Review: A Good Girl's Guide To Murder

By Amber Main

Photo: Alexander Grey; Source: Unsplash

Solving a five-year-old murder isn’t exactly what you’d write about as the topic for your final high school project, but getting deeply entangled with the case, and the secrets of Little Kilton is far from what Pippa Fitz Amobi anticipated.

The first in a trilogy, A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder follows a girl who is trying to prove the accused’s innocence and figure out what happened to the late Andie Bell, whilst also uncovering secrets that someone desperately wants to stay hidden. The question is, will they be successful in keeping Pip from digging up the truth that should have stayed in its grave, or will she be the next secret in Little Kilton to be buried?

The book is set to be adapted and brought to British television later this year, releasing on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer as well as popular on-demand streaming services. Many are looking forward to this, having been fans of the popular trilogy since 2019. The fanbase alone is enough to keep it on air, but also the casting as Wednesday’s Emma Myers will be the leading actress in the television series. As of today, 15th of February, the first few snippets of the show were released by both the author, cast members and BBC three. This has encouraged many to pick up the book, due to the popularity over social media platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok.

Having sold more than 330,00 copies in the first week of publication, the book is considered a fast-paced Young Adult murder mystery that leaves you constantly second-guessing on who the perpetrator may be. It sets up the series perfectly with a great representation of how trauma leaves an impact on the younger generation, and. If the tension was shown well on ink and paper, then it’s safe to say that in the adaption it will be even more intense than anticipated.

On Goodreads, it was rated 4.33 stars, with more than 968,731 ratings and reviews on that platform alone. It’s a journey that leaves no space for thinking, as the clues are constantly changing and moving around, as well as the suspects. It’s a rollercoaster of emotion, with development of not only the main characters, but the side characters as well. It leaves the readers with questions ranging from who is behind the disappearance of Andie Bell, and if Sal had any involvement in this case as the town and police suggest. The book and soon-to-be adaption goes into controversial topics that are not commonly addressed such as rape, death, drugs and gun violence.

Many are eager for the adaptation to air, however the next step is the airing of the trailer, rather than the show.