This book really gave The Inheritance Games vibes for adults, which I loved! The idea that a stranger needs to solve a murder in exchange for an inheritance was such an interesting premise, and I feel like this story was 3/4 of the way to where I really wanted it to be.
I really felt like we were set up well for a next book in a way that made a lot of sense, and reading the story was a breeze. It took me a few weeks to get through the first 50%, and then a few days to get through the rest. It was incredibly well balanced between the two timelines, and each one was equally interesting.
I felt like there was enough mystery in Frances diary to give us more in the future, I really enjoyed the 17 year old Frances story line, if I'm being honest I enjoyed it a little more than present day Annie's story line.
I did feel like there was the smallest bit of confusion in the big reveal. I didn't fully understand how all of the pieces came together, and if Frances diaries were lying or if I just didn't understand a piece of it.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. The characters were well developed, I was for sure rooting for our hero, and I have already thought of which of my friends would enjoy this book!

While Kristen Perrin has written a perfectly good mystery in the vein of so many other Agatha Christie-style whodunnits out there, what I really hoped for and never got was that carrot dangled in front of me by the blurb promising me an “enormously fun mystery”. To be fair, everyone has a different idea of what “fun” means. I think of something that makes me smile/laugh or keeps me on the edge of my seat. This did neither.

Was it well-written? Yes. No complaints there. Did it have a clever, creative premise? Absolutely. Perrin can write, and those wanting a solid enough murder mystery to solve should still find enjoyment in trying to puzzle this one out. Series lovers will especially be happy to know that this is the beginning of a series, so if you do like it, there will be more to come.

Where it fell flat for me was that, as much as the book highlighted Frances in both the current timeline and diary excerpts from the past, I never once felt like I got to know her or any other character mentioned. Even worse, I didn’t connect with the main protagonist Annie or understand, despite the promise of Frances’ inheritance, why she felt so invested in a woman she literally never met. Too many things didn’t have adequate explanations, making the final reveals feel lackluster and less believable than I’d have liked.

Those who enjoy a slightly more serious, dual timeline, Christie-style mystery will likely enjoy this more. I would absolutely give this author another try. She has the writing chops, even if this particular story didn’t wow me!

What if you knew you were going to die, and you spent your lifetime trying to figure out who was going to kill you? That is the broad premise of How to Solve Your Own Murder, a novel that solves two crimes at once-- one in the present day, and one in the past. It is engaging and entertaining, without bogging down in terribly lengthy flashbacks. The red herrings are everywhere, fair warning! I hope this author writes more novels, and soon.

Frances has lived her life in fear of a fortune she received at the county fair when she was 17 that predicted her murder. She also spent a lifetime trying to figure out the disappearance of her friend Emily that happened later that year. Frances changes her will which brings her great niece, Annie, to the small town of Castle Knoll to learn of a possible inheritance. When Annie and the others arrive at Frances’s estate to meet with her they find her dead. What first appears to be natural causes quickly turns to foul play. Frances had planned for this moment and created a game for Annie and Frances nephew, Saxon, to compete in solving her murder and the winner takes all of the inheritance.
This was a very well written murder mystery. It had me guessing the entire time and I was not necessarily shocked by the outcome, but I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. This was such a classic whodunit with an extensive cast of characters, all of whom you could see being the murder at one moment or another. The back and forth of who I thought was guilty was constant from page to page and it kept me guessing and second guessing the whole time. This was an absolute page turner and I felt like it might have been left open to a possible sequel which I would totally read if that happened.

The following review was posted on Goodreads on 04.12.24:

HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER was one of two finalists being considered as the Spring read for Jimmy Fallon's book club. Even though the other contender was chosen instead, hearing him talk about this mystery reminded me how much I wanted to read it! I'm glad I did. It was the perfect book to pull me out of a little reading slump I was experiencing.

The book has a fun Knives Out vibe, although it's not as clever or as quirky. It's a pretty straightforward murder mystery, actually, with the added excitement of a high-stakes competition to figure out who killed the victim, a wealthy old busybody who ticked off plenty of people. Our heroine, Anna, is by far the most likable character in the book. She's smart, down-to-earth, and easygoing while also being in it to win it. The teenagers at the center of the novel (who are elderly in the present timeline) are not a very appealing bunch, even as adults. Their relationships with each other just seem dishonest and toxic. As kids, they're self-centered, immoral, and unkind; as adults, they don't seem much better. Frances is, maybe, the most pathetic of them all since she spends her entire life consumed by warily watching everyone around her, convinced one of them is going to murder her. Even though she's dead before the reader meets her, we get a taste of her through her diaries and, yeah, she's just not all that likable.

As far as plot goes, HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER moves along at a steady pace, with enough twists to keep it interesting. I identified the murder/murderers by the story's midpoint, but I still enjoyed the rest of the read. While it's not a can't-look-away, glued-to-your-seat page turner, I had a hard time putting the book down. I buzzed through it because I wanted to know what was going to happen next.

