I can't put my finger on it, but this book felt a bit old fashioned. Perhaps it was the bouncing back to 1965 (which isn't really old fashioned), or that it took place in the English countryside. Not sure, but I enjoyed that feeling. Unpublished mystery writer Annie Adams is called to the home of her great-aunt with a previously unknown reference to her being the heir. From there the story becomes an expose of small town secrets, past and present, and the hunt for a murderer (or two) before the deadline. This was a super clever and engaging book with a plethora of interesting characters. I do wonder how this is going to be the start of a series, but I'd read more of this world!

From the title alone, I was immediately drawn to this book. Fortunately, "How to Solve Your Own Murder" lived up to its intriguing name!

The vibe of the book was so interesting; it wasn't quite a cozy mystery, but I also wouldn't classify it as a psychological suspense/thriller. It was a perfect medium with an incredible cast of characters. I loved the switching narrative and how the reader gets a full view of Annie and Frances's lives.

I'm very much looking forward to the next book in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book with high expectations and was not disappointed. I loved the style of the writing, it kept me fully engaged. Normally I dislike books that jump between past and present every other chapter, but in this case it was so well executed and seamless. The pacing of the plotline was a little slow for my liking with little character development to show for it. With the exception of Annie and Frances, I didn't fully get a feel for most of the other characters. But I can also understand that because there were a lot of other characters, to the point I did occasionally get confused and have to re-read certain parts. Some of the twists were obvious for an avid mystery reader. But the major plot twist though... woah. It was wild. Even if I thought it was this certain person, never would I have guessed the level of complexity this reveal gave the plot. Extremely well written because they were never on my radar at all. Overall I loved the cozy feel and the storyline, it had a nice happy ending - well as happy of an ending with a murder involved. I have the feeling the ending calls for a possible sequel or at least it leaves a sense of incompletion. Perhaps too abrupt of an ending for me, but not enough to dislike the story it told. Definitely recommend for those who enjoy a sort of slow burn mystery with cozy feels.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is the debut in the Castle Knoll series by Kristen Perrin. This is a cozy mystery, perfect for all who love cuddling up to warm, crackling fire in a charming, old bed & breakfast while the rain gently falls outside and life passes by like an old-timey movie.

Synopsis: Step into the captivating mystery of "Castle Knoll": A thrilling tale where a woman's lifelong efforts to prevent her foretold murder lead to a chilling realization sixty years later when she's found dead. Now, her great-niece, Annie, must unravel the secrets of their family's sprawling estate to catch the killer. As Annie delves deeper, she uncovers a web of lies and motives, but can she unveil the truth before becoming the next victim?

This book has all the trappings of a good cozy mystery. There is the whodunit element, suspicious behavior from multiple characters, a small-town group who all seem to know each other in some way or another, a murder (minus the graphic and frightening elements), and the heir to a great, old fortune at stake. As a person who grew up loving Scooby-Doo and seeing the Mystery Gang bust local monsters, this was reminiscent of that style of mystery (minus the goblins and ghouls fantasy aspect).

I believe this novel would pair better in the Fall months for obvious reasons. It is a fairly low-action book in that it is very heavy on the cozy mystery side and very low on the thriller side of the genre. I felt the 3rd quarter begin to drag as it seemed not much was happening, but thankfully things picked up in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy of How to Solve Your Own Murder. I'm interested to see how the next installments of The Castle Knoll Files will play out as I feel I may have picked up on a few ideas at the end of the novel. Overall, I give this a 3.75/5 stars (rounding to 4/5 stars if viewing on Goodreads).

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a novel about an elderly woman who has been trying to prove since she was seventeen years old that someone is trying to kill her. A fortune teller told her so, and she believes it. And as it turns out, they were right.

In 1965 Frances Adams and her two best friends stopped by a carnival fortune teller's table on a lark, expecting that they would hear one of those boilerplate, one-size-fits-all fortunes that are so easily laughed off. Instead, Frances was warned that her life would almost certainly end at the hands of a murderer. From that moment on, Frances began to watch everyone around her through new eyes - always trying to identify her potential killer before it was too late. In later years, Frances would even take to creating her own murder board, the kind you find in homicide investigations. Her photo was in the center, surrounded by all those she thought might wish her dead.

Annie Adams, Frances's great-niece, who lives alone with her mother in a house owned by the old woman has never actually met her great-aunt. Then one day, to her great surprise, Annie is asked to come to tiny Castle Knoll to attend a meeting with her aunt and several other people where an announcement of some sort is to be made. But on the very morning of that meeting, Frances finally meets her fate and a very different kind of meeting is in order.

Frances is dead. Is it because she finally solved her own murder, but couldn't prevent it?

The more Annie learns about her great-aunt, the more determined she becomes to identify the killer and to complete the task Frances spent a lifetime working on. But will Annie suffer the same fate her aunt suffered before justice can be served? Maybe so.

Kristen Perrin has written a mystery here that is a whole lot of fun, one that reminds me very much of the kind of classic cozy mystery written in the 1920s and 1930s. The characters are all eccentric, and there are plenty of them for the reader, and for Annie as the big city outsider trying to identify a killer, to keep track of. Chapters of Annie's first person narration are alternated with chapters featuring excerpts from Frances's teenaged diary to tie together what happened in the '60s and her death all these decades later. And I'm happy to say that Perrin plays fair with her readers in How to Solve Your Own Murder. If you don't figure out this one for yourself, rest assured that it will all make perfect sense to you at the end. No irritating bolts of lightning out of a pure blue sky from this one to irritate you.

Thank you to Kristen Perrin, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a story told in a dual timeline. The past is set in 1965 and follows Frances Adams and her two best friends, Emily and Rose. One night, the three girls visit a fortune teller, who predicts that Frances will be murdered. Her friends believe it's all in good fun, but it causes Frances to be miserable in constant worry about trying to prevent her supposed impending doom while also dealing with the disappearance of a close friend under suspicious circumstance. The present timeline follows the character Annie Adams, who is Frances’ great-niece. She is invited to her great aunt's estate, along with others, to discuss Frances' will and the modifications that she made to it. Upon her arrival in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead! I feel like with any novel that has multiple storylines, you will inevitably enjoy and be interested in one more than the other. I found myself much more intrigued with Frances' storyline over Annie's.

Due to the multiple characters, I found myself confused at times trying to sort it all out. It's not one of those books you can leisurely read. It requires focus and attention to make all the pieces of the puzzle make sense. I always love a few red herrings, as they keep the reader guessing and this was no different. I didn't know who the murderers were, past or present, until the author revealed it and that is one thing I look for in a thriller. If I can guess the end, then I am disappointed. So I was certainly pleased with not knowing until the very end! It wasn't my favorite book by any means, but I would be interested to read more from this author to see how her other stories compare.

I was really into this one but then I found myself losing interest in the last 25%. I couldn’t keep all the characters right and as soon as I found out the killer I put this down. I think the concept is so good maybe just too many characters and too long

Final Rating 3.5

This was a fun murder mystery! However, I never really felt connected to the characters or the case they were trying to solve. Annie felt like she was lacking a certain something that a lot of amateur detectives have in stories like this but I can't quite put my finger on what exactly that is. When the murder was finally solved, I just felt a bit confused and underwhelmed. Typically I like when I can also solve the mystery alongside the characters and come to the same conclusions, but in this case I couldn't figure out how exactly she determined who the killer was, and even when it was explained how she got there, it just felt a bit flimsy. That said, I did really like the premise and the way that it included diary entries from the past to provide context to the current mystery. And it's not a bad book by any means and I don't regret reading it at all, it just wasn't a standout for me.

✨𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

Thank you to @duttonbooks @netgalley for the gifted copy of this book for an honest review.

🕵️‍♀️𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫
𝐁𝐲: Kristen Perrin
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: March 26, 2024

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
This title caught my attention right away and I was so excited to read it, however it just didn’t work all that well for me.

It starts out great! A teen girl and her friends go to a fortune teller where one of the girls, Frances, is told she’ll be murdered. Then, the story jumps 40 years and we meet Frances’ niece, Annie.

Annie is summoned by her wealthy, great aunt Frances for a meeting in the country side at her estate. Upon Annie’s arrival, Frances is found dead.

You are then introduced to so many characters that I had to take some notes to be sure I had it all together in my head. Then, it switches to past diary writings from Frances and then back to the present. All while juggling these same characters past and present. It was just ALOT! 🤯

The story was cute, but it was not all that engaging. A lot of reviews have compared this to Agatha Christie stories, so if you like those, then you would definitely love this one! A cozy little mystery. #howtosolveyourownmurder

𝓗𝓸𝔀 𝓽𝓸 𝓢𝓸𝓵𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓜𝓾𝓻𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓫𝔂 𝓚𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓷 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓷 🐦‍⬛

<i><b>”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.”</i></b>

Brief Summary: When visiting a fortune teller Frances is told a prophecy about her death. She spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder from happening only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her estate... her great-niece Annie decides to solve the murder.

<b><u>Read if you love</b></u>
✔️mystery/thriller genre
✔️London setting
✔️Dual POV
✔️old diary entries
✔️who did it murder?
✔️fortune teller reading
✔️searching for clues

I loved the cozy mystery and the London setting however there were a few problems that kept me from loving the book.
1. Way too many characters- I was easily confused by who was who and most characters felt undeveloped/one dimensional.
2. I enjoyed a certain character POV a lot more than the other.
3. The book just ends. The murder is solved but I had so many unanswered questions.
4. The biggest problem is I felt no connection to characters or the plot.

Overall thoughts: This was just an okay read. I wouldn’t personally recommend because I didn’t absolutely love it. The story itself was paced well and each chapter ends making you want to know more so I had to finish to know the ending.

If you love a good game of Clue or curling up with your favorite Agatha Christie novel, How to Solve Your Own Murder is the perfect book for you!

Thanks to Kristen Perrin, Dutton, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this murder mystery! It was beautifully written, fast paced, and tightly plotted (not extraneous plot twists just for drama; no loose ends). The outsider coming into a small English village to investigate a murder at the local manor house as well as the characters and clues seem very classic Agatha Christie. The ingenious twist is that the murder victim has foreseen her own death through a fortune teller and has left it to her heirs to use her own research to catch the murderer.

I would highly recommend this to any fan of classic mystery stories!

When teenage Frances Adams receives a fortune predicting she will be murdered, she's the only one who takes it seriously. She then spends the rest of her life trying to collect evidence of a crime that has yet to happen, digging up dirt on friends and neighbors. When Frances is actually murdered 60 years later, it's a shock to everyone (except, presumably, her). Enter Annie Adams, Frances's great-niece who has been summoned to a meeting with Frances at her country estate. Unfortunately, Frances is already dead by the time Annie arrives, but this just makes Annie determined to find proof of her aunt's suspicions and track down the killer. To do that, she'll have to dig into the many secrets Frances has collected over the years, and put all her amateur sleuthing skills to the test.

This was a fun small-town mystery with an Agatha Christie feel. The action is interspersed with passages from teenage Frances's diary from the summer she received her dire fortune, and Annie is puzzling out what the events of the past might have had to do with the murder in the present. I really loved reading Frances's perspective and wished we could have seen more from her. Annie was fine for an amateur sleuth, but not as notable as some of Christie's iconic characters. I will note that there are a lot of characters and relationships to keep track of, so that was a bit tricky in the first few chapters, but once I got my head around who everyone was, it was easy to read. The book was not quite technically a cozy mystery (some swearing, a bit of violence) but still a delightful read.

I received a gifted galley of HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER by Kristen Perrin for an honest review. Thank you to Dutton, PRHAudio, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER follows two women. In 1965, Frances is a teen who receives a prediction from a fortune teller, that she will one day be murdered. This sparks a lifelong obsession with solving her own murder. In the present day, all of Frances' attempts have failed and her Annie is summoned to a family meeting by her great-aunt Frances, only to arrive and find that Frances is already dead. Annie must find the answers Frances never fully uncovered, using Frances' research and her past to look for clues.

I enjoy a good mystery and the premise of this one quickly caught my attention. I was both intrigued by, and a bit saddened by, Frances' life which was so wrapped up in the eventuality of her own death. Was it a true prediction or a self-fulfilling prophesy? Frances' obsession with her own murder case has rubbed many the wrong way and Annie has no shortage of suspects to pursue.

The story follows Annie in the present day, but also takes us back to Frances' youth through her journal entries. I found the present case to be a bit more compelling for me to read, but enjoyed the full story and how things tied together. The past timeline includes a mystery of its own as one of Frances' friends disappeared. I was very interested in getting answers to how these things tied together and I thought that it all wrapped up well.

I would recommend this to fans of a good cozy mystery! I would definitely pick up future books in this series! HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER is out on 3/26!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the advanced reader copy of How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin!

Incredible. This story kept me engaged right up until the end. I'm generally pretty good at guessing the finales of mysteries and thrillers and while I did get close to this one, I was surprised by the reveal. The converging narrations by Anna and Frances, the twists and turns, and the eventual revelation of "whodunit" made this novel one of the most fun I've read in a while. I loved the huge cast of characters, that had me mentally looking like Charlie Day with a murder board, as well as the entire fortune plot line. I imagine being Frances, knowing she's going to be murdered and yet not knowing when or by whom, dedicating her life to finding out.

I have 2 qualms with the novel.
1. The story and relationship with Rutherford was a little lackluster. I felt as though his character could have had a larger plot in the "present day" part of the novel, even if it was revelations through old paperwork, items, etc. I felt like a 23 year old widower having sex with 17 years olds with the explanation that he "gets around" was a bit disappointing.
2. It felt like the fortune played very little part in the "flashback" portions of the book. Frances mentioned it a few times, but by the time our present day main character came in, it seemed that Frances was wrought with fear, anxiety, determination, etc. Which led me to wonder what happened in the time between the two narratives.

This book was a 3.5 for me!

