This was such a delightful read! How To Solve Your Own Murder is cozy but snarky, propulsive, small town murder and secrets. I loved how the townspeople were all intertwined making it very difficult to figure out who main suspects could be. We have rich people behaving badly as well, and that's always a treat. There are time jumps but they are not confusing and add to the readability of the book. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining, compulsively readable book, I think you should read it too!!

Wow! I picked up this book because I was intrigued by the title, and it did not disappoint. I was a bit befuddled by the first two chapters, but by chapter three, I had the writing cadence down and I was enthralled by the characters and plot.

The story is told primarily in one timeline by the main character, Annie Adams, but between each of her present-day chapters, is an entry from her Great Aunt Frances’ diary written in 1965-1966. It becomes a bewitching storytelling technique when the diary entries become clues to solving the diary writer’s murder.

There are a lot of characters in this story, and many of them are featured in the diary as well present day. Add to that mix their offspring and spouses as well as other village dwellers, and there are a lot of characters and potential murders to track. I loved that along with each of Annie’s findings or suppositions, I also pondered the how and why of a character’s potential involvement in not one but two murders!

I loved the characters and story premise and pacing of the plot. I was completely surprised by the big twist at the climax of the story, and the denouement is mostly satisfactory. While reading, I found I was annoyed to have to put the book down, and while I couldn’t wait to get to the big reveal, I hated that my escape to Castle Knoll ended. Bravo author Kristen Perrin on the excellent novel.

HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER by Kristen Perrin is a clever and entertaining double murder mystery set in the small English village of Castle Knoll and told in dual timelines. In 1965, Frances Adams receives a shocking prediction when a fortune-teller at a country fair predicts she will be murdered. She spends the next sixty years obsessing over who might kill her and trying to prevent the act by digging up dirt on every villager. In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to her wealthy great-aunt Frances’ estate for a meeting about changes to her will. But by the time the meeting is to take place, Frances is found dead, just as was predicted. Everyone in the village is a suspect and if Annie is to inherit her great-aunt’s fortune, she will have to solve the mystery of the murder before anyone else. But digging into the past might just put Annie in danger of meeting the same fate as her aunt. The story is full of intrigue, small-town secrets and plenty of twists and turns. I enjoyed this fast-paced and suspenseful mystery and look forward to the next book in this Castle Knoll series. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

This family-centric mystery had heavy cozy mystery vibes wrapped inside a cacoon of an intriguing case. What happens when you receive bad news and have been focused on it for 60 years? How would it inform your decisions? Your relationships? Who would you choose to keep close and how would you choose them?
In this dual timeline novel we follow Annabelle, the great-granddaughter of Frances, who is known in the village as the silly old woman fraught with superstition, but what happens when she's right? What happens when a cold case is brought back to the forefront and generations-old clues suddenly come to light?
THIS FANTASTIC NOVEL, THATS WHAT!
The characters felt like family, and I was sad when it was over, An absolute must-read!

HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER, Kristen Perrin

In 1965, 17-year-old Frances went to a fair with a fortune teller’s booth, who prophesized that she'd be murdered. She lives the next sixty years expecting her own murder, and no one believes that this will happen until she was found murdered on the day of her will reading. The catch: whoever solves Frances’ murder first inherits the estate and fortune. Now Annie (Frances’ great-niece), Saxon (Frances’ nephew) and Detective Crane rush to put the pieces together, because they have only seven days to figure it out, or it all goes to a developer with plans for a hotel and golf course.

The story is told from the perspective of Annie in the present day, alternating with entries from Frances’ 1965-1966 journals, skillfully delivering crucial backstories that add to the building tension across the story. The book is filled with mysteries within mysteries, both old and new, a plethora of suspects all with very good motives and things to hide, where tension mounts and danger escalates.

This book is a clever and twist-laden small-town cozy mystery that is fun and entertaining, and worth checking out. Annie and Frances are two compassionate and smart women, and alongside is a cast of characters that are all mostly likable and interesting. I have to admit that I did not know who the murderers (both past and present-day) were until the big reveal.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

I had a somewhat difficult time keeping the various characters straight, particularly given the different time frames, but this classic style mystery was still great. I really liked the character of Frances and I'm excited to see where this series goes.

Annie Adams moves back home with her mom in her grand, dilapidated home in central London to pursue her dreams of being a murder mystery author. Shortly after, Annie receives a summons from the estate of her Great Aunt Frances requesting her to come to the reading of her will in Castle Knoll. She has never met her Great Aunt and her mother was previously the beneficiary of the estate up until recently. Annie arrives at the sprawling estate in Castle Knoll, and is immediately thrown into an inheritance competition carefully orchestrated by Frances prior to her death.

Great Aunt Frances received a fortune when she was 17 years old that foretold her death. She has been trying to outwit and outrun death since. The fortune told of her being betrayed by the bird, her bones in a box and her demise beginning when she had the Queen within her palm. Her murder became her obsession and her life revolved around outsmarting her killer before they could act. Unfortunately, Frances was murdered and now it is up to the select few named in her will to solve the puzzle. The prize - her vast estate, including $40 million pounds, and the claim to finding justice for her murder.

This book was so much fun! I truly enjoyed reading this mystery and following the paths of the “players” in the inheritance chase. There are glimpses of Frances as a teenager as Annie reads her diary and this brought an interesting perspective from the past right into the present game. Highly recommend if you enjoy mind games and murder mysteries!

Thank you NetGalley for the privilege of reading the ARC copy of How To Solve Your Own Murder! Grab your copy when it comes out tomorrow, March 26th 🖤

5 Stars
Genre - cozy mystery, historical-ish fiction (one timeline is set in the '60s)
Tone - mad-dash, eccentric, gasp-inducing
Tropes & devices - dual timelines, "stuck together", (view spoiler)
Reps - FMC has panic / anxiety disorder / attacks. A few minor characters are queer.
CW - verbal abuse of a child, domestic violence (slapping), gun violence, murder

Annie arrives at great-aunt Frances's estate the exact day she's murdered, as the fortune she received as a teenager had predicted she would be. The good news is, Frances left Annie with a good head start; a lifetime of snooping, obsessive filing, and deliberate journaling fill her office, and she's tasked Annie and her nephew with solving the mystery of whodunit. Racing the police (including a handsome detective), the crooked nephew, and the killer(s?) on the loose, Annie must solve Frances's murder to inherit the estate, save the town from a developer, and keep her own home. Frances's story is told through interjected sections of her journal, documenting the events that take place from the time she first hears the fortune that will haunt her for the rest of her life.

I so purely enjoyed this book; I couldn't stop turning the pages (cliché, but honest). I spent the first half waiting for Frances to catch on to a major plot point I'd predicted; I spent the second half gasping and literally throwing a hand to my mouth in surprise. I'm not great at seeing a twist, but there were quite a few here (even minor ones) that really threw me and kept me guessing. There was a bit of a romance subplot that wasn't too overpowering to the mystery, and the set up to a series at the ending was well integrated. Similar titles I can think of are The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone, which has dual storylines, historical fiction elements, and multigenerational female familial relationships; and The Museum of Ordinary People, which features more family heirlooms and documents, and their twisty secrets.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A small town, an inn and a mysterious murder, make this the perfect cozy mystery. It grabs your attention immediately with an eccentric, wealthy widow obsessed with a fortune teller’s prophecy from decades before.

Our heroine, Annie Adams is the newly appointed heir of wealthy France’s estate. As a would-be mystery author, Annie seems to be the perfect person to solve the mystery. With only France’s journals and her extensive collection of fact gathering, Annie is time pressed to find the killer.

With a full cast of characters, it gives off a bit of a Clue vibe. The dual narrative and timeline make it interesting, doling out little tidbits of Frances’s life. The character development kept me invested, wanting to find out more. The twists in this plot come together a little too easily in the end, but altogether it was a very enjoyable read.

