As Good As Dead

The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series consists of three books covering three seasons of Pip Fitz-Amobi’s true crime podcasts. Each season investigates a different mystery, which are all intertwined in a way that doesn’t become apparent until late in the third book. For that reason, understanding the interplay of victims and villains is critical to understanding the series as a whole and its overarching theme of Justice Denied.

Book One: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

Pip begins her adventures in true crime podcasting with a senior high school project that quickly pulls her into the dark underside of her seemingly innocent small-town community. She investigates a cold case involving the disappearance of high school student Andie Bell. Her boyfriend, Sal Singh, later apparently commits suicide and leaves behind a written confession that he killed Andie.

In reality, Andie was having an affair with high school teacher Elliot Ward. They quarrel in his office, where she falls and bumps her head. Afterward, she staggers home, suffering from a serious brain injury. Her younger sister, Becca, confronts Andie about selling drugs to date-rapist Max Hastings and is so upset about having just survived a rape that she fails to note her sister dying. After Andie perishes, Becca dumps her body in a septic tank on an abandoned farm property. When Pip finally connects the dots five years later, Becca briefly goes to prison. Elliot is jailed for the murder of Sal, and Max will be put on trial.

Book Two: Good Girl, Bad Blood

Pip is shunned by many of her classmates because of the secrets she uncovers in her first-season podcast. She wants to avoid podcasting again until Connor Reynolds asks for help finding his older brother Jamie. The trail leads to a catfish scheme in which Jamie becomes a victim. The culprit is Charlie Green, who is trying to flush out a Fairview resident who is the son of the serial killer who murdered Charlie’s sister. Stanley Forbes, a harmless local man, is Charlie’s target, and Pip accidentally leads Charlie straight to him. Stanley is killed, and Charlie escapes. At the same time, Max Hastings stands trial and is acquitted, further angering Pip and all of Max’s former victims.

Book Three: As Good as Dead

In the series finale, Pip still deals with her rage at the legal system and her sympathy for the culprits she helped to put away. She wants to make one more podcast about a villain who is pure evil. She gets her wish when she is stalked by the DT Killer, who turns out to be Jason Bell—Andie Bell’s father. This brings Pip’s investigations full circle when she realizes that Jason set the wheels in motion for all the ensuing tragedies.

Briefly, the following crimes were a cascade triggered by Jason’s evil behavior. Andie wanted to escape her father, so she sold drugs. Those drugs enabled Max to rape her sister. Becca then allowed Andie to die and concealed her body. Fearing that he had accidentally killed Andie, Elliot killed Sal and pinned the blame for Andie’s murder on him. Pip’s vindication of Sal leads to a public memorial for Andie and Sal, at which Jamie Reynolds disappears.

These dovetailing events lead to Pip’s second investigation and further confrontations with Max. Her entanglement with Charlie and Stanley leaves Pip even more confused about right and wrong than ever. Max’s acquittal sends her over the edge. She no longer believes that the forces of law and order can be trusted to serve justice. As a result, Pip makes the fateful decision to murder the DT Killer after he abducts her. Then, she creates a trail of false evidence pointing to Max Hastings as the killer of Jason. Once Jason is dead and Max is finally convicted, Pip feels justice has been served, and she resumes a normal life.