A fortune for prospective readers – A little bird says that if you enjoyed the first book, you’ll like the sequel!

A direct sequel to How to Solve Your Own Murder, this book answers all the lingering questions (well, almost all!) that had been remaining. The first few chapters act as a refresher course as we get reintroduced to the characters and events of the first book. Most of the original characters are back, with Archie Foyle, Peony Lane, and Jenny, figuring more prominently in this one. There are also some new characters such as the annoying Chief Inspector Toby Marks, stealthy Samantha (receptionist at the police station), and Archie’s brother Eric. Following a similar structure to the first one, Annie finds herself entangled in a murder case and has to use her sleuthing skills to not only discover who’s the murderer, but also to clear her name as she’s a suspect as well. The other timeline features Annie’s Great Aunt Frances and her life following Emily’s disappearance. The tragic deaths of three members of the Gravesdown family resulting from a car crash (maybe not) is the focal point of the book as both Annie and Frances are involved in ascertaining what really happened that night.

Even though reading the first book isn’t necessary, I think it gives one more investment in the characters and makes reading the sequel more fulfilling. I actually enjoyed Frances’ backstory more this time out. Her character is much more fleshed out as we find out about her dreams, goals, and disappointments, and her complicated love life. It’s also interesting how the author has made Annie and Frances more alike as we see them sharing similar personality traits. Pour yourself a cuppa tea and enjoy another fun romp at Castle Knoll!

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and How to Seal Your Own Fate has that same vibe - it's cozy, it's twisty, and it features a delightful cast of characters. While it was great to get a deeper dive into some of those characters, especially Archie, Annie herself didn't feel like much of a character this time, just a narrator. Still, the mystery was compelling and the vibes alone made an entertaining story.

~Small-town, Murder-mystery, Cozy, and more!~

3.5| While this is a well-written book with an interesting plot and exciting characters, I unfortunately had difficulty getting into it. I thoroughly enjoyed the last book, but for some reason, this one didn't hit the same way. I think this is mainly because I had no real interest in Archie. While he is a well-written character, I dreaded reading about his encounters with Frances. The main thing that kept me going was how much I enjoyed Annie's timeline and perspective. I did think some things were dropped too much from the last book, though. For example how there is only one mention of her newly found grandfather. I would have liked to see that relationship explored more, especially since, in the beginning, she speaks of how lonely and isolated she feels in Castle Knoll. The mystery was entertaining, with multiple unexpected twists and turns, which was exciting to read about. I overall just feel like this book lacked something the first book had. While it was a pleasant read, it wasn't very captivating, and at times, I felt like I was forcing myself to read it. It's not a bad read, but not as enjoyable as the first.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

I received an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley and Penguin in exchange for my honest review. I would recommend reading books one and two of this series back to back because there are a lot of characters to keep track of. I liked the dual timeline POV where we got Frances in the 1960s and Annie in the present day. The mystery storyline was very entertaining with a satisfying conclusion and I liked learning more about all of the characters from book one. I will happily continue reading this series!

Kristen Perrin has done it again with the second installment of The Castle Knoll Murder Mystery Series. How To Seal Your Own Fate is just as fun as the first novel. I really enjoy this little town and discovering all the secrets it holds. I hope there are more secrets to uncover in Castle Knoll in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced readers copy.

How to Seal Your own Fate is a mystery with many, too many?, twisty turns as it makes its way from beginning to end. As in her previous novel, author Kristen Perrin uses a fortune given by Peony Lane as a starting off point in what will be a whodunit to solve Peony’s own murder. In so many ways, it deals with characters and storylines from the first book and, since I had not read the first book in quite some time, I felt a bit lost a good bit of the time. I was also left with the feeling that if there is a book 3, it will be similar as I feel there are some storylines yet to be explored. I had a difficult time getting through this book. It should be noted that a significant amount of this book is told in flashback through Frances’s eyes, so the reader is given a dual point of view. The book was a bit too convoluted for my tastes. Three stars.

