“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.”

In 1965, when Frances Adams was seventeen, a fortune teller told her that one day she'd be murdered. Thus began a lifetime of trying to prevent the crime that would be her eventual demise. No one took Frances seriously for sixty years until, of course, she was murdered.
When her great-niece Annie arrives, she is thrust into her great-aunt's last act of revenge against the sceptics. As Annie gets closer to the truth, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.

How To Solve Your Own Murder is an intricately layered puzzle with eccentric characters, multiple motives, a hefty inheritance and all-round mayhem. Add to that the ticking clock within which Annie must solve Frances’s murder if she wants to keep her mother’s home.

Set in an English country village with an estate that has been in the family for generations, this story has all the ingredients for a charming, cosy whodunnit.

A breathless race of murder and intrigue, this is a fabulously crafted mystery that will persuade you to put your own sleuthing cap on and dig through the clues.

This ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Quercus Audio.

Twisty and full of turns, this is an engaging murder mystery with some self (and family history) discovery.

When summoned to the village of Castle Knoll to meet with her elusive Great Aunt Francis, Annie is unexpectedly thrown into the lead amateur detective role as she tries to work out who killed Francis.

Twinning modern day village life with Francis' diary entries from the mid to late 1960s, Annie discovers that the sleepy Castle Knoll isn't quite as it seems.

Surrounded by residents who have secrets and potential reasons for conflict with Francis. Annie has to piece together the fortune tellers' reading which has haunted Francis while trying to preserve her own present and future.

I really loved this. Has an Agatha Christie vibes. I love a who dunnit but this a good spin on it with the victim knowing they would be murdered. Great characters, well writting and interesting plot. Highly recommend.

I really liked this book, I listened to the audiobook and it kept my attention all of the way through.
It's a sweet little mystery story, which actually made me cry in a few places.
The characters Are likeable, particularly the main character, and the story has soft little twists and turns.
Easy to read. Will look out for number 2.

A very British loosey-goosey ‘Knives Out’, if that’s the comparison the publishers are running with, though lacking the flair and attention-to-detail of the American screenplay.
I seem to be the outlier here amongst NetGalley reviewers with my low rating. Perhaps I shouldn’t have requested something that is so obviously (by its cover art) a wannabee Tommy and Tuppence mystery updated by way of Richard Osman.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t engaged by Kristen Perrin’s debut at all, although I devoted my full attention to it at the start. I didn’t find it big or ‘hilarious’ or even mysterious, as the taglines variously claim. I lost interest early and easily, and - in the end - I was just desperate for the book to finish.
The two main characters (Frances and Annie) were barely distinguishable, and I found myself having to listen out closely for signals as to whose narrative we were ‘in’ at any given point in the novel.
To maximise a pun, the final nail in the coffin (for me) was the tedious, cheerless pace at which ‘How to Solve your Own Murder’ is narrated. It proved so exasperating that I wound up listening at double speed – a thing I have never ever done to an audiobook! I would have called this sacrilegious behaviour before now! But either Alexandra Dowling or Jaye Jacobs (I’m not sure who narrated which part) reads by making the addition to the text of gargantuan pauses between each phrase. I’m really not being too hyperbolic – honestly, the gaps she inserts after full stops are so exaggerated, I found it maddening beyond forbearance.
All the same, my thanks to Quercus Audio and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the audiobook prior to its release later this month.

How To Solve Your Own Murder written by Kristen Perrin and narrated by Alexandra Dowling and Jaye Jacobs is a stunning audiobook and I am in awe at just how good this novel is. It is almost as if Agatha Christie and Rochard Osman got together and baked the most delicious cake you have ever eaten with a cracking good cuppa to go along with it

The prologue snared me right away with the reading by the fortune teller and the introduction to the main characters and the setup of the sharing of the silver necklaces. This was a fantastic start to the book and laid a strong foundation.

The main character, Annie Adams and at an invitation from her Great Aunt, takes her friends along to visit Castle Knoll, Great Aunt Frances's opulent estate, whereby they are confronted with a toxic, dysfunctional group of incumbents, all with a story to tell. However, things turn dark when Great Aunt Frances asks the group to join her, but when they reach the room, she is found, laying on the floor, her hand covered in blood as iffrom the thorns of a rose, quite devoid of life

The performance by Alexandra Dowling and Jaye Jacbs is dynamic and authentic and if I didn't know better, I could almost compare it to watching the fantastic Poirot series as a kid. This duo provide an absolutely epic performance and really live up to the absolutely stunning narrative of this very intriguing, highly entertaining mystery.

