If you know me then you know I am never one to turn down a mystery, and a cozy mystery at that! This definitely had all the Knives Out vibes that it was marketed to have which kept me so engaged! The characters were all so fun and I loved the dual mystery/dual timeline setup. But this is why I don't get my fortune told at carnivals! I think Agatha Christie fans and lovers of a cozy, fun mystery will absolutely love this one!

(3.5/5 stars) When I saw this book advertised as "for fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club," I thought this is a book I want to request. Aspiring murder mystery author Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting by her great-aunt Frances regarding the inheritance of Frances' massive estate. Frances is certain, based on a prophecy she received at age 16 (sixty years ago), that her life will end in murder. When Annie arrives to the estate, Frances is already dead, and Annie is thrust into a weeklong search for the murderer - with her aunt's fortune at stake. Will Annie inherit her aunt's fortune, or her fate?

I enjoyed this read and the combination of Frances' diaries from the past intertwined with Annie's experience in the present. The whodunit aspect of the book kept me guessing. Although I wanted more from the characters (they seemed like typical characters in a murder mystery and I wouldn't say this book is strong in character development/depth), I wasn't overall disappointed. If you're looking for a cozy, plot-driven murder mystery, this would be a good read for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now!

How to Solve Your Own Murder is an entertaining cozy murder mystery. I wouldn’t have minded a bit more character development but it was a light engaging Clue-esque whodunnit that I enjoyed breezing through.

Thank you Kristen Perrin, Penguin Group Dutton, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was completely engrossed in this story! It was a fun, twisty murder mystery. I loved learning about each of the characters and the duel timeline.

Recommend: YES
Level: High

This will really hold your attention. Good twists and turns, Book title actually was an appropriate one. Would like to read more from this author. Thanks to #NetGalley and #HowToSolveYourOwnMurder for advanced digital copy.

This mystery novel kept me guessing from start to finish. I have to admit this is a case where I didn't guess the killer...however, the person I suspected isn't a rose by any means!

This may be the author's adult debut novel, but she has captured the mystery genre quite well. There is a lovely mix of characters, loveable and not, clues galore, and there are not one but two mysteries to solve. 

Annie has been summoned to the village of Castle Knoll to discuss Great Aunt Frances' will. But before that can happen, she is found dead, and the new will pits Annie against Frances' nephew for the inheritance. If neither can solve the mystery, everything will be sold and donated. This is not a pleasant prospect for either party. So they are off to figure out who killed Frances and who will inherit.

There are so many things I enjoyed about this book. I liked how the story jumped back and forth in time. It gives us a perspective on Frances that you would never have known. It explains her obsession with a fortune that was given to her as a teen and sheds light on her group of friends. It also explains Frances' eccentric behavior. There are an abundance of clues scattered throughout the book, and it is putting them together to determine what is fact and what is fiction. Whenever I thought I might have an idea of who was involved, something else would pop up to potentially discredit them as the killer. The reality was a surprise, but when it was laid out for the reader, it made perfect sense. 

Besides solving the two murders (old and new), Annie has to uncover the truth about various villagers. I don't want to spoil anything, so you will just have to read the book and find out for yourself.

This sleepy village in England didn't lack for characters, citizens, or intrigue. I believe this might become a series, and I hope it does. I'd love to see what mystery Annie solves next and if there is any sort of romance that might blossom between her and Detective Crane. I also wonder if she will overcome her crippling fear of needles and blood.

We give this book 5 paws up.

I found this a mildly entertaining murder mystery for a plane ride across the Atlantic, but can't say I found myself hugely invested in it.

The book is written in alternating parts between 1966 diary entries of Frances who, having received a message from a fortune-teller at a fair that she will be murdered is now writing down everything that happens to her in case it turns out to be important in solving her eventual murder, and present day Annie. A hopeful mystery writer, Annie is summoned to the little village of Castle Knoll to meet her Great-Aunt Frances only to find her dead. Frances has finally been murdered and she turned her will into a race to solve her murder. Annie and another relative have a week to solve the case or everything goes to out-of-town investors who will end up destroying the cute little village and everyone's livelihoods.

I really liked the premise of the story, but the characters remained flat charicatures more than anything else, which made it hard for me to invest in them at all. Even Annie, and her sections are told from her point of view. There were also far too many similies and metaphors in describing everything for me, but that's just my personal taste.

Overall, don't believe and comparisons to 'Knives Out' or Agatha Christie that you see, but if you just want a fast read on a plane or for a rainy afternoon, this isn't bad, though I'm not sure I'd read another by the same author.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

✨ Summary:

As a teenager, Frances Adams receives a disturbing prophecy from a fortune-teller that she will be the victim of murder in the future. Despite her best efforts to prevent it, Frances spends her entire life trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet. After almost sixty years, Frances is found dead, just as predicted. Her great-niece, Annie Adams, arrives at the village where Frances lived to investigate the murder. Annie soon realizes that this case will be far from easy to solve. The village is full of secrets and suspects, but she’s determined to solve this mystery and catch the killer.

