Publication date: March 26th, 2024
Page count: 300
Genre: cozy murder mystery
Setting: small town in England

Unique premise. Annie solves the murder of her great aunt, who has spent the last 60 years anticipating and try to avoid this murder. Creatively woven story. Found it difficult to keep track of the large cast of characters. Found characters to not have much depth.

Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

This book WAS SO GOOD! I literally devoured it in two days and could not stop reading. My favorite kind of book is one that you can't put down, and this was exactly that for me!

The characters were well flushed out and were so easy to picture in my mind. Each character had a unique voice that was distinct and well written. The mystery behind the plot was intriguing and kept my attention nicely. The author gave little hints and clues in a way that kept me investigating, but still blindsided me with the ending. The alternating timelines within the story kept up the suspense and made me fly through the pages!

Highly recommend for anyone who likes cozy mysteries, loves solving puzzles, and like old-fashioned crime stories! Can't wait to see what this author does next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kristen Perrin, and Dutton for this complimentary Advanced Reader's Copy.

At once a very traditional mystery but also with a unique premise. Three teenage girls attend a village fair in the 1960s and one receives a fortune that she will be murdered.. She takes it seriously and spends the next 60 years trying to solve a murder that hasn’t taken place. ALAS, she is murdered in the present day and her great niece gets pulled into investigating the murder – helped by her aunts files, notes, list of suspects… If you like a cozy English village mystery but turned on its head this is for you.

I greatly enjoyed this whodunit with a twist, that being that the murder victim left behind clues in all her research into figuring out who was going to kill her!

Annie Adams finds herself written into her Great Aunt Frances' will without ever having met the woman, but then almost immediately Frances winds up murdered, just as a fortune teller told her she would be when she was seventeen years old. Her recently revised will stipulates that Annie and one other relative must compete to figure out who murdered her; whoever wins, gets the entire inheritance. If neither solves the crime by the end of a week's time, then the estate goes to property developers who will likely turn it into a county club and golf course.

While investigating, Annie also reads through her great Aunt's journal from the time when her (mis)fortune was originally told. In its pages, she meets the teenage versions of many of the same villagers she is just meeting in person, a whole cast of characters in an idyllic English village.

I did have to suspend my disbelief a bit when some parts of the mystery were too far-fetched, but I was having enough fun that I didn't mind doing that. I was kept flipping pages to find out what had happened! It keeps you guessing right up until the end. I do wish we delved a little deeper into some of these characters, but I can see how that would be a challenge with first person narration.

Overall this was a fun read. Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have posted it on Goodreads, but will wait until the publication date to post to my blog and Bookstagram.

Thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for an ARC.

I sorta liked this story ... and I sorta didn't like this story ... in the beginning, so many characters were introduced that it became confusing ... and, although I finished the book, when I did pause for interruptions, I wasn't chomping at the bit to rush back to it. About halfway through, when all the characters made sense, it became more interesting. But I still felt "something" was missing -- that spark that drives you to stay up all night for just one more chapter.

All in all, it's a 3-star.

Decades after a fortune teller warned Frances that she would be murdered, she summons her aspiring mystery writer niece, Annie, to her home. Annie arrives expecting to meet her eccentric aunt for the first time only to find her murdered. The story moves quickly with Annie growing stronger as she searches for the murderer. Reading this felt like I was watching an episode of Midsomer Murders with a female detective. Fun!

In 1965 Frances is at a country fair with friends when she ducks into a fortuneteller's tent and is given a fortune that predicts her murder. She becomes obsessed with figuring out who will murder her. Years later when she sends for her great-niece she starts a race against time for her murder to be solved. Original and witty and a real page-turner.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. From the moment I started it I got sucked into the atmospheric mood of this book. The pacing was mostly really good and kept my attention, with only a few spots that dragged a bit. I was shocked by who the murderer was and never saw it coming. I was left with a few unanswered questions in the end though, which can be disappointing. I don’t get the impression that there were any cliffhangers, just mysteries that were never acknowledged again. I still recommend this book and really enjoyed it. Thank you so much, Netgalley and Penguin Books!

