james1star's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I haven’t read the popular ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’ series but after reading this am very interesting on doing so. This is a prequel novella following the main character Pippa who attends a murder mystery themed night with her friends after their AS exams. She’s not all that interested at the start but soon becomes very involved and intrigued by the case. The mystery consists of the patriarch Reginald Remy inviting his two sons Bobby and Ralph, Ralph’s wife Lizzie and his niece Celia (played by Pippa) along with the butler Humphrey and cook Dora to his home on the island of Joy. Reg is killed and as there’s only one boat each day, one of those in the house must be the murderer… but who? They each have a booklet about their character with certain facts being revealed throughout the various rounds. Different events, clues, accusations and the general ‘who done it?’ plot twists are prevalent and it’s all very engaging. It’s clear the that murder of an Andie Bell by her boyfriend Sal Singh who then died by suicide has and is still gripping the town and at the end, Pippa’s interest in investigating, not taking clues at face value and revealing the real truth becomes something very important to her. I then believe she uses this passion to reevaluate the case of Andie Bell and I am definitely interested in seeing this in the other books in this series.
The characters both in and out of the mystery are rather developed, mostly likeable, diverse and it’s enjoyable being in their company. There isn’t as much analysis due to the books length but overall a pleasant experience. With a young adult audience in mind, the characters are written with some juvenile aspects but it’s not done too much. The writing isn’t that amazing or developed but definitely readable and intriguing. I loved the mystery and investigating in this, trying to play along to figure out ‘who done it’ and Pippa’s theory was really well laid out - I was like Yass! Serve Pip!
This book wasn’t perfect but certainly a fun, entertaining, engaging read and I’m very likely to follow along in the series. I believe Pippa’s passion for investigating and doing so in the ‘real’ world would be more interesting and more explored in a full length book too. So I’m excited for more.
My hodgepodge of SPOILER FILLED notes:
Pippa going to murder mystery night with friends - not that interested at start
Murder of andie bell by bf Sal Singh grips town
Reginald Remy killed - pip is niece, 2 sons, one brothers wife, butler and cook there… who done it? Detective - secluded island so one must be the murder
Pip eagerly taking notes as give alibis but each alone so no one has one - all have the means and opportunity but what about motive?
Various clues
Safe broken into - motive??
Will stolen and ripped up - Bobbie left out
Year before mum died by ‘acident’ - Ralph flinched at that word thinking not the case
Ralph and reg had argument sort of about company apparent someone’s been stealing
At lunch reg said Lizzy (wife and owner of one casino) had sticky fingers - thief? Laughed it off
Bobby had gambling addiction - reg threaten to disinherit him if continue
Humphrey (but) said he wished reg was dead to cara (cook) - he said it but didn’t mean it blowing off steam annoyed as refused time off to visit daughter
Old cook quits out of blue, forced to do so - cara no good at cooking - why she there
Celia not heirness but a government spy to find evidence of money transfer by reg to communists, broke into safe and stole cheque book, taking in code when overheard ‘terminate’ used - was she told to kill reg if found ev of reason??
Ant (Bobbie) missing - left unexpectedly
A performance? Part of game? Apparently not
Banging on window but could only see reflection - tripped on flood light exposing ant
Lizzie and Bobbie affair!
Bobbie been going to rival Gaza casino and selling drugs - reg not found out apparently - cara/Dora also been seen there but is lowly cook??
Pip need to hide stolen cheque book from Bullard room so pretends to go loo - finds clue 4 but only skimmed as grabbed by cara from behind who took it
Reg paid 150k to Harris pick (saved reg in boer war) who was the communist agitator
Cara saw Celia stealing it - admits to it but claimed was looking for old photograph but only saw book and wanted to see how much reg was giving out
So cara wasn’t in the grounds, why was she going to the study? Spying on the family?
Murder will be revealed in personal letter - Celia not it
Pizza boxes been moved, found by the bin - final clue inside one
RR wrote that it’s not too late, they both want this and he does not deserve sympathy - Bobbie already wrote a note signed RR… Note of the affair?
2 killers? - Inspector says only 1
Will be revealed in dining room so all move to there
All signed leading to Bobbie - too many? Something missing?
