I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters quite a bit and the mystery and the twist definitely kept me interested. I even didn't mind the back and forth from the past to the present, which sometimes I find tiresome. Although, I did find myself enjoying Frances' timeline more than Annie's.

I loved the premise of this book, although I do think the title is a little misleading. The story ended up not being what I expected, although I still found it to be a good story. I do wish some things had been explained more, like why Frances felt such a strong connection to Emily after she disappeared that Frances became obsessed with the fortune teller's prediction, and <spoiler>how Rose went up to kill Emily when she was supposed to be playing Frances for Frances' mother.</spoiler> I thought the mystery was intriguing enough that I kept thinking about it even after I had set the book down. I had all the clues the protagonist did (except actually seeing the pictures) and I still hadn't figured out who had killed Frances.

I thought it was genius of the author to give these obscure clues in the fortune which Frances sought out to find "the right daughter" so she could have justice after her murder. But, it was difficult for me to imagine Frances after she was a teenager (after the diary) if she was so obsessed with this fortune. I don't know how anyone could have stood being around her. That part might have been a little too over the top for me.

The ending was a good wrap-up. I hope there will be a sequel; I would love to read more about the residents of Castle Knoll.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed within are my own.

Annie Adams receives a mysterious letter from her great aunt Frances (also Annie's benefactor) summoning her to the estate. When Frances winds up dead, it is unclear whether it was murder, and if so, who did it. The story bounces back and forth between Frances's own teenage years, when she received a fortune that she would be murdered, and Annie's attempts to figure out her great aunt's death. I *wanted* to love this book, which seemed right up my alley -- marketed to fans of Knives Out and Thursday Murder Club. But I just didn't enjoy it quite as much. Some of the story lines don't full tie out, and others seem frivolous. The writing felt a bit young at times - almost like this was a YA. Overall it kept my attention and I was intrigued to find out what happened to all of the characters, but it wasn't quite the cozy mystery I was craving.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy -- look for this at a local bookshop near you in March 2024!

Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for this ARC! As someone who leans more toward thrillers versus classic “mystery” stories I didn’t know how I’d feel about this one but man I was so pleasantly surprised at this one. Great writing, lovable characters, a cozy setting, and I genuinely had no idea who did the crimes until it was revealed. I want more of these folk in this town!! Will be recommending this one to all my mystery lovers!

I thought this was a great idea for a book, A woman lets a psychic reading totally take over her life as she prepares for it to come true. The characters were interesting and the setting delightful. Unfortunately the book didn't seem to go anywhere for long stretches of time. I kept waiting for something to happen. By the middle I was bored and was not as interested. Great plot, but in the end it just didn't compel me to read it.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this eARC!
I give this book a good 3.5 maybe 4 stars it was a good read! The pacing at the beginning for me was a little hard to get through but as soon as the mystery started to pick up it was fairly easy to finish. Some of the dialogue in the "now" chapters confused me and I found I couldn't really attach much to the characters there unlike the journal chapters. Frances' chapters were ones I absolutely ADORED reading it was so interesting reading about her, Rose's, Ford and Emily's dynamics and those chapters really made the book come alive, a big strength of this book were those journal entries. The ending was a tiny bit lackluster but I enjoyed nontheless, didn't expect it at all, a fun start to my October reads!

A fun, pacy novel with a fabulous premise. It raises the question--does a fortune teller predict the future, or influence future outcomes with her prediction? And does that really matter, when you've got such delightful characters as Frances and her great-niece, Annie on the case?

How to Solve Your Own Murder is full of intrigue and red herrings, suspicious individuals and eccentric locals, with a lovely family story at its heart. I can see Annie (and Frances) in many future adventures.

How To Solve Your Own Murder follows Annie Adams as she is unknowingly thrust into a real life murder mystery. After receiving notice from her great aunt Frances informing her that she was now the heir to her fortune, and requesting she comes to her estate, great aunt Frances is found dead in her library. When her will is read, Annie and the others called to the meeting find out that great aunt Frances knew she was going to be murdered and the person who solves her murder within the week will inherit her fortune or it will be sold to developers. Annie must race against the clock to try to solve her great aunt Frances’ murder and save the estate from being sold.

The story jumps between timelines: present day with Annie trying to solve the murder and Frances’ teenage years in the 1960s described in her journal. It’s as if the reader is reading the journals along with Annie and getting to know Frances right along with her, helping Annie, and the reader, feel a connection to Frances.

This was a very enjoyable book to read. The writing and storytelling were great and I found all the characters to be likable. Each time I thought I had solved the case, there was something that made me change my mind and suspect someone else. I was completely surprised by the ending!