My only real problem with the novel is that, although it comes to a satisfying conclusion, I feel like there are some big gaps in the story. While maybe they aren't all that important to solving the mystery, I still wanted to know more about Frances' relationship with Rutherford; how Frances and Saxon got along, especially while he was growing up; how Frances and Rose carried on as adults and how the disappearance of Emily affected their trio; and a bunch of other details like that that didn't get enough play in the book. Without some of these details, the tale just feels a bit incomplete to me.

Even though I have a few small beefs with the book, I quite enjoyed HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER. I'm glad it's the start of a series as I'm excited to see what happens next for Anna.

If I could, I would give this book 3 1/2 stars; since I can't, I'm rounding up.

Overall this book was interesting but the twist was lack luster and made me want more. I enjoyed the "Knives Out" theme of the murder of an older relative and everyone has motive to commit the crime but the main character must figure out the who and the why.

I enjoyed Annie's character and journey to solve her great aunt's murder on the day she was supposed to meet her for the first time to go over her will. I am hoping to read more adventures of her.

I really enjoyed Frances's diary but wish there had been more of it. I felt like the conclusion of the murder of her friend was extremely rushed and out of the place. There was also a lot of focus on the fortune she was given as young girl and it felt forced in many cases and not necessary for the story.

🕵‍♀️ HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER by Kristin Perrin 🕵‍♀️

For readers who:
✨️love m*rder mysteries
✨️ enjoy the 'Finlay Donovan' series
✨️ like Agathie Christie
✨️ like dual-timeline novels

SYNOPSIS: In the 1960s, Francis Adams visits a fortune-teller at an English fair who gives her a terrifying vision of her future: she will be m*rdered. Francis spends her entire life trying to solve the mystery of her death before she even dies.
Annie Adams, the great-niece of Francis, arrives at Francis' manor in present-day, only to find she has just died. Annie becomes determined to find out who in the small village would have wanted her gone.

MY THOUGHTS: This one is definitely worth reading if you like mysteries. I picked it up and couldn't put it down. The author, Kristin Perrin, does a great job of keeping the reader guessing while dropping tiny Easter eggs. Francis' character is well developed through diary entries, and Annie is a likeable protagonist. I really enjoyed this one, and I look forward to more from this author!

In Kristen Perrin's How To Solve Your Own Murder, Frances Adams receives a chilling fortune at the Castle Knoll County Fair in 1965, and she spends the remainder of her life convinced that one day it will come true. Sixty years later, it does—Frances is found murdered in her own home.

The protagonist, Annie, has never met her Great Aunt Frances. The plot takes off when she receives a letter telling her to come to Castle Knot to meet Frances. However, during her journey to Castle Knot, her aunt is murdered. Annie must now solve the murder within a week and before anyone else if she wants to receive the hefty inheritance Aunt Frances left to her.

This murder mystery is enjoyable! The plot is fast-paced and set in an interesting environment. There are a lot of surface level characters that are hard to keep track at times, but the pace of the story keeps the reader moving.


Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the eARC!

I loved this cozyish mystery and will definitely have my eye out for more from this author. The use of multiple timelines and both Frances and Annie to solve Frances’ murder was so clever. I loved the village and manor setting along with multiple characters you want to love but also are suspicious. My only qualm was the over use of “Great Aunt Frances” instead of just saying Frances. Very minor and just a me problem.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the cozy little small town setting, and the interesting cast of characters. The chapters set in the past were well done, and I enjoyed seeing the characters both as teenagers and in the present day. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sad to say I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped to. The beginning really drew me in and I automatically liked the character Annie and the mystery surrounding all the deaths. But then I quickly grew tired of her, she became very annoying to me with some of the things she said and her actions. I much preferred reading the chapters that were from Frances' diary than reading from Annie's point of view. The story itself was fine but nothing was really shocking or crazy to me. The beginning of the story really gripped my attention but then the middle points on Annie's chapters started to drag. The ending felt really rushed to me and I know it was supposed to be tense and exciting but I didn't really care for it. The book felt a little longer than it really needed to be, except for Frances' chapters which I really enjoyed and wish there were more of. Sadly this is a series that I won't be continuing with.

I really enjoyed this book. Imagine a rich Great-Aunt whom you’ve never met, dies and leaves you her entire fortune. Only stipulation is you have to solve her murder, and only in 7 days. This was a time-hopping, fun who-dun-it mystery. I look forward to more mysteries by Kristen Perrin.

Currently a Fallon Book Club finalist;This one is getting a lot of buzz right now!

Imagine that your eccentric great aunt whom you have never met has just been murdered and has left behind her entire fortune to YOU…with one stipulation, you must be the first to solve her murder and you only have seven days!

“Your future contains dry bones.”

Ever since Frances Adams had her fortune read at a county fair as a teenager she has been anticipating and looking for signs of impending doom, more specifically, her murder! Etched into her memory are warnings she takes to heart in every aspect of her life: “Your slow demise begins when you hold the queen in the palm of one hand.” or “Beware the bird, for it will betray you.” It turns out this book is true of betrayals: an affair, a baby out of wedlock, and the mysterious disappearance of the girls in Frances’ inner circle.

