Synopsis

Pip Fitz-Amobi is not a detective anymore.

However, after finding Andie Bell’s real murderer, she’s begun a true-crime podcast about the case. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But when her friend’s brother Jamie disappears and the police dismiss it as usual behaviour she has to go back on her word. Along with her friends, Pippa starts to uncover more of her small town’s dark secrets… but this time EVERYONE is listening.

But will she find Jamie before it’s too late?

Review (contains spoilers)

While I didn’t love Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, I did like the concept and was quite impressed with the twists and the red herrings that tried to throw you off the scent. So as I’d already bought the sequel Good Girl, Bad Blood, I figured I’d give it a go.

It’s much the same as the first book. A teenager in a small town discovers more secrets and decides to step in and solve a disappearance before the police. Using her viral podcast, she sets about sharing everything she finds out with her audience. Aside from the fact that this is putting people’s lives at risk, it invites trolls and pranksters from across the UK. You’d think she’d have learned from her first foray into criminal detection that solving crimes is risky…

The writing style is much better; it’s more mature and less teeny. There are still a few details skipped, and a couple of typos (like the first book) but it doesn’t detract too much from the story. Once again there are some nice twists and a few nicely planted details to confuse readers. But I still guessed our perpetrator (a newcomer to the village who’s a web designer – how discreet…)

Most of the characters remain unlikeable; Pippa is even more annoying and now seems hell bent on destroying her future, and the story is still unrealistic.

This bunch of teenagers all seem to have their own cars, limited rules and don’t have any problem with breaking & entering, criminal damage and harassment (not to mention downright rudeness). And of course the town’s drug dealers are more than happy to share confidential, incriminating information with a bunch of pesky kids. Sure…

Yet there’s something about it that made me keep reading; I think I wanted to be sure I was right.

Jackson does keep you guessing and second guessing, so for that it deserves some credit.

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