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Cover of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly JacksonA Good Girl's Guide to Murder
Modern · Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

by Holly Jackson
2019 · 370 pages · Fiction
Lifetime bestseller
≈ 9 hours to read · about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Everyone in Fairview knows the story: five years ago, popular senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. But Pip, now a senior herself, knew Sal as a kind boy and can't believe he was a killer. She reopens the closed case for her final school project, and as she digs, someone in town makes it clear they don't want the truth found.

Why it's worth reading

It has spent more than 60 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists and is one of the most popular young-adult mysteries of recent years. Told partly through Pip's interview transcripts and notes, it's clever and very hard to put down.

You'll love it if you liked

Good to know

It's the first of a trilogy, but it solves its own mystery. It's written for teens and grows darker than its cheerful cover suggests.

By the numbers

80.8Must-Read Score
  • Readers85 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller72 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

Bestseller
63 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists since 2020

Reads as

Gripping

How we rank

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Explore the best-of lists

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Quick answers

Is A Good Girl's Guide to Murder worth reading?

Yes. It has spent more than 60 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists and is one of the most popular young-adult mysteries of recent years. It ranks #343 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 80.8 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is A Good Girl's Guide to Murder about?

Everyone in Fairview knows the story: five years ago, popular senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. But Pip, now a senior herself, knew Sal as a kind boy and can't believe he was a killer. She reopens the closed case for her final school project, and as she digs, someone in town makes it clear they don't want the truth found.

How long does it take to read A Good Girl's Guide to Murder?

About 9 hours (370 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after A Good Girl's Guide to Murder?

If you liked it, try The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman or Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.