Mini Review Monday – AGGGTM

From Goodreads:

The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?

This was a re-read for me as part of my Slay the Series Blog project but I got so much more out of it this time around. The first time around I devoured this in such a whirlwind fast pace that I didn’t even write a review I was completely blown away by how fun and entertaining this mystery was. This re-read I remembered all the big hits of the story but I had forgotten all the details that really made this book something special, so despite knowing who did it I still found myself swept along by the story.

There are so many twists, turns, really good red herrings and bits that just make you gasp. Its just a fun read. I really enjoyed how this just skirted a lot of the troupes that most YA mysteries fall into. Pip solves elements in really smart and subtle ways. She actually tells adults when thing go wrong, when she doesn’t she feels guilt and remorse at the danger she has put herself in. She even makes sure people know how to find her when she follows the detective goes off into danger by themselves trope.

The characters are intelligent and act as such but they are also fallible. They make mistakes and have to live with the consequences. All of which just makes for such a unputdownable read.