Book Review: As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

Title: As Good As Dead

Author: Holly Jackson

Series/Standalone: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Book #3)

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult

Pages: 459

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Year Published: 2021

Format: Audiobook

"The New York Times Bestselling Series The highly anticipated finale to the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series, the instant bestseller that reads like your favorite true crime podcast or show. By the end of this mystery series, you'll never think of good girls the same way again...

Pip is about to head to college, but she is still haunted by the way her last investigation ended. She's used to online death threats in the wake of her viral true-crime podcast, but she can't help noticing an anonymous person who keeps asking her. Who will look for you when you're the one who disappears?

Soon the threats escalate and Pip realizes that someone is following her in real life. When she starts to find connections between her stalker and a local serial killer caught six year ago, she wonders if maybe the wrong man is behind bars.

Police refuse to act, so Pip has only one choice: find the suspect herself- or be the next victim. As the deadly game plays out, Pip discovers that everything in her small town is coming full circle... and if she doesn't find the answers, this time she will be the one who disappears."

My Rating: 4/5

I was not expecting that this series would have so many ups and downs. I was concerned after the last one about how they would continue this series. I thought that we would be following a far different case and yet the author did an excellent job of tying the stories and town together. There are so many well-written characters and the plot took a turn I was not anticipating. I did anticipate the first twist for the most part but by the end, I was in shock at where the author was taking us. Overall, a tremendous series and I would read anything else the author publishes, especially thrillers/mysteries.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

Title: Good Girl, Bad Blood

Author: Holly Jackson

Series/Standalone: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Book #2)

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Young Adult

Pages: 417

Publisher: Electric Monkey

Year Published: 2020

Format: Audiobook

"Pip is not a detective anymore.

With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night, the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.

The police won't do anything about it. And if they won't look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town's dark secrets along the way... and this time everyone is listening. But will she find him before it's too late?"

My Rating: 4/5

This book didn't quite hold up to the first book in this series. I found that I had to suspend my disbelief a lot more in the sequel, which makes sense when you're thinking about how many crimes one teenager can meddle her way to the middle of. I did like that the author had sowed the seeds for this mystery in the book before, but our main character went through some interesting growth after the last book, so I just felt like I didn't love her as much. Everything in this book made sense, it just wasn't all I hoped it would be. Looking forward to finishing the trilogy though.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Title: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

Author: Holly Jackson

Series/Standalone: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Book #1)

Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery

Pages: 433

Publisher: Electric Monkey

Year Published: 2019

Format: Audiobook/Ebook

"The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn't so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?"

My Rating: 5/5

This is exactly the type of mystery/thriller I love. It's fast-paced, has tons of red herrings and keeps the plot moving so quickly that you are drawn in further to the mystery than you thought possible. This is a YA mystery so while it went there at some points, there are some points that are distinctly YA, so you have to like that age range to fully enjoy it. I liked our characters and the idea that she just becomes so obsessed with this true crime case. If you're someone who loves true crime, you'd likely really enjoy this book. I look forward to seeing where this series will go considering how this first one ended.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny