If you’re interested in suspenseful and engaging mysteries, Holly Jackson is a great option. We’ve gathered all of her books in order and once you start reading them, you won’t want to put them down.
Holly Jackson was born in 1992 and grew up in Buckinghamshire, England. She has been interested in storytelling ever since she was young and wrote her first novel at age 15. Jackson says that it was a poor attempt, and the novel wasn’t ever published. But it was inspiring nonetheless, and writing it made Jackson more sure of the fact that she wanted to write.
Jackson went to the University of Nottingham to study literary linguistics and creative writing. She graduated with a 1st class degree and a master’s degree in English and went on living her life. It wasn’t until 2019 that Jackson published her first novel, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. After that, her writing career took off and she’s been writing ever since.
Jackson now lives in London, where she enjoys playing video games and watching true-crime documentaries so she can pretend to be a detective.
Holly Jackon’s Accomplishments
Jackson’s first book, A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, was a huge success when she published it in 2019. It became a #1 New York Times bestseller and UK bestseller, and it’s been sold in over 30 languages to date.
The book also won a multitude of awards, including Barnes and Noble’s Best Books of the Year in 2020, the British Book Awards Children’s Fiction Book Winner of the Year in 2020, and the American Library Association’s Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Award in 2021.
After the publishing of her debut novel, Jackson went on to write 3 other novels in the series and 1 standalone novel. She’s sold millions of copies of her books worldwide in many languages and has been nominated for a variety of awards. She doesn’t have any other books announced yet, but we have no doubt that she’ll write some other hits in the future.
Themes and Genres in Holly Jackson’s Novels
Holly Jackson writes young adult thrillers and psychological fiction novels that are full of mystery and suspense. Her stories are exciting and have often been described as “nail biters”, and they will have you constantly questioning what might happen next.
One theme that is present throughout most of Jackson’s novels is the theme of friendship. In the Good Girl’s Guide To Murder series, Jackson writes about Pip’s relationships with her friends and focuses on the importance of maintaining those bonds. Jackson also writes about friendship in her standalone novel, Five Survive, exploring the complications and important parts that can come with friendship.
Other themes in Holly Jackson’s novels include justice, perseverance, courage, and the need to be heard. These themes are showcased through Pip as she works to find out the truth and seek justice. She gets turned down by the police when she needs help the most, but that doesn’t stop her from continuing and getting the information she needs.
All Holly Jackson Books In Order
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder (2019)
Andie Bell was one of the most popular girls at school before she died. She was a senior who had a boyfriend, Sal Singh, but their relationship tragically ended when Sal killed Andie and then killed himself. This became a story that everyone in the town of Fairview knew and talked about.
Now, 5 years later, Pip knows that everyone in the town is still affected by what happened. But Pip knew Sal as a kid, and she can’t help but feel like something is missing from the story. Sal was always really nice to her, and Pip doesn’t feel like he could’ve been a killer.
Now that she’s a senior, Pip has to do a final project for class. She decides to reexamine the case of Andie and Sal in an attempt to make people question what is said to have happened. But as Pip looks into it more, she is led down a path of clues and secrets that could prove that the story isn’t what it seems.
As Pip continues to learn about the case, lines blur as she gets closer to the truth. But someone is out there who doesn’t want her to learn about what happened, and they’ll do anything to stop her.
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murderis an extremely popular young adult bestseller that has won and been nominated for numerous awards. It won the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award and the ALA Quick Pick for Young Adult Reluctant Readers, and it’s been nominated for others such as the Kentucky Bluegrass Award and the Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award.
In 2022, the BBC Three revealed that there is going to be a TV show adaptation of A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder. Poppy Cogan penned the series and it will be from Moonage Pictures. There is no release date yet, but filming starts in 2023.
Good Girl, Bad Blood (2020)
Pip and Ravi Singh solved a murder last year, and together they made a podcast about the whole experience. The podcast has done very well and become extremely popular, but Pip wants nothing to do with mystery-solving anymore, insisting that her days as an investigator are over.
But when Jamie Reynolds goes missing, Pip might just have another crime to solve. It’s the night of the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Sal Singh and Andie Bell, and the town is hosting a memorial for them. When Jamie disappears that same night, people are left to wonder if it’s just a coincidence or something bigger.
The police aren’t doing anything about the situation, so despite swearing off investigations, Pip decides she needs to look into it. For the sake of Jamie and everyone worried about him, Pip will figure out what is going on.
As the hunt progresses, Pip discovers dark secrets about her town that lead her to question everything. This time, everyone is listening. But soon Pip is in danger, and someone is watching her every move, ready to strike.
