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Debutante Dropout #2
The Good Girl's Guide to Murder
Website designer and high society rebel Andrea Kendricks would never have gotten involved with ego-in-pumps life-style hostess Marilee Mabry if it weren't for the underhanded machinations of Andy's upper crust mama. But thanks to Mother Cissy, Andy's donning designer duds to attend a launch party at the intolerable domestic diva's new Dallas TV studio - and she's on hand to witness the celebration site go up in flames! Then a body turns up in the rubble, the victim, apparently, of some very foul play. Even though iron-willed Cissy isn't about to let her social calendar be upset by a little inconvenience like murder, her sometime-sleuthing daughter's got a more pressing engagement - namely, hunting down a killer. But there are more than a few nasty messes tucked away in the Mabry closet - and a craven assassin who has the Big D elite quaking in their cowboy boots may soon be burying Andy in hers!
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 2005
92 people are currently reading
1511 people want to read
About the author
Susan McBride
24 books497 followersSusan McBride is the USA Today Bestselling author of Blue Blood and five more award-winning Debutante Dropout Mysteries from HarperCollins, including The Good Girl's Guide To Murder, The Lone Star Lonely Hearts Club, Night Of The Living Deb, Too Pretty To Die, and Say Yes to the Death. Susan has a second bestselling series with HC/Avon, the River Road Mysteries, that include To Helen Back, Mad as Helen, and Not a Chance in Helen. A fourth installment, Come Helen High Water, will be released in 2017.
Walk Into Silence, a thriller featuring Texas police detective Jo Larsen, was named a Kindle First pick for November 2016 and was the #1 paid Kindle bestseller in the US and UK (and #3 in Australia!). Walk a Crooked Line, the second Jo Larsen book, will be released in July 2018 by Thomas & Mercer.
Susan's young adult thriller, Very Bad Things, was released by Random House in 2014. In addition to her mysteries, she has penned three well-received women's fiction titles from HarperCollins: The Truth About Love & Lightning, Little Black Dress, and The Cougar Club. Foreign editions of Susan's books have been published in France, Turkey, Croatia, Lithuania, and Bulgaria.
Susan has one nonfiction title: In the Pink: How I Met the Perfect (Younger) Man, Survived Breast Cancer, and Found True Happiness After 40, which tells her tale of becoming an "accidental Cougar" and marrying a younger man, her cancer diagnosis at age 42, and finding herself pregnant at 47.
She has authored several YA non-mystery novels for Delacorte about debutantes in Houston: The Debs (2008) and Love, Lies, And Texas Dips (2009). Gloves Off, the third book, will be out sometime in the future.
In January of 2012, Susan was named one of St. Louis's "Most Dynamic People of the Year" by the Ladue News. In April of 2012, she was given the "Survivor of the Year" Award by the St. Louis affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. As Susan likes to say, "Life is never boring."
Walk Into Silence, a thriller featuring Texas police detective Jo Larsen, was named a Kindle First pick for November 2016 and was the #1 paid Kindle bestseller in the US and UK (and #3 in Australia!). Walk a Crooked Line, the second Jo Larsen book, will be released in July 2018 by Thomas & Mercer.
Susan's young adult thriller, Very Bad Things, was released by Random House in 2014. In addition to her mysteries, she has penned three well-received women's fiction titles from HarperCollins: The Truth About Love & Lightning, Little Black Dress, and The Cougar Club. Foreign editions of Susan's books have been published in France, Turkey, Croatia, Lithuania, and Bulgaria.
Susan has one nonfiction title: In the Pink: How I Met the Perfect (Younger) Man, Survived Breast Cancer, and Found True Happiness After 40, which tells her tale of becoming an "accidental Cougar" and marrying a younger man, her cancer diagnosis at age 42, and finding herself pregnant at 47.
She has authored several YA non-mystery novels for Delacorte about debutantes in Houston: The Debs (2008) and Love, Lies, And Texas Dips (2009). Gloves Off, the third book, will be out sometime in the future.
In January of 2012, Susan was named one of St. Louis's "Most Dynamic People of the Year" by the Ladue News. In April of 2012, she was given the "Survivor of the Year" Award by the St. Louis affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. As Susan likes to say, "Life is never boring."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
July 26, 2016
Marilee Mabry got it made. Her skeletons in her closet was safe here in Dallas.She finally could afford the poshy house in the affluent Dallas high society. Finally her own tv show, The Sweet Life, which was anyone's dream to die for was , well, waiting to be launched... Finally another super star would be born.
