3.7/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for offering me my first ARC, I really enjoyed it! It reminded me of the game clue & kept me guessing until the end!

What a unique premise! It’s refreshing to come across a plot you’ve never read before. This book was filled with the perfect amount of suspense and humor. I look forward to reading more from this author.

A charming murder-mystery set in an English village. This book is a low-effort mystery, as Annie (MC) connects all the dots for you, spelling everything out along the way. It's a cozy mystery for sure. Personally, I prefer mysteries that make my brain work a bit harder, but there’s a respectable place for easy-reading books too!

Unfortunately, I found most of the characters to lack dimension. Frances and Ford were the most complex characters and I couldn't get enough of them. Frances’s journal entries from the '60’s were by far my favorite part, probably because I craved the character development they offered that the present-tense chapters lacked. I found myself eager to get to the next journal chapter each time one ended. I would have loved to read an entire book of just Frances’s teenage exploits, or a book focusing on Ford.

I can’t say I’m a particularly big fan of the way this story went, namely of the way Annie handled her investigation and of all the sneaky corruption in the village. I also struggled to get past the clunkiness of the writing on several occasions. It’s an interesting concept and plot, that I wish had been told with a bit more tact.

This book did wrap itself up nicely, tying everything in a ribbon bow. The book isn't without its flaws, but I do think it'd make a good casual reading book for a rainy day spent indoors.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. This book was entertaining and had me guessing who did it the whole time. My one criticism would be that there were so many characters and so many different types of relationships between them that I was often confused and it took me a couple of minutes to get it all straightened out in my head, every time I picked the book back up. Maybe a cast of characters page at the beginning of the book would be helpful in the published version.
It looks like it's going to be a series and I'm excited for the next one !

SUMMARY:
Annie Adams learns she's been updated to be the sole heir to her Great Aunt Frances's estate. Great Aunt Frances has been known to be a little weird as she's been obsessed with a fortune she was given at 17. Annie has never met Frances but lives at the Chelsea house with her mom, at her Great Aunt's kindness. She's summoned to Castle Knoll to meet Great Aunt Frances for the first time and go over why the will has been changed. Upon arrival, Great Aunt Frances is murdered and Annie is tasked to solve it before others if she wants to keep the inheritance.

WHAT I LIKED & DISLIKED ABOUT IT:
This read like the movie Clue for me. The right amount of cheesiness where it's not too cheesy but it's an ode to old-school murder mystery radio shows. I actually really liked the dual timelines where we get a perspective from teenage Great Aunt Frances. This was a fun and cozy read! I don't read a lot of mysteries and thrillers but I'm starting to become a fan. It looks like this is the first of a series and I'm looking for to the next.

RECOMMENDATION:
If you like cozy mysteries and that old-school murder mystery vibes mixed with modern fun, I think you'll enjoy this. This isn't a mystery with a bunch of twists and suspenseful but thoroughly enjoyable.

This is a tough one to rate. It's a solid cozy mystery that's pretty fun so long as you don't think about any of it, at all.

“How to Solve Your Own Murder” by Kristen Perrin is a delightful and entertaining whodunnit. Annie Adams, a 25 year old aspiring writer, is thrust into the role of detective in her great aunt’s murder. If Annie succeeds in solving the murder, she stands to inherit a vast fortune that will set her up for life. Throughout the novel, there are wild twists and turns that leaves the reader on the edge of their seat wondering what will happen next. Although this was a fun and entertaining novel, things got a little confusing with the enormous cast of characters. It became difficult to keep everyone straight and also for any genuine character development to occur. This is a solid 4 star read for fans of murder mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the advanced reader copy.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book, Netgalley and Dutton Publishing. This is a cozy mystery with an interesting concept- Frances’ family must solve her (predicted) murder in order to get her house and inheritance. I liked the concept and overall course of the mystery. I think for me my biggest barriers were the amount of characters (I got confused) and the lack of action- it fell a bit flat at points. I will say a cozy mystery isn’t usually my thing so big fans of this genre will likely enjoy it more.

