Good Girl, Bad Blood (Jackson)
Short summary
Little Kilton, England, present day. Six months after solving the Andie Bell case, Pip Fitz-Amobi announced her detective days were over.
However, when her friend Connor's older brother Jamie Reynolds vanished after a memorial service, Pip reluctantly agreed to investigate. Jamie had been missing for hours, but police refused to help, deeming him low-risk due to his history of disappearing. Pip discovered Jamie had been catfished by someone calling herself Layla Mead, who used stolen photos of a local student. Jamie had fallen in love with Layla online, borrowed nine hundred pounds from a drug dealer, attempted to steal money from work, and even broke into a neighbor's house to steal a watch—all at Layla's instruction.
Pip traced Jamie's movements to an abandoned farmhouse where she found him alive, locked in a bathroom by Stanley Forbes, a local newspaper editor. Stanley was actually Child Brunswick, the son of serial killer Scott Brunswick, living under a new identity. Layla Mead had been searching for Child Brunswick, manipulating multiple men online to help identify him. Jamie had confronted Stanley on Layla's orders, believing Stanley was threatening her life.
At the farmhouse, Pip's neighbor Charlie Green revealed himself as Layla Mead. Stanley had helped his father abduct and murder Charlie's sister nineteen years earlier. Charlie shot Stanley multiple times and set the building on fire. Pip desperately tried to save Stanley, but he died in her arms. Charlie and his wife Flora escaped. Pip struggled with guilt and trauma, eventually vandalizing Max Hastings's house after he was acquitted of rape.
I’ve been lying to myself... trying to separate myself from that person who became so obsessed... But I think, now, that that *is* me. And maybe I’m selfish... and maybe none of that is good, but it feels good.
She organized Stanley's funeral when no one else would, accepting that her obsessive nature was integral to who she was, even if it meant doing things others considered wrong.
Detailed summary by days
Thursday
Six months after solving the Andie Bell murder case, Pip Fitz-Amobi was still haunted by the investigation. She repeatedly listened to audio recordings from her first case, particularly Elliot Ward's voice saying it was a tragedy how things ended. Pip reflected on how she had once trusted Ward, viewing him as a father figure, but now understood that everyone was capable of deception when protecting loved ones.
Friday
Pip completed her podcast, a six-episode series titled 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder,' which detailed her investigation into the Andie Bell case. The podcast revealed that Elliot Ward had framed Sal Singh for Andie's murder and kept a woman he believed was Andie captive for five years, though she was actually Isla Jordan. The real killer was Becca Bell, Andie's younger sister. The podcast became a massive success, topping the iTunes chart, but Pip announced her detective days were over.
Saturday
Connor Reynolds arrived at Pip's house in distress, revealing that his older brother Jamie had been missing since the previous night's memorial for Andie Bell and Sal Singh. Jamie was last seen at the memorial around 8:00 PM and never returned home. Connor and his mother had filed a missing persons report, but the police considered Jamie low risk due to his history of leaving home without communication.
Connor insisted something was different this time—Jamie had been acting strangely, distant and jumpy. He begged Pip for help. Pip initially refused, citing the severe consequences of her previous investigation: hospitalization, her dog's death, endangering her family, and disrupting her best friend's life.
That’s what happens when you’re a detective. The people around you get hurt. And you hurt people... Have to keep secrets you’re not sure you should. That’s why I don’t do it any more, and you shouldn’t either.
Despite her reservations, Pip agreed to use her influence with the police. She went to the police station and confronted DI Hawkins, but he explained they were overwhelmed with missing persons reports and had to prioritize based on risk assessment. He was currently handling a high-risk case involving an abducted eight-year-old and couldn't help with Jamie.
‘Do you know how many missing persons reports we get every single day? Sometimes as many as twelve. We quite literally don’t have the time or resources to chase up every single one... We have to prioritize.’
Pip left the station devastated and called Ravi Singh, her boyfriend and investigative partner from the previous case. After discussing the situation with him, she called Connor back and told him she would take the case.
