As Good As Dead - Book Review

This review contains spoilers!! 

I have a lot of mixed opinions about this book. The beginning was ok, but the second half had my moral compass spinning out of control. I certainly, certainly was not expecting the second half of the book to go the way it did.

I definitely don't think that this was the best book in the trilogy at all. I feel that, unlike in the first two books, the "big reveal" of the murderer's identity was not at all surprising. And I kind of knew what was going to happen next all the time. And in this book, Pip was kinda just being stupid. I get that she had been through a lot of trauma, but it was very out of character for her to just deny the fact that something was suspicious. And she was out walking on the streets alone all the time! Even I know that's dangerous, and I am not being stalked by a serial killer (I hope). It really annoyed me, and I feel that this weakness in writing was very unusual for Holly Jackson. So, although the second half of the book made me uncomfortable, I found the first half less interesting. 

Ok, so the second half of the book was certainly something. I felt very very uncomfortable to read about Pip committing, covering up and framing someone for murder. But, as my English teachers say, literature is meant to challenge the reader. Unsurprisingly I've never read any books in which the protagonist covers up a murder they committed. I did kind of enjoy reading about the process that they used to cover it up.

However, I think what bothered me was the fact that there was a sense of normalcy and black-and-white justice which was shown through the characters. Ravi didn't even freak out that much when he found out that his girlfriend committed murder. None of the other characters who helped with the cover-up showed any complex moral feelings. Pip kept insisting that the situation was "black-and-white", and acted accordingly, which just didn't sit right for me. Of course Max and Jason deserved punishment, especially after avoiding repercussions for so long. But I don't think that it was morally right for Pip to take this into her own hands. But I get it, she was kinda stuck within her situation. She didn't really have another choice, but I think that her distrust of the police could have been conveyed better and explored more. The "black-and-white" approach just isn't realistic, and although I could see her reasoning, I didn't like how Pip was so objected to the "grey areas".

I also felt that the ending was kind of weak. It almost seemed as if Pip's distrust and hate toward the police disappeared after Max was arrested. I'm not too sure that something she felt so strongly could just go away like that. 

And the fact that Pip broke up with Ravi?? Again, I guess I understand why, but Pip doesn't deserve Ravi!! He was so loyal to her and then she just coldly broke up with him. She was kind of unlikeable in this book. I think I found it hard to come to terms with the idea of a "good" character murdering someone. Perhaps it's because society often teaches us that "good people" and "bad people" are two mutually exclusive categories, rather than a Venn diagram. Maybe it's because I found it scary to witness a "good girl" spiral down to the level of a murderer. It's probably a mixture of both.

If I am being honest, I really feel like Pip was out of character throughout the whole book. Perhaps it was supposed to be due to her trauma -- she had definitely been through a lot of that. But I just didn't feel that this book was as well-written as the other two. I still enjoyed it though!! The tension was written well in some parts of the book. I think this is another instance where I look back on the novel and pick up more problems/criticisms than I did when I was reading. It was certainly interesting...

As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson, 15+* ★★★.25

*This age recommendation is only my opinion. Some younger people might feel comfortable reading this book, and some older people might not. That's fine, either way. Warning for murder, death, discussions of sexual assault, mentions of pet death, swearing, drug use, drink spiking, medium-level violence, medium-level gore, mentions of domestic abuse, sexual references, discussions of a fictional serial killer, kidnapping, torture, violence towards women, and potentially upsetting themes.