Good Girl, Bad Bloodis a sequel to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, and it brings us another thrilling mystery full of suspense. This book was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize in 2021, and it’s a popular and exciting follow-up to Jackson’s debut novel that is loved by many.
Kill Joy (2021)
Pip is at a 1920’s themed murder mystery party for her friend’s birthday, and she isn’t exactly excited about the idea. She would rather be spending her time working on an important school project, but she goes to the party anyway for her friend’s sake.
The fictional murder-mystery party takes place over 3 hours, with 6 people who are suspected of murdering Reginald Remy. The premise is to look for clues and figure out who did it, and as the night goes on, Pip finds herself getting more and more drawn into the imaginary world of clues and deception.
Pip finds excitement in the unknown, puzzling the case together to find out the truth. By the time the night is over, Pip knows that she enjoys solving mysteries. She finds herself thinking about a local case in her town, wondering if she has what it takes to solve a real-life mystery.
Kill Joyis a shorter story related to Jackson’s popular Good Girl’s Guide To Murder series. It’s a prequel novella that takes place a little bit before the first book in the series, and it takes us on an adventure with Pip as she learns that she is interested in uncovering the truth.
As Good As Dead (2021)
Pip is getting ready to go to college and should be excited, but she can’t stop thinking about her last investigation. It left her very disturbed, and she’s been having a hard time working through her feelings about how things ended.
Because of her true crime podcast, Pip often gets horrible threats online. But one person has been catching her attention, repeatedly asking, “Who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears?”. As the threats become more frequent, Pip becomes fearful that they have real intentions behind them. She turns to the police for help but they won’t do anything, leaving her to deal with the situation on her own.
Soon Pip is finding connections between her online and now real-life stalker, who she knows is following her, and a serial killer who has been in prison for 6 years. Now Pip wonders if the wrong person is locked up…and if that’s the case, she is in even bigger trouble.
Pip digs into the mystery, and as she uncovers more leads, she realizes just how much danger she is in. Someone is linked to her past cases and will stop at nothing to see her dead, and Pip is the only person who can save herself before it’s too late.
As Good As Deadis the third and last official novel in the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series, and it goes out with a bang. Taking place at the end of Pip’s high school career, we follow her along on one last unforgettable mystery.
This book was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fiction in 2021.
Five Survive (2022)
Six friends decide to go on a road trip during spring break, and everyone is excited about this adventure in an RV. Red Kenny is ready to experience the world with her five friends, knowing that this will be a trip to remember. With her, she has her best friend, the older brother, and his girlfriend, a secret crush, and another classmate. Things are bound to be interesting.
But the trip quickly goes wrong when the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. There’s no cell service and it’s nighttime, so things seem extra eerie. It gets much worse when all four wheels of the RV are shot out, and it becomes clear that someone planned for this.
One person in the group has a secret, and a killer is after them because of it. There are 8 hours until dawn, and the group has to figure out who is being targeted and how to escape. Tension is high, and as secrets are revealed, things get clearer and more confusing at the same time.
As more things become apparent, the friends don’t know how they will escape this situation. But one thing is known: Not everyone is surviving this night.
Five Survivewas published in November 2022 and was an instant #1 New York Times bestselling novel. It also reached number 4 on the Sunday Times Children’s and YA Fiction chart, and it won the CrimeFest Award for Best Crime Fiction Novel for Young Adults.
FAQs
Do you have to read Holly Jackson’s books in order?
It’s recommended to read the Good Girl’s Guide To Murder series in order so that you don’t miss out on any important plot points.
As for Kill Joy, the novella that goes with the series, you can read it at any point. It takes place before the first book, but reading it isn’t necessary to understand the premise of any of the other books in the series.
Five Surviveis a standalone novel and can be read before or after any of Holly Jackson’s other books.
How many books are in Holly Jackson’s series?
There are 3 books in the Good Girl’s Guide To Murderseries and one novella. This is Jackson’s only series so far, but she does have 1 other standalone novel published as well.
Is Kill Joy a prequel?
Kill Joyis a prequel to the Good Girl’s Guide To Murder series, and can be read before or after reading the series.
Is Five Survive part of a series?
Five Surviveis currently not part of a series. It’s Holly Jackson’s only standalone novel at this point in time.
Freya grew up in Portland Oregon and still resides there now. She has been reading for as long as she can remember, and loves that books allow you to escape into someone else’s reality for a little while. When she is not writing or reading she enjoys playing piano, baking, and going outside.