I really enjoyed it overall, but it was a slow start. This cozy mystery stars Annie Adams, whose great-aunt Frances was told a fortune in the 1960s that she would be murdered, and said fortune finally comes to fruition. It's up to Annie to solve the mystery, otherwise her aunt's fortune will be sold off. There's a lot of corruption and secrets in the small town that Annie needs to weed through in order to find the true killer of Frances, as well as what happened to Frances all those years ago.

Following along with Annie was a fun ride, though it took awhile until I felt I was fully immersed in the story. It didn't happen until about 30% of the way through, but then I was fully immersed.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"How To Solve Your Own Murder" by Kristen Perrin is a captivating mystery that cleverly weaves together dual timelines to create a rich and engaging narrative. The story revolves around a county fair fortune filled with odd characters, inheritance issues, riddles, games, and challenges, leaving readers with plenty of suspects to ponder.

One of the highlights of the book is its dual timelines, which add depth to the story. Frances's diary entries, written when she was 17/18 years old, offer a glimpse into her life and add a youthful, almost YA feel to the novel. Despite their seemingly juvenile nature, the diary entries play a crucial role in the story, offering clues to solving the mysteries at hand.

While the plot is engaging, the characters feel flat, serving more as caricatures to support the kooky plot than fully fleshed-out individuals. Additionally, the time crunch imposed on the characters, which forced Frances' would-be heirs to race against the police detective to solve her murder in a week, makes the story feel rushed and clunky.

Annie, the protagonist, is a compelling investigator, but as an aspiring writer, I wished for more explicit details woven throughout her journey. The author often presents clues in a showboat-like manner, similar to a magic show with reveal after reveal, which detracts from the immersion in Annie's investigative process.

Despite these shortcomings, "How To Solve Your Own Murder" is enjoyable, offering a fun and entertaining mystery that keeps readers guessing until the end. The dual timelines and the inclusion of the diary add depth to the story, making it a compelling read for fans of the mystery genre.

I haven’t read a mystery in such a long time and this was everything I needed it to be! I was on the edge of my seat the whole book.
I was really mad when she was trying to tell people she would end up being murdered and no one believed her. And then she was murdered. I said out loud “she was trying to tell you all along!”
I will definitely buy not only my self a copy of this book but I will be buying a copy for all my Murder Mystery loving friends because this is so good!

4.5 ⭐️
Frances Adams received a fortune as a teenager that controlled the rest of her life, as it predicted how she would be murdered. 60 years later, Annabelle “Annie” Adams is summoned by her Great Aunt Frances to witness the revision of her will. But, upon arriving to Castle Knolls, Great Aunt Frances turns up dead. Annie is thrust into an investigation to solve her Great Aunt’s murder and find the killer, uncovering secrets while up against the local detective and neighbors who knew Frances very well.

I really liked this one! My only hang up is that it moved slowly for a while, but once it picked up I was hooked. There were also a lot of characters to keep up with but in the end this paid off. Speaking of - I loved the ending! If you like themes of family, secrets, grief and murder mystery, you’ll love this one!

Thanks NetGalley and Dutton Books!

Title: How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
Publication Date- 03/26/24
Publisher- PRH Dutton
Overall Rating- 3.5 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start off by saying that the first 2/3ish was an easy 5 star. I really enjoyed getting to know both main characters and found them enjoyable. Essentially this story is told in almost equal parts in the past and the present. In the present we have a woman trying to solve her great aunt's murder and gain an inheritance (she also wants to know what happened to her). In the past we have her great aunt’s story where she gets the fortune that tells her how she will die. Her great aunt's storyline also follows a good friend of hers who went missing. I personally really enjoy dual timeline and dual POV and I felt like that was done well here.

Other things I enjoyed; the atmosphere, the whodunit storytelling and some of the relationship dynamics. I will say if you have read the Truly Devious series this felt similar in the way the story was told. I personally love that series so that was a win for me. I also felt aspects of Knives Out, which was quite entertaining. How to Solve Your Own murder is cozy and on the medium to slower pace.

What I struggled with in the last ⅔ of the story was it started to feel repetitive. I felt like we were going round and round the same mystery over and over again. Granted at times more truths were uncovered but it was not enough for me to not wonder when the story would end. It also became pretty complicated as more and more people were involved and connected in different ways. This aspect was significant enough, in my opinion, to lower my rating from a 5 star to a 3.5.
All in all I did enjoy my time with this book and I’m glad I had an opportunity to read it. I am unsure if I will continue the series, I might because I truly enjoyed the main character a lot and the writing. The writing itself was fine, it was just the way the story was told in the last third. If you like murder mysteries, Truly Devious, The Inheritance Games and Knives Out I think you should give this a go.