Hello everyone,
When it was announced that A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder was being adapted for television, it was incredibly exciting. After all, this is one of my all-time favourite books and truly one of the best mystery novels I have read – adult or young adult.
The first book in a thrilling trilogy, it tells the story of sixth form student Pippa Fitz-Amobi investigate the death of Andie Bell for her EPQ project. Andie, who died five years previously, was presumed to be murdered by her boyfriend Sal Singh who committed suicide shortly afterwards, and the case was closed. Pippa works with Sal’s brother Ravi to uncover the truth, leading to multiple suspects and unexpected twists.
With the help of multimedia, the writing totally envelops you in the mystery with its more or less perfect balance of humour, and the way it deals with serious, dark topics. I was also enthralled by the characters, building an instant connection to Pippa and Ravi in particular.
So, it is needless to say that I had very high expectations for the show! Released on BBC iPlayer, it contains a total of six episodes and I was delighted with the lengths that the BBC went to promote the show, with regular primetime trailers, prominent advertising on its online channels, and an interview with Holly Jackson herself.
But in end, did the show meet my expectations? To be honest, not really. In general I enjoyed it, but there are many aspects that I felt could have been done better.
Here are my detailed thoughts. I will try to keep them as spoiler-free as I can.
What I Liked
Emma Myers as Pippa – I was even more excited for the show when I found out that Emma Myers had been cast as Pippa, after being captivated by her very likeable performance as Enid in Wednesday. Although the show does not always get Pippa’s characterisation right, Myers proves an excellent choice and she really showcases her acting range here, often selling a scene with her facial expressions alone.
She is particularly standout during the more tense moments, such as when Pippa finds herself in threatening situations. She also gives Pippa that combination of innocence and steely resolve that we see in the book. If the rest of the trilogy is adapted, then there is so much more material for Myers to get stuck into…
Most of the supporting cast – There were some exceptions that I will get on to later, but generally the supporting cast is very strong too. Asha Banks gives a real star turn as Cara, giving her character a lot of emotional depth and likeability. Yasmin Al-Khudhairi is good too as her sister Naomi. Elsewhere, Henry Ashton is proper love-to-hate as the pathological Max Hastings, Carla Woodcock makes for a cold and clinical Becca Bell (albeit not how I imagined the character in the book), and I was also impressed by Jackson Bews as Daniel Da Silva.
Of the adult cast, Mathew Baynton grasps what is a challenging role as Elliott Ward and does a pretty good job, and Anna Maxwell-Martin is typically effortless as Pippa’s harried mother. I was unsure about Gary Beadle as Victor at first, but he grew on me as the series went on.
The relationship between Pippa and Cara – I love seeing close friendships in television and books, and the dynamic between Pippa and Cara was something that the show did perfectly. During the six episodes the two go through a lot of emotional trauma together, and I love how they support each other through it. The acting from Emma Myers and Asha Banks really helps to sell it too.
The tense atmosphere – One thing that was very noticeable to me from the beginning was how the directors, Dolly Wells and Tom Vaughan, go all out to create the creepiest, most haunting atmosphere possible. Some of the camerawork – especially the scenes that take place in the woods – and the moody lighting really give the show an extra layer of tension and a deep sense of foreboding. I fully appreciated this.
Episode 5 – I had mixed feelings about most of the episodes, but the penultimate episode hardly puts a foot wrong. It was easily the best one of the series, thrilling from start to finish and building up superbly towards what promised to be an amazing finale. The fact that it was the episode which felt most true to the book was probably no coincidence either.
The opening scene – As I said already, the characterisation of Pippa is not always spot on when compared to the book, but the very first scene of the series captures her perfectly as the least duplicitous person imaginable. She is asked to create a distraction in a shop, and she just cannot bring herself to do it.
Breaking into the Bells’ house – This moment came at the end of episode 3 and it was my favourite scene to date. I just enjoyed the tension of it, and it was one of the rare parts of this adaptation where I was happy with the dynamic between Pippa and Ravi.
The star costumes – In episode 1, Pippa and Cara go undercover at a Hollywood themed party and are dressed as waitresses in star costumes. It was hilarious, and in a good way!
Connor and Zach – They only play a small part in the series, but I was happy that these characters were included. Connor in particular has a larger role later in the series.
The visuals – I have already mentioned the vibes, but overall the visuals for this series are very good. Maybe there are a few too many overhead shots of the church, but it never stops looking pretty. There is also an effective contrast between the darkness of the woods and the calamity party, and the village idyls of Little Kilton.
A local filming location – The show was filmed relatively local to me, in the South West of England!
Title sequence! – Too many shows now lack a title sequence, so I was happy one is included here – even if it was not very memorable.
What I Didn’t Really Like
Zain Iqbal as Ravi – Almost all of the cast are good and fitted their characters pretty well, but one glaring exception is Zain Iqbal as Ravi. I felt no connection to his performance. For such an important role in the series, this was a major disappointment as the relationship between Pippa and Ravi is one of the things that make the book so special. But unfortunately I just could not get on board with it on screen, as much as I really wanted to.
Plot holes – It was disheartening that so many of the critics said that you have to suspend your disbelief while watching this adaptation. The book was so compelling that I believed every scene, but perhaps the way it was adapted made it susceptible to plot holes…
The bits they added – I did not have a problem at all with young Pippa seeing Andie and Sal shortly before they died, but there were other parts the producers added that were not in the book that I did not appreciate as much. The whole sideshow about Pippa’s parents felt like a distraction from the main plot and an excuse to give Anna Maxwell-Martin and Gary Beadle more screen time. Also, the Ouija board scene was just unnecessary.
Episode lengths – The episodes were around 40 minutes each, which was not long enough. If they were perhaps 10 minutes longer, then the plot may have felt less rushed and the additions they made would have felt less intrusive. More attention could also have been drawn to Pippa’s list of suspects, as her case board updates were another highlight of the book.
The soundtrack – The incidental music was mostly okay, but some of the songs included in the soundtrack just seemed out of keeping with the tone of the show. A lot of them were tunes that you would expect to hear blaring from a nightclub, which was a bit jarring for me and was an odd choice all round.
Nat Da Silva – A really important character in the book but only appears in one episode in just a couple of scenes.
No Stanley Forbes – Well, at least Nat is in it! The journalist Stanley Forbes was cut entirely, which is interesting as he becomes a very significant character later in the book trilogy.
Other Observations
Lauren – It is four years since I read the first book and I might not be remembering correctly, but I think the character of Lauren was created for the show.
The Duct Tape Killer – Yes, the Duct Tape killer got a mention! That was an effective piece of foreshadowing, and just a nice little reference.
Pippa’s isolation – There are the moments she shares with Ravi, Cara, and her other friends, but the show also tries to portray how when she is investigating the case, Pippa seems very alone. Shut away in her bedroom with her case board on the wall, the atmosphere gives a sense that she is a million miles away from anyone else.
Nose stealing – It was just a tiny thing, but the scene with Daniel da Silva ‘stealing’ Pippa’s nose was great – made even more so by Emma Myers’ reaction.
Jason Bell – He lurks in the background…
The calamity party – A party in a cave? I am not a party person by any means, but to me that seems odd!
There were many good things about this series, but overall I have mixed feelings and it did not match my admittedly high expectations. Episode 5 was the only one I thoroughly approved of from start to finish, while the others were all a bit hit-and-miss.
Not bad, but not amazing either.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Stephen Reads Books 