Kristen Perrin is likely to join my list of favourite mystery writers as this book is triumph and can be listened to and read and enjoyed over and over again

Thank you to Netgalley, Quercus, the author Kristen Perrin and narrators Alexandra Dowling and Jaye Jacobs for this great ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

#howtosolveyourownmurder #netgalley

Much as I love Agatha Christie, modern cosy mysteries can be a little dull and unrealistic. Perrin has managed to pay homage to the queen of crime whilst also finding a modern balance and layering it with a touch of the macabre to appeal to those who like it dark.

Told in dual timeline, which is a nice touch, we see Annie trying to unravel a puzzle set by her great aunt: who murdered her? It’s such a unique concept and allows us to sleuth along with the characters. Yes our MC makes poor decisions; yes readers need to suspend belief, but it doesn’t matter because it’s a gentle drama with a few darker elements that really elevate the story.

The diary entries are perhaps a little too detailed; most teenage girls are unlikely to record every single piece of dialogue, but appreciate artistic licence is needed to tell the story. Perhaps I missed it but I would also have liked a bit more information on when Frances and Ford got married and their life together as it was missing - perhaps we’ll find out more later in the series. I also enjoyed the nods to Heathers, charity shop treasures and gothic horror.

Narration is good, although perhaps a different voice for Frances would have lifted the experience somewhat.

Overall a strong start to the series and no doubt this tiny village will have more secrets and bodies than Midsummer…

I listened to this book on audiobook and was drawn into the story right away. This was a book I was highly anticipating and I am so glad i got to listen to the audiobook. This book revolves around Annie Adams and her Great Aunt Frances and it include a dual time going between Frances when she was a teen where she is give a fortune predicting her murder and Annie who is now trying to solve her Great Aunt's murder. I thought both main characters were great. I love when audiobooks have different narrators for different character's POVs. I felt like both narrators and felt they really captured their characters. I felt like I did not expect the ending which I really enjoyed. Will definitely recommend this book to friends and hope it is chose for the mystery/thriller book club I an in.

Thank you to Netgalley, Kristen Perrin, and Quercus Editions for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review.

What I love about this book is the dual timelines with 2 different mysteries being played out simultaneously- both are told cohesively and intertwine well.
I was initially more invested in Francis' story in 1965 (told via diary enteries) than Annie's in present time but I ended up warming up to her and enjoying the present timeline just as much.

I liked how Francis' fortune is at the centre of the book, and how Annie then gets sucked in by this.

This is an easy whodunit mystery (my theories were all over the shop, and I only figured it out as it was about to be revealed). I recommend this one, especially the audio as it makes you more connected to the characters.

The audiobook version of this novel is narrated extremely well, with the prose flowing and the imagery coming across brilliantly. This murder mystery is set between London and a small town in England, which seems quaint but is everything but! The two main characters, Annie and Francis, take us on a journey across time and generations, with two murders being explored through the arc of the novel. All characters are well fleshed out and detailed, and the writing is so immersive it felt like being in Castle Knoll! This small town mystery draws you in from its very premise, of Francis trying to solve her own murder before even being dead. The story is clever and engaging, and the setting is just idyllic!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing an advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

How To Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
(Narrated by Alexandra Dowling; Jaye Jacobs)

Such an enjoyable read for me. The storyplot is unique. I love the dual timeline. The twists at the end were surprising that I could not see it was coming like this.

The narrators did perfect job. They played all the characters very well. This is one of the most impressive and amazing audiobooks I have ever read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Quercus and the author for my copy!