Lights and music go off - shattered by a scream (Lizzie - Lauren) power cut? Broken fuse? Pip goes to find the box where she saw a man in the corner… shadow man was a pile of boxes with sheet over it - light on in cellar - envelope in stairs as going up ‘secret clue just for you’ stating doctor been visiting and reg has cancer dr paid money to keep quiet
Each have to give an answer to who the killer is and motive
Lauren - Dora undercover from rival casino there to steal business information and kill
Ant - Celia good girl gone bad
Zach - Bobbie never gave up gambling, mum found out so killed her, knew out of will so tried to destroy new and kill reg, note as an ‘alibi’ saying with lizzy
Connor - Celia as a Russia spy, hiding info, there to terminate reg
Cara - Bobbie as everything points to him
Pip - Who it wasn’t:
Dora there as a plant but nothing to gain from reg’s death
Lizzy - been stealing and having affair but not
Humphrey - hated him but daughter dying of smallpox, no chance to say goodbye
Celia - a spy, misguided evidence not furling communist agitator Pick only an old friend settling debts as knew dying
Bobbie & lizzy - have an alibi together
Ralph - killer but reg in on it - an elaborate plan with inspector Way to frame Bobby
Bobby killed Way’s partner and his mum but no justice
Reg Hatched plan to make sure he goes down for his death
Only 1 boat - so inspector came on that boat as knew it was gonna happen and been steering investigation towards Bobby
Ralph getting cold feet earlier but note was not from bobbi but reg to Ralph stating Bobby didn’t deserve sympathy - don’t different and matches initial invitation from reg
Jamie - that’s not the answer saying it was Bobby
Pip - No it can’t be it’s too obvious - getting annoyed stating there were too many holes
Ignited a passion for investigating
On way home saw Sal Singh’s face… no he was dead… his brother Ravi
Murder/case gripped the town - it was too easily concluded
She knew what to do her epq on
The characters both in and out of the mystery are rather developed, mostly likeable, diverse and it’s enjoyable being in their company. There isn’t as much analysis due to the books length but overall a pleasant experience. With a young adult audience in mind, the characters are written with some juvenile aspects but it’s not done too much. The writing isn’t that amazing or developed but definitely readable and intriguing. I loved the mystery and investigating in this, trying to play along to figure out ‘who done it’ and Pippa’s theory was really well laid out - I was like Yass! Serve Pip!
This book wasn’t perfect but certainly a fun, entertaining, engaging read and I’m very likely to follow along in the series. I believe Pippa’s passion for investigating and doing so in the ‘real’ world would be more interesting and more explored in a full length book too. So I’m excited for more.
My hodgepodge of SPOILER FILLED notes:
Pippa going to murder mystery night with friends - not that interested at start
Murder of andie bell by bf Sal Singh grips town
Reginald Remy killed - pip is niece, 2 sons, one brothers wife, butler and cook there… who done it? Detective - secluded island so one must be the murder
Pip eagerly taking notes as give alibis but each alone so no one has one - all have the means and opportunity but what about motive?
Various clues
Safe broken into - motive??
Will stolen and ripped up - Bobbie left out
Year before mum died by ‘acident’ - Ralph flinched at that word thinking not the case
Ralph and reg had argument sort of about company apparent someone’s been stealing
At lunch reg said Lizzy (wife and owner of one casino) had sticky fingers - thief? Laughed it off
Bobby had gambling addiction - reg threaten to disinherit him if continue
Humphrey (but) said he wished reg was dead to cara (cook) - he said it but didn’t mean it blowing off steam annoyed as refused time off to visit daughter
Old cook quits out of blue, forced to do so - cara no good at cooking - why she there
Celia not heirness but a government spy to find evidence of money transfer by reg to communists, broke into safe and stole cheque book, taking in code when overheard ‘terminate’ used - was she told to kill reg if found ev of reason??
Ant (Bobbie) missing - left unexpectedly
A performance? Part of game? Apparently not
Banging on window but could only see reflection - tripped on flood light exposing ant
Lizzie and Bobbie affair!
Bobbie been going to rival Gaza casino and selling drugs - reg not found out apparently - cara/Dora also been seen there but is lowly cook??
Pip need to hide stolen cheque book from Bullard room so pretends to go loo - finds clue 4 but only skimmed as grabbed by cara from behind who took it
Reg paid 150k to Harris pick (saved reg in boer war) who was the communist agitator
Cara saw Celia stealing it - admits to it but claimed was looking for old photograph but only saw book and wanted to see how much reg was giving out
So cara wasn’t in the grounds, why was she going to the study? Spying on the family?
