A day in the life of Pippa Fitz-Amobi

By: Saumya Maurya

Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t an average teenager. While most high school students spend their days juggling school, social lives, and future plans, Pip adds another layer of complexity to her daily life: solving crimes. As the protagonist of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, Pip is a tenacious investigator, fiercely intelligent, and unrelentingly curious. This article dives deep into a fictional “day in the life” of Pip, exploring her routines, challenges, and the thrilling undertakings that define her existence.

Her mornings begin early, a rare moment of calm before the storm. She’s an early riser, starting the day with a walk around the neighborhood with her dog, Barney, and a cup of tea to clear her head. As she sits at the dining table, her trusty notebook and laptop open, Pip reviews her case notes, cross-checking timelines, and jotting down questions to investigate. Breakfast is a quick affair, usually taken alongside her family, though her thoughts are often elsewhere, already focused on what the day will bring. Her mornings are methodical, a time to ground herself before the whirlwind of action that inevitably follows.

At school, Pip juggles the delicate balance between being a high-achieving student and a relentless investigator. To most of her classmates, she’s just Pip—smart, determined, maybe a little intense. But beneath the surface, her mind is constantly at work. During lessons, she splits her focus between class material and the latest developments in her case, scribbling notes in the margins of her notebooks. Between classes, she might share a quick update with Ravi Singh, her partner in sleuthing, who often provides both encouragement and a dose of humour to lighten her load. Her teachers praise her for her focus and diligence, unaware that part of her academic precision comes from years of honing her skills as an investigator. School is both a responsibility and a distraction, but Pip manages to excel in both realms, driven by her unyielding determination.

Once school ends, Pip’s real work begins. With her backpack slung over her shoulder and her notebook in hand, she heads straight to the heart of the action. This might mean visiting a suspect’s workplace, observing a critical location, or following up on a lead. Pip thrives in these moments of hands-on investigation, where her sharp instincts and attention to detail set her apart. She’s skilled at blending into her surroundings, whether it’s chatting casually with someone to gather information or silently observing her environment for anything out of place. It’s not uncommon for Pip to encounter resistance or even danger during these excursions, but she’s fearless in her pursuit of the truth. Every clue uncovered, every question answered, brings her closer to solving the mystery at hand.

As evening falls, Pip returns home, her mind racing with the day’s findings. The dining table or her bedroom becomes her war room, where she organises photos, documents, and scribbled notes into a web of interconnected clues. Her infamous investigation board takes shape as she pins up photos and scrawls connections in red ink, her determination burning brighter with every piece of the puzzle that falls into place. Ravi often joins her during these late-night sessions, their teamwork a blend of sharp analysis and light-hearted banter that keeps Pip grounded. But the weight of her investigations is never far away. As the clock ticks on, she feels the burden of the cases she’s chosen to shoulder—the lives that hang in the balance, the truths that demand uncovering. By night, Pip finally slows down, allowing herself a moment to breathe. She updates her journal with detailed notes on the day’s progress, sketching out her next steps and reflecting on the challenges she’s faced. These quiet moments of solitude are rare but necessary, a chance for Pip to process her emotions and steel herself for what lies ahead. Despite the exhaustion that comes with living such a high-stakes life, she never wavers in her resolve. Pip knows the road she’s chosen is fraught with challenges, but for her, the pursuit of justice is worth every sacrifice. Each day brings her closer to the answers she seeks, and no matter how overwhelming it may seem, she wouldn’t trade it for anything.