Pub date: March 26, 2024

This was an enjoyable mystery. It was quite slow in places, but did pick up towards the end. I enjoyed the dual timelines and the range of characters. Definitely recommended for people who like an old fashioned mystery! I will look out for more by this author. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

Really enjoyed the audio version of How to Solve Your own murder - thought the actors narrated all the different voices really well. I absolutely fell in love with this book. Kristen Perrin has created a gorgeous world. The present day and 1965 timelines are peopled with charming and intriguing characters and it’s fascinating to see how they’ve changed - or not. The story in both times was so compelling that I almost couldn’t bear to leave one for the other.
Annie is an adorable, quirky sleuth, who is tasked with the job of solving the murder of her Great Aunt Frances. Frances lived her life in the shadow of an ominous fairground fortune told in 1965, which predicted her own murder, so spent her life trying to catch her own killer and her friend Emily’s too. The mystery within a mystery, and dual timeline structure tickled my brain in the most satisfying way. After all, who doesn’t love to read an old diary? Reading Frances’s diary in the 1965 timeline was as fascinating to me as it was to Annie - and just like Annie, I longed for her to have met her Great-aunt.
The characters are all interesting and you really want to know what happened to them. It was fun - and sad - to see how they’ve changed from 1965 to the present.
How the puzzle of the murders is solved is really clever, with the repercussions of what happened in the past echo-ing into the present. The hint of romance between Annie and the hunky detective is soooo delectable.
The ending was very satisfying but I’m sad to leave these characters behind. So I’m delighted that there’s going to be more!

I loved this audio book. The story was a old school murder mystery and I was gripped from start to finish. So many twists and was fun to try and work out who the murderer was.

This was so much fun -I was so intrigued by the blurb but also for the links to knives out and murders in the building. For a change it lived up to the hype and references. Just thoroughly enjoyed it. The narration worked really well. I just devoured this as it was so charming and entertaining and everything else got put aside.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

A fortune teller tells Frances she will be murdered and so she spent her life trying to work out who could the killer be. Following her death these clues must be followed and whoever solves the murder will inherit millions. Annie is just one trying to seek the truth, but who will inherit Frances’ fortune?

A well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Good characters and good storyline. Lots of twists and turns. Not everyone will play fair and thing will become dangerous.

I was hooked! I love this different take on a murder mystery. Frances has always been convinced that she was going to be murdered, and she was! Leaving a hefty inheritance to be fought over, the only way to gain such inheritance is to solve her murder. The book goes back and forth from present time to the 60s, but is easy to follow. There are a lot of characters which can sometimes be a little confusing but it was easy to get back into the swing of the story.
A gripping read (listen) and was well paced and kept your attention. Great for any murder mystery fans looking for an easy, entertaining book!

I enjoyed this audiobook very much, listening to it at 1.2x speed. The narration was good, with clear diction and engaging delivery. The plot, which moves between the 60s and now, is well-conceived with a large cast of suspects for the reader/listener to keep on top of. I liked the descriptions of the Dorset countryside and village, which I recognised, and of the 60s vibe which was also familiar! I shall be looking out for more fun mystery stories by this author.

Actual rating 4.5.

I cannot tell you how much I loved this book - it was just the kind of warm, addictive crime novel I was in the mood for, and I knew from the very first page that it was the kind of read I’d zoom through!

I don’t know what it was exactly, but the plot, characters, setting and writing kept me captivated throughout. There is a cosiness to it, mostly because of the location and how lovely Annie is as a lead character, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t dark at times - from a young girl’s disappearance to Frances’s murder and all the secrets which that unravels. It was a great whodunnit with a whole village full of people with the motive to kill Frances, so I kept changing my mind about who the killer was right until the moment they were revealed - and even then I could still be surprised! I also must admit I loved Annie’s blossoming friendship (romance?🤞) with the detective and I’m especially desperate for book two just so I can see what happens there - plus that ending left me wanting more too!

If you are looking for a clever, compelling and cosy mystery which somehow makes you feel uplifted by the end, then I can’t recommend this enough - it was a joy to listen to! Another exciting new voice in fiction!

This was such a fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and could not stop listening. It's nicely paced, really intriguing and quite a classic type of cozy murder mystery. We follow Annie who is, through the will of her great-aunt Frances, tasked with solving her great-aunt's murder in order to inherit her estate. Based on a life-long prophecy made by a fortune teller in her youth who foretold that her death will be a murder, great-aunt Frances has spent her life trying to solve her own, not yet happened, murder. In her will she creates a game where the person who solves her murder first wins her wealth. Annie thus sets out to do just that, and we follow her journey, whilst also getting glimpses into young Frances life through her diary, which involves another mystery. Side by side the past and present unravels as we go along, culminating in a big reveal at the end. The audiobook narrator was fantastic, and I just really enjoyed myself. My only note is that the audiobook had longer pauses between sentences than often felt natural, but I assume that will get edited before publication.

Thanks so much to the publisher for the ARC provided through NetGalley!