"As Good As Dead" by Holly Jackson: A Review
Third and final book in the "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" series explores different plot themes than the first two books but hits just as hard.
WARNING: This review contains moderate spoilers to allow for a comprehensive analysis of the text.
As Good As Dead represents a conclusion for the world of beloved characters built by Holly Jackson. It also provides a surprisingly powerful and plot-shifting culmination of the character development and interconnected mysteries that took place across all three books. As Good As Dead initially follows a similar archetype to the first two books, with Pippa beginning to gather information and uncover previously overlooked information regarding the infamous DT Killer, who was thought to have been caught and jailed after someone confessed to the serial murders. However, near the midway point of the novel, the mystery is solved and Pippa murders the DT Killer, causing the plot to change focus. Pippa’s attempt to cover up the murder brings the series’ essential theme, the meaning of justice, to the forefront. The issue of justice had been explored many times in the previous books, apparent in conflicts such as Max Hastings’ not-guilty verdict (though Pippa has definitive evidence he committed rape), the local police’s unwillingness to investigate the cases Pippa eventually solves, and the prison sentence given to Becca Bell (the “bad guy” from Book 1 who’s actions were influenced by trauma and expresses remorse; especially in contrast to Max’s verdict). Essentially, the second half of the novel is a character study of Pippa, her relationships, and the extent to which she will go to enact justice as she sees fit. With such a focus on character development in the final book of the series, As Good As Dead proves that Holly Jackson has been able to buck the norm by writing a book series that only gets better as it goes on. To be honest, my only qualm with this novel is how early the mystery fades away, but I still very much love the new direction Jackson went with the plot. As Good As Dead does exactly what it needs to do as the AGGGTM series finale and is a thoroughly entertaining read throughout. FINAL RATING: 9.5/10.