Who Done It? This book reminded me of days playing Clue with my family, but in a book version.
I loved trying to solve who killed Aunt Frances. This book was mysterious, kept my interest and was also funny at times. Definitely some interesting characters! Loved it!
#HowtoSolveYourOwnMurder #NetGalley

Pub date: 3/26/24
Genre: mystery
Quick summary: Sixty years ago, teenage Frances was given a fortune predicting her death, and she became obsessed with preventing it. In the present day, her great-niece Annie will try to uncover the truth.

This was such a fun take on the murder mystery genre! There are plenty of books where a death is predicted, but I hadn't seen one where the prediction came true sixty years later. The plot alternates between Frances' very eventful friendship with Emily and Rose and Annie's investigation. I liked how the past timeline unraveled the events slowly; I did sometimes get a little confused with all the characters, but the ending in the present timeline made everything clear. I think Christie fans will enjoy this one - the style reminded me of her work.

Thank you to Dutton Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Annabelle "Annie" Adams is summoned by her great aunt Frances Adams to visit her at Castle Knoll, she's perplexed by the actions of her relative but arrives at the estate with a group of distant relatives to find that her great aunt is dead - a death that appears to be a natural passing at first glance, but is revealed to be a carefully planned murder. With the reading of Frances's will, Annie learns she and Saxon, her uncle-in-law have been pitted against each other to uncover the murderer and motive - and at risk are great aunt's estate and the lives of many of the community members.

The story alternates between the present and flashbacks to 1965, when young Frances is given a cryptic message by a fortune teller, that she and her friends Emily and Rose can't understand. While her friends shrug it off, the prediction continues to haunt Frances in the years to come, especially as her path crosses with Rutherford Gravesdown, the mysterious and wealthy widower, and his younger brother Saxon. The complex relationship between these individuals slowly is revealed, and leads to Emily's eventual disappearance - an event that will have implications in the decades to follow, and serve as a key puzzle piece in the present as Annie tries to piece together the events leading up to her great aunt's death.

The premise of "How to Solve Your Own Murder" drew me in, as it's a unique take on the murder mystery genre, and I appreciated how the alternating storylines between the past and present led to the eventual climax and conclusion of the novel - one that I didn't foresee (although I'm a novice in this respect). There were a number of red herrings placed throughout that kept the plot moving along, and I overall enjoyed the ride. However, I struggled with the sheer number of characters that were involved, in both the past and present, and keeping track of who was who, and their potential motivations. The writing style was also a weak point for me; Annie's character felt underdeveloped and one-dimensional, despite the fact that most of the novel is told from her first person perspective, and I enjoyed the "past" storyline far more, as Frances seemed to be a more complex and intriguing character. The pacing as well felt sluggish as moments; while I appreciated the passages dedicated to Annie's thought process, it felt unnecessary at times.

Overall a fun read but not one of my personal favorites in this genre!

Reminiscent of Agatha Christie novels, this book was the perfect fall read. When Frances visits a fortune teller, she is told she will be murdered one day. She spends her life trying to prevent and solve her eventual murder.

I really enjoyed this murder mystery journey that Kristen Perrin takes us on. The pace and dual time line had me hooked. I kept thinking how “fun” this book was and how it was unlike any other plot I’d read before. It kept me guessing til the end, and had a satisfying ending that brought all the pieces together for me. I rate this a solid 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton, and Kristen Perrin for sending this ARC for my review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This cozy Clue-adjacent mystery kept me turning pages the whole way through! I loved the dual timelines and found myself wanting to pick it back up as soon as I set it down. Fun for cozy fall reading!

Loved this one! The dual timelines really kept me intrigued and the characters were funny. Cozy mystery, perfect for a light read.

Really interesting book! Like both the historical/flashbacks aspects and the current/modern aspects. Medium-paced read!

How To Solve Your Own Murder is a cozy mystery that gives Clue-like vibes. Frances Adams receives a fortune at a county fair about how her life will end. She becomes obsessed with solving this mystery, but ultimately cannot outrun her fate. Her great niece, Annie Adams then becomes enamored with solving this mystery and things get quite dangerous along the way.

