I think this was really fun! I’m a sucker for a dual timeline so I really enjoyed reading for Frances’ perspective and Annie’s. And to be honestly I really never figured out this mystery. It was a lot of turns where I never knew who exactly to trust! Lots of fun, wasn’t perfect though because I think it takes a bit to jump into the scene and understand what you are getting into. But overall I would recommend to anyone that’s looking for a new who done it! Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC and for letting preview this twisty story!

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a fun read, with a unique plot device. Kristen Perrin creates a plot that uses two time periods, 60 years apart, to create a murder, which the victim spends those 60 years trying to solve. The earlier time period, in the mid 1960s, is Frances' story, which focuses on a fortune teller who predicts Frances will be murdered. This earlier time is retold in journal entries, which are in italics, and so switching back and forth between time periods was easy. Sixty years later, Annie arrives for a meeting with her Great Aunt Frances, only to discover that Frances has been murdered. As could be predicted, there are many suspects and many clues to be examined and rejected. Solving Great Aunt Frances' murder is devised as a competition between two possible heirs, but readers will definitely choose Annie as our hopeful would-be-winner.

There are a great many characters, and I suspect many readers will be hoping for a cast of characters in the front of the novel. How to Solve Your Own Murder is book 1 in a new series, which apparently will also soon appear on British TV. I did enjoy this novel, although I felt a bit of a drag in the middle. I would have liked more background information, since I found myself feeling like I had jumped into the novel in the midst of a few chapters. Perhaps more background will be supplied in subsequent novels. Many of the expected elements of a British murder mystery were included, although I did expect this large British home to have more bedrooms? In the end, chaos is replaced by order and the small English village is once again a place of peace.

I do recommend How to Solve Your Own Murder. The mystery was good and most of the loose ends were tied up at the end. Thank you to the author, Perrin, and publisher, Penguin Group Dutton, and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was so much fun! Recommended by a co-worker, it was full of twists, turns and what a cast of characters!

This had so much potential! I loved the idea of the premise, but the volume of characters was overwhelming and made it hard to follow. Some of the dialogue also seemed unnatural, making it less engaging to keep reading. The main character was hard to get to know, and the title is a bit misleading, as it's really her family solving the murder. Overall, it was solid, but not quite what I'd expected given the hype..

What a wild premise! Hearing a fortune as a young woman, and then living your life with it always in mind- affecting every decision and judgment you make as you go along! Incredible fun.

One of the best mysteries of the year! I absolutely loved How to Solve Your Own Murder. Perrin’s writing is so, so good. I felt like they accomplished what most mystery writers aspire to in that they created a cast of characters that you equally loved and hated and felt like you knew. I had inklings of the ending but wasn’t able to figure it out completely which is rare for me and very exciting! I’m not sure with how the book ended if there is room for more story, but I would love to see this become a series!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The characters, the twists! The way this was written I went back and forth the entire time not being sure who really did it! She made it plausible that ANY of them could have!! SO GOOD! I ate this up! I can't wait for more!!!

🕵️‍♀️ I quite enjoyed this cozy little mystery!

🕵️‍♀️ I’m a big fan of the amateur sleuth trope and when you throw in a perplexing prediction, erratic clues, cryptic notes, red herrings, small town dynamics, terrible relatives, a potential fortune within grasp, a smidge of romance, and a murder or two… well, I am fully on board!

🕵️‍♀️ This book is told in two narratives/timelines. The past narrative is told via diary entries written by a woman named Frances when she was a teenager, and the future narrative is from the perspective of Frances’ estranged great niece Annie. Annie is trying to solve her aunt’s recent murder.

🕵️‍♀️ I thought the plot was well-developed and reasonably complex, with a large cast of characters. I quite liked the characterizations. Everyone, even the “bad guys”, seemed like normal everyday people who were simply caught up in situations that spiraled out of their control.

🕵️‍♀️ I did feel like the middle plodded along just a bit too much for my personal preference, but I still flew through the book. I also wanted a little more back story information about some of the side characters in the story. I did notice that Goodreads has this book noted as Castle Knoll Files #1, which indicates to me that this is the first book in a planned series, so maybe I’ll get some of that backstory I wanted in the future books.

🕵️‍♀️ If you like cozy murder mysteries I think you’ll enjoy this one.

Thank you @netgalley and @DuttonBooks for a copy of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This was so fun! I kept thinking about The Westing Game and I think if you like a somewhat meta but not meta thriller, you’ll enjoy this! The twist was good but I felt like I would have enjoyed more foreshadowing for it.

