luke poli | Lost in a Good Book

Good Girl, Bad Blood (#2) by Holly Jackson

Published: 30th April 2020 (print)/9th September 2021 (audio)
Publisher: Electric Monkey/Harper Collins
Pages: 417/11 hrs and 45 mins
Narrator: Jot Davies, Clare Corbett, Kristin Atherton, Luke Poli, Maryam Grace, Richard Hughes
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4.75 Stars

Pip Fitz-Amobi is not a detective any more. 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 but 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?

The storyline of the second Good Girl’s Guide to Murder book takes place not long after the events in the first. Having come off the notoriety of her first investigation, Pip is trying to settle back down to real life again as promised but soon becomes involved in a missing persons case and so much more. The angle Jackson takes to justify Pip’s involvement this time round is valid. Jamie is missing, the police are otherwise engaged, and Pip’s ongoing curiosity and the pleas of her friend are hard to ignore.

Jackson weaves in the aftermath of book one as Pip recaps her first investigation formally to a wider audience. This also leads her into her second in a natural way. The characters who are impacted in the first book get to continue their story which is satisfying. It isn’t forgotten and the effect on the whole community is still there.

The story builds from a slow start into a gripping conclusion. There is a lot of mystery to work with and while it takes time to get going, there is still a finger on the pulse. The ending stayed with me much longer than the rest of the book, but that wasn’t because the rest of the book was bad. The slow start builds and builds, a complicated network of crimes and new development take you down various paths into a new uncovered piece of information. The connecting plot points play out well, stung along to one new discovery then another. The sordid world of various crimes growing with each chapter.

There is a wonderful exploration about the complexity of human beings. How circumstances can change someone, how trying to do the right thing isn’t always enough. It is a different approach compared to book one where there is a sole cold case to work through. Now, a real time missing person lends itself to more fervent behaviours, more panic as one thing leads to another, and a real time reaction of the public.

The story explores morally what is right, about who is really a bad person, and who is in the right, if anyone. What justifications are there for anything anybody does? It’s also incredibly sad, realising how unforgiving people can be. The right to be judge, jury, and executioner. Mob mentality, small town judgement, and people’s expectations are on show in full force and as intricate the story is, the simplicity of it is heartbreaking.

The ending was amazing, not only in the twist which, looking back, was laid out wonderfully, but also the outcome of the big finale. I’m impressed Jackson went in that direction, especially as it substantially darkens the series, and makes it more real for Pip. The whole book felt more real. Even with the completely possible events in book one, somehow this was more believable.

Once again I loved the formatting of the book. The inclusion of the podcast adds another element which is ideal for the audiobook. Having transcripts in the book is great but having them acted out in the different ways is a nice advantage for an audiobook to have. Usually things are slightly lacking from the physical copy – pictures, emojis and what have you.

The narrators did a fantastic job and Pip comes to life once more with Atherton at the helm. Her fear, her frustrations, and her passion are evident, and her youth and uncertainty are there as well. All the narrators did a great job with their characters, it didn’t feel like a radio drama, but at the same time having a whole cast of characters with their own voices made it feel like a full story.

This is an interesting second book, obviously there is more to come because the aftermath of this book is going to have ramifications both to Pip personally and the wider community. It’s already going down a dark path so it will be interesting to see what comes next.

You can purchase Good Girl, Bad Blood via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Dymocks

Wordery | Angus and Robinson | Blackwell’s

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (#1) by Holly Jackson

Published: 2 May 2019 (print)/5th Aug 2021 (audio)
Publisher: Farshore/Electric Monkey
Pages: 432/12 hrs and 56 mins
Narrator: Jot Davies, Clare Corbett, Kristin Atherton, Olivia Forrest, Luke Poli
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

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?

I have been eyeing off this book for years and I finally started reading it and I’m so glad. It is captivating and draws you in fairly quickly and never quite lets go. Who can resist the allure of a possible mistake in a closed case and a town so ready to condemn an apparent murder? The further you go the more doubt is cast. There are hints and clues that don’t connect, the misdirection and hidden secrets from people in town and a cast of characters to keep you guessing.

Jackson has written a story that starts off so simple and yet as each chapter goes on, and Pip gets further information from the people in her tiny village, the stakes are raised and threats come from all sides. I loved the numerous angles and there’s tension and mind games that even as readers you get embroiled in.

As with a lot of things in a small town, secrets are unearthed and things that have been kept hidden come to the surface, affecting more than just one person’s life. It never felt sensationalised, but the knock on effect is clear. Pip’s innocent investigation for a school project never leads her astray from her capabilities, but at the same time her own personality latches on and her consumption of the case and the need for answers brings danger.

Pip is a great character. Her passion and dedication grows from an interest for a school project to something of an obsession as she uncovers more and more secrets and unanswered questions. Her focus and her determination to get to the bottom of this crime is something I think you can achieve with her approach to her investigation, especially as so many people think there has already been a culprit named.

Jackson is great at balancing Pip’s access to information and the reasonable assumption no one would talk to a teenager about certain things. Small town gossip and prejudice is a wonderful tool too and it works in sync with Pip’s perseverance.

Each character felt real too, which is important when creating a community. No one felt one dimensional even the red herrings all had full lives and stories, making them as likely as the next to be suspects. The realness of characters is important too if readers are meant to believe they could hide things, deceive, or have more depth than it first appears. Jackson does this well as everyone Pip interviews, helps, or is hindered by bring their own lives to the page and it is definitely a strength of the book.

I know the book is filled with great formatting around transcripts, emails and Pip’s notes, but I loved the audio version of this so much. It was a mix between an audiobook and a radio drama. The phone conversations sound like phone conversations, the recordings Pip references sound like conversations on tape recordings being played back, and the different voices bring in another great element.

I initially thought it would be a weird, off putting things to have it cut from clear narration to audio that replicated being recorded in a room but it worked remarkably well and helps place you in the scene immediately. It is definitely a bonus instead of having the poor narrators read out transcripts verbatim, having to name each character who speaks before reading their lines for page after page.

It isn’t entirely like a radio drama, there is regular narration as well which help break up Pip’s research and the outside story. It was a clever way to lay out how she was conducting her research and piecing it all together, plus those listening to the book don’t miss out on the creative storytelling Jackson has designed.

I didn’t realise just how long I had been planning to read this until I looked for the sequel and saw there was not one, but two I could get my hands on. So my bad for the delay but it is a seriously good story and one you should definitely pick up if you haven’t.

This is one you should read in order, not only because the second book spoils practically everything from book one fairly soon, but there is something wonderful about seeing Pip’s growth and her determination as she investigates.

You can purchase A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Dymocks

Wordery | Angus and Robinson | Blackwell’s

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible