If you were a fan of the first round of this series, I highly recommend you jump back in.

The story follows the came cast of characters with a couple new additions and a few new highlighted characters. Great mix of building on existing character development without making it feel too stale.

The mystery was a total twist as well, occasionally feeling the two timelines and ensuing charters got a bit hectic, but Perrin does an excellent job reeling things back in with subtle but helpful recaps from time to time. While I flipped back and forth a few times to test theories, I only checked once in the book to see if I mixed up facts.

Really well written, enjoyable mystery!
Thanks to Perrin, Dutton Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved How To Solve Your Own Murder and was thrilled to see the second installment lives up to the first. It’s well-folded into the original to give context and reminders without being overly repetitive. The book can stand alone but is much better understood when reading the first before.

The plot and twists build on characters from the first but still take on their own distinctness that kept the story fresh. Though well explained, I thought the resolution was more complicated and still took me a while to get a full grasp of.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

How to Seal Your Own Fate(Castle Knoll Files #2) by Kristen Perrin

If you read and enjoyed How to Solve your Own Murder (Castle Knoll Files #1), then you will enjoy this one as well. It is similarly fast paced with some twists making it another fun read.

This is the second installment of the Castle Knoll Files and I highly recommend reading the first book in the series, How to Solve Your Own Murder, before reading this one. While the murder investigation is resolved in the first book, this story continues on from events that are referred to, if not occurred, in that book.

The story goes back and forth in time, from Frances’ diaries and files we learn about her early adult life before she was married to Ford Gravesdown to the present day and Annie Adams’ investigation into Peony’s murder. Soon after Annie met Peony (the fortune teller who predicted that Annie’s Aunt Frances would be murdered), she and her friend Jenny found Peony dead in the solarium at the Gravesdown Estate, where Annie now lives.

Why was Peony murdered? Did she know too much? Was it connected to an earlier death (an accident or murder)? Was she involved – directly or indirectly? Annie’s Investigation includes both an investigation of Peony’s death and the events of the past (using Frances’ documentation).

This is a fun quick read that I recommend to fans of series like The Marlow Murder Club and The Thursday Murder Club where the protagonists – friends who are solving mysteries - get themselves involved w/local police while solving them.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penquin Group Dutton and Kristen Perrin for an advanced copy of this book.

How to Seal Your Own Fate is the perfect addition to the Castle Knoll series! Having read the first book, I loved how this one deepened the mystery of the village while introducing new twists and secrets. The dual timelines are just as gripping as before—Annie’s present-day fight to clear her name and Frances’ 1967 investigation kept me hooked. The characters are relatable, the pacing is spot-on, and the eerie charm of Castle Knoll adds so much atmosphere.

If you loved the first book, this one will not disappoint! It’s a must-read for fans of small-town mysteries with layers of suspense. 🔍✨

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin House Dutton for this ARC!

The first book was a hard act to follow! This one was simultaneously a bit over-complicated in parts and not quite as engaging as How to Solve Your Own Murder. It’s clear there are more books to come, because the author leaves a lot of loose ends throughout the book. That would be fine, but I wish that some of the characters with loose ends had a liiiittle bit more character development in this book.

Overall, a worthy read, but I’m not sure it was quite as good as the first Castle Knoll book.

💫 Okay, like, can we just take a moment to talk about how ridiculously fun and twisty this book is? If you’re into mysteries that keep you guessing while serving up small-town charm, drama, and just the right sprinkle of humor, this is so your vibe.

The whole dual-timeline thing? Total chef's kiss. You've got Annie sleuthing her way through present-day chaos (um, a murder in her greenhouse? Yikes!) while digging through her late Aunt Frances' journals from the '60s. Frances was a total icon, BTW—bold, nosy, and maybe a little scandalous. It’s like the perfect mash-up of cozy mystery meets vintage intrigue. Love it.

Also, the town of Castle Knoll is practically a character in itself. The secrets? The gossip? The whole eerie, everyone-knows-everything energy? Ob-sessed. And the fortune-teller’s ominous prophecy is just chef's kiss the cherry on top of this delightfully twisty plot.

Okay, real talk: it does slow down a tiny bit in the middle, but honestly, I didn’t even care because the story is just that good. Plus, Annie and Frances are such fabulous sleuths in their own unique ways—one cautious and modern, the other bold and vintage. It's impossible not to root for them.

✨ Final verdict: 4 stars and an absolutely must-read if you're into clever mysteries with heart and humor.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion! 😘

In Kristen Perrin's first book, How to Solve Your Own Murder, we get to know the history of Frances, and her fortune that she would be murdered, through her diary entries. Annie, her great niece, solves the mystery of who murdered Frances and why. In that book, In this book, another murder takes place, Annie must try to solve the murder by revisiting experiences Frances friends had with her while they were growing up. Perrin expertly interweaves the two books together. I was thoroughly captivated by the story, and found myself going back to the first book to jiggle my memory about events that led up to the present novel.

I really liked this one. I enjoyed the first story and liked the sequel. I felt like it was of similar quality. The books feel similar to a cozy mystery, but are not marketed that way which is my only gripe.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this sequel to How to Solve Your Own Murder!