I really liked the dual timelines and POVs that are narrated by Frances and Annie. I found them both to be fascinating MCs and enjoyed reading both of their voices.

I did have a bit of a hard time with the amount of characters and all of their connections to keep track of, but what would a proper "whodunnit" be if not for a laundry list of suspects?!

Towards the ending, there's a bit of telling vs. showing leading to the resolution, but overall found it to be a fun and fast read. And I think the reveal was also a bit performative as you might expect in a dinner theater, murder mystery style and I can appreciate that approach here. I was immediately consumed by the mystery and eager to figure out how everything tied together.

Such a cozy and fun read! The characters were great and kept me engaged. It had a few twists to keep me on my toes and made it hard to put down under I found out who dunnit. .Very Agatha Christie or Clue-like with humor thrown in.

I found this book to be absolutely delightful - it's not always easy to write a cozy mystery where the writing doesn't feel juvenile, but Kristen Perrin did an excellent job of writing an adult mystery. The whole time I was reading, I could see this story playing out like a movie in my mind - would love to see a screen adaptation one day! Will definitely read more by this author in the future.

"How to Solve Your Own Murder" is a highly enjoyable double murder mystery with engaging characters. While it's not entirely cozy due to some mild adult content and occasional swearing, it comes close. The story alternates between present-day Annie Adams solving her great-aunt's murder and flashbacks to the 1960s, making for a compelling narrative. The characters are mostly likable, even the villains, and the plot is suspenseful. The English manor house setting adds to the charm. Despite having the house to myself, I finished this book in under a day, finding it a captivating read with a unique story and endearing characters, though not on par with Hercule Poirot.

I really struggled with this book from the very beginning. The mystery centers on Annie’s elderly Great Aunt Frances, a widow who lives in a manor house near a small village. When Aunt Frances was a young woman m, a fortune teller told her she was going to be murdered and she believed them. In present day, we meet young aspiring mystery writer Annie, whose artistic mother struggles financially and has been receiving support from the eccentric aunt in the country. Then Annie receives a summons to Aunt Frances’s country estate and a murder takes place,

The premise sounds exciting but at times it felt like this book was written by two different people. The Annie chapters had different voice from the France chapters and it took a bit too long to figure out why we kept taking breaks from the present dilemma to visit the past.

I enjoyed the set up of the mystery but it took a bit too long to get to “the game.” Over all, I found parts intriguing and fun and others a bit of a drag. The characters are interesting and the root mystery was fun - although easily solved - but I found the parts that took place in the 60s to be boring and confusing.

I appreciate the opportunity to review this book and thank Penguin and Netgalley for the ARC.

This was a cozy little mystery. I enjoyed the two mysteries in one and getting to see who Frances was through her diary. I wish we'd gotten a little bit more about some of the side characters because they were clearly a wild bunch. But all in all, it was a fun read where everything wraps up nicely in the end.

What a fantastic murder mystery! There is not just one but two murders to solve and I felt like I was playing Clue with the main character, Annie. This book was perfectly paced and I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that I wasn’t immediately able to guess who the murderers were. As soon as I thought I’d figured it out our focus switched to someone else with new information to explore.

The story immediately grips your attention with Frances receiving her life altering fortune that foretells her murder.

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

Frances spends her entire life obsessing over this fortune to the extent that everyone in town thinks she’s a kook. Until she is actually murdered. Having been called to the estate to go over Frances’s will, Annie is there when her body is found and is determined to uncover who her great aunt’s killer was. Using Frances’s own murder board, journal, and documents from investigating her own predicted murder, Annie races against the clock to unravel the mystery in the hopes of not just catching a killer (or killers) but earning her inheritance that will save the town and their own home.
The dual timeline between Frances in the 1960s and Annie present day made this an absolute page turner. I also found Annie to be really intelligent and Frances to be a very lovable character as well. Overall I’d say it was unputdownable!

My first thought after finishing this novel (besides wow!) Was how meloncholy it was. Despite the ends being tied and justice being served it has several deaths and devastated families. This was indeed a family curse.
The fortune that that Francis received at sixteen ruined her life and that of several people around her because she couldn't focus on anything but that. The underdeveloped mind of a young girl latched on and carried it with her until it became a self-fufilling prophecy.