In 1965 Frances gets her fortune read and is convinced she will be murdered exactly as described. She spends her life paranoid that someone is about to kill her and she creates a murder board with facts and evidence to help someone solve her own murder some day. The day finally comes, 60 years later, as she finalizes her will detailing what will happen to her inheritance and estate. Solving the mystery falls into the hands of her great niece, Annie, but tensions are high as the murderer is still out there...

This reads a lot like an Agatha Christie / whodunit novel. I had a fun time trying to piece all of the clues together. I enjoyed the flashbacks to Frances's journals and present time with Annie. It was interesting to learn how Frances's paranoia built over the years. I'd recommend for anyone that loves cozy mysteries!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

How to Solve Your Own Murder
by Kristen Perrin
Pub Date: March 26, 2024

The fortune teller tells Frances will be murdered and have dry bones in her future. If only she knew the rest of the story ... it's 60 years later and she shouldn't be freaked out. When she is found dead 60 years later there are so many questions rather than answers. Her niece starts investigating her Aunt Frances death and its clear there is a murder. Her Aunt has a room with murder boards with all f her friends, neighbors and anyone that her grandmother has a relationship with. She didn't just have 1 murder board but 2 murder boards.

I love the pace of this book and the characters were well developed. I really enjoyed reading this book and trying to figure out who was the murderer #1 and murderer #2. This is a great book for a rainy, cold day and I so enjoyed this book and think if you are into Agatha Christie who done it style story, then you will love this book.. The way the current and the past come together and how similar they are.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penquin group, Dutton and Kristen Perrin for providing an ARC in return for my honest opinion.
Keep reading and finsing your next adventure in black and white.

5⭐️

Wow wow wow fantastic debut!!!

Please give me more Rowan Crane and Annabelle. I loved both so much and really enjoyed Detective Crane so much. He was such a loveable character.

This book gave me knives out but also Veronica Speedwell character vibes. There are a lot of characters introduced in the first 25% but honestly once you get into it, it's really easy to follow along. This story is also told in dual timelines thru a journal. There are two mysteries that Annie is trying to solve. Who killed Frances and what happened to her friend Emily.

I absolutely adored this book and I am really hoping that this is an ongoing series. I would read anything in this Castle Knoll setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

“Your future contains dry bones. Your slow demise begins right when you hold the Queen in the palm of your hand. Beware the bird, for it will betray you. And, from that, there is no coming back. But daughters are the key to justice, find the right one and keep her close. All signs point toward your murder.”

In 1965 Frances had her fortune read and after that day she was obsessed with figuring out who would be her murderer.

Sixty years later Frances reached out to her great niece, Annie Adams to her solicitor's office. They had never met, but Frances decided to name Annie as the sole benefactor of the estate and assets... BUT! Before the will could be read Frances was murdered!

Because Frances "knew" she was going to be murdered she decided to turn it into a game for everyone.

The story alternates between Annie's perspective and France's diary entries which to me was great! It has a feel of Knives Out, Murder Mystery and Agatha Christie novels. I enjoyed the book, I will be putting a hold at the library for the audio version of it and cannot wait to hear the narrators take on the characters.


Publication date: March 26th 2024!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Many thanks to NetGalley and for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin comes out on March 26th, 2024
4/5 Stars

Synopsis:
When Annie Adams is summoned to the small village of Castle Knoll to attend an inheritance meeting at the request of her Great Aunt Frances (who she has not met), she is intrigued. Though she has not met her, Annie has heard about her Great Aunt's eccentricates, namely around a fortune foretelling her murder. When she arrives at the estate, she discovers that her Great Aunt's fortune has indeed come true. With that, Annie is thrown into a world of mystery as she races to solve her Frances' murder. Told in dual timelines with flashbacks via Frances' diary entries as a teen and young woman, this story will keep you guessing right up until the very end.

Thoughts:
This is such a fun, cozy mystery. I'll admit that it took me a little bit to get into and initially I struggled to keep the characters straight when jumping between the past and present. Once I got into it and was connecting each character in the past to who they are in the present it got much easier and I became much more invested. I enjoyed the dynamic between Annie and the detective but thought the little bit of tension/romance felt forced so glad there wasn't a lot there. All in all this book definitely gives Knives Out and Clue vibes so if either of those appeal to you then you should check it out.