This series is super fun. I would definitely consider these cozy mysteries and honestly, that's not my fav sub genre of mystery. However, the plot, characters, setting and writing just are so good.

In this sequel, we are reunited with Annie and all the Castle Knoll village folks. There of course is murder, mystery, diary entries from Frances, and mischief. Loved how we got even more background on other characters in this book.

I just wanted more of Crane. Just a smidge. Not a ton. Also, his explanation for his relationship with the new boss felt flat and tbh lame. '

But I really know is I wish I could stay in the big house myself with its solarium. Already (im)patiently waiting for book 3.

This is the second book in the Castle Knoll Files. We follow Annie on her journey to solve yet another mystery. While this was entertaining, it was a bit too slow for me personally. I wish that in the beginning, there had been some sort of recap of the characters from the first book. If you enjoy a cozy mystery, look no further and pick this one up.

Oh. My. Goodness. There are so many secrets and mysteries in the town of Castle Knoll and I love it!! The first book in this series was great and then this one did not disappoint either!! The journal entries are still my favorite. I really hope there are more books in the series on the way!

A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions expressed above are my own.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: April 29, 2025
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

Very cozy, very mysterious and I love a good cozy mystery. We get to follow into this part two of the Castle Knoll Files and I loved this as much as I loved the first book.
I’m a huge Agatha Christie fanatic and when I found Kristens How To Solve Your Own Murder, it gave me Agatha vibes and I am officially hooked into this series. We have a murder, many secrets and as usual, nobody knows anything and we follow Annie while she tries to solve this murder before someone else’s’ life is at stake. We have present and past timelines and they transition flawlessly. This book will have you guessing along the way and who knows, you can play Nancy Drew and figure it out before the ending, but I never figured it out…the ending I did not see coming. Such a fun fast paced who done it read that will keep you on your toes the entire time. I recommend reading book one before jumping into book two.

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as Penguin Group Dutton, Dutton, Viking.

How to Seal Your Own Fate, Castle Knolls File #2, by Kristen Perrin. Small English town, two time lines (present and old diary entries), and 5 deaths to solve.

I rated this 4 stars.

Loved this book just as much as the first, such a fun refreshing cozy mystery. Annie is now living in Castle Knolls after inheriting her Great Aunts fortune and property. After solving Aunt Frances’ murder and finding her killer there is now a new fortune to solve. Three murders from the past and two in the present. Using Aunt Frances’ diaries, her best friend, and the local detective Annie is on her way to put the clues together and solve another mystery of Castle Knolls.

Such a great read if you are in a book slump or just needing a little mystery. I highly recommend this series and am excited to see what Annie will do next!

Thank you, NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Dutton for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

A fun follow up to How to Solve Your Own Murder! In the second installment in the series, amateur sleuth Annie Adams has moved into Gravesend Hall and is almost immediately faced with another murder. This time, the victim is Peony Lane--the fortuneteller who foretold Annie's Aunt Frances' murder. Annie's investigation of Peony's murder leads her back into the past--specifically, to the untimely deaths of 3 family members who lived at Gravesend Hall when Frances was a young woman. The book goes back and forth between that time and the present, and does a wonderful job of neatly solving both mysteries. Looking forward to the next installment in the series!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was really good! I haven’t read the first one in the series but have to get my hot little hands on it. I love stories where a young woman inherits a mansion and considerable wealth. Interesting going from the past to the present with lots of skeletons in the closet!

While I liked the first book in this series, this one fell a little flat. The characters were entertaining but the plot seemed to lag and it was much harder to keep track of characters than in the first. I also would have liked a little more background as a reminder to where the characters were at in the first book.

I LOVED the first book in the Castle Knoll series, so I was very excited to be able to read the sequel. I enjoyed it as well, however, I didn't enjoy it quite as much. It had the same structure, a present and past POV, which kept it interesting and gave you information in different ways, which was fun. You definitely should read the first one before you read this one so you understand everything that's going on. You get reminders here and there, but they're small. It's been a while since I've read the first one, so I actually had forgotten a little bit about what I had read the first time.

It's a very cozy mystery with lots of secrets...and yes murder, but nothing gory or triggering happens. It's just an easy mystery book.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin House Dutton for this ARC.

Book 2 in this series finds Annie bored in her new home when the is lead to the events of 60 years ago which seemed to involve her Great Aunt Frances and which were either a tragic incident or murder

Bravo, Kristen Perrin! The second installment of the Castle Knoll Files series was just as enjoyable as the first.

The same things I said about “How to Solve Your Own Murder” hold with “How to Seal Your Own Fate.” The storyline was clever and nostalgic, reminiscent of classics like Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie.

One of my pet peeves as a reader is when writers are overly descriptive or add too much fluff. Not so with Perrin’s work. She manages to make every word count. I don’t find anything to be skimmable, which deserves another kudos!

I hope there’s a book three because I’m not ready for Annie’s story to end yet.

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

** A copy of Things Left Unsaid was provided by the publisher and NetGalley/Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review **

How to Seal Your Own Fate is a fitting sequel. It follows the same dual POV/mystery structure as we learn more about Aunt Frances, Annie and all the other residents of Gravesdown Manor and Castle Knoll.