girl in the house is not Andie.
As the truth unfolds, Pippa realizes something still isn’t right. She investigates further and visits Andie’s house, confronting her younger sister, Becca. Pippa directly asks if Becca killed her sister. Becca admits that yes, she did. She explains that Andy had been cruel and abusive — especially after Becca was raped at a party where someone drugged her using pills supplied by Andie. After a heated argument, Becca pushed Andy, who fell and died. Panicked, she hid the body in the woods.
Becca tries to kill Pippa to cover up the truth, but Ravi and the police arrive just in time to save her. Andy’s body is finally discovered, and Sal’s name is cleared. His family is relieved, and Ravi is overjoyed that the truth has come out.
Though the story ends with justice served, Pippa is left unsettled — especially about Elliot’s strange reactions. Still, she’s recognized for her courage and determination.
In the end, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a gripping, fast-paced mystery that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end. It’s well-written, easy to read, and filled with unexpected twists. Though some parts may feel unrealistic — like how much access a schoolgirl has to official case files — it remains an engaging and satisfying read.
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