“But sometimes remembering isn’t for yourself, sometimes you do it just to make someone else smile.”
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is the debut book by Holly Jackson, and the first in a series of three novels and one novella. A Young-Adult Mystery-Thriller, it follows the story of 17-year-old Pippa “Pip” Fitz-Amobi, a high school student living in Little Kilton.
A true crime enthusiast, readers follow Pip as she investigates the cold case of a murder-suicide involving the local popular girl Andrea “Andie” Bell and her supposed killer, Salil “Sal” Singh. Aiming to clear Sal’s name and uncover the true killer, who she believes to still be at large, it is a YA novel that still stands as one of the most pulsating series in the genre. If you loved Holly Jackson’s work, check out the best YA Mystery books like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder at What We Reading!
One Of Us Is Lying – Karen M. McManus
When it comes to books like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, no list would be complete without Karen M. McManus’ One of Us Is Lying. Being given a glossy adaptation on Netflix, it tells the story of five students at a high school who walk into detention, but only four walk out of it alive.
The day before he was set to leak the darkest secrets of all those in detention with him to the entire school, when Simon’s death isn’t labelled as an accident, Cooper, Nate, Addy and Bronwyn all find themselves in the crosshairs as prime suspects. Secrets and lies are exposed in every chapter, leaving readers constantly on the edge of their seats trying to guess who the sinister mastermind at work is.
The Good Sister – Sally Hepworth
Another serial name in the Thriller world, Sally Hepworth’s The Good Sister is the perfect follow-up for anyone who loved the theme of digging up the secrets of the past present in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Fern Castle works in the local library, has dinner with her twin sister, Rose, three times a week, and hates crowds, bright lights and loud noises.
She has carefully constructed her routine, but she discovers her sister cannot get pregnant, the opportunity to pay Rose back for everything she has done in the past is too good an opportunity to pass up. This quirky and dark novel dives far deeper than any reader could possibly expect, exposing the dark secrets that bind every family together.
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The Last Time I Lied – Riley Sager
Riley Sager’s The Last Time I Lied follows Emma Davis. Fifteen years ago, she watched sleepily as her three roommates at summer camp snuck out into the dead of night. It was the last time she, or anyone else, would ever see them. In the present day, Emma uses her memories of that night to create works of art that have made a famous artist.
But, when one employer implores her to return to Camp Nightingale as a counsellor, the secrets of the past begin to creep back into Emma’s life. And when three more young girls go missing from the camp, Emma is forced to face off against threats both natural and man-made as she unearths what really happened fifteen years ago.
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The Broken Girls – Simone St. James
A Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller from the bestselling author of The Haunting of Maddy Clare, The Broken Girls whisks readers to Vermont and an eerie building known as Idlewild Hall.
A boarding school designed to house the troublesome girls no one else wants to care for, readers follow journalist Fiona Sheridan twenty years after discovering her sister’s body on Idlewild’s grounds. Though her sister’s boyfriend was tried and convicted for the crime, the proposed plans to restore the building ignite an investigation into Idlewild’s dark history and the true nature of Fiona’s sister’s death.
The Family Game – Catherine Steadman
Catherine Steadman’s The Family Game introduces readers to bestselling novelist Harriet Reed. Harriet is engaged to Edward Holbeck, the eldest surviving son and heir to one of the US’ wealthiest and most powerful families.
When she meets the patriarch of the family, Robert, he gives her a strange cassette filled with shocking revelations. As she is forced to grapple with the contents of the cassette, the other members of the Holbecks swell around her, taking her under their wing and making her take part in their lives. Time-honed traditions? Or a deadly game for survival? Harriet is submerged deep into the world of old money, learning the hard way what it takes to join the 1%.
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The Girls I’ve Been – Tess Sharpe
For those readers out there looking for a book like A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder that marries thrilling twists with strong heroines, look no further than Tess Sharpe’s The Girls I’ve Been series. Nora O’Malley grew up as the daughter of a con artist but has been attempting to play things straight for the past five years.
But, when the bank she’s attempting to make a deposit in is suddenly robbed, she is forced to call upon her old skills in an effort to stay alive. Full of manipulation and suspense, The Girls I’ve Been is a fun YA LGBT thriller that takes the formula of a survival story and completely throws it out the window.
Rock, Paper, Scissors – Alice Freeney
New York Times bestselling author Alice Freeney produces a spine-tingling and punchy Mystery-Thriller in Rock, Paper, Scissors. Adam and Amelia’s decade-long marriage is on the rocks when they win a weekend trip away to Scotland.
Adam is a workaholic plagued by face blindness, unable to remember his friends, colleagues or even his own wife. Every year, Amelia writes her husband a letter that he is never allowed to read. Until now. Knowing that this retreat away will either make or break their relationship, it turns out someone has orchestrated this whole weekend, and that one of them doesn’t want to live happily ever after.
Check Out The Best Murder Mystery Books For Teens
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
