Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

Themes: YA mystery

The synopsis

Pip is not a detective anymore.

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, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.

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 review

Well, this sequel was as easy to read and as good (if not better) as the previous book! I was happy to follow Pip and Ravi in their new adventures, and particularly enjoyed the dynamics between them. The serious character of Pip is perfectly balanced by the more social, humourous one of Ravi! It was also really nice to see Pip doing her own introspection following the events of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and her questioning on what is considered ‘normal’ by society and who she really wanted to be.

I loved the atmosphere of the novel, with all the tension, stress, but also sadness that I felt along with Pip. The mystery is really twisted and leads to a more mature investigation, which goes along Pip’s growth as a character. This time again, I loved the mixed media and all the clues that were allowing me to do the investigation, even if the resolution was totally unexpected! And once again, there is the denunciation of some things such as the human behaviour, with the town folks behind as stupid and mean as they had been in the first book (even if some are also very supportive towards Pip). It was also the occasion to denounce the justice system, which is releasing a convicted rapist because the ultimate proof of his crimes cannot be accepted in court, leading to a very interesting reflection on the notion of justice and how much it can become dangerous when people decide to apply it instead of the institutions.

In brief: A very good mystery, in the more mature part of YA and with interesting topics added to the main plot. The only thing that bothers me a little is the unanswered question about Max’s whereabouts, but I suppose it will be answered in the next and final book of the series!

My rating: 5/5