A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #1
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
by Holly Jackson
Contents
One
Overview
Pip visits the Singh family home, a place stigmatized by Little Kilton because of Sal Singh’s alleged murder of Andie Bell five years earlier. Her meeting with Ravi Singh establishes the emotional damage the case has left behind and introduces Pip’s investigation as more than a school project. The chapter ends with Pip openly declaring that she believes Sal did not commit the crime and wants to prove it.
Summary
Pippa Fitz-Amobi approaches the Singh family home in Little Kilton, a house the town treats like a haunted landmark because of the case involving Andie Bell and Sal Singh. The house bears the social scars of public blame: vandalism, broken windows, whispers, and avoidance. Pip reflects that the Singhs have done nothing wrong, yet the town continues to punish them for staying.
Pip is nervous because the Singh house is closely tied to Little Kilton Grammar School, where both Andie and Sal once studied and where Pip will soon return for her final year. Despite wondering whether visiting is a bad idea, Pip decides boldness is necessary and knocks on the door.
Ravi Singh answers. Pip immediately notices how much Ravi resembles his older brother Sal, whom she remembers from news reports and fading childhood memory. Pip awkwardly introduces herself as someone who attended school below Ravi before he left, then nervously explains that she wants to interview him for her Extended Project Qualification.
When Ravi asks what the project is about, Pip tells him it concerns what happened five years earlier. Ravi reacts with visible tension and asks why. Pip reveals her true purpose: she does not believe Sal killed Andie Bell, and she intends to prove Sal’s innocence.
Who Appears
- Pippa Fitz-AmobiStudent beginning an EPQ investigation; believes Sal Singh was innocent and seeks Ravi’s help.
- Ravi SinghSal Singh’s younger brother; answers Pip’s visit and reacts warily to her project.
- Sal SinghRavi’s brother, accused in Andie Bell’s death; central to Pip’s doubts and investigation.
- Andie BellGirl involved in the five-year-old case that made the Singh family town outcasts.