First and foremost, thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for an honest review!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with How to Seal Your Own Fate! I enjoyed How to Solve Your Own Murder, and to my delight, there is a fair amount of the same from book to book. While this may be a bad thing in some series, in this case it is actually a huge positive. The cozy, small-town British mystery vibe is one of my favorites, and that returns in spades, even more so because of the time of year it's set. Annie is still seemingly quite capable and I think seems to have improved her murder solving skills over the course of the two books, and there are so many more secrets to be uncovered.

However, I think that both the pacing and resolution of this one make it less of a must-read than the first. It feels somehow both too slow and too fast simultaneously, while also not providing a resolution that feels as intense as the mystery surrounding it. I think it could've served the novel well to either slim down the diary entries, or reformat them so that the story does not feel as back and forth and broken up.

That being said, I still had a fantastic time with How to Seal Your Own Fate. It delivers where it needs to, the characters develop relatively well, and it does a fantastic job of transporting the reader back to the small and strange town that is Castle Knoll.

Annie Adams' once quiet life was turned on its head after the death of her great aunt Francis, leaving her to inherit a grand manor in the small country village of Castle Knoll. The townspeople are already wary of Annie due to her association with the cursed Gravesdown family, and their feelings only grow after the town fortune-teller, Peony Lane, is found dead on Annie's property hours after bringing her a cryptic message. Annie believes that someone in the town wanted to silence Peony and thought to frame her for the crime. Once again, Annie must revisit Francis's meticulous files documenting the secrets the townspeople have tried so hard to hide if she hopes to clear her name.

I adored the first book in this series, so I had high hopes for this latest installment. Everything about this series feels like Murder, She Wrote, but British, and I love it. I loved revisiting this quirky small village with its shady occupants, ferreting clues alongside Annie. She's such a fun main character to follow. While she may not always think things through before acting, she's plucky and has this charm you can't help but root for. Like the previous book, we get flashbacks to Francis's past, and I loved seeing how it tied into the present storyline. There were a ton of secrets to uncover, some more obvious than others, but that's par for the course when it comes to cozy mysteries. I wasn't as invested in this mystery as the first because the formulas were similar. I would've liked to have seen Perrin shake things up a bit more, but overall, I enjoyed it and will pick up whatever she comes up with next.

The second book in this series was just as good as the first. I’m thoroughly invested in this town and the interconnected murders. This series reminds me of Downton Abbey and Castle combined-but in book format. It’s been awhile since I read the first book so struggled a bit in the beginning, but the author did a good job reminding the reader of the backstory without retelling the first book a few chapters in.

Kristen Perrin returns with How to Seal Your Own Fate, the eagerly anticipated sequel in the Castle Knoll series. Building upon the intricate narrative of How to Solve Your Own Murder, this installment delves deeper into the enigmatic history of the Gravesdown Estate and its inhabitants.

In the present day, Annie Adams is acclimating to her role as the new owner of Gravesdown Estate in the quaint village of Castle Knoll. Her newfound tranquility is disrupted when local fortune teller Peony Lane delivers a cryptic message and is found dead hours later within the locked confines of the estate. The circumstances cast suspicion on Annie, compelling her to unravel the mystery to clear her name.

The narrative seamlessly transitions to 1967, focusing on Frances Adams, Annie's great-aunt. A year after her friend Emily's disappearance, Frances finds herself entangled in complex relationships with two men: the affluent Ford Gravesdown and the enigmatic Archie Foyle. As Frances navigates these connections, long-buried secrets of the Gravesdown family begin to surface, intertwining with the present-day mysteries Annie faces.

Perrin's adeptness at weaving dual timelines enriches the narrative, offering readers a comprehensive understanding of the estate's dark past and its impact on current events. The atmospheric setting of Castle Knoll, combined with the intricate character dynamics, creates a compelling backdrop for the unfolding mystery.

For fans of the first installment, How to Seal Your Own Fate offers a deeper exploration of the characters and mysteries introduced earlier. Perrin's skillful storytelling ensures that both new and returning readers will find themselves engrossed in this intricate tale of suspense, legacy, and the enduring impact of family secrets.

