In the second instalment of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Pipa- Fitz Amobi has become a house- hold name in her small town of Little Kilton. She was awarded a scholarship to study at a prestigious university for solving the Andie Bell case, along with significant recognition among her town. She even began a true-crime podcast, where she unravels the events that took place in the first book along with taking her audience on the whirlwinding adventure she took her readers on. All seems to be going well until a local boy Jamie Raynolds mysteriously disappears on a significant night. Ironically the twenty- four year old goes missing on the night of the memorial meant to honor Andie Bell and Sal Singh- two homicide victims. Since Jamie was a legal adult, the police showed little interest in his disappearance, claiming that it wasn’t unusual for people his age to rebel and take off. However Pip’s intuition wouldn’t let her take this lightly. The catalyst that pushed her off the edge making her dive back into the world of investigation is when Jamie’s mother beggs Pip for her help in the investigation that law enforcement wasn’t concerned with. Pip’s decision was backed by her personal connection to Jamie Raynolds- similar to her connection to the characters in her previous investigation. So despite her initial promise to distance herself from being a detective, and her family’s protests, Pip embarks on her second thrilling journey in solving the case of Jamie Raynolds. I admire her for going back into a situation that put her own safety at risk, simply because she couldn’t let go of  her burning desire to bring justice to victims. Her moral compass is truly something everyone should aspire to have.

    I enjoyed watching history repeating itself despite the circumstances being different, because it goes to show how Pip can’t outrun her destiny, allowing her to leave a legacy no one will forget. By gaining access to Jamie’s computer and text threads, Pip learns that Jamie had been on a dating app where he met a woman named Layla Meets. The two had engaged in harmless conversation for two months, until Layla suggested they get together on the night of the memorial. Unfortunately Layla was a cat fish- and Jamie was not prepared for who he met. As Pip gets sucked into the investigation- documenting it on her podcast- she comes to the dreadful discovery that the culprit behind Jamie’s disappearance isn’t one- but two people. As her podcast gains popularity, Jamie’s captors begin to feel threatened by how close Pip is coming to solving the mystery. They begin to contact her, giving her a deadline to drop the case, or they would kill Jamie. Hearing this both horrified Pip and struck her with hope. For one- Jamie was alive, and there was a possibility of returning him home. However the more Pip engrossed herself in the investigation, the less chances Jamie had of making it out alive. What was most sinister to know was that the captors were among the residents of Little Kilton. Living among them, while everyone else had no idea. 

    Despite being completely anonymous to Pip, they knew who she was, and they were angry. As tensions rise in the small town, Pip finds herself constantly looking over her shoulder, becoming more and more cynical about everyone. Suddenly everyone was a suspect, and no one could be trusted. Her paranoia even rubbed off on me, as I started taking mental notes on characters I thought were potential culprits. What kept Pip’s fire burning was that this was an active investigation. She was no longer trying to bring justice to murder victims from a case that was closed five years ago.

 This isn’t a high school project anymore. 

This is currently happening. 

And Jamie’s fate was entirely in her hands. 

The ending of this novel is even more assrouning than the first, once you realize the villain’s cruel motives are more ulterior than what was initially thought. It turns out that Jamie is simply a ploy in a much larger game of deception and betrayal. The ending really highlights themes of justice VS legality, and makes Pip feel even more bamboozled once she discovers who the villains are. 

       What I found most fascinating was the character growth that Pip had gone through when compared to the first book. Just a few months ago she was inexperienced and going off her judgments. Gone was the skittish teen from the first book. Her transition to a fierce heroine confident in her ability to succeed was mesmerizing to witness. Good Girl Bad Blood epicly showcases Pip’s transition from innocence towards a more complex understanding of morality and human nature. Her experiences evolved her into a more mature young woman capable of approaching challenges with a more pragmatic mindset. 

     However, what remains consistent among all Holly Jackson books, is the inability to put them down. I binged this in less than three days, thanks to the author’s genius strategies of making almost every chapter end in a cliff hanger or plot twist. My expectations were absolutely blown out of the water. This book had everything I didn’t know I needed in a book!