A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

Overview

Plot Summary ⚠️ Spoilers

Characters

• Pippa Fitz-Amobi
  The student investigator who turns her EPQ into a search for the truth about Andie Bell and Sal Singh. Her intelligence, persistence, and willingness to cross ethical lines drive the plot, while the threats against her force her to weigh truth against the safety of people she loves.
• Ravi Singh
  Sal Singh’s younger brother and Pip’s investigative partner. Ravi helps Pip test evidence, gives her access to Sal’s phone, and carries the emotional stakes of clearing Sal’s name after years of public blame.
• Sal Singh
  Andie Bell’s boyfriend, blamed for her murder and believed to have died by suicide after an apparent confession. The investigation proves he was framed and murdered after his true alibi was destroyed.
• Andie Bell
  The missing girl whose presumed murder defines Little Kilton’s past. Pip’s investigation reveals Andie’s hidden drug dealing, cruelty, secrets, and final movements before uncovering the real circumstances of her death.
• Becca Bell
  Andie’s younger sister, initially presented as a grieving survivor. She is revealed as the person who let Andie die, hid her body, threatened Pip, and tried to silence her after Pip uncovered the truth.
• Elliot Ward
  Cara and Naomi’s father, Pip’s history teacher, and a trusted father figure in Pip’s life. He is exposed as Andie’s secret older man and Sal’s murderer, having framed Sal to protect himself and his daughters.
• Cara Ward
  Pip’s best friend and Elliot’s younger daughter. Her closeness to Pip makes the investigation emotionally painful when suspicion and later proof point toward the Ward family.
• Naomi Ward
  Cara’s older sister and one of Sal’s friends from Max Hastings’s house. She helps withdraw Sal’s alibi after being blackmailed over a past hit-and-run, and her guilt becomes central to the false case against Sal.
• Max Hastings
  Sal’s former friend and a major suspect whose lies conceal his connections to Andie, Howie Bowers, Rohypnol, and a past hit-and-run. He later admits drugging and having sex with Becca, a revelation that explains Becca’s motive.
• Jason Bell
  Andie and Becca’s father, whose controlling behavior and affair make him an early suspect. His ties to Daniel da Silva and his toxic household help explain the pressures shaping both Bell sisters.
• Dawn Bell
  Andie and Becca’s mother, seen through old press footage and family accounts as another person damaged by Jason’s control and Andie’s disappearance. Her grief over Andie forms part of the Bell family’s unresolved trauma.
• Howie Bowers
  The local drug dealer who supplied Andie and becomes a key lead when Pip links him to Sal’s phone note and Romer Close. His information reveals Andie’s burner phones, hidden stash, and Rohypnol sales.
• Daniel da Silva
  Natalie da Silva’s brother and a local police officer connected to Jason Bell and the early Bell house search. Pip suspects him because his police role gave him access to evidence and because Andie may have had leverage over him.
• Natalie da Silva
  A former Kilton Grammar student whom Andie bullied, humiliated, and possibly blackmailed. Natalie admits writing a threatening note to Andie but denies killing her, giving Pip another view of Andie’s cruelty.
• Stanley Forbes
  A Kilton Mail journalist who covered Andie’s case and publicly reinforced Sal’s guilt. His prejudice, relationship with Becca, and secret exchange with Howie make him suspicious during Pip’s investigation.
• Emma Hutton
  One of Andie’s former best friends and an important interview source for Pip. Emma reveals Andie’s cruelty, the arguments with Sal, the older-man secret, and details about Becca’s vulnerability.
• Chloe Burch
  Andie’s former friend who describes Andie’s secrecy, unexplained money, and controlling behavior. Her guarded answers push Pip toward discovering Andie’s secret older man.
• Jess Walker
  Becca’s former close friend who gives Pip insight into the Bell household. Jess reveals Jason’s emotional cruelty, the sisters’ rivalry, and Max’s closeness with Andie at a calamity party.
• Victor Fitz-Amobi
  Pip’s supportive father, whose warmth anchors her home life during the investigation. He helps search for Barney and later finds Pip with Ravi when Becca drugs and attacks her.
• Leanne Fitz-Amobi
  Pip’s mother, protective of Pip and worried about her obsession with the case. Her family scenes contrast Pip’s ordinary life with the danger created by the investigation.
• Josh Fitz-Amobi
  Pip’s younger brother, whose innocence heightens Pip’s fear once the threats reach her home. Pip’s concern for Josh is one reason she considers abandoning the case.
• Barney
  The Fitz-Amobi family dog and a symbol of Pip’s safe home life. His abduction and death mark the investigation’s most personal escalation and reveal that the real killer is still threatening Pip.
• Nisha Singh
  Ravi and Sal’s mother, who has lived under the town’s judgment since Sal was blamed. She thanks Pip after Sal’s innocence is confirmed, showing the emotional importance of restoring his name.
• Mohan Singh
  Ravi and Sal’s father, who received Sal’s staged confession text and blamed himself over the sleeping pills used in the framing. His gratitude after Sal is vindicated reflects the Singh family’s long-delayed relief.
• Isla Jordan
  The vulnerable missing woman Elliot keeps locked in the Wendover house while believing or presenting her as Andie. Her rescue exposes Elliot’s continuing deception but does not solve Andie’s true fate.
• Millie
  One of Sal’s friends at Max’s house on the night Andie disappeared. She participates in the false alibi after the hit-and-run blackmail, helping make Sal look guilty.
• Jake
  One of Sal’s friends at Max’s house and part of the group blackmailed into withdrawing Sal’s alibi. His role matters because the group’s lie enables Sal’s framing.
• Lauren Gibson
  One of Pip’s close friends, present in Pip’s ordinary school and social life. Her friendship group provides contrast to the investigation and sometimes accidentally spreads case information.
• Connor Reynolds
  Pip’s classmate and friend who appears in the school and campout scenes. He notices tensions around Pip and Cara as the investigation begins affecting Pip’s everyday life.
• Ant
  A member of Pip’s friend group who helps Pip gain access to a calamity party. His gossip about Andie’s older lover shows how easily Pip’s investigation leaks into school rumor.
• Zach Chen
  A friend in Pip’s group who participates in the campout and party scenes. He helps frame the social world Pip must move through while investigating Andie’s past.
• Stephen
  A classmate Pip approaches undercover at George’s party to trace Andie’s drug supply. He reveals Howie Bowers as the dealer but then sexually harasses and grabs Pip, showing the risks of her methods.
• Mrs Morgan
  Pip’s EPQ supervisor, representing the school-project framework Pip uses to justify her investigation. Pip repeatedly worries that her increasingly unethical methods could jeopardize the project.
• Angela Johnson
  A Missing Persons Bureau contact whom Pip interviews early in the project. Her explanation of high-risk missing-person procedures gives Pip a framework for judging how Andie’s case was handled.
• DI Richard Hawkins
  The police officer who leads the response at the Wendover house after Pip calls emergency services. He takes control as Elliot is arrested and the captive girl is rescued.

Themes