51 pages • 1 hour read
Holly JacksonAs Good As Dead
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaSymbols & Motifs
The Podcast
A major symbol that appears throughout all the books in the series is the podcast itself, but it serves a different function in each novel, depending on the specific investigation. In book three, the podcast symbolizes the quest for truth and relates most closely to the theme of The Struggle to Be Heard. As mentioned in the theme discussion, Hawkins is the character most closely associated with Pip’s struggle to be heard. The podcast allows her to take her case to the people.
In contrast, Hawkins believes one must go through proper channels to solve a crime. He resists the idea that teenage amateur sleuths have any business meddling with police affairs. For the most part, he ignores and minimizes the evidence that Pip brings to him. He only starts to pay attention when she broadcasts her views via the podcast.
By the novel's end, the podcast ceases to become a vehicle for disseminating the truth. It becomes the means for Pip to lay a false trail of evidence that Hawkins will be compelled to follow. While the detective does his best to convince Pip that she is delusional, she weaponizes her podcast as a means to see justice done in the DT Killer case. She uses it to free the falsely convicted Billy Karras and implicate Max as Jason’s killer. In this instance, truth is not the goal. Justice is.
Police Procedures
Investigative procedures become a central motif in the novel's second half as Pip covers up her crime. These procedures relate to the theme of Justice Denied, and Pip knows how investigations are conducted well enough to game the system. On the night she murders Jason, she calls Max’s attorney to inform him that she’s consented to a settlement. Knowing that the lawyer will immediately call his client, Pip has planted Max’s phone at Jason’s murder scene. His lawyer has unwittingly established Max’s location at Green Scene when Jason was killed.
Pip also plays law enforcement to her advantage, using the same tactics. She is very aware of police procedures related to eliminating suspects, so she is careful to establish an alibi by being seen on the video cameras at McDonald’s. She also pays by credit card to have a date and time stamp for her purchase. The same is true of Ravi’s activities on the night of the murder.
Pip also exploits forensic procedures by placing strands of Max’s hair on Jason’s body and using his clothing and shoes while moving the body to the woods. She is aware that the coroner will establish the time of death based on morbidity, and she cools Jason’s body to make it appear he died hours later than he did. As Hawkins wryly tells Pip, “I suppose if you were ever involved in anything like this, you’d know exactly how to get away with it” (435).
Duct Tape
Duct tape is a recurring motif that appears throughout the novel. It is most closely associated with the DT Killer and is related to the theme of Pure Evil. The book’s artist carefully weaves the motif into the cover design and chapter headings. The author herself says, “Thank you, as always, to the genius Casey Moses for the incredible cover design and for so expertly bringing to life my unhelpful suggestion of ‘duct tape—but make it creepy’” (456). The duct tape connection to the serial killer begins with a small piece of tape attached to a street sign. Then, Pip accidentally picks up a wad of tape on her jogging shoe. Jason has left both as signs that he is stalking Pip. Later, he binds her hands and feet with the tape and wraps it completely around her head to silence her.
As might be expected, Pip frees herself from these constraints and comes back to mete out justice to the serial killer. Interestingly enough, she uses duct tape that evening to cover up the crime. Pip attaches pieces of tape to the security cameras outside the Hastings home to prevent anyone from noticing her entry into the house. She finds herself replacing rolls of duct tape that are used as she stages Jason’s crime scene. At one point, she needs to replace her father’s supply in the garage and says, “Into the garage, to her dad’s tool kit. She replaced his duct tape roll with another ‘Fucking duct tape’ under her breath” (369). Pip has clearly seen enough of the innocuous repair item to last the rest of her life.
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By Holly Jackson