This is a really fun and captivating mystery. Annie is really well rounded character and the plot is intriguing yet easily able to follow. Full with fortune tellers and lots of mystery shenanigans, this book is an awesome read! I’d reccomend!

Frances has been haunted for decades by the prospect of her own murder. Although her best friends, Emily and Rose, try to keep her mind off of it, Frances dedicates her life to avoiding her murder using all of the clues in the fortune. But when Frances is found dead in her study in her old age, it turns out that fortune may have been true after all. Now, it's up to her great niece, Annie, to solve her murder before anyone else to keep her estate and bring justice to Frances.

This was the first book I had read by this author, but chose it because I am a big fan of a murder mystery. Although I have never read an Agatha Christie novel (I know, a huge oversight on my part), I get the sense that How to Solve Your Own Murder is certainly Christie-esque. Isolated in a small town, a large cast of characters, and a murder at the center--all of the elements of a classic murder mystery. That said, I felt that this book also had a lot of unique elements: the story, itself, as well changes in time and perspective, made this an interesting and unpredictable read.

I will say, I had a very difficult time keeping track of the characters. Not only are there many characters in the modern day who all may be implicated in the murder, but there is an entirely separate timeline with almost entirely different characters. I found myself struggling to keep track of everyone, and think that the reveal at the end was less thrilling for me because I had forgotten about that character by the end of the book! That may be a personal issue, but if you have trouble keeping track of names when reading or watching TV, then you might want to make yourself a chart as you start this book out.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was unique, unpredictable, and satisfying by the end. While I may not necessarily recommend this for the casual reader, I think this is the PERFECT pick for your next book club and is sure to spark heated discussion over who actually murdered Great Aunt Frances!

If Knives Out was set in the UK, this could be the inspiration. It started out like any other book about a young writer trying to break her block, but then an unexpected inheritance takes her life (and her family history) for a loop. I absolutely loved how you get the viewpoint from the 1960s from Frances and then modern day from Annie, and just like any good murder mystery, they all tie together.

What I enjoyed about this book is the symbolism, and how something as simple as a bird for a last name, can throw the fear of death right into your heart. At times I needed to slow down and try my best to piece together Annie's findings, but in all honestly, I did not want it to end. Maybe an epilogue would help answer some questions.

Also, this book shows you just how far people can go when it comes to love, friendship, greed, and crime.

I do not want to give anything away, but if you do read this book, do so without distractions so you can really feel like you are exploring the estate with all of its hidden secrets.

Kristen Perrin is an expert at crafting a world of mystery that drags you in and makes you feel entirely immersed in the story and its characters. She had me entirely gripped with every page until the very end, and as confident as I usually am at solving murder mystery's, I honestly didn't see the twist coming until it hit me! Also, on a more critical standpoint, Perrin's writing is creative, sophisticated, and entirely her own. It helps bring the readers into the world she is crafting and ensures a unique voice for her novels. "How to Solve Your Own Murder" felt like an entirely new story that I had never truly experienced. It tied together an old, gripping murder with a new, emotional mystery, intricately weaving the two stories with alternating voices each chapter. Not only did the modern murder have my attention in a choke-hold, the old murder sparked an emotional attachment for the characters that I would pay to experience for the first time again. I feel like I am officially a part of the Gravesdown family after having read this novel, and am so grateful to Kristen Perrin for creating this world that I got the chance to live within over the last 3 days.
I would HIGHLY recommend "How to Solve Your Own Murder" to all fans of traditional mystery novels, as well as those seeking to get into new-age thriller writing. It's the perfect mix of an Agatha Christie-esque "who-dunnit" and a contemporary murder mystery and I can't wait to get everyone I know to get invested in Annie, Emily, Frances and their story!

this wasn’t bad it just wasn’t as fast paced as i’m used to with other thrillers. i would be interested in seeing how the series progressed

Though I very much looked forward to this book, it was not for me. I love mysteries and enjoy clever takes on the genre. In this case, I could not buy into the main premise - that a woman becomes so obsessed with a fortune told to her as a teenager that she spends the rest of her life trying to figure out who will make it come true - ie., kill her. The characters are flat and I never really came to care about them. I see that the book has gotten great review from others so I'm going to chalk this up to personal taste.

