Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is one of those rare books that turns readers into detectives. Pip's obsessive, methodical approach to uncovering the truth, combined with a town full of secrets, is genuinely hard to replicate. But these five books come close.
1. One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
Five students walk into detention. Only four come out alive. Every one of them is a suspect. Every one of them is hiding something.
Why it works: Like Pip's investigation, this is a high-school murder mystery where reputations are weaponised and the truth is buried under layers of carefully maintained lies. The multi-perspective narrative keeps you guessing until the end.
2. Sadie by Courtney Summers
A girl goes missing. A podcast host tries to track her journey. What unfolds is a raw, dual-narrative look at a young woman on a solo revenge mission through the dark corners of small-town America.
Why it works: If the true-crime podcast element in Holly Jackson's series hooked you, this is essential reading. Sadie alternates between podcast transcripts and Sadie's own POV, and it's as gripping as it sounds.
3. Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
Stevie Bell is a true-crime obsessive who gets herself accepted into an elite Vermont academy, specifically because she wants to solve a legendary kidnapping cold case from the 1930s. Then a new mystery starts.
Why it works: Stevie is Pip's spiritual twin: brilliant, fixated, and completely unable to leave a mystery alone. The dual-timeline structure mirrors the AGGGTM formula almost perfectly.
4. The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson
Two former friends, armed with Agatha Christie novels and a lot of determination, investigate the disappearance of a classmate in their wealthy, gossip-saturated coastal town.
Why it works: The "amateur sleuth against a world that doesn't take her seriously" energy is pitch-perfect. Small-town secrets, unlikely alliances, and a mystery that keeps unravelling.
5. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Cassie has a rare gift for profiling people. The FBI recruits her into a secret program for gifted teenagers to help solve cold cases that have stumped adults for years.
Why it works: Cassie is sharp, perceptive, and gets personally entangled in the very cases she's trying to solve, just like Pip. If you want the investigative instincts and rising stakes without the strictly realistic setting, this delivers.
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