If you’re a fan of mysteries or even British murder mystery tv shows, this is for you. I was sucked in immediately. I’ll be shocked if this isn’t adapted for television. A twisty mystery all the way through. I did not crack the case & enjoyed all the surprises. Frances Adams spent her life trying to stay ahead of a fortune teller’s prediction of her death. While also trying to solve her friend’s disappearance when they were teens. She believes her great niece, Annie Adams will be the one to solve her murder when it happens. I loved getting to know Frances from her diary. I liked getting those chapters from the past firsthand from Frances. I also loved Annie. I hope to see her again with a new mystery to solve.

"How to Solve Your Own Murder" was a pretty middle-of-the-road read for me.

There wasn't anything too awful about it, just some minor issues. Nothing felt particularly believable or realistic, but not in an obnoxious way. Several readers have already mentioned the abundance of characters being a problem (especially because none of them were distinct/unique/memorable), and I agree with them; I was having trouble keeping Emily and Rose straight even after getting about 75% done.

I can see the potential for this to turn into a decent series. I suspect the ample cast of characters will provide plenty of material (and hopefully become less forgettable/generic) as the series expands, and I plan to read the next title whenever it becomes available.

I had the best time reading this! It was just cozy but not cutesy, lovely, and felt like a comfy old episode of Midsomer Murders. I will def continue in this series to see what other dirt Frances dug up before she got hers

In 1965, a fortune teller told sixteen-year-old Frances she would be murdered. What she doesn’t know is that it will take 60 years for her fortune to come to fruition. In the meantime, Frances spends her life compiling information on every person who could possibly murder her.

Annie Adams has been invited to a meeting in Castle Knoll, a small town where her great-aunt Frances lives in her large estate. However, by the time she arrives, Frances is already murdered. It turns out that Frances has set up her will so that whoever solves her murder first will inherit her fortune. Annie is determined to be the first to find out who murdered her great-aunt.

The story is told through alternating viewpoints. Annie’s point of view alternates with Frances’ diary from 1965-1966. Plenty is going on in the story. Inheritance issues, odd characters, and riddles. There are numerous suspects as well. The plot was good and I wasn’t able to determine the murders (past or present) until the big reveals so that is a plus. The only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars is that it took me a while to finish. I wasn’t truly attached to any of the characters other than Annie, so for that reason, I give it 4/5 stars. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys a more cozy mystery vibe.

this was fun! i loved the mystery and i was gripped by the whole story, the only thing i didn’t like was the reveal of the murderer, in my opinion, emily’s murderer made sense, but frances’ didn’t and i didn’t love that for the book and my hopes as a reader

Such a fun read! This reminded me so much of one of my all time favorite books “The Seven Lives of Evelyn Hardcastle”. The murder mystery was done fantastically, where you feel like you’re part of the plot, part detective and trying to solve the murder. The twists were great because they were so unexpected but not outlandish. Great characters, some are your typical murder mystery guests (you know what i’m talking about if you’ve read any Agatha Christie novels), but the main character, Annie was 10/10. I definitely recommend anyone looking to solve a murder mystery to pick this one up, 4⭐️.

Thank you to Dutton for a copy of this title via NetGalley.

2.5⭐️ This book was unbelievable.. but not always in a good way. Throughout the book I encountered situations, character traits and lines of dialogue that didn’t feel authentic, emphasized by the frustratingly nonchalant tone of the book. None of the characters — especially the police — went about the murder investigation with the protocol or level of seriousness you would expect and it pulled me out of the story a few times.

The sheer number of characters was overwhelming (I really needed a chart or index), and the story suffered from the majority of them written as all blatantly suspicious in a way that felt overdone.

Although this book didn’t resonate with me as much as I had hoped, I think a lot of readers will appreciate the Agatha Christie like setting, the story’s clever premise, and the page-turning twists and turns.