✨Book Review!✨
“How To Solve Your Own Murder”
Written By: Kristen Perrin
Published by: Dutton
Publication date: March 26, 2024
ARC provided by Netgalley
•••
Annie’s great aunt Frances lived the majority of her adult life as a recluse in her country mansion. Constantly worried a fortune told to her as a teenager would come true, she spent her time gathering information about the people closest to her in case she were ever to be murdered.

"Your future contains dry bones. Your slow demise begins right when you hold the Queen in the palm of your hand. Beware the bird, for it will betray you. And, from that, there is no coming back. But daughters are the key to justice, find the right one and keep her close. All signs point toward your murder."

When Annie receives a letter in the mail requesting she attend a meeting with her great aunt Frances regarding her inheritance, even though they have never actually met one another, her curiosity wins and she decides to go. What Annie doesn’t expect is to find her aunt Frances very dead. Who killed her and why? And is it related to the long ago disappearance of Frances’ best friend Emily? Those are two questions Annie must answer if she wants to win her inheritance.
•••
If you love trying to solve a good murder mystery, don’t miss out on reading this book once it’s published in March! How To Solve Your Own Murder is like the game of Clue, come to life. Mixed with family and teenage friend drama, there is a competitive edge added to the typical mystery that makes it a bit more fun!

1- Characters: 9
2- Atmosphere/Setting: 9
3- Writing Style: 8
4- Plot: 9
5- Intrigue: 8
6- Logic/Relationships: 9
7- Enjoyment: 9

Total Score: 61
61/7 = 8.7
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Annie Adams has been called to Castle Knoll at the request of her great aunt Frances. When she arrives, a fortune tellers prophecy has already come true, Frances is dead. Now it's up to Annie to find out who murder her and how her death connects to her friend, Emily, many years ago. A whole cast of characters are taken on a wild goose chase to a finish line where only one can claim the inheritance Frances left behind.

The basic premise of this book started off strong. The dual timeline set a nice pace for the story and kept me engaged. Everything was great until the last hundred pages. It kind of stalled and felt like someone was running around in loops. I think it was meant to trick the reader but it was just a massive fumble for me. The ending tied up but it just didn't end the way I had hoped it would.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

If cozy mysteries are your thing, you will likely enjoy this. While I, personally, found it hard to stick with it was an enjoyable, well written story. I think it was an interesting story that ran on a bit too long. The I had a hard time caring about the main protagonist or any of the characters. Overall I can see many enjoying but this book just wasn't for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is told from two perspectives: Frances in 1965, who receives a devastating fortune, and her great-niece Annie. Annie travels from London to Castle Knoll to meet with Frances and instead finds her dead. What follows is a competition of sorts - whoever uncovers Frances's killer will inherit her fortune. But there are more than a few suspects, as Frances has been collecting dirt on her neighbors since she received the fortune in 1965 telling her that she would one day be murdered.

Read this books if you enjoy:
* Knives Out
* Twisty murder mysteries
* A dash of romance
* Small town mysteries
* Quirky side characters with a lot to hide

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

In 1965 while enjoying a county fair, Frances Adams and her two best friends visit a fortune teller who tells Frances a foreboding tale- She’s going to be murdered. Sixty years later, Annie Adams receives a letter informing her she is set to inherit her great aunt’s estate and is requested to meet with her estranged aunt. Before this meeting can occur, Great Aunt Frances turns up dead, murdered. Annie is determined to seek justice for her eccentric aunt, which is easier said than done. Since receiving her fortune, Frances dedicated her life to preventing her own murder, unintentionally generating a lengthy list of suspects, plenty with a motive to kill.

A very enjoyable murder mystery, with short digestible chapters making it perfect for getting out of a reading slump. Kristin Perrin did an amazing job of piquing reader curiosity by interlacing Annie’s narration with passages from Great Aunt Frances’s diary. I kept telling myself “one more chapter one more chapter” until it was 2:30am and I had read the entire book in a day.

There is clearly inspiration from Agatha Christie but I almost consider it a “cosy” version of her work, in that the scenes are not intense and unexpectedly funny. It is the perfect read for a rainy evening and a cup of tea.

