Book Review #91: As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

 

This is the third in a trilogy of books that I am a huge fan of. You can read my reviews of 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder' and  'Good Girl, Bad Blood' here, but I was so excited for this book to finally come out, and I couldn't wait to read it.

Pip is haunted by her last investigation. Now that she is preparing to leave for university, it's finally time to put the past behind her. But after an online threat, a couple of dead birds, and some chalk drawings connect Pip to a man jailed for a crime that he may not have committed, Pip is pulled back into the world of investigating. But this time, Pip's life is on the line. And if she doesn't discover the truth, she will be the one who disappears.

Unfortunately, I didn't love this book. It is a good standalone book, but it was my least favourite of the trilogy.   

I really liked the idea of seeing the effects of Pip's previous investigations. It's realistic that the things she's been through would have an effect on her mentally, and this was written in a really great way. It also made sense for the story to go in this direction.

The beginning of this book feels like catching up with old friends. I've read one of these books every year since 2019, so it really does feel like returning to something warm and familiar.

Having said that, I felt like I needed a recap of the previous books before going into this one. Who are all these characters again? To be honest, I've finished the book and there are still characters that I don't really remember.

My feelings about the story started changing when, unfortunately, I guessed a major plot twist. It didn't hurt the story as much as I thought it would, but as soon as I read one sentence, I just knew, and I was completely right. More than anything it was a bit disappointing. 

What also disappointed me was the character of Pip this time around. I found her really frustrating. And it wasn't the changes to her character (such as her mental health struggles) that I didn't like, but rather it was the way that she didn't change. Looking at these three books, I would have expected Pip to be so much further along in her development. I wanted her to be a bit more cautious and mature than she was, which would make sense given the results of her last investigation.

From about page 200, the story started to get completely unrealistic, almost to the point of being a bit ridiculous. 

The story is split into 2 parts, and the first is much more in keeping with what the first two stories are, and what you expect the third to be. The second part felt weird. The tone was the same, but everything else had changed. 

There was a moment when I thought that the second part of the book would redeem itself, where something realistic happened in the sea of fantasy that would have made me really like the way the second part went. But then something else happened to keep everything on the 'right' track, and I was disappointed all over again.

What was good?

I love Holly Jackson. I love the way she creates stories, and I love the way she tells them. Reading this book was like watching a movie. Even with a lack of character descriptions, I could clearly see everything as it was happening. I loved reading the book and felt completely immersed in it for the entire time that I read it. 

What was bad? 

Everything felt a bit too clean for me, too nicely wrapped up. The fact that this potential new killer happens to be the cause for everything that's happened to Pip from book one, in a roundabout way, felt too contrived. 

Overall

I love spending time with Pip, Ravi, and everyone in this world. This book was a bit longer than it needed to be, and I'm not a huge fan of the way that things have ended for Pip, but this is a good book, and Jackson is an amazing writer.

3/5 stars