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

📚 How to Solve Your Own Murder 📚 by Kristen Perrin

Publication date 03/26/2024

I needed to break out of my romance era and read something a bit different. How To Solve Your Own Murder was a perfect choice 👌

Set in both the modern and 1960s English countryside, this read was interesting from the very beginning. Three teenage friends visit a local fair and visit a fortune-teller. The fortune given becomes an obsession for one of the teen girls and shapes the course of their collective lives forever. Fast forward to modern times, and their friends and family gather together, trying to piece together the girls' complicated history.

I found this book entertaining & intriguing. It's a perfect mystery without being too dark and heavy. I'm not always up for horror type mystery reads 😬 It's not overtly light either. The mystery definitely touches on themes of death, murder, and adult relationships. The cast of characters is woven together well, and the story moves along at a pleasing pace. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a good read but doesn't want something too heavy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶/5 for some non-detailed talk of sex
🤬/5 for light swearing occasionally

Thanks to Penguin Group Dutton for an early copy of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Group DUTTON, and Kristen Perrin for an advance copy of How to Solve Your Own Murder in exchange for an honest review. This was such a fun read and somewhat different then most mysteries I read! We find Annie heading to visit her great aunt after learning she has been included in her will. When she arrives, she ends up having to try to figure out who killed her aunt. The ironic part about this is that her aunt, Frances, believed she was going to be murdered based on a fortune she received as a teenager. It was fun to see Annie piece together clues and get to know the other suspects and characters in Castle Knoll. The ending did not end as I predicted and in fact was quite good. This is truly such a fantastic cozy and you can add it to your shelf on March 26th!

I love cozy mysteries, but this one missed the mark for me. The plot seemed a little too chaotic and because of this I had a hard time feeling invested in the story. There were also too many characters, in my opinion, which made it difficult to connect with any of them. I felt like we spent so little time with each of them that I didn’t get a feel for who each of them were.

I feel like a little more editing would have really helped this book to tighten things up a little bit and make them more cohesive. I’m sad this one didn’t work for me, but I’ll be keeping my eye out for future books from this author!

Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book!

British Cozy-ish Mystery in which a woman's summoned to a quaint English village to discuss changes to her reclusive great-aunt's will turns sleuth after finding her dead.

4/5 stars: This is a stand alone by Perrin which is a British Cozy-ish Mystery that features an out-of-work want-to-be writer who uses the excerpts of her great-aunt's diary entries from 1966 to sleuth out her killer. With plenty of twists and turns, Perrin has crafted a mystery that balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. I also really like how Perrin wove the 1966 cold case into the current day mystery of Annie's great-aunt's murder. Additionally, Perrin's character work is great; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain likable. Annie's floundering in her life but finds herself during her investigation into her great-aunt's death. While Frances is killed at the start of the book, you really get to know who she turned out to be be through her teenage diary entries. This book touches on some sensitive topics, so take care and check the CWs. I would love to read further adventures of Annie and the village of Castle Knoll, there are defiantly still mysteries to uncover.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

As an avid mystery reader, I really enjoyed this fun, fresh take on a murder mystery. I was immediately excited to read it when I saw the description about it being excellent for fans of Knives Out because that is my favorite movie.
The book does feature an eccentric cast of characters in a big, old house trying to get to the bottom of a murder. It is a fun read that does not take it self too seriously, and I look forward to checking out this author's next book.

A truly great mystery. I got really swept up in the story. It’s fast paced but not too fast for you to grow attached to the characters. I would absolutely read a sequel. My only small gripe are the cringey millennial neologisms every once in awhile. They feel jarring.

I usually hate the term “cozy mystery”, but it is fitting for this one. A cute little read in front of the fireplace.

While the premise was cute - a woman gets her fortune read when she’s 16 and spends the rest of her life trying to prove it wrong - the execution lacked for me. There were far too many characters to keep track of for a 300 page story, and I found myself bored due to extraneous details.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Charming, mysterious and captivating, I was hooked from the very beginning. This book had just enough suspense to keep the pages turning, but the pacing was also extremely well done. I enjoyed the past and present timelines and how the author planted enough bread crumbs along the way to keep the wheels turning, but did so without making anything too obvious.

I did find myself getting a little confused at times with the various characters and the dual timelines, but Perrin did a great job of providing enough context to remind me quickly of where we were in the story and who was who when it came to the characters. The setting was atmospheric, and I loved getting to know the cast of characters in this quaint little town.