Sunday: 2 days missing
Pip interviewed Jamie's mother Joanna and Connor, learning that Jamie had been acting strangely for weeks, particularly since early March when Nat da Silva got a new boyfriend. Jamie's mood fluctuated between miserable and suddenly happy, and he was constantly on his phone. He had been sneaking out at night and crying unexpectedly. On the day he disappeared, Jamie had a heated argument with his father Arthur about his life direction.
While searching Jamie's room, Pip found a mysterious note reading 'Hillary F Weiseman left 11' and a delicate pink and rose gold ladies' watch that didn't belong to anyone in the family. Pip announced Jamie's disappearance on her podcast and website, creating missing posters and organizing a search effort. She discovered that Jamie had been catfished by someone using photos of Stella Chapman, a student at Pip's school, under the name Layla Mead.
Through witness testimony, Pip established a timeline: Jamie was seen at a calamity party after the memorial, standing and watching someone near a fireplace around 9:38 PM. At 9:56 PM, he was seen leaving through a corridor. Around 10:32 PM, he was outside on the phone, saying things like 'No, I can't do that,' 'I could call the police,' and mentioning 'a child.' He then walked away from the party. At 11:40 PM, he was spotted on Wyvil Road.
Pip's investigation revealed more disturbing details. Her mother disclosed that Jamie had been fired from his job two weeks earlier after attempting to steal the company credit card, claiming it was 'life or death.' Joanna discovered that Jamie's black hoodie and a yellow-banded kitchen knife were missing from their home. Most significantly, Pip found a grey jumper in Jamie's laundry with bloodstains on it. When Pip finally cracked Jamie's laptop password, she discovered searches about brain cancer, how to make money quickly, and controlling fathers. Jamie's Fitbit data showed his heart rate spiking dramatically after 11:40 PM, reaching 158 bpm before all data ceased at 12:30 AM.
Monday: 3 days missing
At school, Pip discovered through a video that Jamie had approached Stella Chapman at the party, calling her 'Leila' and asking what she was doing at a high-school party. Stella had never met Jamie before and told him to leave her alone. Pip realized Jamie had been catfished by someone using Stella's photos. She then interviewed their new history teacher, Mr. Clark, who admitted he had also been contacted by Layla Mead on Instagram. Layla had asked about his age, upcoming thirtieth birthday, and family, but ghosted him after he revealed his profession as a teacher.
A body was discovered in woodland between Little Kilton and Amersham, causing panic that it might be Jamie. The Reynolds family waited in agony until police confirmed it was not Jamie, giving them another chance to find him alive. Arthur Reynolds finally agreed to be interviewed, explaining that Jamie had asked to borrow nine hundred pounds on April 10th, calling it 'really important' but refusing to explain why. Arthur had refused, leading to their argument.
Tuesday: 4 days missing
The investigation took a dramatic turn when the jury in Max Hastings' rape trial returned a not guilty verdict on all charges. Pip was devastated, feeling that justice had failed. She rushed to Nat da Silva's house to comfort her, finding Nat collapsed and screaming in anguish. Despite their strained relationship, Pip held Nat as she cried, both women united in their grief over the miscarriage of justice.
At school, Pip was confronted by Ant, who suggested Jamie's disappearance was staged for her podcast. In a moment of rage, Pip physically attacked Ant, shoving him against lockers and screaming in his face. She was suspended for three days. That evening, overwhelmed by anger and despair, Pip uploaded Max's confession audio to her website and painted 'Rapist / I will get you' on his house, smashing all six front windows. She then reconciled with Ravi, admitting she had been lying to herself about who she really was—someone obsessive, reckless, and willing to do bad things that felt right.
‘What was the point in everything we did last year? I thought I was doing it for the truth. But guess what? The truth doesn’t matter. It doesn’t! Max Hastings is innocent... *That’s* the truth now.’
Wednesday: 5 days missing
Nat da Silva contacted Pip with crucial information. She had broken up with her boyfriend Luke Eaton after discovering he had lied about his whereabouts the night Jamie disappeared. More importantly, she found WhatsApp messages between Luke and Layla Mead on his phone, showing they had planned to meet at Lodge Wood car park that night. Luke's final message to Layla was threatening: 'What the fuck, I'm gonna kill you.' This confirmed Layla Mead was deeply involved in Jamie's disappearance.
