How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
.
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.
.
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.
.
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!

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.

If you are like me and grew up loving to play Clue, then this is the book for you! At 17, Frances visits a fortune teller, who predicts that Frances will be murdered. Frances then spends her entire life trying to solve her own murder before it happens, collecting “dirt” on everyone in her small town. When she is indeed murdered, her adrift great niece and heir to her massive fortune, Annie, uses diaries and other accounts of the past to try and solve the murder in the present. The book switches between the two perspectives of Frances and Annie, and together the two women unravel a decades old mystery. Like all great murder mystery stories, what Annie learns through the investigation is more interesting than the actual revelation of the “whodunnit.” This story twists and turns, all while weaving a tale of two (or maybe five) women trying to find their place in the world. I would recommend this book to all mystery genre lovers.

How to Solve your own Murder by Kristen Perrin

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is a semi-epistolary novel told in part through a series of journal entries by Frances in 1965 who gets her fortune read and discovers she’s going to one day be murdered. It also follows her great niece in the present attempting to solve Frances’ murder (as well as Frances’ best friends disappearance) after discovering the journal.

This book was cleverly written and is reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s writing. Throughout this novel Perrin creates a complicated plot that will keep you guessing until the last page. Each of the characters is interesting and has complex motives.

I would recommend this to anybody who enjoys whodunits and dual timeline novels!

Thank you @netgalley and Dutton for this ARC!

Well written whodunnit that will ,keep you guessing until the end. Well written with strong character development; a pleasure to read.

📚 PUB DAY + BOOK REVIEW 📚

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️
Pages: 368

THE GIST:
Frances has lived her life in fear of a fortune teller's prediction that one day she will be murdered. She's spent every day decoding the details of her impeding death. Everyone is a possible suspect.

When Annie arrives at her estranged aunt's estate, she has no idea that she's about to become a main character in a possible murder mystery plot.

THOUGHTS AND THINGS:
I went into this ARC mostly blind and loved where it took me. I highly recommend not reading too much into this one before diving in. If the tropes below fit, just give it a shot!

I loved the characters, the twist and turns, the nosy neighbors, and the dual timeline structure. It kept me guessing until the very end. There isn't much more I can say without spoiling the fun and mystery.

If you're looking for an easy, whodunnit mystery, this is it! I'm very excited to read book 2!

READ IF YOU LIKE:
🔎 Small Town Mystery
🔎 Whodunnit
🔎 Dual Timeline
🔎 Fortune Tellers
🔎 Decoding a Prophecy
🔎 Twists and Turns
🔎 Clue/Knives Out Vibes

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Ditto, and Kristen Perrin for allowing me to read and review this arc!

Another book where I liked the first third of it better than the rest. It's corny in places, "thrillery" in others. While the book takes place in England, the author is American and it feels like an American book. Not sure the why about where it took place. Overall, not a bad book. Worth reading and certainly a quick read.

In 1965, Frances Adams goes to a fair with her two best friends and visits a fortune teller for fun. But the fun turns dark when the woman tells Frances someday she will be murdered. The fortune includes a few sentences with specific markers Frances memorizes and will end up watching out for her entire life. And about 60 years later, she is indeed found dead from unnatural causes.

Her great-niece, Annie Adams, is summoned from her home in London to Frances’ country estate. She’s never met Great-Aunt Frances, but while it’s been assumed her mother, Laura, would inherit her money and property, now Annie has been chosen. While the meeting was planned for Annie to visit with a living Frances and her lawyer, when they arrive at Frances’ estate, she’s dead.

Annie finds herself in the role of investigator. There is plenty of potential evidence, because Frances had collected any and all information (especially secrets) about anyone who came across her path. That also means there are plenty of suspects, even in the small town near the estate. And that means danger. As Annie sniffs out secrets, she’ll not only grab the attention of the murderer but anyone else who doesn’t want their dirt dug up.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a clever mystery. It’s billed as an “enormously fun” cozy mystery like Knives Out or Thursday Murder Club, but I think that enticing readers to open its pages for those reasons will do it a disservice. It’s not really intense, but it does have plenty of serious issues running through it (so “cozy”…?). The same goes for it being “fun”; I’d say that’s true in that it has a clever conceit. But I don’t think I laughed or grinned once. That’s OK, though! Just don’t go into it expecting fun and laughs. There are hints at the end there will be more, as is clear by the “Castle Knoll Files, book 1” billing, but I think I’d prefer it more as a stand-alone. I guess time will tell once I read the next one.