✨ Review:

This narrative revolves around two unsolved murders that are being told during two different time periods. One timeline is set in the 1960’s and the other in present day. They’re also being told by two different characters, Annie and her Great Aunt Frances, and these two stories are very much connected which I liked a lot. It gave another layer of intrigue, depth, and complexity to this mystery.

The execution of the reveals was so fantastic along with all the twists and turns. The pacing is fast too which I think complemented the story well.

Although the reveal was very unexpected, (I literally gasped out loud)... it wasn’t as satisfying as I wanted it to be. There were also a lot of characters and they were hard to keep track of at times. Especially with the dual timelines. But this was a fun and engaging read nonetheless. I was enticed within the first chapter and hooked until the very last chapter. 4⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Dutton, and Kristen Perrin for this arc!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The book was fun! I really enjoyed the characters
and the adventure that Annie got sucked into. I also really enjoyed the back and forth from the past to the present. It definitely added to the story!

I did notice that the dates didn’t follow correctly. That was my big issue with the book. We found out that the pregnant girl was pregnant in 1966 and the same month a chapter before the baby was born the same month. It definitely felt like a big of a red herring.

I am curious if we will get a second books because I believe we left a few loose-ends but It was definitely a fun read. Not as quick paced as I expected but I was definitely interested in what happened and who done it

Thank you NetGalley, Publisher and Author for the ARC

This was a delightful, cozy mystery. It was told in dual timelines and it was fun to try to figure out the whodunit of the plot. It definitely gave me Agatha Christie vibes

How to Solve Your Own Murder was a fun, fast whodunnit that reminded me of Knives Out and The Marlow Murder Club.

The premise of this book was exciting and checked off so many of the classic murder mystery tropes: a small village full of secrets, a love triangle, a secret diary, and (most importantly) a huge inheritance. It paid homage to the classics of the genre while also adding new twists, especially with Frances spending her entire life preparing for her own murder because of a fortune teller.

I'm a sucker for multiple POVs, and I loved that aspect of the book as well. Readers get to see the present through Annie and the past through Frances, creating an interesting timeline and a sensical reveal of clues and information.

The pacing of the book was a bit strange for me. I was hooked at the start but lost interest in the middle, which I usually find to be the most exciting part of a mystery. There were also parts of the book that were extremely hard to follow, mostly because there were A LOT of characters to keep track of. The characters also almost all being related to each other in some way didn't help because that meant there were a lot of shared last names, making it even more difficult to differentiate between them.

This was a fun read that can easily be read in a few days that will satisfy fans of the classic whodunnit.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
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Annie has been summoned to a meeting with her eccentric great-Aunt Frances. Aunt Frances received a fortune when she was a teen that predicted her murder and has been a little obsessed ever since. Annie arrives to the meeting to find that her great-Aunt is dead. Murdered.
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What I liked:
-This was indeed a very fun cozy mystery! I loved all the clues and trying to piece the mystery together myself.
-This book had a great cast of characters. I had no trouble keeping up with everyone and how they were connected.
-I loved the diary entries of Frances. Despite her being dead the entire book, those diary entries really helped me get to know her and her motivations for the rest of her life. Very neatly done on the authors part.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you like mysteries but not so much suspense, then How to Solve your Own Murder is a book for you to pick up. I really enjoyed it and would recommend for sure.

Annie has never met her Great Aunt Frances, so when she is summoned to her estate she immediately goes. Unfortunately for Annie, when she arrives to meet her aunt, she is already dead. Frances knew she would die by murder, and she has left all her research behind. Annie is determined to find out who killed Frances, but in doing so she puts herself in serious danger. After all, a murderer is still out there…

This book was so fun. Feels weird to say that about a book about murder? I loved Frances and the parts where we got to go back in history to her teenage years kept me immersed in the story. Following Annie as she tried to figure out who had killed her aunt, not knowing any of these people, or her aunt, was so intense, but damn girl was a smart one! I did not figure out who had killed Frances, but I enjoyed every second of Annie getting to the bottom of it!

I'll cut to the chase: me and my resident diehard mystery lover both read this, and had the same issue. There was so much going on in the dual timelines, so many red herrings, that I'm not sure it was "solvable" just by what was on-page and that's my line for rating mysteries. They should be not too easy, but solvable. Instead, I was left with a lot of loose ends, questions, and I couldn't easily sum up what happened; not a great sign. Now that I see this is intended to be a series, some of the lingering vaguaries make sense, but not those pertaining to this particular mystery.

That said, it was an engaging read, with the dual timeline fulfilling its role to provide important context and suspense. I stayed up late on release day to finish my ARC and find out if I was right. Several concepts going back to Christie, like mistaken identity, old-fashioned poisons, and detectives scribbling in notebooks, added a nice classic air to the whodunnit vibes.

