A Good Girl's Guide to Murder - Holly Jackson

Goodreads rating: 5*

I enjoyed this book so much that the second and third ones in the series went straight onto my 'want-to-read' list and I bought them a couple of weeks later - hopefully I'll get the chance to read them both soon.

I thought that this might end up being a fairly standard teen mystery story, but it was far from it - it was fast-paced with a lot of twists and turns that really kept me guessing. Pippa was incredibly relatable and I loved reading the story from her perspective - she was a truly well-written character who valiantly tried to protect those around her, whilst simultaneously trying to unravel a closed murder case in a town that was geared against her investigations.

*Spoiler Alert* I was absolutely devastated when Barney was found dead, even when it became clear that this wasn't an intentional part of the killer's plan, but as for the killer's identity, I didn't figure that out until almost the last second.

I also thought that it was super creative the way that the writer used mixed media sources to break up the chapters, and the dialogues in the interview transcripts were insightful and easy to read. I'm a big true crime fan and this book was that engaging, that it almost felt like I was reading about a real-life murder investigation.

This book is suitable for people of all ages and it's certainly one that I would have no issue recommending.