60 years later, it is Frances’ great niece, Annie Adams, who returns to Castle Knoll to try to make one of the final lines of the fortune come true. “Daughters are the key to justice, find the right one and keep her close.” As Annie gets more and more entwined in the mystery, she starts receiving some threats of her own. Will her great-aunt’s fate now be passed on to her or will she be able to help catch a killer before it is too late?

I really did enjoy this story. It was a unique spin on the classic who-dun-it mystery. There were a lot of suspects, so at times it was hard to keep them all straight. I really enjoyed how Annie learned about her aunt’s life by reading her old journals, making the book seem like two stories in one.

At the start of this mystery, Londoner Annie is summoned to a small town in the country to hear about the updated will of her great aunt Frances, who she has never met. Frances is known as the town eccentric, as she has been obsessed since her teenage years with a fortune teller’s prediction that she will be murdered - and was only convinced of this all the more when her friend Emily disappeared when they were 16. When Annie arrives in town, before she has a chance to meet Frances, Frances is found murdered - and her new will says where her estate will go depends on who solves her murder first. Interspersed with the present day narrative is Frances’ journal from when she was 17 or so, which Annie discovers in the course of her investigation, as she tries to figure out both what happened to Frances and what happened to Emily all those years ago.

My favorite childhood book, The Westing Game, also involves a will granting the inheritance to whoever solves the murder, plus I love mysteries set in small British towns, so clearly this one was made for me! I will say that based on the title and description, I thought this would a bit more of a cozy/funny one, while it’s actually pretty serious. But not to worry, it was still very enjoyable - great mystery that totally kept me guessing yet with clues that make sense once the various mysteries are revealed. And it sure is a great title!

The premise for this book was so good, but overall this book struggled to keep me interested. At a certain point it just felt very repetitive. There were no real twists or any exciting events even though I think that’s what the author was going for at the end. I really didn’t mind reading this book, but it didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat either. This was a strong 3.5 🌟 for me, but I’m going to round up just because it was a cute idea.

Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Victory - Kristen Perrin has written a murder mystery so intriguing and witty - it is a stay-up all-night affair because you think you know, but you don't and then you just want to find more clues. Annie is summoned to her aunt's estate, but by the time she arrives, her aunt has died. Murdered! And there's the matter of the will - Annie must discover who killed her aunt to keep the house, and the inheritance, and to set herself back on the right course. There's a lot of intrigue and behind-the-scenes deals as other members of the family are out to find the killer as well. This is fast-paced and fun, but deadly serious too. SO GOOD!

Cozy murder and tangled plotlines? Yes please, I need more of this genre and written in this POV style. Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC.

"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.”

Annie Adams has never met Great Aunt Frances, but has been called to a meeting at her country estate in the quaint village of Castle Knoll. But before the meeting can take place, Aunt Frances has been found dead. Her death falls under suspicious circumstances as the scheduled meeting was to discuss her very recently changed will. Plus there's the fortune. The fortune above was told to a seventeen year old Frances, and she spent the rest of her life obsessed with her future murder. In order for Annie to inherit, she must be the first solve the crime but finds that uncovering the secrets of the people of Castle Knoll will be both difficult and dangerous.
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Thoughts: I loved this book! As an Agatha Christie fan I'm usually a little iffy when comparisons are made to her books but this one was truly Christie-esque. Annie was almost like a young Mrs. Marple. The mystery was solid and had me guessing until the end. What I really enjoyed was the unique dual timeline. In addition to Annie's present-day POV, we get the past timeline of Frances starting in 1965 via her journal entries. The entries are presented in real time as Annie reads them during her investigation. Overall this was a super fun read and I believe it's the start of a new series so I'll be patiently waiting for book #2 🔎

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for providing me an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts ✨

Perrin constructs a cozy mystery filled with intrigue and plenty of suspects to keep readers guessing. Frances is told a fortune at a young age predicting her murder. She works her whole life to discover who will kill her. In comes Annie, her great-niece, summoned to the estate, but upon arrival discovers Frances is already dead. Through her great aunt's journals she continues to search for clues to who may have killed Frances. Tied to this mystery is another: the disappearance of Frances' friend Emily. The two mysteries intertwine.

The story moves between Annie's narrative and the journal entries. Readers are also moved back and forth between time lines. Perrin leaves plenty of clues, a whole slew of suspects and motives. For readers who prefer a more linear and straight forward mystery, this might be a challenge. Overall, it's a fun read. Perrin has a wonderful voice and does a great job constructing the mystery.

France’s Adams is given a fortune in her teens that predicts her murder. She spends the rest of her life trying to prevent the fortune from coming true, until it does 60 years later. In a weird turn of events, just before her death, Frances names her great-niece, Annie, in her will. It is now up to Annie to solve Frances’s murder and claim her inheritance. This book is a fun, time-hopping, twisty murder mystery that will keep you turning the pages. I look forward to more mysteries by Kristen Perrin.