A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #3
As Good As Dead
by Holly Jackson
Contents
Fourteen
Overview
Pip and Ravi connect Pip’s stalking to the DT Killer’s pre-murder patterns and confirm the convicted killer is Billy Karras. They discover a Facebook page by Billy’s mother claiming his confession was coerced and he is innocent. Confronted with this possibility, Pip resolves to investigate rather than wait passively.
Summary
Ravi reacts with alarm as he and Pip finish reading about the DT Killer’s victims, especially the reported dead pigeons and chalk stick figures that mirror the harassment at Pip’s house. Pip initially downplays it, stressing the killer confessed years ago and has been in prison since, but Ravi insists the parallels are too specific to ignore.
They confirm the DT Killer’s identity as Billy Karras, who confessed and pleaded guilty to five murders. Pip notices a troubling detail: the final victim, Tara Yates, was killed on April 20, 2012—the same night Andie Bell died—intensifying the unease and linking timelines in Pip’s mind.
Seeking doubts, Ravi searches for information suggesting Billy’s innocence and finds a Facebook page, “Billy Karras Is Innocent,” run by Billy’s mother, Maria Karras. The page claims his confession was coerced after a prolonged interrogation and that he recanted the next day. Maria lists her contact number, appealing for help.
Pip resists calling Maria, fearing it would acknowledge that the wrong man might be imprisoned and that the real killer could be targeting her. Ravi counters with their own history—how unsolicited investigation cleared Sal Singh—pressing Pip to act rather than wait for the stalker to escalate.
Weighing the risks and her identity as an investigator, Pip concedes. She accepts that the pattern around her cannot be coincidence and agrees to investigate the DT Killer case and the claim of a false confession as an active step toward protecting herself.
Who Appears
- Pip Fitz-AmobiConnects her harassment to DT Killer patterns; notes Tara Yates’s death date; hesitates to contact Billy’s mother, then commits to investigate.
- Ravi SinghPushes Pip to see the parallels; finds Maria Karras’s Facebook page; urges proactive investigation over passivity.
- Billy KarrasConvicted DT Killer who confessed and pled guilty; subject of a Facebook page claiming his confession was coerced.
- Maria KarrasBilly’s mother; runs a page asserting his innocence and provides contact details seeking help.
- Julia HunterDT Killer victim whose sister reported dead pigeons and chalk figures, echoing Pip’s harassment.
- Tara YatesFinal DT Killer victim, murdered on April 20, 2012—the same night Andie Bell died.