How to Solve Your Own Murder takes place in the English village of Castle Knoll. It's a contemporary mystery with journal entries that give glimpses into the 1960s.

The story starts quite dramatically, with a flashback to Frances receiving an ominous fortune at a traveling fair in 1965. In the current timeline, Frances's great-niece Annie arrives in Castle Knolls to find that Frances has been murdered.

This was an entertaining mystery, and I will definitely read the next book in the series! I liked the quaint and quirky characters in the village. The story also goes a bit darker than typical cozy mysteries,

Disclosure: Received an uncorrected ARC of this book from NetGalley and Dutton/Penguin Random House LLC (Thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.

This was a clever and fun mystery. No spoilers ahead to ruin anything for other readers but from just the title you can surmise this is a murder mystery. In the past, teenage Frances receives a enigmatic fortune that foretells her murder. She spends her life trying to figure out the fortune to avert her death (hence the book title).

The author artfully alternates between the past and the present to help piece together all the clues and information necessary to solve the murder. I was kept guessing all the way until the reveal, more savvy sleuths may be able to figure out the whodunit sooner. The publisher synopsis stating fans of The Thursday Murder Club series will enjoy this book is spot on.

It's not clear to me how there will be more books in this series but I am looking forward to book #2 as well as the movie/series (the author alludes in the acknowledgments to the cinematic rights of the story landing in the right hands).

I love weird and cozy mysteries so bad you guys don't even know. So much fun and easy to read when I'm driving and I put it as text to speech. (yes this is insane, I know).

The mystery in this book was really fun!
I felt like I was in the game CLUE and the author did a great job of making you feel like you were really there.
I absolutely loved the aspect of the great aunt’s diary being found and we got to read bits and pieces of it right along with the character. I really enjoy when there’s a flashback in a book for the entire story.
I think the characters were really well thought out and the storyline was very dynamic!
I loved uncovering all the little secrets and finally finding out what really happened in the end!
Thank you NetGalley for my arc copy, I am leaving this review on my own.

Do you enjoy reading murder mysteries? Do you like mysteries set in the English countryside at a sprawling estate? Are you a fan of Knives Out or Agatha Christie? If so, I recommend reading How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin. This was an entertaining and cozy murder mystery. I think this would be a perfect book to read on a rainy day curled up on the couch with your cat (or your dog, or your hamster..you get what I’m saying).

There are many interesting characters in this story. I thought Annie was a relatable character and I enjoyed following along with her as she tried to solve the mystery. I loved the English countryside setting and the Knives Out vibes of this book. This story features two timelines (present day with Annie and the mid 1960s with Frances) and I thought both timelines were interesting. There were some surprising twists that I thoroughly enjoyed. There were some slower parts in the story, but overall, I had a fun time reading this book. I think this is the first book in a series and I look forward to reading the next one.

3.5/5 stars

In 1965, seventeen year old Frances is at the Knoll Country Fair with her two best friends. When they visit the fortune teller, she makes a prediction that Frances will one day be murdered.
Her fortune was told as a riddle that Frances spends her whole life trying to solve. She becomes obsessed with every detail of the riddle and keeps files on every person in the small village of Castle Knoll.
60 years later, she invites family members to her estate to discuss the details of her will. Upon arrival at the estate, Frances is found dead. The autopsy confirms she has been murdered. Frances knew this would soon be her fate, but she left one final task before anyone can inherit her assets.
Her niece, Annie, is determined to uncover the truth about the people of Castle Knoll, and the fortune that determined the fate of her Great Aunt Frances.

This murder mystery kept me on my toes!! Every chapter left me with wide eyes and excited to continue reading! The story jumps from the present time investigation to Frances’s diary when she was younger.
There are a lot of deceitful people in this book. It was a little difficult to remember who each character was at first, but the author does a great job at reminding you who they are and how they are related when they become more of a topic of discussion.

I honestly had no idea who the murderer was, because after every chapter I kept changing my mind!