
Murder for beginners Holly Jackson
Murder for beginners -or A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, from its original title in English— is the first volume of the eponymous series of thriller young adult and mystery. The work was first published in 2019 by Electric Monkey in the United Kingdom and by Delacorte Press in the United States. It was later translated and marketed in Spanish by Crossbooks.
Upon publication, the book received a great reception, as well as a series of nominations and recognitions. by critics and the reading public. Among the most important are the Children's Book of the Year Award (2020) and the Most Surprising Audiobook Award for Young Adults by the United States Library of Congress (2021).
Synopsis of Murder for beginners
The Bell Case Investigation
The plot of thriller follows an investigation led by Pippa "Pip" Fitz Amobi, a Seventeen-year-old student with a true crime enthusiast Set in the fictional town of Little Kilton, Buckinghamshire, the novel sees the protagonist investigate the murder of popular schoolgirl Andrea “Andie” Bell and the suicide of alleged perpetrator Salil “Sal” Singh—the deceased’s boyfriend—under the guise of a school project.
Her goals are to exonerate Sal, convinced that he was falsely accused, and uncover the real perpetrator, certain that he is still at large and unaccountable for the terrible crime. To carry out her investigation, Pippa befriends Sal's younger brother, Ravi. Although her search puts her in unimaginable danger, the girl persists, because her obsession with the case is greater than her prudence.
Murder for Beginners Summary
The demystification of teenage royalty
Over time Pip finds evidence that Andie was selling drugs to students, including Max Hastings. In addition, The girl was having an affair with Elliot Ward, a high school history teacher. and father of Cara, the protagonist's best friend. Pippa later discovers that Ward had pushed Andie against a desk in a moment of rage.
When Andie goes missing, Mr. Ward, thinking he had killed her, framed and murdered Sal, making it look like a suicide. Then, Andie's sister Becca confesses that Max had drugged her with Rohypnol that Andie sold her, and then sexually abused the youngest Bell. Angry, Becca pushed Andie, who fell, convulsed and then died.
More than the horror of death
While still in a state of shockBecca hid Andie's body in an old septic tank on a farm near Pip's house. When the protagonist finds out the truth, she searches for the murderer to confront her, but she is drugged with Rohypnol, and tries to strangle her. However, she is saved by Ravi just in time.
Pippa also realizes that Becca was responsible for the death of her dog, as well as the death threats she had been receiving during her investigation. With all the truth on the table, Sal is finally declared innocent, and it is revealed that, although it was only one person who killed Andie, many worked to make that possible.
Quotes of Murder for beginners
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"Life is just a game of chess, and in the game of power, you have to know how to sacrifice pieces to win the game."
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"In the world of politics, truth and lies are two sides of the same coin."
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"Greatness is not measured by the number of friends you have, but by the quality of your enemies."
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"Revenge is a dish that is cooked slowly, but once served, there is no turning back."
Prequels, sequels and adaptations
To date, Murder for beginners It has two more volumes: Good Girl, Bad Blood (2020) As Good As Dead (2021) y killjoy (2021). As for the official adaptation of the first book, it was revealed in September 2022 that BBC Three had ordered a series from Moonage Pictures.
This would be written by Poppy Cogan. In June 2023, Holly Jackson revealed that production on the television play had begun. and announced that Emma Myers and Zain Iqbal have been cast in the respective lead roles of Pip and Ravi.
In March 2024 he shared a short clip from the show with a premiere date of July 2024.This adaptation was released on Netflix in the US. In most other territories—except the UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand—it premiered on August 1 of last year.
What do popular critics say about Murder for Beginners?
If we focus on Goodreads reviews —where most of the young readers are, who are the target audience of this novel—, We will see that it has an average rating of 4.30 stars out of 5. That's a great rating, isn't it? Well, yes. But at the same time, the comments show that not everyone who read it Murder for beginners feel represented by this story.
That leaves a rather ambiguous final note. On the one hand, there are those who admire Holly for what they consider a captivating work, with a charismatic protagonist and an interesting investigation. On the other hand, There are readers who claim the exact opposite of the same elements. That is to say: the perception of theme, plot and characters is very diverse for each of the reviewers.
The resurgence of the youth thriller
Anyway, Murder for beginners It's good news for lovers of thriller youth, which had been somewhat overshadowed by other genres in recent years. Holly Jackson's work could top a list of similar titles that have been refreshing literature for teenagers, such as An inheritance at stake o The Ninth House.
About the author
Holly Jackson was born in 1992 in Buckingham, England. The author wrote her first novel when she was thirty. Later, attended the University of Nottingham, where she first studied Literary Linguistics and Creative Writing, graduating with honors. After that she obtained a master's degree in English. To date, she has achieved great popularity thanks to her books of suspense and mystery.
Holly Jackson's Literary Timeline
The Murder Trilogy for Beginners
- Murder for beginners (2019)
- Good Girl, Bad Blood (2020);
- As Good As Dead (2021);
- killjoy (2021)
Standalone novels
- Five Survive (2022);
- The Reappearance of Rachel Price (2024);
- Not Quite Dead Yet (2025)