As Good As Dead

When I finished Book Two in the series I was struck by the shift into darkness - perhaps inevitable for a true crime focus - but nothing prepared me for the developments we see in As Good as Dead. In this finale to the trilogy (and, boy, does that pain me to write) Pip is thrust into a position it’s hard to imagine…and nobody could come out of that unscathed.
When the book opens Pip is preparing for her new life at Cambridge. Superficially her life is good, but the signs are there that events have taken their toll. Pip is far from alright. She’s not sleeping, her nerves are shredded and she seems to be developing a sense of paranoia when she is convinced that the little chalk figures appearing on her driveway, the online death threats and the nuisance phone calls she is receiving are connected. In spite of promises to her parents, Pip needs something to take her mind off things…so she turns to what she knows best. Murders.
Pip starts looking into the stalking incidents that the police refuse to take seriously. They share an alarming link with the profile attributed to the DT killer, a recent case where five young women were found murdered. But the DT killer has been behind bars for six years. He confessed, so it can’t be him.
If someone were in this situation they might be reassured, but not Pip. She is unsettled by the links and digs deeper. What if the confession was, as the killer’s mother is convinced, given under duress? Could the real DT killer still be at large? Could Pip be the killer’s intended sixth victim?
This is the point that I give no more details, as the enjoyment of this story really does come from following Pip on her journey and being given access to her thought process as the events she has started to investigate take an incredibly personal turn. I was - on more than one occasion - stunned by what I was reading. It is haunting, and made me review my thoughts on certain characters and even the events covered in the previous books in the series. When this is published in August I cannot wait to see the reactions…
Holly Jackson, I never imagined you’d go there…what a character you have made us come to love (which makes the events of this book even more difficult to process) and I am so grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this prior to publication.

As Good As Dead follows Pip, Little Kilton’s resident teenage detective-slash-genius, as her life descends into chaos once again following the events of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Good Girl, Bad Blood. This time, though, instead of the focus of her investigation being on her friends, neighbours and acquaintances, Pip’s latest case is all about her, and it’s proving to be much darker and much more dangerous than anyone could have imagined.

It’s difficult to put into words just how much I adored this book. I loved books one and two and have been recommending them constantly since they came out, but this book is in a whole new league. It’s so, so much darker than I expected it to be and so terrifyingly clever that it was completely impossible to put down.

Pip’s character is fascinating as ever, but she’s so different now than the cheerful wannabe-detective that she was in the first book that exploring her character is even more gripping. Over the course of the series, she’s become stressed, scared and much less strait-laced, as expected from someone with her track record of getting tied up in murder investigations, but she’s still somehow so recognisable that it really felt like I went through the whole dark, terrifying journey right alongside her. After so many books and so much time getting to know them, I was just as captivated by the growth of Ravi’s character, Pip’s friends and fellow victims, and even the villains of the story as well.

I’ve mentioned how clever this book is, but it’s so important to highlight just how scarily intelligent Holly Jackson must be to write this. It’s a long book at 570 pages, but every single page tied together perfectly and all details seemed well-researched and unnervingly believable. Every time I thought I was ahead of the plot twists, I found myself being tricked and pulled into a different story entirely, until I just gave up guessing in an attempt to get through the story even quicker.

I can quite honestly say that this is one of the best thrillers I have ever read, and absolutely the most gripping book I’ve read this year. It’s fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat scary, clever, dark and somehow sprinkled with comedy at the same time. I haven’t been this captivated by a story in such a long time and am absolutely certain that I will read absolutely anything that Holly Jackson comes out with next.

The much awaited third in the A Good Girls Guide to Murder series, which has produced two spectacular books prior to this epic finale. And wow was it epic!

I was so invested in this book, tearing through the pages needing to know all the answers. I felt right in it with Pippa, as she faced one of her toughest challenges yet. And with her own life in the balance, it certainly made for edge of the seat reading! This time, she has to save herself…

The writing in this is just amazing. You can tell the book takes a slightly darker and more sinister tone here and with Pippa still reeling from her past encounters, all of her struggles and battles with herself are clear to see. Holly Jackson did such a fantastic job at detailing all of Pips inner thought processes, with you feeling like your right there with her, in her head as she processes what she’s facing. Creepy at times too, I was enraptured and the suspense was a thriller.

