A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

2024 - United Kingdom

Review by AJ

In this teen detective drama, Wednesday’s Emma Myers plays an intrepid secondary school girl who is investigating an unsolved murder case as part of a school project. Adapted from a bestselling YA novel by Holly Jackson, this is decidedly on the milder end of the spectrum for murder mysteries. Think of it as Veronica Mars meets Mare of Easttown for tweens.

The series follows Pippa “Pip” Fitz-Amobi (Myers), a final year secondary student who tries to solve the mysterious death and disappearance of two local teens for her EPQ (Extended Project Qualification). Five years ago, popular student Andie Bell (India Lillie Davies) went missing while going home from a party. Her body was never found. Shortly after, Andie’s boyfriend Sal Singh (Rahul Pattni) admitted to her murder before killing himself. The suspicious nature of how the case ended haunts Pip, prompting her to take matters into her own hands. She goes around town interviewing people related to Andie and Sal, but it quickly turns dangerous when an unknown figure begins warning Pip to stop digging. 

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

Joining a long list of plucky teenage sleuths, Pip is an instantly likable heroine. Her dogged pursuit for truth often gets her in trouble, but she always bounces back with resilience. And yet, Myers’ petite frame and Bambi-eyed vulnerability still gives Pip some sort of down-to-earth quality. (To Myers’ credit, it is her charming screen presence that really carries Pip.) It’s also nice to see a teen detective with a life outside of her investigation. Pip has a relatively normal family, a solid friend group, and a goal to attend Cambridge. Her life feels so wholesome, which adds to the mystery of why she is so engrossed by the case when everyone else has moved on.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

Part of the fun in small-town murder mysteries is getting to know the cast of characters, each one a potential culprit. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is no different in that aspect. Every episode introduces you to a new suspect, a new breadcrumb to follow, and a new revelation about what went down during the incident. Admittedly, these supporting characters feel a bit too cookie cutter. They are prettily cast and fill their roles well, but none of them really gets any interesting backstory that we’ve never seen before. There is one who sort of stands out, Sal’s older brother Ravi (Zain Iqbal), an effortlessly charming older guy whom Pip becomes close with through the investigation, but that’s about it. Occasionally, though, other characters would exhibit surprising depth in their dialogues or their actions before reverting back to their default mode. If only those were more consistent… 

To make up for it, the 6-episode first season is compact and breezily paced. Although the mystery is quite lite in tone, it still grabs you with a well-written plot and compelling emotional beats in between. The cracking of the case is in line with Pip still being wet behind the ears. It is messy, amateurish, and rather restrained exactly because she is that. It is best enjoyed the way Pip treats the case, as an after-school programme with just enough to satisfy your craving for true crime stuff.  

Published on August 15th, 2024. Written by Jennifer Ariesta for Television Heaven.

Read Next...

Flight of the Heron

Epic period drama made by Scottish Television and based on D.K. Broster's 1925 novel centred round fictional events at the time of the non-fictional Jacobite Rebellion of 1746 and leading up to the battle of Culloden.

Also tagged Teenage Drama

Wednesday

Smart, sarcastic and a little dead inside, Wednesday Addams investigates a murder spree while making new friends — and foes — at Nevermore Academy

Also starring Emma Myers

Around the World in 80 Days

As cinematic as television gets, with astonishingly beautiful location work, Around the World in 80 Days is a roaring adventure

Also starring Gary Beadle

Baby Reindeer

Controversial and much talked about black comedy drama-thriller in which bartender and comedian, Donny, offers a cup of tea to a seemingly dejected customer, Martha. This one innocent act of kindness sends his life into a destructive spiral

Also released in 2024

The Baker Street Boys

Based on a group of street urchins whom Conan Doyle recruited on behalf of Holmes to perform various missions, take messages, search London following clues and going to places where the detective himself could not.

Also tagged Teenage Drama

Bleak House

"The word "big" doesn't really do it justice. Fifteen episodes, eight hours of television, 85 characters, 40 of them major speaking roles. No-one could accuse 'Bleak House' of being an unambitious project." - Radio Times 22nd October 2005.

Also starring Anna Maxwell Martin

Twin Peaks: The Return

FBI agent Dale Cooper remains trapped in the extra-dimensional Black Lodge, and 25 years after the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer, there are still many questions left unanswered.

Also tagged Murder Mystery

South Korean romcom/melodrama broadcast on Netflix simultaneous to its South Korean broadcast, the series has consistently topped the Netflix Global Top 10 list in March and April 2024

Also released in 2024

Masters of the Air

Serving as a companion to Band of Brothers and The Pacific, this US war drama follows the exploits of the 100th Bomb Group who flew B-17 bombers in WWll

Also released in 2024