The millennial heroine, Annie, who was both an aspiring writer and a "list writer", was relatable and amusing, even if she fainted or swooned a lot in my opinion. The titular sleuth, and victim, Frances, was someone you wanted to root for as well as meet. The potential romance I foresee for subsequent books was tepid, I thought, but again they need something to fill future volumes.

I'd call this middling, taking everything above into account; it was an intriguing read whose multiple questions I couldn't all satisfactorily answer by the end. My rating represents three and a half stars rounded up.

This was a fun little mystery. It was a quick read and I really enjoyed the characters and I was kept guessing. I wish there was a little more action and romance, but overall it was a fun read.

Special thank you to Dutton, Kristen Perrin, and NetGalley for this ARC of How to Solve Your Own Murder!

In 1965, France Adams attends a country fair with her friends. There she receives a bleak fortune that’s basically a series of unfortunate events ending in her murder. She dedicates the rest of her life trying to prevent her own murder, but she’s unsuccessful. In the present day, Frances’ great-niece, Annie, is summoned to the estate that she could potentially inherit. The catch— she must battle against a week long deadline to solve Great Aunt Frances’ murder in a small town full of BIG secrets.

This was such a cozy mystery, and I loved every second of it! I was enthralled from beginning to end and couldn’t put it down. The dual timeline was so well done with both being equally intriguing. This was an easy 5 star read for me!

👍🏻:
-Old manor/small town setting
-So. Many. Secrets. Everyone made me suspicious.
-Equally intriguing timelines of past and present
-Personable main character that I was rooting for
-The resolution made sense!!!! The motives felt real, everything lined up, and it made my mystery loving heart so full❤️

👎🏻:
-No notes

Do you believe in fate or do you think you make your own destiny?

People have a tendency to be more connected than what first meets the eye…you need to trust your instincts about people versus what others (and sometimes they themselves) may tell you!

I went into this a bit blind, solely taken in by the book title and had a fun time reading it. It was one of those books where I thought: I’ve got a few minutes to take a break and read and then I’d look up and way more time had passed by!

This story is a non-linear tale about a seemingly paranoid woman who takes a fortune tellers words that predict her death potentially too seriously…or was it just that others weren’t as firm of believers? I really loved the way the story was woven from the two women’s points of views because it gives you a more complete picture at the same time as you feeling on track with the current movements of the story.

Even though there are a handful of characters to remember, the story does a nice job of vividly painting them each so differently that I could picture each character so clearly in my mind. In addition to the characters, I loved the location and the descriptions of the landscape, house, fabric, wallpaper, etc.

Thank you so much to the author, Kristen Perrin, Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the eARC of How to Solve Your Own Murder!

How to Solve Your Own Murder is about a girl named Annie who has a great aunt who she doesn’t know much about- other than she’s a crazy old lady who is determined that someone is trying to kill her. She got an eerie fortune from a fortune teller when she was 17 and has set her whole life on predicting a murder that hadn’t happened yet. When it does happen, she enlists the help (via her will) of her granddaughter. Annie meets so many characters (suspects?) on the way and is met with many twists and turns.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was really interesting and I hadn’t read a thriller/mystery in a while. The synopsis of this book mentions it is perfect for Knives Out fans and they’re so right- I’m a huge fan of the movie and this book is like a little fix of that. I loved Annie and thought she was incredibly multi-faceted. I loved getting to know Frances and about her backstory as Annie solves her murder. There were moments I laughed and moments I was on the edge of my seat- I enjoyed it!! The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the ending. This is spoiler-free so you can keep reading!! I thought it was very underwhelming. I have a knack for predicting endings and I thought I figured it out but it was wayyyyy simpler than what I had thought. Overall, I did really enjoy this book and I’d probably recommend it- especially for mystery readers who enjoy a read on the lighter side!

Special thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC! I’m looking forward to reading some more ARCs!!

This murder mystery was a whirlwind of excitement! The storyline was engaging, and I loved how the different subplots wove seamlessly into the main mystery. However, there were moments when the plot and characters seemed a bit too ambitious, leaving me craving more depth and development. I understand there are more books in the works, so perhaps this is just setting the stage for future adventures. Despite this, the book had me on the edge of my seat, and the plot twist completely blindsided me! It was a thrilling ride, though I wished I could have connected more with the main character.

Big shoutout to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts!

CAWPILE
Characters - 6
atmosphere - 7
writing - 6
plot - 8
intrigue - 9
logic - 7
enjoyment - 7

This was such a fun read! For some reason the novel took me back to the Golden Age of mysteries. Perhaps it's the setting in a country mansion in the English countryside. Or the wealthy widow who is murdered and leaves behind a strange request in her will. Or her young, innocent niece who sets out to solve not one mystery but two! Annie and her Great Aunt Frances were my favorite characters. I found Frances's diary entries fascinating, delving into the past and her complicated, messy friendships. The ending took me totally by surprise--so I say, Well done!

I received an invitation to read an arc of this debut mystery from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own. I can't wait for the next installment in the series.