Category:Plot

WARNING, CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS!
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is the story of Pippa (Pip), a straight-A student, who decided to EPQ (Extended Project Qualification done in your last year of school as an extra qualification in top of A-Levels) on the murder of a local girl, five years beforehand. The victim’s boyfriend is thought to have killed her and then committed suicide out of guilt. Pip believes he didn’t do it and teams up with his younger brother to solve the case.

High school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. But Pip can’t shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. Pip, now a senior herself, decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent. . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn’t want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life is being put in danger.

The whole town believes that Sal killed the girl, Andie. Pip isn’t so sure. She begins interviewing people under the guise of the project, meeting Sal’s younger brother, Ravi, and finding out many secrets. Stories don’t add up, and while she can discount memories being scattered, Pip learns of a mysterious secret not-boyfriend Andie had, and that her father also could be a person of interest.

One night while camping, Pip and her friends are watched and spooked. A letter is left for Pip to tell her to stop digging.

Pip is freaked but dedicated to the case. School has begun again and Pip is uncovering all sorts of truths. She finds out that Sal’s friends lied to her. She finds out that Andie was selling drugs. She discovers that Andie was followed by Sal, and he found it out. She discovers that he was selling date rape drugs. She is threatened again and keeps going. Pip discovers through Max, one of Sal’s friends, that Sal’s friends lied to the cops. They lied that that Sal had left early. Pip has gotten solid evidence that Sal was not the murderer, but that he was killed too.

Pip continues to get threatened. Her dog is taken from her, and she is forced to dispose of her research. Then her dog is returned, dead. Ravi helps her through it and they push on more. Pip discovers the source of the notes, her best friend’s father, Elliot. She traces the man back to a house, where he is keeping a girl trapped. This girl is not Andie, but he convinced himself it is. He killed Sal, luring Sal into the forest and suffocating him after drugging him. The case is nearly closed when Pip realizes there are still holes. She finds out that Max raped Becca, Andie’s little sister. Becca tried to be comforted by Andie, and did not receive it. Earlier that night Elliot and Andie had a fight, and Andie hit her head. Bad. When Becca and Andie fought, Becca pushed Andie and she died. She then disposed of Andie’s body in a septic tank. Becca tries to kill Pip, but is saved by Ravi and her parents.

The truth comes forward with complete honesty, and Sal’s name is cleared. Four people are being put into prison, and Pip is a national sensation.

Afterwards Pip releases interview recordings and notes on the case to a blog and podcast calling it a Good Girls Guide To Murder.