Life did not come easy for Marilee. A fissure of excitement dashed up her spine, and she shivered, still amazed at how far she’d come. From a ramshackle chicken farm in the middle of Nowhere, Texas, to a mansion in Preston Hollow a hop, skip, and a jump away from Ross Perot’s. And she did it all on her own after divorcing her two-timing husband who left her with a kid to raise on her own in the unmentionable backyards of society. It was 10% dedication and 90% perspiration that got her where she was.
This was her dream. She deserved to be indulged, and she’d already made up her mind that there would be no more skimping. A bottle of reserve stock Dom Perignon was already in the ice bucket. Waiting.
What more could she ask for? Nothing could go wrong tonight. However, everything was not as it seemed at all at the evening of glits and glamour which was life-streamed on the internet by Andrea Kendricks, the on-short-noticed appointed web designer. Marilee was not the easiest person in the world to work for, or live with. She believed in perfection to be successful and not everyone appreciated her attitude. There were already a few minor incidences which nearly got people killed in preparing for the big gala evening. If things did not go well, people's dreams could go up in flames. The guest list included Cissy and Andrea Kendricks as well as her ex husband and his new trophy wife.
Well-executed and wonderfully plotted. This book is a fast read, a thriller from beginning to end. It is the second book the in the Debutante Dropout Mystery Series.
ARC received from edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com
MY REVIEWS FOR THE SERIES
#1 Blue Blood
#2 The Good Girl's Guide to Murder
#3 The Lone Star Lonely Hearts Club
#4 Night of the Living Deb
#5 Too Pretty to Die
Life did not come easy for Marilee. A fissure of excitement dashed up her spine, and she shivered, still amazed at how far she’d come. From a ramshackle chicken farm in the middle of Nowhere, Texas, to a mansion in Preston Hollow a hop, skip, and a jump away from Ross Perot’s. And she did it all on her own after divorcing her two-timing husband who left her with a kid to raise on her own in the unmentionable backyards of society. It was 10% dedication and 90% perspiration that got her where she was.
This was her dream. She deserved to be indulged, and she’d already made up her mind that there would be no more skimping. A bottle of reserve stock Dom Perignon was already in the ice bucket. Waiting.
What more could she ask for? Nothing could go wrong tonight. However, everything was not as it seemed at all at the evening of glits and glamour which was life-streamed on the internet by Andrea Kendricks, the on-short-noticed appointed web designer. Marilee was not the easiest person in the world to work for, or live with. She believed in perfection to be successful and not everyone appreciated her attitude. There were already a few minor incidences which nearly got people killed in preparing for the big gala evening. If things did not go well, people's dreams could go up in flames. The guest list included Cissy and Andrea Kendricks as well as her ex husband and his new trophy wife.
Well-executed and wonderfully plotted. This book is a fast read, a thriller from beginning to end. It is the second book the in the Debutante Dropout Mystery Series.
ARC received from edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com
MY REVIEWS FOR THE SERIES
#1 Blue Blood
#2 The Good Girl's Guide to Murder
#3 The Lone Star Lonely Hearts Club
#4 Night of the Living Deb
#5 Too Pretty to Die
July 11, 2021
Wow, talk about brandname name dropping! This was a less than wonderful book. So many cliches, stereotypes and name brand name-dropping.
Turns out I read this book by mistake - I meant to read, Holly Jacksons' "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder."
Turns out I read this book by mistake - I meant to read, Holly Jacksons' "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder."
March 13, 2023
Cute and light
July 8, 2020
When I need a break from Thrillers and historical fiction I often turn to Y.A. This was a satisfying read , a debut by a new author . I enjoyed both the peculiar heroine and the plot structure . Upgrade from 3.5
June 1, 2022
Marilee Mabry is like the Dallas local version of Martha Stewart- only she's even more prickly. She's gone through 6 webmasters in a matter of weeks. Andrea Kendricks reluctantly agrees to take over temporarily as a favor to her mom. She quickly finds herself in over her head with all kinds of accidents happening including a murder.