Murder will be revealed in personal letter - Celia not it
Pizza boxes been moved, found by the bin - final clue inside one
RR wrote that it’s not too late, they both want this and he does not deserve sympathy - Bobbie already wrote a note signed RR… Note of the affair?
2 killers? - Inspector says only 1
Will be revealed in dining room so all move to there
All signed leading to Bobbie - too many? Something missing?
Lights and music go off - shattered by a scream (Lizzie - Lauren) power cut? Broken fuse? Pip goes to find the box where she saw a man in the corner… shadow man was a pile of boxes with sheet over it - light on in cellar - envelope in stairs as going up ‘secret clue just for you’ stating doctor been visiting and reg has cancer dr paid money to keep quiet
Each have to give an answer to who the killer is and motive
Lauren - Dora undercover from rival casino there to steal business information and kill
Ant - Celia good girl gone bad
Zach - Bobbie never gave up gambling, mum found out so killed her, knew out of will so tried to destroy new and kill reg, note as an ‘alibi’ saying with lizzy
Connor - Celia as a Russia spy, hiding info, there to terminate reg
Cara - Bobbie as everything points to him
Pip - Who it wasn’t:
Dora there as a plant but nothing to gain from reg’s death
Lizzy - been stealing and having affair but not
Humphrey - hated him but daughter dying of smallpox, no chance to say goodbye
Celia - a spy, misguided evidence not furling communist agitator Pick only an old friend settling debts as knew dying
Bobbie & lizzy - have an alibi together
Ralph - killer but reg in on it - an elaborate plan with inspector Way to frame Bobby
Bobby killed Way’s partner and his mum but no justice
Reg Hatched plan to make sure he goes down for his death
Only 1 boat - so inspector came on that boat as knew it was gonna happen and been steering investigation towards Bobby
Ralph getting cold feet earlier but note was not from bobbi but reg to Ralph stating Bobby didn’t deserve sympathy - don’t different and matches initial invitation from reg
Jamie - that’s not the answer saying it was Bobby
Pip - No it can’t be it’s too obvious - getting annoyed stating there were too many holes
Ignited a passion for investigating
On way home saw Sal Singh’s face… no he was dead… his brother Ravi
Murder/case gripped the town - it was too easily concluded
She knew what to do her epq on
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Death
jessicaoreads67's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is such a good prequel to the series. I love how it was about Pip finding her passion for murder cases, leading to her choosing to study the Andie Bell case at the end of the book. I love murder mysteries and games so I was really into this book. And I love how the author dropped the names of books in this book. I only rated it down because their whole friendship group seemed not too friendly. Like yeah Pip would rather be doing homework but she made it clear she wasn’t happy to be there but like it’s her friends birthday party, you can be happy for him at least. And Ant (I think it was) just seemed not liked in the group at all. I don’t know, those just felt off to me. And If they all felt closer and happier to be there, that would’ve just secured it and pulled it all together perfectly for 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Death
kjm_x's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Terminal illness, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Murder
hi_there's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
em_davies7019's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Death
Moderate: Suicide, Murder, and Blood
Minor: Terminal illness, Addiction, Incest, Cancer, and Drug use
anielabooks's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Terminal illness, Drug use, Cancer, and Infidelity
Minor: Grief, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Incest, Abandonment, and Classism
lilith_hmr's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
This prequel gave an insight into when Pip's mind started working the way it does since the beginning of the AGGGTM series. Plus it was a fun read, with a nice plot twist and a lead into how Pip decided to take up the Andie Bell case as her EPQ topic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Death, Blood, and Deadnaming
binreads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Such a fun short read. A great prequel to the trilogy!!
Super fun mystery, game of Clue vibe. Also reminded me of the movie ‘Knives Out’. I really love Pip from the other books so I searched far and wide to get my hands on a copy of this book. Thank you eBay.
Perfect way to lead into A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder or even if you read this after the trilogy, it’s so interesting to see how Pip got into everything before diving into her search into the case of Andie Bell. But oh boy to know what happens at the end of the trilogy then reading this is CRAZY!!!!!! Loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use
froggybex's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer and Addiction
sweetsanchia's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Blood