Rice: Just another girl from Casper – watching “A Good Girl's Guide to Murder”

JUST ANOTHER GIRL FROM CASPER: WHAT I'M WATCHING, ISSUE…

A few years ago I read Holly Jackson’s youth crime novel A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. It didn't change my life, but it was interesting enough that I read the entire series.

This summer, Netflix released a six-part adaptation of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. There's no way I'd just leave this UK-set mystery alone!

Pippa “Pip” Fitz-Amobi is what the title suggests: a good girl. But when she decides to investigate an old murder case involving popular teenager Andie Bell (India Lillie Davies) and her boyfriend Salil Singh (Rahul Pattni), who allegedly killed her, she does things most “good girls” don't do. She drinks alcohol in the name of the investigation, goes to a calamity party (think alcohol- and drug-infested rave party) in the name of the investigation, breaks into a house in the name of… well, you get the idea. But Sal was always nice to a much younger Pip, so she's convinced (or wants to believe) that he's innocent.

Her best friend Cara (Asha Banks) is initially not happy about Pip disturbing this clear-cut case. She especially doesn't want her to talk to her older sister Naomi (Yasmin Al-Khudhairi), who was one of Sal's best friends. And Sal's younger brother Ravi (Zain Iqbal) needs a minute to come to his senses. But soon he and Pip are investigating together.

Pip is naive – educated and street-dumb, so to speak. But that's part of the appeal and part of the authenticity of a teenager solving a crime. I think it's pretty typical for teenagers to ignore danger or be genuinely unaware of it. For those who know my favorite detective who was once a teenager, Veronica Mars, Pip is what Veronica might have been like if she'd started working for her detective father when she was sweet and naive. But in investigating this murder, Pip manages to uncover a whole lot of other shady stuff along the way. Sometimes it's not how experienced you are, but how determined you are to keep asking questions. And just like Veronica Mars, Pip discovers that uncovering the truth about an event sometimes brings out a lot of other crap. For some, that may bring peace, but for others, it can cause a lot of pain. And yet, Pip is willing to persevere. Truth at any cost.

As usual, there was more detail in the book. That said, I actually enjoyed watching the show more. I didn't realize there was an American and British version of the book. I read the American version and after watching the British show, I really wish I had read the British version instead. I'm not sure if that's possible in the States; just a tip in case you want to read it before (or after) watching.

Oh – and not for nothing does it have a pretty cool soundtrack with artists like Lykke Li, Soap&Skin, Fever Ray and Billie Eilish.

Electricity A Good Girl's Guide to Murder on Netflix.

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