Bibliographic Information

Title: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

Based on: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (book), by Holly Jackson

Creator: Poppy Cogan

Director: Dolly Wells 

Network: Netflix

Release Date: August 1, 2024

Genre

Mystery

Format

TV Series

Average episode run time

43 minutes

Rating

TV-MA

Reading Level/Interest Level

Book: Grades 9-12 (per BookList)

Show: Ages 14+ (per Common Sense Media)

Awards or Honors

None for the book or the series as of the date of this post.

Episode Summary (S1, E1)

Five years ago, a tragic murder-suicide rocked Pippa “Pip” Fitz-Amobi’s small hometown. She never believed high school neighbor Sal Singh was guilty of killing his girlfriend Andie Bell and then himself, and now Pippa’s finally ready to start asking questions. She partners with Sal’s younger brother Ravi to confront people closest to Sal and Andie in a search for the truth, and they quickly find that nothing is quite as it seems.

Creator Background

Poppy Cogan graduated with an MA in English Literature from Edinburgh University. She has several writing credits to her name, including the 2013 feature film The Fold and a variety of book adaptations and original scripts for AMC, BBC, Starz, and HBO. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is Poppy’s first project with Netflix (JT Management, n.d.).

Critical Evaluation

The cast of British actors in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder were well-chosen, with star Emma Myers being a particularly good pick after her role in the successful Wednesday series on Netflix. I haven’t read the Good Girl’s Guide book, so I’m not sure if this is totally consistent with the text, but I do like the diverse representation of characters in the series.

I can also imagine how appealing much of the series would be to teens; high schoolers are shown as incredibly independent, camping alone in the woods, throwing raves in an underground bunker, with what seems like unfettered access to alcohol and drugs. There is not a lot of adult or parental supervision here. And the fact that high schooler Pippa is able to do what adult authorities have not – alone and in the face of great danger – likely makes her a cheer-worthy heroine for teens

As an adult viewer, I had real trouble with the believability of the story. I also found some of the acting and the constant high-tension soundtrack to be too melodramatic for my taste. But I’m happy to be in the minority, as the show is receiving many favorable reviews, with comments like this from The Hollywood Reporter: “The six-part series fits squarely into a well-trod, but deservedly beloved tradition of mysteries about meddling teenage gumshoes, with traces of everything from Nancy Drew to Harriet the Spy to Veronica Mars” (Fienberg, 2024).

Creative Use for a Library Program

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a classic whodunnit; a library could hold a murder mystery night for teens as a program inspired by the book and show.

Speed-Round Talk

It’s been five years since the murder-suicide of Andie Bell and her boyfriend Sal Singh, but Pippa can’t put it behind her. Determined to clear Sal’s name, Pip digs for leads and chases clues, putting herself in terrible danger as she gets closer to the truth.

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is rated TV-MA for language, sexual violence, smoking, and substance use. I would advise adult stakeholders to preview the show, become familiar with the content, and be prepared to have any necessary discussions with their teens if they have concerns about the content.

Reason for Inclusion

The book A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder was a New York Times Best Seller and incredibly popular with teens. Netflix has produced several excellent adaptations of young adult books (ie: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Heartstopper, and Shadow and Bone) and I personally know many young adults who were excited to watch this show.

How it all began…