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good murder mystery.

Book: How To Solve Your Own Murder
Author: Kristen Perrin
Publisher: Penguin Group Dutton
Pub Date: March 24, 2024

Francis, Emily and Rose live in Castle Knoll and on February 10, 1966 they visit a fortune teller and she tells Francis her future contains dry bones. In a year’s time the girls have drifted apart and one of the girls has disappeared….and it wasn’t Francis. Fast forward to present time and Francis has called for her great niece Annie to be present for the reading of her wishes at the time of her death. But before they can speak with Francis they find she has been murdered. I struggled with this one. I loved the plot. It seemed different from anything else I had read but I was so bored with it. The book moved so slow. The author just didn’t deliver on the story. It’s told in a dual timeline and I had a hard time keeping up with all of the characters. The story alternates between Frances’s diary in 1965 and present day Annie trying to solve Frances murder. I really did enjoy the diary excerpts. At first I cared about who killed Frances and then it took so long to get to the clues that I found I really didn’t care who killed her. I skipped a whole bunch to get to the end and didn’t feel like I missed out on anything.

Thank you Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is March 24, 2024.

WOW!!!! ALL THE STARS (and then some more) to this AMAZING book!!!!

How To Solve Your Own Murder was sooooooo captivating, that it was hard to stop myself from continuously thinking about it. The story grabbed my attention from the very beginning and it did not disappoint.

You get mystery, red herrings, family drama, interesting and well developed characters, top-notch writing and a unique plot that will keep you guessing till the very last page.

In 1965, Frances receives a twisty fortune that tells her she will be murdered. She then spends her entire life trying to solve the crime before it happens. Unfortunately, the fortune comes true, so Annie, her estranged great-grandniece and Saxon, her late husband's nephew, are tasked with solving her murder instead. It's a competition that will reward her incredibly massive fortune to whoever wins it.

The plot alternates between Frances' point-of-view, being shown through exerts from her journal entries, and Annie's current observations. The end result is a beautifully woven tale that will keep you on your toes, as you will get to know all the gossip and small-town drama about the residents of Castle Knoll, and will start wondering who the guilty party is. I'm telling you, this was a fuuuuun ride!

This was a well written mystery and I will be recommending it to everyone I can think of.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

How to Solve Your Own Murder would make an AMAZING movie or show! This book had me hooked from Chapter 1. The twists and turns the author makes keeps this book interesting. Will be pushing our library to purchase this for our collection.

What a fun surprise this book was! In 1965, a fortune teller at a country fair gives seventeen year old Frances a chilling and terrible fortune that sounds more like a curse, and after 60 years living in paranoia, the fortune finally comes true with Frances' murder. But Frances was canny, keeping track of clues and secrets over the years which might just solve her own murder, if her newly unemployed, aspiring author great niece can put the pieces of the puzzle together in time.

This book was a lot of fun, with plenty of 60s throwbacks through diary entries, a quirky cast of small town characters, and a compelling mystery. The pacing is brisk and breezy, and the writing is clear and engaging. My quibbles over details are small and few - a slight inconsistency or two. And a powerful man in his twenties pursues and toys with teenage girls who are impressed by his status and wealth, but never really gets called out for being the creep that he is. Luckily there was so much else to like about this book that it didn't substantially affect my enjoyment.

I blazed through this book quickly because I couldn't wait to see what woukd happen next. I could easily see this being a mystery series - cozy, but not cutesy. I had a great time reading it!

I'm thankful to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book reminded me of old mystery movies and tv shows, where mysterious circumstances happen and you’re tasked with figuring out who is the killer.

Annie is a writer who is summoned to her great aunt’s home for a meeting. Her great aunt Frances ends up murdered before the meeting takes place. Frances had changed her will and whoever solves her murder gets the inheritance.

I liked the intermingling of the diary entries with present day as Anne solves the mystery. It was a little long and dragged a bit, but the story was decent. I do hope there is some editing because the switching between Great Aunt Frances and France was driving me bonkers by about 60% of the way through. Just pick one and stick with it! It was distracting, because no one says Great Aunt in front of a name so many times in a single dialogue with someone else.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There seems to be so many books coming out with titles like “how to solve a murder”, but this one was so incredibly fresh that it’s worth reading. We follow Annie who is summoned by her Great Aunt Francis (who she’s never met) to come to Gravesdown manor about an inheritance. But as so often happens, once she gets there, a murder happens. Once the murder happens and the will is read I was very surprised by the rest of the set up (which I won’t say here though I don’t think it’s a spoiler) and from there I really enjoyed it. It felt like Agatha Christie meets old (and more concise) Kate Morton.

