A fortnight ago, we talked about how Apple TV+ made the right move in doling out episodes of the murder mystery series “Lady in the Lake” one week at a time after a two-episode premiere, as the material was so dense and dour and brutal, and layered with so many social issues, that the viewer might benefit from some breathing room between chapters. Now comes the Netflix series “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,” with all six episodes dropping Thursday, and in this particular case, binge away!
For one thing, most of the episodes clock in at a fast-paced 40 minutes or so (the last two are 47 and 48 minutes, respectively), and while creator Poppy Cogan’s largely faithful adaptation of Holly Jackson’s book series of the same name is indeed about a murder and a subsequent suicide, it plays like a 21st century version of “Nancy Drew” and is relatively light in onscreen depictions of violence and peril. Given the material, it’s not exactly breezy — but it’s the streaming series equivalent of a page-turner you zip through while sitting on the porch or relaxing on the beach.
Throughout the series run, “A Good Girl’s Guide” is peppered with decidedly British dialogue; in the first episode alone, one character says, “Do you have any more of those posh crisps?”, while another intones, “I’ve heard you’re a bit of a Nosy Parker.” Excellent!
Actually, though, it’s the American actress Emma Myers (the werewolf roommate Enid on Netflix’s “Wednesday") who affects an impressive Brit accent to play 17-year-old amateur sleuth Pippa “Pip” Fitz-Amobi, who lives in the fictional English town of Little Kilton. For Pip’s final-year Application Essay, she has chosen to revisit a tragedy that rocked the town some five years earlier, when the popular and beautiful local girl Andie Bell (India Lillie Davies) was murdered and her boyfriend, Sal Singh (Rahul Pattni), left behind an incriminating text message before dying by suicide.
Pip is haunted by brief encounters she had with first Andie and then Sal on the day of Andie’s murder, and she’s not convinced the kindly Sal, who had never been in trouble before, is the real killer. Armed with a small notebook, ready to press “Record” on her phone at any given moment, Pip proves to be a dogged and intuitive private investigator with a real knack for getting Andie’s and Sal’s friends, relatives and associates to open up, on the record. She’s also really good at sneaking into parties and houses and other places in search of clues, courting danger and in a few instances finding herself in real trouble. Most episodes of “A Good Girl’s Guide” follow an almost comfortable, familiar pattern, with Pip uncovering new clues and the story taking semi-surprising twists, even as she receivers a number of anonymous threats warning her to back off the case, or else.
Zain Iqbal turns in fine and empathetic work as Sal’s brother Ravi, who eventually becomes the Watson to Pip’s Holmes. The overcrowded supporting cast includes a couple of characters who aren’t particularly germane to the proceedings, but standouts include Asha Banks as Pip’s best friend, Cara; Mathew Baynton as Cara’s widowed father, Elliot, a popular teacher at their school; Jackson Bews as Dan, a young police officer with personal connections to the case, and Henry Ashton as Max, who gives off 1980s entitled-prep school villain vibes. (Not that we’re saying Max is the villain. There might be more than one villain. Or maybe it turns out that Sal indeed killed Andie and then took his own life. But that wouldn’t make for much of a murder mystery, would it?)
This being a modern-day mystery, much of “A Good Girl’s Guide” centers on cell phones and text messages and tracking apps, etc., though Pip does engage in a lot of old-fashioned, shoe-leather gumshoe work, relying on her wits and instincts to get those interviews and to gain access to locales that might hold vital clues. With Cogan handling most of the writing, and directing duties split between Dolly Wells and Tom Vaughan, this is a well-written show with excellent pacing and timing, handling sometimes sensitive material about abuse and suicide with care. (I was taken aback by a choice made during a birthday party scene that comes across as gratuitous and mean-spirited, especially because it’s in glaring contrast to the overall tone of the show.)
With Emma Myers creating a performance that has us rooting for and caring about Pip from the moment she endeavors to crack the case, “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” makes for a satisfying viewing experience that won’t tax your soul or haunt your dreams.