This was a surprising dark horse for me. I meant to read A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, but accidentally checked out this instead. Ooops, at least it was enjoyable. The names of some of the characters where quite comical and exactly what you'd expect from a bit of a cheesy mystery. While not exactly Agatha Christie level murder mystery, it kept me guessing enough. Since it didn't require a lot of brainpower, it was exactly what I needed to listen to while sick. Would definitely like to read more in the series.
This was a surprising dark horse for me. I meant to read A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, but accidentally checked out this instead. Ooops, at least it was enjoyable. The names of some of the characters where quite comical and exactly what you'd expect from a bit of a cheesy mystery. While not exactly Agatha Christie level murder mystery, it kept me guessing enough. Since it didn't require a lot of brainpower, it was exactly what I needed to listen to while sick. Would definitely like to read more in the series.
July 13, 2009
If you can ignore the twenty or so references to designer brands on each page, this is as good as the next murder mystery.
February 21, 2023
Well written and entertaining. Quick read...not terribly deep.
June 1, 2020
Read True Blue, the first book in the Debutante Dropout series, before you read this book! You could just skip straight to this book, but I was really glad I started with book one. The author does a decent job of balancing mystery and intrigue with light southern sass.
February 9, 2025
I meant to read *A* Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, but picking up this book was a happy mistake. It was the kind of mystery where you know you shouldn’t trust certain people but you end up trusting them anyway. I really liked the characters and their development. Including both Marilee and Cissy really helped compare the two characters, and I do really love Cissy. Kendal was really interesting and made me ponder our world and how to help troubled people. Andy was a great protagonist!
I am eager to read more books in this series. First though, I am reading the actual A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. 😊
I am eager to read more books in this series. First though, I am reading the actual A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. 😊
July 4, 2016
I loved this book! The protagonist Andy Kendricks was so very likable and her dry sense of humor always gave me a good laugh. The book was mysterious and kept me reading - it was a hard one to put down! Even though I haven't read Blue Blood (the first book in the series) I had no troubles with the story line. I will definitely be reading Blue Blood next!
May 3, 2021
Andy Kendricks, the daughter of Dallas socialite Cissy Blevins Kendricks, wants to do anything but dress up and please her mother. As a matter of fact, she skipped her own debutante coming out and went to art school instead. Back in Dallas again, she manages websites, mostly for non-profit organizations. After all, she does have a trust fund.
Cissy comes to Andy and begs her to help her dear friend Marilee Mabry, a home guru of the Martha Stewart type, whose show is hitting the TV waves, and she wants the first episode to be shown on a live web cast. She's already been through six webmasters and is desperate along with bossy and conceited and well, let's say hard to work with. Andy doesn't want to do it until her mother bribes her with an Escada dress to die for.
Andy arrives early at Marilee's studio/offices to be sure all is set up. As the show gets underway, a cat fight between women erupts setting one woman's hair on fire prompting the sprinklers to go off and the sirens to blare. The lights go out and pandemonium breaks loose. Andy has her wits about her and stumbles back to the office to turn off that live feed so viewers aren't watching the debacle and stumbles across Marilee's daughter Kendall passed out in the bathroom. Andy must figure a way to get help for Kendall in the dark, wet recesses of the office, and pronto.
Later we find out that Marilee's personal trainer gave Kendall some herbs. Kendall leaned on Justin as much as her mother did. He actually checks her out of the hospital against medical advice. What agenda does he have with Kendall. Or Marilee? Is he for real, or is he just after Marilee's fortune?
You'll have to read this funny, witty, and intriguing mystery to find out for yourself!
Cissy comes to Andy and begs her to help her dear friend Marilee Mabry, a home guru of the Martha Stewart type, whose show is hitting the TV waves, and she wants the first episode to be shown on a live web cast. She's already been through six webmasters and is desperate along with bossy and conceited and well, let's say hard to work with. Andy doesn't want to do it until her mother bribes her with an Escada dress to die for.
Andy arrives early at Marilee's studio/offices to be sure all is set up. As the show gets underway, a cat fight between women erupts setting one woman's hair on fire prompting the sprinklers to go off and the sirens to blare. The lights go out and pandemonium breaks loose. Andy has her wits about her and stumbles back to the office to turn off that live feed so viewers aren't watching the debacle and stumbles across Marilee's daughter Kendall passed out in the bathroom. Andy must figure a way to get help for Kendall in the dark, wet recesses of the office, and pronto.
