Annie has never met her great-aunt Frances, but she knows all about how a creepy prophecy she heard as a teen led her to obsess over her own murder. It took decades, but in the end her paranoia and cataloging of her neighbors' sins caused someone to snap and kill her. Now Annie has a week to solve the case and inherit a fortune. Frances helps her from beyond the grave via her teenage diary, which is full of juicy gossip about the villagers. They all still live in the area . . . except for Emily, whose disappearance was never solved. An enjoyable double mystery.

I highly recommend this cozy mystery. It had an excellent mix of who done it type vibes and character development. I found the pacing steady throughout and really enjoyed the integration of past and future story lines. Also, I think the writing was great - easy to read but descriptive enough to clearly picture the story unfolding.

I cannot wait for the author to write another mystery.

This book is Agatha Christie and Knives Out with the small town feel of The Ex Hex. I absolutely adored it.

From the very first pages you are introduced to a young Frances and transported back to the 1960s. You are immediately intertwined in her fortune and want to protect Frances from what is to come in her life. Her young niece is called to the small town of Castle Knoll to meet her great aunt for the first time, but by the time she gets there she is too late. It is up to Annie to solve the mystery of her great-aunts death. What she finds through her investigation is that small towns are full of big secrets.

I loved the fast pace of this book. Each new piece of evidence led me to believe I was finally on the right track, but I never was. (I must admit though, I am not very good at solving these mysteries). Nonetheless, the ending was a big shock to me.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was getting to see the growth in Annie, and I must say, I am a big fan of her being a murder mystery author! To me, she embodied what it is to be a strong woman in a long line of strong women. She was driven, smart and courageous. Qualities that made her the perfect pick to help solve this mystery.

I would recommend when reading this to cozy up by a fireplace with a cup of warm tea- it will really set the mood. Especially for those flashback chapters- I loved feeling transported into the big library near the fire.

Overall, I wanted to rate this book 5/5. The only reason I ended up rating it 4.5 is because the dates on the flashbacks confused me. I am not sure if they were supposed to line up with the events they were discussing or not. I would recommend ignoring the dates and just looking at the flashbacks as "when Frances was young." I did round up and give this book a 5/5 on Goodreads.

4.25 stars!

This was a really enjoyable, well plotted cozy mystery! I found our main character, Annie, very endearing and easy to root for. I especially enjoyed the chapters from Frances's diary; the dual timelines and plots were very interesting and I loved trying to piece everything together. Most importantly, all the clues are presented to the reader at the same time as Annie yet the ultimate "whodunit" was still truly a surprise!

There was a loose end or two left at the end, but maybe they're a set up for more books to come? If so, I fully plan on reading them to see what else our characters get up to.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton, and the author for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This was a classic cozy who-done-it murder mystery that blended flashbacks, an old unsolved case, and a current day killing that had been predicted decades before.
While the characters didn't fully grab my attention and the plot felt a bit overladen at times, this was still an enjoyable and easy read! If you want to curl up in a big chair during a cold rainy night with a mystery that isn't scary, this is a good pick.

Thanks NetGalley for the book!

I loved this multigenerational murder mystery! It was cozy and engaging at the same time-it kept me guessing and I was really invested in Frances & Annie as narrators. Would definitely recommend!

This was a phenomenal story. Cozy, mysterious, and very well written. Loved every minute of it and I feel this could be the beginning of a series.

Two murder mysteries for the price of one! Surrounded by deep and complex characters, a family history that takes volumes to uncover, and little to aid her but determination and clever resourcefulness, the protagonist is forced to navigate a gauntlet of challenges that become more and more complex as the story goes along.

I was once told that if I encounter a literary character I despise so strongly that they evoke real, physical emotion - the writer has done their job. Kristen Perrin has clearly gone above and beyond with this one. The list of characters I liked was significantly shorter than the list of those I disliked.

A fun ride, deep enough to hook the savviest of amateur sleuths (I did NOT get the answer correct), and paced in a way to drive the exciting narrative, this one was a real treat.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel.

While the premise of this story was intriguing, I felt unconnected to the characters and struggled to engage with continuing. It was a slow read, although easy enough for a cozy mystery.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead.

