Good Girl, Bad Blood: Book Review

 Good Girl, Bad Blood is the sequel to A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. If you haven't read A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, please go back and catch up before reading this. It now shows that Pip has started a podcast about the truth about the Andie Bell case and her experience solving it. While she's busy with her podcast, her friend Connor approaches her to help him find his missing older brother, Jamie, and though Pip initially turns him away as she didn't want to go back to the hectic world of crime solving, she eventually agrees when the police wouldn't investigate because Jamie wasn't deemed a high emergency case. Pip uploads moments of her investigation in her podcast, to create larger awareness and outreach for the investigation. The story follows her search for Jamie and the secrets she uncover on the way.

The second book is not as thrilling as the first, but does have plot twists, though not very spectacular. The way the search for Jamie grows into something larger and unexpected, revealing hidden truths and secrets of their town is quite impressive though. How certain characters come to play such a pivotal role can be fazing. The professional way amateur detective Pip handles the case, as she now has some experience, is noticeable. 

There is a great moral struggle in the story with themes of past mistakes, false identities, forgiveness, life altering tragedies and as to who might be the real villain will have our mind reeling. It ends tragically, leaving Pip broken, the investigation having left a real, psychological impact on her mental health, as she is now having unanswerable questions about right and wrong, the small gaps between justice and injustice, making her more aggressive. 

Out of the three books in the series, I would rank Good Girl, Bad Blood third, not because it wasn't a good read, but because it didn't match quite up to the other books. But the storyline was still thrilling, despite not having enough red herrings, mysteries and amazing conclusions. But still it is an essential read in the series, effectively portraying the changes in Pip's character and life. Stay tuned for the review of the last book in the series - 'As Good As Dead'. 

Written by:

Ameya Harish