Later we find out that Marilee's personal trainer gave Kendall some herbs. Kendall leaned on Justin as much as her mother did. He actually checks her out of the hospital against medical advice. What agenda does he have with Kendall. Or Marilee? Is he for real, or is he just after Marilee's fortune?
You'll have to read this funny, witty, and intriguing mystery to find out for yourself!
April 14, 2024
So I read this book by accident. I started it thinking it was A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, and was subsequently very confused when it seemed like events were being referenced that I knew nothing about. I didn't figure out it was the wrong book until I had actually finished it, which was extremely funny to me. That being said, I did enjoy this book and I will probably finish the rest of the series eventually.
This was a pretty by-the-numbers murder mystery. It had a lot of typical cliches and plot twists (I was able to guess most of them). It reminded me of an episode of Detective Conan that I had watched once. It was enjoyable, and I liked the background of new fame and the High Society of Texas. The main draw to me, however, was the main character's relationship with her mother, being difficult yet loving even if the two had a hard time understanding each other. It contrasts well with the other familial relationships we see. If I had to offer one critique it is that the main character doesn't do much investigating. Though maybe that's not the point of this series.
This was a pretty by-the-numbers murder mystery. It had a lot of typical cliches and plot twists (I was able to guess most of them). It reminded me of an episode of Detective Conan that I had watched once. It was enjoyable, and I liked the background of new fame and the High Society of Texas. The main draw to me, however, was the main character's relationship with her mother, being difficult yet loving even if the two had a hard time understanding each other. It contrasts well with the other familial relationships we see. If I had to offer one critique it is that the main character doesn't do much investigating. Though maybe that's not the point of this series.
January 4, 2022
The title is a bit of a misnomer, we don't get to the mystery until well over half-way through the book. When Andie is asked by her pushy mother to work on a website for a push celebrity foodie, she feels she has no choice but to acquiesce. The fact that this foodie goes through employees like rabbits through daycare should alert the reader to the fact that there will be no end of suspects.
While the descriptions of the characters and their conflicts are fun, nothing much happens for most of the book. Another problem is that Andie is a bit self-centered. She fails to appreciate her mother's constant but well-meaning attentions. She jumps to conclusions about her sometime boyfriend and she keeps information from her journalist friend while at the same time pumping her for information.
If you don't analyze things too closely, this is a fun beach or airplane read.
While the descriptions of the characters and their conflicts are fun, nothing much happens for most of the book. Another problem is that Andie is a bit self-centered. She fails to appreciate her mother's constant but well-meaning attentions. She jumps to conclusions about her sometime boyfriend and she keeps information from her journalist friend while at the same time pumping her for information.
If you don't analyze things too closely, this is a fun beach or airplane read.
July 16, 2024
Andy's mother, Cissy, is determined that, come hell or high water, she will embrace her place in the highest echelons of Dallas society.
Ain't gonna happen but she's not one to give up.
Her latest meddling sees Andy, who prefers to work pro bono, overseeing influencer Marilee Mabry's website as she prepares to launch her latest TV sensation, The Sweet Life.
But there have been a series of accidents on set and Marilee is generally detested by the around her, including her daughter.
It is only a matter of time before there's a murder and, when it happens, Andy is right there.
“The Good Girl's Guide to Murder” is an OK read but the mystery wasn't quite up to scratch.
3 Stars.
Ain't gonna happen but she's not one to give up.
Her latest meddling sees Andy, who prefers to work pro bono, overseeing influencer Marilee Mabry's website as she prepares to launch her latest TV sensation, The Sweet Life.
But there have been a series of accidents on set and Marilee is generally detested by the around her, including her daughter.
It is only a matter of time before there's a murder and, when it happens, Andy is right there.
“The Good Girl's Guide to Murder” is an OK read but the mystery wasn't quite up to scratch.
3 Stars.
May 31, 2020
Entertaining, one day quick read. Mc sometimes got on my nerves in the beginning, esp in regards to her dress weakness and inability to say no; also her boyfriend needs a proper talking to. Actual adult conversation, people, not just a screaming match about briefs and frosty you-ignored-my-texts-silence. I bet her Mom knows everything that’s going on w THAT situation and that is why she keeps warning Andy away.
I have not read book one of this series.
Will I read more? 🤷♀️ dunno. Maybe.
I have not read book one of this series.