I’ve loved seeing the developing relationships between Pip and Ravi too. So nice to read.

But woahhh, the plot twists! I won’t spoil it for anyone as this is a strictly non spoiler review but just when you think you’re walking the right lines in your head for how things are going to go, bam! Rug is pulled from underneath you and you’re propelled in a completely new different route with earth shattering plot twists. I loved it!

I was so heavily invested in this book and especially towards the end, I don’t think anything in the world could have stopped me from reading those end few chapters.

All I can say is, for those waiting to read this book or thinking about reading it, you are in for a treat! Strap on your seatbelt and get ready for the wild ride that is reading ‘As Good as Dead’. You won’t regret it!

I mean, wow. How do you end a series of pulse-pounding thrillers that have been international hits? Just like this.

It's another addictive read, and choosing to read a book about a stalker in a park in broad daylight was a very good choice. There are some really unsettling elements, particularly how the stalker uses tricks Pip had used to solve previous mysteries against her.

It's so impressive how Holly Jackson has managed to link the three mysteries together. The second book fits into a tiny gap left during edits on the first book (a gap deliberately made in case there was another book!) and now this one ties back to the first case too. It makes it even more personal and unnerving, asking more questions about what happened six years ago in Little Kilton.

Pip is suffering with PTSD from the shooting at the end of the second book, and struggling also with the ambiguous nature of right and wrong, and personal and institutional justice. After everything she's been through, to then be tangling with her own mind while trying to find the truth - when people are discounting her thoughts because of the PTSD - it made me root for her even more. I wanted her to be able to stop and heal, to have the time and space, so I needed her to solve the case (particularly as it was her life in danger) so she could do that.

The midpoint completely turns the book around, taking it in a very different direction. There's so much I want to say about it, but it would be spoil EVERYTHING. But it's tense and challenges you to think about right and wrong - to decide which actions cross the line and whether the outcome is correct or not. For a series that has played so much with who is the real villain here (beyond the outright awful ones), it's the perfect way to end it.

The third book in this Holly Jackson series gives the reader the perfect way to end a trilogy. It connects dots; old and new, it explores a new narrative approach and, most importantly, it goes where many authors only dream of going.
There's an important exploration of the impact trauma can have on someone, and those around them. It's subtle and free from those words that may cut some people off. Instead, as a reader, you are witness to the symptoms rather than the diagnosis.
The writing is as gripping as always. Although, I must admit, I did feel the loss of the transcripts and evidence collection from the previous novels. Not at the time. I was glued to the page and building up my own suspect list to really notice. However, once I'd finished there was this fleeting pang of loss. I must say though, this is move for the evolution of Jackson's storytelling. To provide a narrative that was not a replication of everything that preceded it, things have to change.

Holly Jackson has, with this third outing, cemented herself as an author I will purchase the books of without reading the blurb. She will forever follow in the footsteps of Holly's that have gone before her (Bourne/ Smale) and I look forward to celebrating her 10th anniversary of Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

**thank you so much to Electric Monkey Books for approving me for an eARC of this book. This in no way influences my review**

I think this might just be my favourite instalment in the AGGGTM series.
I read this book in one afternoon, it was so gripping and compelling and I absolutely could not put it down. I was tearing through the pages so quickly, absolutely desperate to know what happened next!

There were so many twists and turns in this book that I did not see coming and it kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. It was creepy, suspenseful and oh so fast-paced. I also loved how this book tied together all the events from the previous books in the series.

I also loved the character relationships in this book, Pip's relationship with Ravi was one of my favourite things and I loved seeing her interact with both her family and her larger group of friends. Pip is definitely one of my favourite protagonists, I absolutely love the journey her character has taken throughout this series.

I don't want to say too much more because I don't want to give away anything that happens in this book, but if you have loved the previous books in this series, please read this one - it will not disappoint!