I love the premise of this book and I love the alternating points of view between the diary entries and the present day. The plot is so creative and makes one wonder how these authors come up for these ideas! My trouble with the book was the sheer number of characters, and the multiple generations, I found it hard to keep up with the subplots and who was who. Some of the characters were not very interesting, and also not very well developed. I lost interest and even a tad bored in the last 30% of the book.

If you are a fan of Agatha Cristie type cozy mysteries, this book is for you. It was described in the description for "fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club"

A cozy murder-mystery about an heiress solving her Great Aunt's murder. The characters were not relatable and the plot was challenging to follow as an e-reader. Thank you to NetGalley, Kristen Perrin, and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for this ARC ahead of it's release date.

That’s the thing about all of us—all of us except you. We’re all guilty of something.” In many ways, “How to Solve Your Own Murder” being compared to “Knives Out” was appropriate. There were similar character tropes and I suspected pretty much everyone at one point or another. Also, much like “Knives Out,” there are some aspects of meta fiction included in the narrative. It wasn’t as in-your-face as Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” or, more recently, Alex Michaelides’ “The Fury”, but the inclusion felt organic, and I enjoyed it.

Characterization
Loves:
The two main characters, Annie and Frances, had gumption and I dug it. I like how Annie’s brain worked and her approach to her task. However, that being said, I gravitated more toward Frances as a character. She felt more well rounded and her experiences, heartache and all, felt more real to me. She was dynamic, and I was hoping that she was actually alive and that this whole story was just a human chess game that she had orchestrated.

Issues:
Several characters with the same last night spread over two timelines was confusing. Some characters, while I enjoyed them (Jenny and the cab driver) felt slightly superfluous. I also feel like Perrin couldn’t quite decide what kind of person Oscar should be, so he acted in ways that didn’t quite make sense.

Writing
Loves:
The writing was approachable. Perrin’s use of imagery is perfectly balanced within the narrative. I found myself really enjoying the visuals she created.

Issues:
The roses in the beginning seemed extreme and their origins remained unexplained. Also, while many of the red herrings were fun to puzzle through, several (missing items and trashed library) seemed unnecessary.

Overall
I was able to guess Emily’s murderer before the great reveal, but I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing. That was only a single piece of the puzzle. Frances’ murder reveal still felt fresh. I enjoyed the final reveal and how everything fell into place.

This was the first cozy mystery that I have read, and it was a delight. Thank you so much to NetGalley and DuttonBooks for this eGalley! It truly was an unputdownable read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All thoughts/opinions are my own!

I thought that I would LIKE this book ~ but it turned out I ended up LOVING this book! If you enjoyed the movie “Knives Out” you will absolutely devour this book!

“How to Solve Your Own Murder” starts with a seventeen year old Frances Adam’s being told my a fortune teller that one day she will be murdered. This haunts Frances for the next 60 years and she tries to prevent this crime from happening - but ultimately fails. We follow two timelines throughout this book

1. Frances Adam’s past starting at her fortune telling
2. Annie in the present (Frances Adam is her Great Aunt)

Annie ties in perfectly with this story to help solve the crime of her Great Aunt Frances - SHE HAS A LOT TO LOSE & A LOT TO GAIN.

At first I was a bit overwhelmed by all the characters and the family tree but as the story goes on it’s easy to pick up!

This was a fantastic debut adult novel for Kristen Perrin and I will definitely be reading more from her!

Originally gave it a 4.5 ⭐️ but I have to bump it up to a 5 ⭐️ because I can’t stop thinking about this book!

How to Solve Your Own Murder was a mystery reminiscent of a crime novel from the 1920s-50s with a unique and intriguing premise.

In How to Solve Your Own Murder, Frances and her two best friends visit a fortune teller. Frances is left with some cryptic clues and the prediction that she will be murdered.

Now, many years later, Frances summons her great-niece Annie (whom she has never met)to her estate in the English countryside. Annie has grown up hearing about her eccentric aunt and her belief that she will be murdered, so when she arrives and finds her aunt actually was murdered Annie is determined to solve the mystery for more than one reason.

