thank you to negalley and penguin group for this beautiful arc!! it was such an honor to be granted this masterpeice as my first ever arc aaaaaaaaa <3


final rating: 4 stars!
it's the 1960's, and teenage frances adams has just received a chilling fortune:
"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."

and from that moment on, frances becomes obsessed with solving her murder. but alas, she isn't able to catch her killer before she meets her untimely death, and now, 60 years later, her great-niece annie must rise up to take frances's reins. will she be able to solve the mystery of her great aunt's death before the killer comes after her, too?

how to solve your own murder was a delightful surprise - once i started reading it, i simply could not get through it fast enough. it had a grip on me early on; never once was it boring. in fact, i found myself skimming through the pages sometimes just so i could figure out the mystery quicker. i rather enjoyed annie's character, but honestly? i was much more interested in frances and her story. sorry not sorry.

the characters were all written beautifully, and the pacing was perfect in my opinion. the writing was a bit too simple, however it made it all the more enjoyable to read. also, the plot was a little bit predictable on my end... but that might not be the case for everyone! and guys, don't get me started on the setting!!!!! i am such a sucker for castles like 😭😭 it was perfect.

so yeah! this was a really good mystery!! definitely deserves 4 stars, watch out for this book in march 2024! you won't be disappointed. 👀

While the murder mystery plot seemed solid, I just couldn't care about the characters enough to finish the book. I found the characters shallowly developed and unengaging.

I really liked this one! I enjoyed the dual timeline/solve the mystery as you watch the original events unfold format, and really liked the addition of the fortune as the backbone of the story. The writing was engaging and the characters were well crafted to draw you in and make you question everyone's motives and capacity for truth. The way it ended made me wonder if there might be a series in this, and I hope so because I would definitely read a second book. I found this one to be delightful!

Loved the format of this book, with the present from Annie's POV and Frances' diary showing the past. The mystery and how it unfolded was very good and very compelling. At no point did I guess who actually did it so the reveal was very satisfying.

I enjoyed How to Solve Your Own Murder quite a bit. I found the dual timelines intriguing and multiple mysteries fun to try to solve along with the main character. At times, I had to check back to remember who was who because you’re dealing with characters in the present and their parents or grandparents in the past. Overall, it is a strong mystery with lots of clues that let you play detective along with the characters. Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy through NetGallery.

The thing I love about mysteries is the puzzle of figuring out who did the deed. This book pulled that off extremely well. The author left a trail of hints and unsavory characters that had me trying to figure it out from the very beginning. I loved the back and forth between the present and the past with the inclusion of Francis' journal from her youth, and that there were indeed two mysteries that needed to be solved. There was an inherent creepiness to the setting and characters that continued until the end. My only criticism was the main character. Based on her development, I couldn't quite believe in the courage she found to do the risky things she did to solve the case. However, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good whodunit! I couldn't put this down!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

Decent Christie-style murder mystery with an interesting plot. With dual timelines and a variety of characters, I felt the plot got a little lost and frantic. By the end I felt I just rushed through as it loss some of the mounting tension that pulled me in in the beginning. Would definitely recommend to lovers of Agatha Christie and murder mysteries in general. #howtosolveyourownmurder #kristenperrin #netgalley #goodreads

I'm struggling here. There are no serious flaws, it's strongly written, it's occasionally captivating, it has a terrific sense of a classicish kind of whodunit about it. Yet. It didn't make my socks roll up and down in any tangible way.

How to Solve Your Own Murder was the perfect cozy mystery for fans of The Thursday Murder Club! The characters were all wonderfully written, especially the protagonist Annie. The plot was intriguing and kept my attention throughout the whole book. I wish we got a little bit more about the murderer but even despite that I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

This was really good! If you enjoyed Knives Out or Clue, this is right up your alley.

The book begins with a sinister psychic reading given to Francis where she's told that one day she will be murdered. Frances then spends her entire life trying to figure out who will commit her murder. When it finally happens years later, her niece Annie is given the task of finding the killer. She uses all the clues her aunt has left her and what ensues is a really fun whodunnit mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this mystery. The back and forth between present time and the past worked really well. The characters were interesting and well developed. I didn’t foresee the ending but it all made sense when it played out.