Pip organized a search party with eighty-eight volunteers. Cara Ward's team discovered the missing kitchen knife at the abandoned farmhouse on Sycamore Road—the same place where Andie Bell's body had been found. That night, they conducted a stakeout at the farmhouse. During a confrontation, a car arrived and fled when Pip emerged. During a high-speed chase, Pip's car spun out of control. Cara identified the fleeing vehicle as a white BMW belonging to Luke.
Thursday: 6 days missing
Pip and Ravi interviewed Luke Eaton, who revealed shocking information: Layla Mead was actually Jamie Reynolds. Luke had gone to Lodge Wood expecting to meet Layla but found Jamie instead. Jamie had uttered two unclear words—possibly 'child broomstick' or 'child brown sick'—before running into the trees. Pip researched the cryptic words and discovered 'Child Brunswick' was the media nickname for the unnamed son of serial killer Scott Brunswick, who had helped his father murder seven teenagers in Margate between 1998 and 1999.
Pip theorized that Layla Mead had been searching for Child Brunswick, who would now be twenty-nine or thirty years old. Everyone Layla interviewed fit this age demographic. Pip discovered a 4Chan post from four months earlier claiming Child Brunswick lived in Little Kilton, with information allegedly coming from someone at Grendon Prison—where Howie Bowers was incarcerated. Pip remembered photographing Howie meeting with someone months earlier and realized the person was Stanley Forbes, editor of the Kilton Mail. Stanley fit the profile: the right age, no social media presence, and being blackmailed by Howie. Pip concluded Stanley Forbes was Child Brunswick.
Friday: 7 days missing
Pip devised a plan to lure Stanley to the farmhouse by impersonating Layla Mead, while Ravi and Connor would break into Stanley's house to search for Jamie. At the farmhouse, Pip confronted Stanley, who initially thought she was Layla. Stanley explained that Layla had contacted him through Facebook, and when he went to meet her, Jamie appeared instead, saying 'Child Brunswick.' During a struggle, Stanley disarmed Jamie and accidentally injured him. Panicked about his identity being exposed, Stanley took Jamie to his house and locked him in the downstairs toilet.
Stanley revealed that Jamie had been manipulated by Layla, who claimed to have a controlling father and an inoperable brain tumor. Jamie gave her twelve hundred pounds and performed various tasks, including stealing a watch and assaulting someone. Layla convinced Jamie that Stanley was her stalker. As Pip learned this, Ravi and Connor found Jamie alive, locked in Stanley's downstairs toilet. However, their break-in had triggered a silent alarm.
Suddenly, Charlie Green arrived at the farmhouse with a gun, revealing himself as Layla Mead. His sister Emily Nowell had been one of Child Brunswick's victims nineteen years earlier. Charlie had spent seven years tracking Stanley across ten towns, using the Layla Mead persona to identify him. He had manipulated Jamie into increasingly dangerous tasks, intending to make Jamie kill Stanley. Despite Pip's pleas, Charlie shot Stanley multiple times. Pip desperately tried to save Stanley's life, performing CPR as the farmhouse burned around them, but Stanley died in her arms.
Sunday: 16 days later
Sixteen days after Stanley's death, Pip organized his funeral. Only eight people attended. Stanley had no family to claim him, and his friends had abandoned him after his identity was revealed. Pip chose a burial over cremation, believing Stanley wouldn't want to be cremated like his father's victims. During the service, protesters arrived with hateful signs. Pip charged at them in rage, breaking their signs and screaming at them to leave Stanley alone before her father restrained her.
Saturday: 6 days later
Six days after the funeral, Pip attended a barbecue at the Reynolds' house celebrating Jamie's survival. Jamie confided that he couldn't stop thinking about Stanley. Both Jamie and Pip struggled with guilt, feeling they had inadvertently led Charlie to Stanley. That evening, alone in her room, Pip continued searching online for sightings of Charlie and Flora Green, who remained at large. She was haunted by the memory of the gun and questioned whether she and Charlie were truly different.