Annie Adams is a fish out of water in the small town of Castle Knoll. She is trying hard to settle in but intrigue just seems to follow her. Lucky for her she can rely on her best friend and a handsome police detective to help her investigate. This book has all the quirky characters one would expect from a small town British murder mystery title. The story is interesting and keeps the reader guessing along with the main character. I would recommend this book.

Every bit as good as the debut, with even more unraveling of the past. I didn't see where this series could go after the first murder was solved, but since there are drawerfuls of secrets, I now see that this idea has legs. The dive into the past really recreated mod England--I felt like I was there.

I love this series so much, and this second installment did not disappoint. I really enjoyed getting to revisit these characters and this setting. I can't wait to see what comes next!

I was so glad to see Annie again in this second edition. When Peony Lane, the person who handed great-aunt Frances her fortune all those years ago, seeks Annie out and asks to tell her fortune, Annie refuses. She's seen how one fortune derailed Frances' life, and she's not about to let the same thing happen to her.

But when Peony Lane is later found murdered in the solarium at Gravesdown Hall, in a position where the killer would have had to pass Annie and her friend Jenny while they had lunch, Annie can't help wishing she knew what fortune Peony had been referring to.

With more of Frances' journals to lend a hand, Annie is once again getting herself in trouble and too involved in the investigation. Something Detective Crane repeatedly asks her to stop. Though if Annie is going to look into something anyway, it might be good to have a detective at her side. In an uncertain collaboration, and with possible feelings in the background, the case once again takes them to Gravesdown family secrets and their mysterious past.

Continuing to learn about Frances and her life is something I love about this series, and boy were we in for some surprises! Of course I'll be picking up the next book, because the town of Castle Knoll has a lot more secrets to be uncovered, and a past worth investigating.

For as much as I loved the first book in this series, I was disappointed by this one. Starting with the good, I enjoyed the dual timeline and getting inside Frances' head a bit.

But the mystery was convoluted, there wasn't enough quaint English village atmosphere, and I was left with a LOT of questions at the end. I think it would've made a great short story (Castle Knoll 1.5 or something like that) as it felt a lot like the continuation of the first book's plot, but expanding it into a full novel made it overly complicated. Also, I wasn't quite sure what role the Jenny character played. She was just kind there?

Two women, two timelines, two mysteries, book two of the Castle Knoll Files is a treat for mystery lovers.

Kristen Perrin does a great job weaving the then and now storylines into one compelling mystery. I kept going back and forth deciding which one I enjoyed more but they are both so integral to the plot that I never picked a clear favorite.

Secrets and diaries revealed in a wonderfully paced manner…grab some cream tea and dive in.

This was a fantastic follow up to the first in the series and I definitely cannot wait to read more!

I recently finished Kristen Perrin's "How to Solve Your Own Murder" in one sitting, so I was eager to have the opportunity to read the sequel, "How to Seal Your Own Fate."

After solving the death of her Great Aunt Frances, Annie Adams is adjusting to her new life in Castle Knoll when tragedy strikes again. The infamous fortune teller Peony Lane is dead inside her house. Now Annie must once again work to solve a murder that appears to have been decades in the making.

This book carries a lot of the charm from the first book, and I appreciate the interesting back and forth between Annie and Frances. However, I did find the plot to get a bit too convoluted at certain portions of the book and with so many characters, it can be difficult to sometimes track who is doing what. With two storylines, the timelines can often get muddled. Also, while the dual timelines is a unique storytelling device, it does make it difficult to fully develop either character. Often, the side characters, such as the Foyles, felt a bit more developed than Frances and Annie.

Nonetheless, I could easily see another book in this series as Annie continues to unravel Frances' secrets and I would happily find myself reading another adventure in sleepy Castle Knoll.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for an advanced copy of this book.

This second book in the Castle Knoll (Gravesdown) series has Annie pulled into another mystery of long past and current murders. Are they connected? And why is another fortune told by Peony Lane involved? As Annie investigates she knows she's getting close to the truth when suddenly all the clues point to her and she realizes she's being set up. I love that this book builds so well on the last one and I'm left to wonder just how many secrets exist in this small rural town?