This was a clever mystery with dual timelines set in a delightful English village. There was so much to like about the book, starting with the two main characters. I’m counting Great Aunt Frances as a main character because, even though she’s murdered at the beginning of the book, she is very much alive in the earlier timeline and is still a strong presence in the current one. She certainly was not what I was expecting and, like Annie, I would love to know more about her life. As for Annie, she was a joy to read about. She actually seemed liked a real person.

The murders were interesting, the paths taken to solve them twisting and fun to follow. I had no idea who the murderer was. But, the clues were there. The ending was solid.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

***This review, expressing my honest opinion, is voluntary, and I extend my gratitude to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton and NetGalley for providing the ARC of "How to Solve Your Own Murder.***

This Agatha Christie-esque mystery, brimming with intelligence and captivation, instantly seizes your attention from the opening scene. It introduces the relatable and engaging young protagonist, Annie Adams. The plot unfolds with the tale of Annie's eccentric great-aunt, Frances, a wealthy figure who has spent nearly six decades anticipating her own murder, driven by a fortuneteller's eerily accurate prophecy.

This book invites readers to dive in without delay, promising an enthralling murder mystery and a challenging guessing game. The riveting pace sustains suspense until the final pages, warranting a solid 5-star rating.

At the outset, we meet Annie Adams, a mystery author who recently left her day job. An invitation from her eccentric great-aunt, Frances, sets the stage for a unique narrative. Frances, fixated on solving her future murder, appoints Annie as her heir, intertwining her fate with a fortuneteller's enigmatic prediction. The plot takes a twist when Frances is found lifeless at Castle Knoll, prompting the question: natural causes or a long-awaited murder?

The story unfolds with Annie navigating a web of dysfunctional relationships surrounding Frances. Competing for Frances's estate, Annie faces off against rivals like Saxon, determined to claim what he believes is rightfully his, and Detective Crane, armed with experience and resources. Annie, seemingly the underdog, connects with Frances through an old diary, activating her determination to pursue justice.

Death threats, a race against time, and mounting pressure propel Annie to fight for justice while safeguarding her mother's home and Gravesdown Estate. The narrative expertly weaves psychological games, danger, and alliances, creating an unputdownable, clever, and twist-laden whodunit deserving of its 5-star rating.

The execution of the mystery is superb, with each character's journey captivating the reader. The anticipation of sequels, featuring more unopened diaries from great-aunt Frances and the promising amateur detective, Annie Adams, adds an extra layer of intrigue. In summary, this book stands out as an engaging read in the cozy mystery genre.

One of the most refreshing books I have read in a while.
The plot was good and it kept me engrossed all the way throughout...which is something that rarely happens for me with a book nowadays.
Annie Adam's was a smart, sensible protagonist who actually had the ability to read situations, and who didn't just stumble onto clues randomly and coincidentally. The plot and storyline were very well thought out and provided me with just enough suspense to keep guessing who the murderer was (My opinion kept changing.)
The switches between Annie's and her aunt's POV were very well timed and motivated me to read faster in order to put together that next little bit piece of the puzzle.
The imagery was also very lovely and there was not much info-dumping. At times, it was a bit difficult to remember who were the various characters, but they were all described so well that it didn't take long to remember who was who.
This was a real gem of a story, and if the author happens to continue the series, I'll definitely be tuning in!
(Received this book as an ARC from NetGalley)
5/5 rating

This was a cozy mystery that utilized dual timelines. It worked well to set up the mystery and helped to piece it together as the story unfolded. A good whodunit,

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an arc of this book.

This was probably one of the best mystery/thriller books I have read this year. I was hooked from the very first page and read it in just a few hours. I thought this book gave Pretty Little Liars meets The Inheritance Games and I look forward to reading more from this author.

How to Solve Your Own Murder
by Kristen Perrin
Pub Date: March 26, 2024
Penguin Dutton
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
For fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club, an enormously fun 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 in her sprawling country estate.... Now it's up to her great-niece to catch the killer.
Great mystery! I enjoyed reading it.
4 stars

A fairly interesting mystery that switches between two time periods. A bit unrealistic and didn't care for the characters much, but it was ok. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This was a fun small town murder mystery! I found that the characters were likable and somewhat relatable. The plot was great and easy to follow which isn’t always the case with these types of books. It was hard to put the book down once I started it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

I love a good mystery. This one was no exception, and the introduction to another country was fantastic.

I loved this book. It has perfect amount of quirk and the author does a great job alternating between the past and present day as Annie works to solve the murder of her great aunt. Some of the descriptions of this book compare it to Knives Out and Clue and I agree that it has that vibe. I very much enjoyed Annie's search for answers and her interactions with family and local residents.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. It is a fun read.

Perhaps my favorite book of the year! Top 3 without question! Annie is tasked with solving her Aunt Frances' murder in order to inherit her estate. But Annie never met her aunt, how would she even know where to begin to figure out who would want to kill her?! Luckily, Frances has believed since she was a teenager that she would be murdered and has kept notes (clues) ever since. This was a thoroughly enjoyable and unique story and should be added to everyone's TBR!