The strongest point of the book and what really quickly drew me in is the immediate like-ability of the main character, Annie. She is naturally curious, intensely clever, and has a strong sense of justice that contrast heavily with the rest of the characters, further pushing her into a standout role. The mystery itself was challenging but perfectly executed so that you can’t truly guess the murderer until right before the reveal.

Overall this was a very enjoyable read, and one I would gladly come back to in the future. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, this book sucked me in from the beginning and was a story I was reluctant to put down.
It had its dull moments - especially in the diary entries. I felt like there was a lot of story building in the diary entries but that sometimes things were revealed that didn't make sense just yet. I love a good mystery that keeps you guessing, don't get me wrong. But the things that didn't make sense because the main character hadn't put the clues together yet was a little frustrating.
I wanted to keep up with the clues but instead I felt like I was a step behind the whole time and was missing vital information in order to follow the story of past and present.

Good book though! Interested in how the author will continue this as a series.

Such a fun read. Kept me intrigued the whole time. I really enjoyed the depiction of the British countryside and the back and forth between time periods.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
Pub date: March 26, 2024.
Rating: 3/5 stars

I was so excited when I received this ARC. The title alone intrigued me, as did the cute cover.

There were aspects of this book that I really did enjoy. The premise is certainly intriguing, and the sort of prologue, "Castle Knoll County Fair, 1965" at the beginning of the book really did hook me. Additionally, I do genuinely think that anyone who really enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club would likely really enjoy this book. The cozy vibe is definitely enjoyable.

All of that said, I ultimately felt the book was too long and a bit slow. I did not particularly enjoy Annie as a protagonist. I think I would've enjoyed the book more were it set entirely in the 60s with Frances as a sole protagonist.

After writing this review, I've read some other reviews that make a Christie-esque comparison. While some Christie fans may enjoy this book (and I think a lot of other types of mystery readers definitely will enjoy it), I would not say it has a particularly Agatha Christie feel to it, especially not the end.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

This story was intriguing from the first chapter. I love when novels are told in two different timelines. It gives the audience insight into the reason why the present events are occurring. It allows us to play detective alongside the characters. It really let us form our own opinions on the 3 friends and how their relationship might have affected the murder in the book. I loved the fortune aspect of this story and the way the will of Frances was done. It was a unique way to move the plot line along. I was rooting for Annie the entire time to get justice for her great aunt. I did not know who the killer was until it was revealed. I find it fun to leave yourself in the dark, so when it was revealed, I was shocked. Plus, the added-on information that was revealed towards the end makes you feel so differently about certain characters, like the script was flipped. I truly enjoyed this book and will be looking out for more books by Kristen! 4.5 stars, but netgalley won't let me do half :)

3.5 stars-- as others have said, this is a cozy mystery with a dual timeline. At times, I found it a bit unbelievable, but I will say that I didn't see the ending coming. There were some parts of the current storyline that dragged for me, but overall, this was an entertaining, easy read. Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton for an eARC copy via NetGalley!

Wow. I'm sorry to say that I found this novel a little tedious to get through. I had a hard time keeping some of the characters straight and the story just didn't engage me much. One early review said that readers of The Thursday Murder Club series would probably like this novel, so I was expecting some humor, but there wasn't any. I received an ARC edition of this book from Netgalley.

In 1965, Frances sat for a reading with a fortune teller, and the doom-filled fortune ended up changing the course of her life — for the next several decades, she tried her best to figure out who would murder her as the fortune foretold, becoming the eccentric, paranoid old woman who lived in the sprawling estate outside the sleepy town of Castle Knoll.

Nearly 60 years later, her great niece Annie is called to a meeting with Frances (who she has never met) at her grand home. But when Annie and the others called to the meeting arrive, they find Frances dead — and whoever solves the murder will inherit Frances' fortune. The trouble is, since Frances dedicated her life to investigating everyone she knew, there are more than a few suspects to focus on, and there's a ticking clock to get it figured out.

This book had a bit of a slow start (the sleuthing didn't start until more than 100 pages in), but it ended up being a fun puzzle mystery. It's supposed to be a series starter, and assuming that most of the background legwork was done in this book, I can only imagine how delightful subsequent books will be. Recommended for fans of Anthony Horowitz and Knives Out.