Thank you, Penguin Group Dutton, for the gifted copy of How to Solve Your Own Murder.

I rated this novel 4 stars. This was such a fun murder mystery novel told in dual timelines. In the current timeline, we have Annie Adams, a hopeful mystery novelist, who is invited to her great-aunt, Frances', country estate for a meeting. Upon her arrival, her great-aunt is murdered and her Last Will and Testament requires her family to solve her murder, due to a fortune she was told years ago. Annie stumbles upon a journal of Frances' and as she reads through it, she continues to discover answers to solve the mystery of her murder.

It definitely feels like an Agatha Christie novel mixed with the film Knives Out and I am a fan of both of those. I would recommend this novel if you are a fan of quirky murder mysteries.

This was a pretty fun and cosy mystery
I wish it had been raining when I read this so that I would have felt the vibes more but this was still nice. It was a bit slow at times, but overall not too bad

How to Solve Your Own Murder was a fun and clever mystery! I thought Perrin did an incredible job of creating suspicious characters. Each character had a believable reason for murdering Frances. I found myself changing my mind countless times throughout the story. I liked how Perrin used diary entries to further the plotline. Perrin did a great job of intertwining Emily's disappearance with France's story. Although I suspected one of the major events in the book, I was surprised by others. Fans of Knives Out will enjoy this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for the ARC.

Two of my favorite tags that I use for my books are bad-ass lady detectives and chaotic good, so from the get-go, How To Solve Your Own Murder hit both of those. The book is told in two perspectives, alternating chapters: one from Frances's perspective in the 1960s, as she tries to figure out what happened to her friend Emily who disappeared, and the other from Annie's perspective in modern day, as she is called to Frances's estate to review changes to her will, when, oops! Frances has been murdered. Annie, along with Frances's nephew, his wife, and Frances's solicitor are tasked with solving her murder. And as you might imagine, chaos ensues.

I did like the switching back and forth between Frances and Annie, and I think the author did a good job of revealing new information and plot points that played into one another, like sharing information about characters or their connections to one another. Frances had a murder board, and at times, I felt like I needed one of my own to keep track of everything that was going on and who everyone was and how they were related (or not!) to each other. But that's the fun of chaotic good books -- sometimes, they are just so unbelievably wacky that you go along for the vibes, knowing that it's just going to be an absolute trip. I'm intrigued by what's to come in the Castle Knoll files. It's set-up that there might be some lingering repercussions from this mystery, but I love the chaotic goodness of this sleepy British town that's teeming with mystery and murder.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for providing me with an eARC of How to Solve Your Own Murder in exchange for my honest review.

"How to Solve Your Own Murder" by Kristen Perrin is a cleverly constructed mystery that intertwines past and present with a unique premise. The story begins with a chilling prophecy, where a fortune-teller tells teenage Frances Adams that she will be murdered. This prediction sets Frances on a lifelong quest to prevent her death, gathering secrets and compiling information on everyone she meets.
Fast forward to the present day, and we find Frances’s great-niece, Annie Adams, summoned to the family estate only to discover that Frances has indeed been murdered, just as foretold. The narrative shifts between Frances’s past efforts to evade her fate and Annie’s present-day investigation, which grows increasingly dangerous as she delves into the myriad of secrets her great-aunt uncovered.
While the dual narrative is engaging and the character development is strong, the novel sometimes struggles with pacing. Other than that this book is a must-read for fans of cozy mysteries and those who enjoy a good puzzle.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin is a fantastic cozy murder mystery!
This mystery is so cleverly plotted and executed.
And with the well-developed characters I was eagerly turning the pages. The character development is on point.. the way the story unravels is effortlessly gripping.
The dual timelines and POVs were done so well I was honestly captivated by it all.
I loved the plot, story, characters and writing and the whole set up and idea of it was just so clever. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a murder mystery this much and I’m honestly incredibly excited to read what else this author will produce.

Thank You NetGalley and Dutton for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!