Literally Leander discussion

The first book of the summer was the mystery novel A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. There are major spoilers in the following discussion. Consider yourself warned!

This month, our discussion prompts were written by a staff member. You all know the drill now; these questions are just prompts and you are not required to answer them! We'd love to see anything you have to say about this book!

1. The story is told in a combination of third-person omniscient and first-person interviews and journal entries. What do you think of this writing style? What are its pros and cons?

2. Describe Pip’s investigative approach. Would you say that she is thorough? Did she ever come off as biased?

3. Have you ever wanted to be a detective? What skills would you say makes a good detective?

4. Were you surprised to find out about Elliot’s role in the crime? Looking back, what do you think were the most important clues that led Pip to this conclusion?

5. Were you surprised by Becca’s involvement in her sister’s death? Examine her situation. In what ways was she guilty? In what ways was she a victim?

6. What do you think is next for Pip? Are you planning on reading the sequel?

I ended up enjoying this one quite a bit! Like I said in my first impressions, I am definitely not a detective type. It takes me far too long to figure out the clues, if I figure them out at all. I like to think that I would be a good detective, but all of my mystery novels say otherwise.

1. The story is told in a combination of third-person omniscient and first-person interviews and journal entries. What do you think of this writing style? What are its pros and cons?
I personally am not a big fan of the third-person POV. I feel like I really get sucked into the story more if it's in first person. Perhaps that's why I loved the transcript/interview/journal style. It reminded me a bit of Sadie, actually, in the way that the story was being matter-of-factly told from the perspective of someone else, someone who has a bit of distance from the mystery.

2. Describe Pip’s investigative approach. Would you say that she is thorough? Did she ever come off as biased?
While I did think Pip tackled the mystery rather thoroughly, I do think that at times she was a little biased. I imagine it's extremely hard not to be, especially when so many of her "suspects" were people that she knew, and knew well. It's hard to take a look at the people closest to you; you think you know a ton about them. And while Pip was understandably afraid of imagining her best friends as cold killers, she also at least gathered her wits and followed the clues to the end, in hopes that they would be scratched off from the suspect list.

3. Have you ever wanted to be a detective? What skills would you say makes a good detective?
As I said, I would not make a good detective, but that is, honestly, a little bit of a blow to my ego. As a proud Ravenclaw, I highly value my intellect and am, at the very least, offended by my own inability to solve crimes.

I think that a good detective would have to be thoughtful and logical, yet creative and flexible in their thinking. They need to be able to look at a scene from many different viewpoints. They must overcome their own natural bias, that they may or may not be aware of, in order to find clues and correctly piece them together.

Detectives also have to be tenacious. People who give up easily are not the ones that solve crimes. I watch a lot of true crime shows, and a good chunk of the time, detectives will talk about how a case stuck with them for months, years, sometimes even decades. Many talk about feeling hopeless, or believing that maybe the crime will never be solved, but their actions and their continued search sometimes brings answers that they were starting to believe would never be found.

4. Were you surprised to find out about Elliot’s role in the crime? Looking back, what do you think were the most important clues that led Pip to this conclusion?
It was shocking to find out that Elliot was involved in Andie's death, and I think that can definitely be felt through Pip's narrative of events. She's been friends with Elliot's youngest daughter for years, been to countless sleepovers and family dinners, and never felt threatened by him, nor thought that he would be capable of such an act.

His most obvious crime, of course, is Andie's death. While it may not have been intentional, he is still responsible for the events that led up to her death. But truthfully, I think it's even more shocking that not only did he engage in a intimate relationship with someone his daughter's age, but that he convinced himself that another young woman was Andie, and that he kept her locked in a house for years in order to make himself feel better. He clearly was aware of his guilt, and that alone is a strong confession.

In hindsight, everything looks clearer. I think the fact that he was cagey about Andie, and how he knew her, and how he conversed with her father about her bullying, was a huge hint. I was rather shocked that as a father, he wouldn't have reported Andie's bullying to his administration. How would he feel if his own daughters had been terribly bullied, but a teacher gave the bully the benefit of the doubt, and a way to get out of it? He had secrets, and Pip was understandably unwilling to believe he was the culprit.

5. Were you surprised by Becca’s involvement in her sister’s death? Examine her situation. In what ways was she guilty? In what ways was she a victim?
Becca is definitely a victim of her circumstances, yet she is also responsible for not calling for help and for hiding her sister's body. Both girls grew up in such a toxic household, and were turned against each other from such a young age.

However, I think Becca and Andie would have been able to make it out, even if they never spoke to one another again, if Andie hadn't been so blasé about Becca being drugged and sexually assaulted. As an older sister myself, I can't begin to understand the apathy Andie showed her sibling. But that doesn't give Becca the right to watch her sister die, nor treat her body so cruelly.

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On a side note, I would like to mention how I liked the fact that Jackson used this story to explore the idea of "speaking ill of the dead." Andie was clearly no angel; she was cruel, conniving, and a criminal. And despite all this, she didn't deserve to be killed. Some people had painted Andie as an angel, others as a monster, but the truth is is that she was human and had multiple sides to her personality.

1. The story is told in a combination of third-person omniscient and first-person interviews and journal entries. What do you think of this writing style? What are its pros and cons?
I enjoyed the writing style. I thought it was a great way to learn more about the crime and the various characters (suspects) involved. I like listening to audiobooks and the writing style makes for a great listen! Aside from the books in this series, I Killed Zoe Spanos and Sadie are two mysteries I've read that contain a podcast within a book. I would love to hear of any others you've read!

3. Have you ever wanted to be a detective? What skills would you say makes a good detective?
I wanted to be a detective when I was a child. I grew up immersed in detective stories and loved to see girls my age solving crimes. As a '90s girl, I was particularly a fan of The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley. I definitely would not make a good detective though! I rarely solve the crime in the mystery books I read.

5. Were you surprised by Becca’s involvement in her sister’s death? Examine her situation. In what ways was she guilty? In what ways was she a victim?
I was surprised by Becca's involvement in her sister's death. Becca was a victim of circumstance. I was particularly shocked by how cruel and apathetic Andie was toward Becca. I am also an older sister and would never treat my sisters the way Andie treated Becca. However, Becca was responsible for not reacting when she saw that Andie was hurt and for transporting and hiding Andie's body.

6. What do you think is next for Pip? Are you planning on reading the sequel?
I read the sequel, Good Girl, Bad Blood earlier this year. I am looking forward to reading As Good As Dead, the third book in the series, when it releases in September.