"How to Solve Your Own Murder" by Kristen Perrin is a captivating cozy-esque read that gave me strong Agatha Christie vibes. The abundance of characters did make it a bit challenging to keep track of everyone, but the setting/atmosphere and unexpected ending made up for it. I found myself pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns throughout the book. Overall, I would give it 3.5 stars out of 5. It's definitely a book that mystery lovers should consider adding to their reading list!

Rating: 3.5 ⭐️

I enjoyed this book! I’ve read my fair share of mystery and thriller books. I know what aspects draw me in and which tend to put me off about them.

This book follows Annie as she is enlisted to solve the murder of a great aunt she never knew. Francis (the great aunt) got her fortune read when she was a young girl and was told she’d be murdered. Ever since then she dedicated her life to figuring out who was going to kill her and when her prophecy would come true. When the time comes, she writes in her will that whoever can solve her murder will inherit her estate.

A few things I liked about this book were the characters and the diary entrances written by Francis. The characters were all, for the most part, enjoyable people or suspicious enough that I wanted to know more about their motives. As for the diary, I loved getting glimpses into the past and slowly connecting it to the main story as I read.

A few things that bothered me about this book was mainly the pacing and the language used at times. I found it very hard to get into it because despite starting with a murder, the middle part was a bit too slow for my liking. It took me a while to get through it and I found myself putting off reading it. That’s more of a personal thing though as I need something that will hold my attention the whole time. The language, on the other hand, felt a bit too modern for me when reading Francis’s diary entries. These entries were written and took place in the 60’s in Europe, but if it weren’t for the font change and chapter titles, I very easily would’ve believed I was reading an entry from the current day.

The ending was both exciting and confusing. Finding out Joe was the killer definitely felt like a random choice until it was explained, however I did have to reread the explanation a few times to understand what they were trying to say. Looking back on the story I see that it all ties together, but it threw me for a loop for a little as it seemed like a plot twist that made no sense.

All in all I thought this was a decent read and a very cozy mystery. I’m not sure if I’d read any future books published within this series but I could see myself giving it a second try.

After the death of their father, three sisters return to the Hotel they grew up in. Between the arrival of a hurricane, discovery of a mysterious stranger, and departure of the majority of the staff leave the sisters alone and in danger.
This book was a very easy read and an enjoyable mystery, if not slightly predictable.

1965, Frances and her friends go to a fortune teller, who predicts that Frances will be murdered. She spends the next 50+ years obsessing over the fortune. In the present day, she changes her will to include her great-niece Annie, whom she has never met. When Annie arrives to find out more, she finds that Frances has been murdered and takes up the task of solving the murder that Frances has already pre-investigated for years. This was good, clever and interesting, not super predictable and obvious. I see on Goodreads that this is listed as #1 in the Castle Knoll Files series, which makes me wonder if Annie will later find out more info in Frances's files that lead to other investigations. I would definitely read more. 4 stars.

This engaging murder mystery grabbed my attention immediately. Annie Adams, the protagonist, is likeable and easy to relate to as she stumbles through trying to solve the mystery of her great-aunt's death. There are many red herrings along the way to mislead readers which adds to the fun. Hopefully a sequel is in the works!

Thank you Netgalley. This was such a fun read! The story was excellent and the characters were fabulous. The dual POVs were expertly crafted and left me wanting more after each and every chapter. I can not say enough about how great this was to read.
Highly recommend