The novel weaves the past with the present as Annie discovers her great-aunt’s journal and uses it to solve her murder.

This was a fantastic story! I read it one sitting because I wanted to see how it all came together in the end.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book which publishes March 26, 2024.

**Thanks to NetCalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this title in exchange for a fair and honest review**

This was a fun read. Lots of twists and turns as the reader tries to solve the murder of Great Aunt Frances along with the disappearance of a friend from Frances' past.

Are the 2 mysteries linked? What do they have to do with the fortune Frances received as a teenager? Who can be trusted to play fair when a large inheritance is at stake?

Truly, this book was an absolute pleasure. The premise (granddaughter needs to solve a decades old murder and a current one in a week’s time to prevent a creep and a developer from inheriting a large estate) is fun, but this book still exceeded expectations. It had a bit of Knives Out energy and I can’t wait to read more by Kristen Perrin. Such a fun book!!!

This book was so much fun to read! It’s a perfect modern day cozy mystery that deserves a place right next to Agatha Christie on the shelf.
The title alone is original and intriguing.
In 1965 Frances Adams visits a county fair with her two best friends when she gets told by a fortune teller that she will one day be murdered. This sets Frances on a winding path for the next sixty years of trying to solve her own murder before it occurs.
In present day, Annie Adams, the great niece of Frances, is summoned to her wealthy estate to discuss changes to Frances’ last will and testament. But by the time the meeting is about to occur, Frances is found murdered. Preparing for this her whole life, Frances’ will says that Annie has one week to solve her murder using the clues Frances has left on who she suspects killed her or she will lose the inheritance and sell off her sprawling estate to a property developer, which in turn, would destroy the small cozy town of Castle Knoll.
As Annie dives into solving this mystery, she can’t help but wonder if instead of inheriting her estate if she’ll instead share in the same demise as her Great Aunt.

This is a dual timeline cozy mystery in which Annie Adams must solve the murder of her Great Aunt Francis in order to receive her inheritance.

The title, cover, and description made me want to read this book. The statement that it was for fans of The Thursday Murder Club totally drew me in. While the writing was solid, this book could not keep me engaged. There were too many characters doing too many things, and I found myself not caring about any of them. There was too much unnecessary description in the narrative for my taste. I am sure many readers will enjoy this book. Sadly, I am not one of them.

Thank you, Penguin Group Dutton and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. The comments expressed are my own.
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3.75 stars

I worried at first that this would be too much looking back at angsty high school stuff, but I was soon drawn right in. The story alternates present time and looking back to 1966. The main character Annie has (sort of) been named a beneficiary of her great aunt's will and is summoned to a meeting with the still-living aunt, other family and the lawyers. But when they arrive, they discover the aunt's body, and she did not die a natural death. The creepy part is that a fortune teller told her when she was a teen that she would be murdered and she spent her life trying to piece that out and doing strange little investigations.

The plot really revolves around a very close friendship between the aunt, Frances, and her two best friends Emily and Rose. There are guys involved too, and other family members, and things get complex from there. Annie is obliged under the circumstances of the will to try and solve her aunt's murder in order to inherit and she moves right in and starts poking around.

The alternating chapters work well and the story gains momentum as you get further into it. Annie is an interesting character, and Aunt Frances, though dead, comes to life for us through her journal. A very good read with some great characterizations. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was such a fun mystery to follow along!

The book is set in two different perspectives - Annie Adams, an aspiring writer, and her great aunt Frances. The book goes between Frances' diary of past events, starting with her chilling fortune reading at a county fair. The fortune teller predicts her death and sets Frances on the path of obsession. She spends her entire life planning for her own murder, compiling tons of information on those closest to her. Upon her murder, Annie sets out to solve the mystery of Frances death and vows to get justice for her great aunt.

I loved the alternating perspectives and how the mystery unfolded as Annie digs into the town's secrets as she reads through Frances's diary. It was such an interesting concept for a book, giving me all the Clue game vibes. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but overall I really enjoyed following Annie along as she unraveled the mystery of her great aunt Frances' murder.