Beyond that, this book was fantastic and had me hooked immediately. It maintains a moderate pace and mystical feel as it shifts between the past and present, connecting the two. The characters of Great Aunt Francis (deceased but definitely still present) and the ecentric mother Laura were a great contrast to Annie. Three generations of women with their own unique gifts and spirits. This book was beautiful just in its creation of female relationships and how the variety and complexity of how they can be. Not only that, but the multi-generational mystery wasn't shabby either!

Annie receives a summons to attend a meeting to discuss estate matters with the rich great-aunt she’s never met. Aunt Frances has been known for decades as the superstitious town eccentric who has been obsessed most of her life with the prediction she received from a tarot card fortune teller at age 17, that foretold her eventual murder. Upon arriving for the meeting, Annie and some others stumble on a horrifying scene: Aunt Frances is prematurely deceased. Now the race is on to solve the mystery that’s been nearly 50 years in the making.

I liked all the characters in this novel very much, especially Annie and the dashing Detective Crane. I absolutely love the mysterious setting, as well! There’s nothing better than a sprawling English manor in the countryside, especially if an intricate cozy mystery is in the works. At the end, the threads were so tangled up that I was positive there was no good way to make it straight again and reveal the solution without some massive plot holes. However… I’m pretty sure Kristin Perrin has done it! The last 25% kind of lost me for a while, but the conclusion got me back where I needed to be. Way to go! This one is a wild ride, and I loved it.

Annie is summoned to her great aunt Francis's estate to solve her murder. Francis was an extremely wealthy widow who, in her will, pitted Annie, Saxton and Oliver, the solicitors grandson against each other to solve the mystery. Detective Crane also had a hand in this. The winner was to be awarded her entire estate.

Francis grew up with two close friends: Rose and Emily. Rose was always on Francis's side, and Emily was an antagonist towards Francis. Although Emily seemed to be always against Francis, Francis had a soft spot for her and spent the remainder of her life trying to solve the mystery of Emily's disappearance. You see, Emily ended up pregnant and gave her baby away. Her baby ended up being Annie's mother, Laura.

The home that Annie and her mother lived in was owned by Francis, and when Annie found several trunks in the basement, she had them shipped to her great aunt. It turns out Emily's dead body was found in one of the trunks. So Annie tasked herself to solve both Francis's and Emily's murders.

So this story is about Annie's process, and the fact that Saxton set her up so that he could inherit. She put her life on the line and, at Saxton's bidding, was almost killed.

I really liked the author's juxtaposition between Annie and Saxton. Annie wanted to play fair, but Saxton was devious. All he could see was the money. In all actuality, he didn't even like or care about Francis. Although Annie had never met her, she developed a love and respect for her. And then there was Oliver. All he wanted to do was raze the property and put in a golf course or some such thing.

I was quite pleased with this book. I gave it five stars.

This story has it all! Great lead character who has a chance at getting a fortune and fabulous estate from a relative she’s never met if she solves the mystery that has been foretold for decades. Super imaginative twists. Give yourself time if you start this- it’s my favorite page turner this year! Great ending thank goodness.

The only way to describe this book is that halfway through the book I just had this sudden thought that this would be an EXCELLENT Wes Anderson movie. The thought is purely based on vibes, there is no real way to describe it besides that.

Frances at 17 gets read her fortune and spends her adult life trying to figure out the puzzle pieces of the riddle that she was given by the fortune teller. Fast forward to the present to Annie, Frances' great niece, finding out that she has been included in great aunt Frances will even though the two have never met. After Frances' death, Annie is pitted against other members of her family who know Frances better in a race to find out who murdered her great aunt.

I found that in a book like this there is going to be a lot of character bias from the main characters POV. There is nothing wrong with that at all. Annie's character bias made sense. It was her first time meeting most of those people and the majority of her thoughts about people were mostly based on what she felt would motivate them to commit murder. The dual POV kept me so interested and on edge, just hoping for more of Frances' teen years and her adventures.