A terrific classic British murder mystery. Frances has done all the legwork in figuring out the murderer because in her teens a fortune teller told her she would be murdered. Sixty years later, Annie, the great niece who never met Frances, is tasked with putting all the pieces together. She has one week or she won't inherit Frances' sizable estate. The set up is fantastic and the rest of the book delivers on that promise. Frances' journal entries provide a second POV and background into the 1965 timeline. Since all of the people Frances knew then are still living in and around the village, it gives insight into today's suspects, their secrets, and how that connects to events in the past.

This was just as much fun as The Thursday Murder Club with characters as quirky as Knives Out. I was convinced the murder was someone else so I loved being surprised at the end. Annie is a delight and I cannot wait for the second installment.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. I am required by law to disclose this.

This was a fun read! It kicked off pretty strong for me, got a little slow in the middle, then picked up again toward the end. I thought the mystery was intriguing and the plot was very unique; a woman investigating her own murder before it happens?!

I liked the twists and thought the reveals were clever. Would recommend this to whodunnit fans.

“How to Solve Your Own Murder" is a clever mystery that weaves together past predictions and present day investigation. The story follows Annie, who is summoned to her great-aunt Frances's estate only to find Frances murdered, as she had foretold years ago. The story is told in dual timelines, which I always enjoy. Crafted with suspense and humor, it reminds me of a classic murder mystery, Perrin expertly weaves a web of intrigue. It kept me guessing until the end. I definitely recommend!

I really enjoyed playing along with Annie and trying to determine who the killer and motives were. My biggest complaint would be the number of characters and how intricate the relationships were. I had to stop about half way through the book and draw a diagram of how the characters were related to each other. I did enjoy the twist at the end!

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: mystery📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
An interesting plot but it was a little slow for me at times

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Knives Out vibes
Small town
Cozy mysteries
Unique plots
Diary entries
Lots of characters
Amateur sleuths
Fun reads
Dual timeline
All the drama

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
The set up and the idea of all the characters racing to solve the mystery first

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
I wasn’t really invested in the story
I felt the reveal was underwhelming

This was a fun murder mystery story. I enjoyed the setting and some of the characters but felt like the story overall was mediocre. I think this is more a criticism of the genre, which can feel very overdone and repetitive. That being said I did like it and I didn't predict the ending, even if I didn't love it.

I had so much fun reading this book! Family drama and secrets, murder mystery, and amateur sleuthing? Yes please!!! This was a really well written debut, and a great first book in a new series that I look forward to continuing!

Kristen Perrin's "How to Solve Your Own Murder" is a delightful and clever mystery that skillfully weaves together past predictions and present-day investigation. The story follows Annie Adams, summoned to her great-aunt Frances's estate only to find Frances murdered, exactly as she had foretold decades earlier.

Perrin's narrative unfolds in dual timelines, juxtaposing Frances's lifelong quest to prevent her predicted murder with Annie's determination to uncover the truth behind her aunt's death. The quaint English village of Castle Knoll is populated with eccentric characters, each harboring secrets that add layers to the mystery.

The novel's charm lies in its blend of suspense and humor, reminiscent of classic whodunits. Perrin expertly crafts a web of intrigue and suspicion, that kept me guessing until the final reveal.

Perrin's writing is sharp, her characters endearing, and the plot brims with surprises, making this a satisfying and enjoyable mystery novel.

Thank you to Kristen Perrin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book offers a captivating premise that I found engaging from start to finish, it was a hard one to put down. While the pacing may occasionally drag, the novel shines with its unexpected twists and turns that had me gasping at times. Perrin skillfully weaves together a fun mystery set in both 1965 and the present day, centered around Frances Adams' eerie prediction of her murder. The transition to the present day, with Frances' great-niece Annie determined to catch the killer, adds depth to the storyline. With a cast of endearing and eccentric characters, each harboring secrets and motives, the reader is kept guessing until the final pages. Perrin's ability to blend the past and present seamlessly creates a compelling narrative that will leave readers eager for more. Sometimes jumping back and forth between present events and past events can make a book feel disjointed, but I think this author did an amazing job of making this book flow.

I am having a hard time putting into words how much I love this book. The title is what first caught my attention and I wanted to go into it blind because that’s my personal preference for reading in general, and I am so glad I did! I don’t know what I was expecting from this book but what I read was not it. It kept me engaged and interested from the very first page until the very last page and it kept me guessing the whole time. I think what I liked best is once the mystery was revealed, I didn’t feel like it came out of nowhere and didn’t make sense like a lot of mystery or thriller books are. Everything made perfect sense once it was revealed but I still would have never guessed. I loved the dual POV of the diary entries to present day. The only thing I found challenging was keeping up with all of the characters and family relationships because there were a lot of those. Otherwise it was perfect!