Books like Good Girl's Guide to Murder

If you liked Good Girl's Guide to Murder, read Not Quite Dead Yet, The Reappearance of Rachel Price, or Truly Devious — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Looking for books like Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (Mystery · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of murder--fiction., mystery and detective stories., and murder, fiction. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Good Girl's Guide to Murder

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Why each is a match

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Not Quite Dead Yetgrades 7–12
Is by Holly Jackson, the same author, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Reappearance of Rachel Pricegrades 7–12
Is by Holly Jackson, the same author, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
Truly Deviousgrades 9–12
Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Hauntinggrades 6–9
Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Whispers from the Deadgrades 6–9
Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Thirteen Reasons Whygrades 9–12
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Patron Saints of Nothinggrades 9–12
Shares themes of murder, fiction and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legendgrades 9–12
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Divergentgrades 8–12
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Faking Normalgrades 9–12
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Good Girl's Guide to Murder for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

  • Piggins by Jane Yolen · grades K–3 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).
  • Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick · grades K–3 — Same genre (Mystery) and the same era (2010s).
  • The Apothecary by Maile Meloy · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Mystery) and the same era (2010s).
  • A Lion is a Lion by Polly Dunbar · grades K–0 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list and the same era (2010s).
  • Chalk by Bill Thomson · grades K–2 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list and the same era (2010s).

Books like Good Girl's Guide to Murder for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

  • Something Big Has Been Here by Jack Prelutsky · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and same genre (Mystery).
  • The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and same genre (Mystery).
  • Framed! by James Ponti · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).
  • Alvin's Swap Shop by Clifford B. Hicks · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).
  • Christina's Ghost by Betty Ren Wright · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).

Books like Good Girl's Guide to Murder for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

  • Framed! by James Ponti · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).
  • Alvin's Swap Shop by Clifford B. Hicks · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).
  • Christina's Ghost by Betty Ren Wright · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).
  • Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).
  • Dead Man in Indian Creek by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).

Books like Good Girl's Guide to Murder for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

  • Five Survive by Holly Jackson · grades 9–12 — Is by Holly Jackson, the same author, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • I am the Weapon by Allen Zadoff · grades 9–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s).
  • I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga · grades 9–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s).
  • Legend by Marie Lu · grades 6–9 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Good Girl's Guide to Murder?
The 10 closest matches to Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson on ReadingList include Not Quite Dead Yet, The Reappearance of Rachel Price, Truly Devious, The Haunting, and Whispers from the Dead. Each is scored on shared themes (murder--fiction., mystery and detective stories., and murder, fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Good Girl's Guide to Murder reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?
Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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