I enjoyed reading this book. I have not read anything else by this author, but will certainly seek her other works now. This book is about the past and present and unintended consequences. A daughter attends her great aunt's funeral and stands to inherit millions if she is able to unspool the mystery behind the murder of her aunt. To complicate things, she is competing with her aunt's nephew from marriage for the inheritance. There is also the element of a fortune told decades ago to the aunt which predicted her demise and betrayal.

The overall mystery was fun, I enjoyed the aunt's diary entries more so than what was happening in the present. some of the motivations of characters was not clear to me, but it did not bother me as much as I enjoyed reading the book.

In 1965, teenage Frances Adams gets a harrowing fortune at an English country fair that changes the course of her life. One day she will be murdered but she doesn't know by who. She spends her lifetime trying to solve a crime that has not been committed yet. With no one taking her seriously, Frances turns into the reclusive rich woman of the village. In present day, Frances great-niece, Annie, finds out that her mother has been removed from Frances will and that she has been summoned to have a meeting at Frances estate with her lawyer. Only, when Annie gets there, Frances is dead. She is murdered just like her fortune claimed. To become Frances heir, Annie has to solve her murder before the cops and Frances's weird nephew.

I enjoyed the parts where it went back in time to look at the dynamics of Frances and her friends when they were teenagers. I thought it was interesting to see how that would tie in to the main mystery of how Frances died. I wasn't as interested in how Annie would figure out the mystery, because I ultimately knew she would.

I was initially intrigued by the description of How to Solve Your Own Murder. It seemed like an interesting premise -- and something that has not been overdone. I loved the small town setting, which was juxtaposed with Frances' wealth and estate. Kristen did an exceptional job of developing the characters over the course of Frances' life (and beyond). When the big "ah-ha" moment came, it truly seemed to fit after everything we learned. Overall, a way to cap off my 2023 ARCs!

Loved it! Great cozy murder mystery with a few particularly fun elements: murder victim Frances's attempts to pre-solve her own anticipated murder, and the story-within-the-story that comes from Frances's diary.

Back in 1965, Frances is at a fair with her two friends, Emily and Rose, when she receives a cryptic fortune predicting her demise. As some early elements of the prophecy seem to come true, Frances becomes obsessed with her future murder--even more so once Emily disappears. For several decades, she collects "evidence" she believes might either lead her to avoiding her murder, or on the chance she cannot, help to uncover her killer.

In her will, she establishes a contest so that either her (creepy) step-nephew Saxon or great-niece Annie will receive her vast fortune if they can solve her murder within a week. Annie is a hopeful mystery novel writer, so she tentatively joins forces with a local detective from Frances's small English village to see if she can uncover the circumstances that led to her great-aunt's murder before time runs out.

I was hooked almost from page 1, and at about midnight, I had to force myself to put the book down since I knew that if I let myself, I wouldn't want to stop reading until the final pages (likely in the very wee hours of the morning). There are really two mysteries to solve here: what happened to Emily back in 1965, and how and why it relates to Frances's death today. Both are compelling mysteries to be solved, and you will root for Annie to figure them both out.

Not sure if this will be the start of other mysteries featuring Annie and her potential love interest, Detective Crane, but I did like their pairing and would read another book with them.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed the premise and multiple POV's: Frances's journal from the 1960s and her great-niece Annie in the present. The writing style easily pulls the reader in. The pacing is a bit slow at the beginning, but it picks up as the book goes on. There were a few characters who seemed unnecessary, which made it hard to track things on occasion. There were numerous red herrings, making the ending a bit of a surprise, which is always appreciated!

Thanks Netgalley and thanks Kristen Perrin!

This was such a fun read. I love a good whodunnit under the right circumstances.
The dual timelines were great, the ending wasn't obvious, and everything wrapped up well.

How to Solve Your Own Murder was a five star read from the very beginning! I can’t say enough good things about this book. Not only was it a fantastic murder mystery with classic Clue vibes, but it also managed to feel suspenseful and cozy at the same time.

Annie, our main character, finds herself in a race against the clock to solve her superstitious Great Aunt Frances’ murder. Along the way, she runs into fantastically written characters, stumbles into danger, and uncovers a story that leaves the reader invested chapter after chapter.

The story was laid out very well. It is told between alternating chapters of Annie’s investigation and Frances’ diary entries from the 1960s. The pacing is fantastic. And truths are revealed in a way that gives the reader a good balance of being unsure who the killer is, but also feeling like they are keeping up with the main character.

I loved this book. It was so much fun! The characters were entertaining, the setting came to life in my mind easily, and I felt invested in the story. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book!

*Huge thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Group Dutton, and Kristen Perrin for granting me access to the advanced copy of this book in e-book format*

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for inviting me to read this through NetGalley.

Besides the fact that I knew there would potentially be a murder, I went into this book blind. I was not disappointed at all! It felt like Nancy Drew but grown up. It's set in a small town but there's a large cast of suspects - I mean characters. There are twists and turns around every corner and it really has you second-guessing who you think the murderer is. I also enjoyed the flashbacks and getting to feel like you knew Frances.

I don't want to give any spoilers for this book so you can go into it blind like I did. Overall, I had a really fun time with this book. It was everything I expected it to be and hope to see Annie solve more mysteries in the future!

I found this book un-putdownable. It reminded me of an Agatha Christie novel. the story moves between past and present and captures the reader's imagination as they try to solve the murder. Highly recommend