We follow two timelines, Annie’s as she tries to solve Aunt Francis’s murder, and one in the 1960s where we follow a younger aunt Francis and her friends as tries to navigate her young adult life. Francis has received a fortune telling her she will be murdered, which also becomes a major focus of her life. This book is full of complicated and interesting characters in a wonderful setting—the village of Castle Knoll. It is the country house mystery refreshed for the modern audience. Definitely recommend picking this book up when it comes out in March 2024.

I was really interested in the premise of the book but unfortunately this didn’t feel like it delivered. The writing felt heavy handed and the ending wasn’t satisfying as a reader. I did enjoy getting to live in two different worlds throughout the book!

I loved the strong writing in How To Solve Your Own Murder in this murder mystery. The character development was great, too. This is the type of book that has something for everyone. This had a clue-like vibe to it. I would describe this as a cozy murder mystery.
In 1965, Frances went to a fair where she went to the fortune tellers booth, who told her she'd be murdered. Frances talked about this all throughout the years and no one believed her when she would profess that it would happen. They finally realized she was correct when she was found murdered.
The book cuts to the present when Frances great niece, Annie arrives in London for the will reading. Whoever solves the murder inherits Frances estate and fortune.

I could not put this book down! I was still trying to put the pieces together of the murder mysteries until the very end! I was impressed because usually I know way before that! I was truly impressed with the pace of this story.

The cast of characters is spectacular, including the house and the grounds! They were characters in their own right!

This story was clever, unputdownable, and so much more! I can't wait to see what Kristen Perrin does next!

I really enjoyed this one… a classic whodunnit with a unique plot and format. It didn’t feel too heavy or too light… it was the perfect balance of mystery without taking itself too seriously. I would definitely recommend for all the mystery lovers out there. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for my very first ARC!

★ ★ ★ ★ //5
How To Solve Your Own Murder
by Kristen Perrin

THOUGHTS:

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to read an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Do you love a book that has :
-Dual Timelines
-Multiple POV
-Mystery
-Twists & Turns
-Gothic Mansions

This book is most definitely for YOU!

Oh my my what an adventure this book was. I love a good mystery book and this one did it for me. I read this wonderful gem in one sitting from morning to mid afternoon and barely came up for air. This book had me on my seat while I went around in this little world with Frances and Annie. I loved how this book was told is dual POV and dual timelines, absolutely kept me on my toes. I enjoyed every single one of the characters and can’t think of a single thing I would change about this book. I hope that everybody who opens this book enjoys it just as much.

Gah! I loved this book. It’s the kind of whodunnit mystery in which nearly everyone is a suspect.

The storyline was clever and fun, with nostalgic elements of Clue, Nancy Drew, and Agatha Christie.

Truly unique and thoroughly enjoyable!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"How to Solve Your Own Murder" by Kristen Perrin is an engaging mystery novel that weaves together elements of fortune-telling, premonition, and an unsolved crime spanning decades.

The story begins in 1965 when teenage Frances Adams attends an English country fair with her friends, only to have her life take a sinister turn when a fortune-teller predicts her murder. Fueled by this chilling prophecy, Frances spends her life collecting information on everyone she encounters, all in an effort to prevent her own murder. However, her warnings fall on deaf ears until nearly sixty years later when Frances is found dead, just as she had always foretold.

In the present day, Annie Adams, Frances's great-niece, is summoned to her reclusive great-aunt's country estate in Castle Knoll. But upon her arrival, she discovers that Frances has been murdered. Determined to uncover the truth behind her great-aunt's death, Annie is faced with a village full of eccentric and secretive residents, each with a possible motive. As Annie delves deeper into the investigation, she must confront the possibility that she might be the next target.

Kristen Perrin masterfully builds a web of secrets, lies, and potential motives, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as they try to solve the mystery alongside Annie. The blending of past and present timelines adds depth to the narrative, and the characters are well-drawn, each with their quirks and hidden agendas.

The novel offers a compelling mix of suspense and charm, making it an enjoyable read for fans of classic mysteries. As Annie races against time to uncover the dark secrets lurking in Castle Knoll, readers will be drawn into a complex and intriguing puzzle that keeps them guessing until the very end.

If you're a fan of mysteries with a touch of the supernatural and a cast of memorable characters, "How to Solve Your Own Murder" is a must-read that will keep you entertained and engrossed from start to finish. Kristen Perrin delivers a clever and captivating tale that pays homage to the genre while adding its own unique twists and turns.