There were also plenty of tense moments that had me on the edge of my seat, and I absolutely did not guess the ending! Overall, this was a quick and entertaining read for anyone who loves a good cozy, whodunit mystery, and I absolutely hope to read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for a complimentary copy of this novel!

Three friends in the mid 1960s – Rose, Frances, and Emily.
They are at a local county fair in Castle Knoll and Frances decides to get her fortune told. But what she is told is not what she expected to hear…her own demise at the hands of another person. So Frances devotes her life to trying to figure out who will be the one to murder her. Fast forward to present day 60 decades later. Annie, Frances’ great niece, is summoned by Frances to come meet her because Frances has changed her will to include Annie. A few other friends and relatives (all possible suspects) have been invited as well. But when they arrive for the meeting, Frances is lying dead on the floor. And her will is written in a way that is way more complex than any of them expected. Whoever solves the mystery of her death will inherit everything. As Annie uses Frances’ diary from 1965-1966 to read about her past to get clues to help her solve Frances’ murder, Annie realizes there is one more murder to be solved. Can Annie find both killers past and present before she herself becomes a third victim?

I truly enjoyed this novel!!! It was a very cozy, Agatha Christie style novel! I enjoyed the dual timelines alternating between Frances’ diary from the past and the present day where Annie works to solve her great aunt’s murder. I look forward to more books from this author. 5 stars for me.
AVAILABLE March 26, 2024

I devoured. “How to Solve your Own Murder” by Kristen Perrin (March 26, 2024). The story switches between 1965 when Frances Adams was a teenager, hanging out with her besties (Emily and Rose) and present day wherein Frances has been murdered, and her English country estate will be left to her great-niece (Annie Adams), her nephew, or a local land developer, depending upon who solves the murder first. As a teenager, Frances had received a cryptic message from a fortune teller, foretelling her death. Frances spends a lifetime trying to avoid anything that has to do with the message’s clues. Simultaneously she also has tried to solve the mysterious disappearance of her friend Emily, gone some 60 years. Through the use of France’s diary, Annie learns the secrets of Frances, Emily and Rose to assist her with solving her great-aunt’s death, and in the process also solving the Emily mystery. Many interesting characters, plot twists, and adventure.

Oh man did I love this!!!

This is your classic mystery that leaves you awake at night reading because you need to know what happens next. Very modern day Agatha Christie-esque. It oozes with charm. Set in a cozy village town with a cast of characters that leave you guessing at every turn, How to Solve Your Own Murder, brought an exciting thrill to the table as you try to solve the mystery. Being transported to the 1960s as we learn about Frances story was really fun and I couldn't decide if I like her chapters or Annie's more. Both left me wanting more as I was reading, so simply put I loved it all. Annie was a great MC and is someone I would want to be friends with. I am thrilled that this is just the beginning of a series and I cannot wait until the next mystery is afoot in Castle Knoll.


Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! First, the premise…so clever. And second it was a classic whodunit, which I love! When I read the synopsis, I was curious as to how the story would be told. Because how does one solve their murder once they are already dead? But the storyline is well-done and leads you right where you need to go.

The story has a slew of interesting characters (almost a little hard to keep track of at times), but the author subtly gives reminders that help you remember (which I appreciated).

I also enjoyed this book because it was a murder mystery without feeling too heavy (like a thriller). It was an easy read and cozy to cuddle up with during winter weather, however I can definitely see reading this out in the sunshine - beach, pool, vacation, backyard…all of the above!

Thank you NetGalley, Kristen Perrin, Penguin Group Dutton for letting me read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. It was a wonderful read and I don’t regret a single page!

Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton for the eARC! This was such an enjoyable, simple, and gripping read! The entire novel was full of turns and twists that kept me engaged the entire time. Because there were so many people, it was difficult to figure out who had been murdered until the big reveal. Even after Frances passed away, Annie's growing devotion to her was sweet, and she was such a fascinating detective. I definitely recommend this as a fun, cozy fall read!