I first want to thank Netgalley and Penguin Group for this ARC. I was so excited to receive it as my first! I'm giving this book a solid 3.8 - rounded to 4.

Frances Adams receives a fortune at a county fair that she becomes obsessed with avoiding for the rest of her life. She is unable to avoid her fate and her great niece Annie Adams is set on a task to find her killer. Fans of "Knives Out" will like this murder mystery. It also reminded me alot of an Agatha Christie novel.

What I liked: This book has two timelines and two POV - you have me at either of those so having both was plus for me. Both POV characters, Annie and Frances were enjoyable to read. At times I found I enjoyed Frances' storyline more than Annie's but I didn't find myself grudgingly reading either. I would describe myself as an avid thriller/mystery reader as it is consistently my most read genre. I can say I didn't guess this one!

What lacked for me: I had a hard time with the amount of characters/familial ties in this book. With that being said, everything was tied up nicely and I wasn't left confused. I like to try to guess while i'm reading so maybe that's why it was a negative for me...but at one point I actually made a little bit of a family tree to try to keep everyone straight. Additionally - while I love that I didn't guess the ending...I didn't particularly like the ending. I thought it seemed rushed and I just didn't find the motive that compelling.

Overall though this was a fun read and I will be suggesting it!

Dual timelines and dual murder, all centered on a fortune told to a teenage girl in the sixties that she will one day be murdered. This was the perfect mystery for all ages with just the right amount of humor and emotion. Reminiscent of Clue, this story gives you each eccentric character and their backstory making you guess who did it. I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. Between the setting, the diary entries taking you back in time, and the story slowly giving you small pieces of the puzzle as it goes, this was highly addicting. I definitely recommend it to all. Four Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this ARC.

This was such a fun, perfect mystery. Quirky characters, a small town full of mystery, an old diary, two time periods coming together, a fortune to unfold…. I highly recommend and hope this is the beginning of a series. Seemed like lots of seeds planted for more drama in Annie’s future.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the early copy!

A game is afoot! This book was a mystery similar to the likes of an Anthony Horwitz or Tana French novel. Very clearly moving between two time periods one telling the original story and one the story of solving the murder. I really enjoyed the format of this book and found the scenery and descriptions soothing and the perfect stage for the story.

If you like mysteries that aren't thrillers and more along the lines of an Agatha Christie book this is something you will be sure to enjoy. It's a lovely debut and I look forward to more books by this author.

This is such an interesting and creative premise, very well executed! After getting her fortune told as a teenager, a wealthy older woman spends her entire life trying to avoid the fate the fortune teller shared -- being murdered. As the book opens, she is murdered, and it is up to her great niece, a young adult woman who has never met her eccentric aunt, to solve the crime. A great mystery that will appeal to many readers!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Despite its mostly serious subject matter, How to Solve Your Own Murder was the perfect cozy read! The story was so fun and the mystery intriguing, with lots of twists and turns. Annie was an interesting main character and her passion for solving mysteries fuels this book.

This is the perfect fall read! I'm hoping that there will be more books following Annie and hopefully Detective Crane too! :)

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

It was my perfect type of mystery- almost cozy, but still plausible. It left me guessing until the end. The characters took a minute to figure out- I would have loved a family tree at the beginning (but I see why that’s tough because it gets messy!)

I truly hope we get more of this story- I feel like there is so much more to uncover in those diaries!

An interesting mystery, with a feisty heroine determined to find out who murdered her great aunt.

What unravels in the great aunt's diary is the story of the relationship three friends had in the past, where nothing is quite what it seems.
It's made more interesting by the fact it's set in a small village, and today's elderly residents where a lot more lively and unconventional in their youth!

I sped through this book! The writing and pacing of the book gripped me from the start. I just couldn’t put it down.

I loved the dual timelines, and I enjoyed the many twists and red herrings along the way. The characters felt authentic and complex.

A definite page-turner and must read for mystery lovers.

Thank you Net Galley and Penguin Random Group - Dutton for the ARC. Opinions are my own.