This one had great potential but was not executed very well. It was extremely slow. I kept putting it down and not really caring to read it sadly.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin is a clever, entertaining who-done-it. Frances Adams has lived her entire life heeding the words given to her by a fortune teller when she was sixteen years old. “Your future contains dry bones. Your slow demise begins right when you hold the queen in the palm of one hand. Beware the bird, for it will betray you. And from that, there’s no coming back. But daughters are the key to justice, find the right one and keep her close. All signs point toward your murder.” And from then on, Frances has been obsessed with preventing her own murder. She has collected as much info on her friends, family, and the locals in town and stored them in organized files in the room off her library. But all this doesn't help - Frances is found murdered in her home around the same time she has summoned her family for a meeting. Someone wanted her dead and Frances always knew that fortune was going to come true.

Mystery author Annie Adams was summoned to meet her Great-Aunt Frances for the first time in order to go over some provisions to Frances' will. Unfortunately Frances was murdered the day Annie arrives to the estate and Annie didn't get a chance to meet her. As the other family members arrive, it is disclosed that Frances wants them to find out who murdered her and they only have a week to figure out the mystery. It's a bit of a game, you see, the person that finds the killer will inherit the estate. But if the police figure it out first, Frances' whole estate will be given to land developers. So now, Annie and her relatives are in a competition to find out who murdered Frances, but EVERYONE we meet is a suspect and now Annie has a target on her back.

This book was written in dual POVs and dual timelines. We work with Annie to solve the murder, but Annie also finds Great-Aunt Frances' journals from the 1960s and we get Frances' perspective from the time she was given the fortune as well. There is an additional mystery interspersed (which I was able to figure out before the reveal - and which I think enjoyed better than the main mystery if I'm honest).

I really enjoyed Annie as the protagonist. She was smart and perceptive and I enjoyed working with her to unravel the clues. There are a large number of supporting characters, but they were easy to remember and the storyline doesn't get too complicated.

I think that anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery with a lot of red herrings and possible suspects would enjoy this, the first in a new series by Kristen Perrin. I will be looking for the next installment in this series.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I enjoyed reading this! I really liked the back-and-forth timeline of the book and the twist of the murderer I pretty much didn't see coming which I appreciated. I can't wait to see what's next in this series!

The premise was so interesting that it's hard to believe it was executed so poorly and in such a boring way. 20% in and nothing had happened? And the little that happened was so cliché and predictable. And the characters were so boring and one-dimensional.
Not for me.

In the 1965, Frances was told she would be murdered one day. She spent her life wondering who would kill her, but no one took her seriously. After nearly 60 years, Frances was finally murdered. Her great-niece, Annie, has arrived at Frances’s estate, and is looking for a killer. Fortunately, Frances has left clues.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is told through two points of view and timelines – Frances in the past via her diary entries and Annie in the present. This book has plenty of suspects, a lovely setting, and an enjoyable plot.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a light and fun cozy mystery.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While the story was interesting and had great potential, I found it to be a little convoluted. I think I will give the next book in the series a chance before writing it off entirely, but overall, this book was not as good as I had hoped.

One of the most fun and original mystery plots I've encountered in a good, long while. I was hooked from the start and the perfect tension set by the dual narratives of the story kept me guessing. Both old and young mystery readers alike will delight in Perrin's adult writing debut.

this was a really interesting thriller book. I didn't get into it as much as I had hoped but it still was really good. I might enjoy it more if I go back and reread it.,

When Annie receives a summons to her Aunt Frances’s house, she is excited and nervous to finally meet her. Frances is known in the village as a bit of an eccentric old lady stuck in the past. Many years ago, Frances had her fortune told that she would be murdered. Everything that’s happened since then in her life has led her to live fearing the fortune would come true. When Annie arrives and her Aunt Frances is found murdered, they discover she has set up a game for the recipient of her inheritance. Can Annie figure out who murdered Frances before the others in order to get the fortune, or not? Annie goes on the adventure of her life trying to figure out who the murderer is and tries not to get killed in the process. This was a fun mystery that kept me guessing. I am excited to see it will be a series and can’t wait to read the next one!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Ms. Perrin for the opportunity to review the book "How to Solve Your Own Murder." This was such a refreshing book from other mysteries. I loved the premise of a person who is certain will be murdered and sets up the scene to have someone solve it. The story moved along quickly and having the story be told from the past and present made it even more intriguing. This one is going to be added to my favorites.

I was tempted to think of this as a cozy little murder mystery but it had greater gravitas than cozy or little or maybe not, but I really didn’t care. The opening sentence set the stage for the story. So either it is going to grab you at page one, line one, or not. Consider me grabbed and it only got better as I wound through the history of a group of lifelong friends. It had all the elements for a super “who did what to who” with twists, turns, backtracking, and murder. There is a fortune to be won if a mystery is solved among a large, mixed bag of characters. You can quickly suss out who to trust, who to be cautious around, who is just not easily defined with a few red herrings thrown into the mix. I think my favorite character was The Diary, which seemed to have it’s own life.

I was so glad to have the opportunity to read this book. Thanks to Dutton/Penguin Random House and NetGalley for a copy.

I enjoyed the book but felt as though the ending was slightly rushed considering how many different stories needed to be wrapped up. It was an enjoyable read, but it had so many important characters that by the time the killer was revealed I had to go back to figure out who they were and how they were related to the other characters. Overall it was a fast-paced mystery with an interesting premise.

I absolutely loved "How to Solve Your Own Murder!" I couldn't put it down even when I knew I had work in the morning. The picturesque town of Castle Knoll was filled with mystery, death, quirky characters and criminal activity. For those whole love a "Who dunnit?" novel like Agatha Christie would love this book. I loved trying to follow along with our main character, trying to solve the murder of Emily and Frances. For tv enthusiast this book had a great mix of "Knives Out" meets "The Gentlemen." The family matriarch dies and leave a stipulation in her will that the inheritance goes to the person that solves her murder. I loved the complicated relationships between so many characters and the depth of emotions Kristen Perrin put into each character to make them all suspicious of murder.

This was a really fun one! It became a clever Clue-like mix of characters and motives as Annie tried to solve both a very recent murder and a mystery from years ago. It made me want to visit the English countryside, though maybe not while having to defend myself from an unknown murderer on the loose. Huge fan!

I really liked this, and it has helped me out of a recent reading slump. Castle Knoll and its' people were a delight. The story moves between two timelines and for once, each was a riveting as the other. Both Frances' journal from 1966 and the present day with her great niece Annie were filled with red herrings, Of most interest was the way the dire fortune Frances learns as a young woman and the disappearance of her friend Emily shaped Frances' life right up until the end.

Love it! We purchased this title for our Adult Collection and a coworker and I read it. She likes it as well. We have had several patrons check this title out and have said the same thing.

Really fun! Great premise and I enjoyed the ride. The characters were engaging and it had wonderful twitsts and turns. I didn't feel like the ending was completly earned but I was still pleased with the ending.

I was excited to read a book from this author. A quick paced thriller. I overall enjoyed it but was not surprised. Predictable.

The premise and title of this book really hooked me. I loved the dual timelines and POV (but was hard to keep some of the ancillary characters straight). Every great Agatha Christie and Thursday Murder Club have very clever endings/unwinding of the truth. The end of this one left me a little confused and feeling a bit flat. I had hoped for a bit more bang for my time at the end.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

Really wanted to loved this one, but the pacing felt off and the plot was riddled with holes. Finished it, but only because I didn’t have anything else in the queue.