Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
When it comes to this series, I can’t decide which book I love the most. I probably shouldn’t be mentioning them separately but each individual book is so good, I want to talk about them all. The top spot in this series is a battle between the first two. Probably because they’re the ones with the most investigation. Although, I will say book three is the best thriller-wise. It’s so unsettling.
Anyway, I’m talking about book two today. The mystery side of this book is definitely more heart-racing than the first. The stakes are really high as Pip isn’t looking into an old case, Jamie’s disappearance is something that is happening right now and the longer it takes, the more likely it is he’ll never be found.
The vibes of this book are much darker. Pip has matured a lot (almost being killed multiple times will do that to you) and she holds nothing back. I loved the change in her character, which I know some people hated. But I think she became a real badass. Yes, she makes some terrible decisions but she was much less of a push over. It built the resolve that she needed for book three (no spoilers).
This is a mystery that actually has you questioning everything. I guessed a huge part of book one, but I genuinely didn’t suspect the culprit. You can’t go wrong with a Holly Jackson mystery.
Synopsis: Pip is not a detective anymore.
With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.
But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.
The police won’t do anything about it. And if they won’t look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town’s dark secrets along the way… and this time everyone is listening. But will she find him before it’s too late?
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
This book is more of a mystery than a thriller. There are a few spooky moments, I’d expect nothing less from a book with Death as a prevalent character. The gothic vibes of the setting also add to this perfectly. I adored the setting of this book.
If the idea of trying to solve a mystery with the help of Death sounds fun, this is the book for you. Although, I would say this isn’t the most complex mystery ever written. But the world this book is set in is so interesting and mysterious. Signa has strange powers and the mystical goings on don’t stop there. The biggest mystery of this book for me was figuring out Signa’s relationship with Death and how she got her powers.
If you’re not a fan of romance in your mystery books, I’d say avoid this one. There isn’t a lot of romance in this instalment, but the second book has quite a lot. I personally love it.
Synopsis: Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each one more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation, and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.
However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful—and more irresistible—than she ever dared imagine.
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