Will I read more? 🤷♀️ dunno. Maybe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2022
This is a funny and good mystery set in Texas and featuring as the main character, Andrea (Andy) Kendricks. Andrea is a rebel and has refused to give in to her mother's desires for her to be a debutant, a high society girl, and especially, a married woman who will give her grandchildren. When
Andy does agree to go to a society 'do with her mother, the last thing she expects is a dead body - or to be involved in finding the murderer. This is a fun mystery series and each book will leave the reader eager for the next one.
Andy does agree to go to a society 'do with her mother, the last thing she expects is a dead body - or to be involved in finding the murderer. This is a fun mystery series and each book will leave the reader eager for the next one.
July 11, 2021
I listened to the audiobook. I really enjoyed the pace. Never boring. Only a minor critique: Pip seems a little one dimensional, maybe. I understand being driven, being captivated by a project. But I never quite got her initial passion for deciding to investigate the case initially. She was so wrapped up in it immediately, that there wasn't much room for her to intensify her involvement as she learned more.
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December 12, 2022I jumped into the second book of the series because I didn't realize there was one before until I was too far into the story but I felt like I didn't miss too much. I would like to go back to get more background on the main character and an event that was mentioned but other than that, this was a good book by itself!
March 23, 2023
I missed reading the first one of this series, but I think I got the gist. Overall it wasn’t a bad book…. A little long winded for a cozy mystery and the lack of accuracy on diagnosis and medical terminology really bothered me as it does with many amateur fictional attempts. I liked the characters, story and setting though and would probably give another book in the series a try.
September 23, 2023
I really enjoyed the characters and story as it is told in this book. Pipa represents a bright and focused girl with a strong moral compass and a drive to find the truth. I appreciated that she left to conclusions, but followed evidence and was sometimes wrong. It was a great who-do-it that kept me guessing along with her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2023
Really liked the descriptive style of this book thought I was 6 hours in to a 9 hour audio and no-one had died. 🤷♀️ Loved all the description of Texas (main takeaway: it’s hot) and the style of writing. It was read really well too but someone with the correct accent (well as far as I could tell) and a good range of voices for the characters.
April 18, 2024
I was hoping for something a little better and more original, but I felt like it was full of overused dialogue and repeated storylines which is so prevalent today. I commend the author and narrator for the time invested to write a book and record it. However I was very disappointed - is there no other story left to tell other than mean girls, school bullies and pedophiles.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2025
Originally I read this thinking it was ‘[A] Good Girls Guide to Murder’ but decided to continue anyway once I realized it wasn’t. The medical aspect to this book was so poorly written and/or researched, and the way that everything is wrapped up at the end felt hurried with none of the care that went into to the first half of the book.
January 20, 2025
I liked the premise of this book: a high school doing her capstone project on what happened to a missing high school student. I was drawn in quickly and couldn't wait to see what happened next.
However (no spoilers) I was disturbed by the ending and some of the twists. This is not a cozy murder . A gripping, suspenseful true crime read
However (no spoilers) I was disturbed by the ending and some of the twists. This is not a cozy murder . A gripping, suspenseful true crime read
June 29, 2025
I enjoyed the first book, but this one was hard to get through.. I finished it right before my loan expired… which almost never happens! I didn’t really care about anything happening, and one of the two big “twists” was revealed way too soon. I caught it immediately when one character slipped and said something, so when the author chose to reveal it (like 100 pages later), it was old news…
April 23, 2020
Status seeking, family dysfunction, high society life, fame-seeking & murder among the wealthy & well-placed in a suburb of Dallas. Far-fetched but good entertainment, featuring a Death-by-Chocolate cake. Will look for another if this is a series.
July 4, 2020
I do like this series - it's fun and easy reads, but this one went on quite a while with not much happening. Once the murder actually did happen (about 3/4 of the way through), it just seemed to go through the motions. I liked it, but it wasn't my favorite.
May 29, 2021
I read way too many chapters before realizing it wasn’t worth it. The story goes so slow at one point I thought it was going backwards. Nothings happened so far and I keep trying to force myself to read further but I can’t. It’s just boring.
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August 27, 2022I love a book that has you on the edge of your seat . I found myself telling Pip, “Don’t knock, don’t say that don’t go in there.” I had to write down all the characters to keep track. But I really liked the ending.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews