Loved this cozy mystery! It’s perfect for fans of Agatha Christie.

The mystery was done so well, I was guessing right up to the very end. I really enjoyed the characters in this book. They were each quirky in their own way. I especially loved Frances and Annie and can’t wait for the next installment of this series

The premise of the book is very original and intrigued me but unfortunately the writing didn't live up to the idea. The male characters need more development and the conversations are flat.

A mystery needs to move along quickly but this one dragged. I just couldn’t push my way through it.

The writing was fine but didn’t blow me away. The characters were fairly indistinguishable which made it hard to keep them straight. Since some of them appear in both timelines this made it a tougher read.

Not a terrible book but not engaging enough for a mystery and not good enough for me to go above 2 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This will be an unpopular opinion but I really didn’t like this book (and believe me I tried). I almost DNF it a couple of times cause it was confusing and slow.

It had such a good premise! I was so excited to read this meet Knives out and Clue kind of book and I felt it had the potential but the story kept me saying “wait, what?” (And then I had to go back and re read).

I liked the dual timing and I would had hoped this would had been more detailed. The present time MC didn’t really worked for me and I guess because I didn’t connect with made it more difficult for me to like this book.

This was a unique take on the inheritance trope. It's told through the MC's estranged aunt's journal entries, as well as her own modern day experiences. Unlike other cozy mysteries, the author did without a dog or cat companion. She did include a subtle love interest.

The relationship between the MC and her mom was believable, and the plot moved along nicely. The mystery could be solved by someone paying enough attention, but it isn't so obvious that the story isn't interesting to a more relaxed reader.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I purchased for my library.

"How to Solve Your Own Murder" by Kristen Perrin is a spellbinding tale that intertwines past and present in a captivating mystery. Set in 1965, Frances Adams receives a chilling prediction from a fortune-teller at an English country fair: she will be murdered. Determined to prevent this grim fate, Frances spends her life compiling information on everyone she meets, hoping to uncover her potential killer.

Decades later, Frances's great-niece, Annie Adams, is summoned to Frances's sprawling country estate in Castle Knoll. However, upon her arrival, Annie discovers that Frances has already been murdered. Driven by a desire to unravel the truth behind her aunt's death, Annie delves into Frances's past, uncovering a web of secrets and lies that implicates everyone in the village.

Perrin expertly crafts a narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The characters are richly drawn, with each villager harboring their own motives and secrets. As Annie gets closer to the truth, she realizes that her investigation may put her own life in danger, mirroring Frances's tragic fate.

Filled with suspense, intrigue, and unexpected twists, "How to Solve Your Own Murder" is a gripping mystery that will leave readers guessing until the final page. Perrin's masterful storytelling and atmospheric setting make this novel a must-read for fans of the genre.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy to review for my honest opinion.

A fun and clever mystery with a unique plot. The pacing was off at times, I wish it had stayed consistent. I found the characters interesting and had a hard time figuring out who was the potential murderer. I really liked the main character Annie and how she kept the police relatively in the loop. Overall, this was a good read with some fun twists. Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton for providing an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In 1965, a Frances Adams receives a haunting fortune while attending a country fair with her friends. It predicts one day that Frances will be murdered. As a result of this fortune Frances spends the rest of her life trying to prevent her murder, or at the very least leave enough evidence for it to be solved. As she aged and her trust in other dwindled, many felt she was mentally unwell. On the day her great niece Annie Adams was supposed to meet with her for the first time, Francis is found murdered. As part of her will Francis leaves her estate to the one who can solve her murder. Annie is put up against a detective and Francis’ step-nephew. Solving the crime becomes priority number one for Annie and everyone in town seems suspect.
Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. What a premise! Lacking execution. Don’t need a romance involved. Many unbelievable parts. This ended up being just okay for me, but I may pick up the second book in the series just to see for sure. Be prepared to suspend belief and be slightly confused with some of the timeline as it goes back and forth.

<i> How to Solve Your Own Murder</i> ended up being a suprisingly delightful little mystery. I am not a overwhelmingly big fan of cozy mysteries. Although this started off as what I thought was one, quickly turned into something that felt a bit more.
Annie found herself as the sole heir to her great aunt's fortune one day and then the next she was solving her murder in order to earn that fortune. Annie is not the typical, quirky self-proclaimed detective. Even though she does investigate on her own, she still isn't sneaky about it and includes law enforcement as much as she can. The cast of characters is an interesting bunch and they make for a good whodunit.
I enjoyed this mystery. I like that it is the first part of a series. I can only imagine where the next book will take us, but I'm looking forward to finding out.

This was very Agatha Christie meets Knives Out and I LOVED IT!!!

Thank you Net Galley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review!


I do love a cozy, English mystery. This was entertaining, twisty and had an ending I didn't see coming.
Four Stars!

An unique tale as written in the title of the book. Great Aunt Frances is murdered just before Annie is to meet her at the offices of Gordon,l Owen, and Martlod LLC to discuss the responsibilities of being the sole benefactor. Not everything is straight forward for Annie after Frances' death. Annie has one week to discover who killed her aunt. There are many potential murderers. And how does this relate to a murder that occurred sixty years earlier?
Read to learn who, why this happens in Castle Knoll. Well-written.
Also, is there another story coming about Annie and Castle Knoll?

Good clear writing. Interesting characters. Nice pace. The conclusion of the mystery was a little wanting. It didn't seem to match the rest of the story or plot. Pay attention to small details.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an arc of this novel. I was sent this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

In this book we are following Annie who is summoned to her Great Aunt Frances's house. Annie and her mother have been told from their Great Aunt that they will inherit her home because of a prophecy she was given when she was sixteen years old. Great Aunt Frances was obsessed with that prophecy which shaped the rest of her live and made her write everything down so that Annie could figure out her murder. Annie discovers that her mother is actually the biological daughter of her best friend Emily who went missing when they were seventeen. Rose is the only friend out of the trio that is still alive and is devastated by Frances death. Frances put's a speculation in her will that states that whoever solves her murder gets the house. Annie starts to investigate and starts to read Frances's diary during the year of Emily's disappearance. After some ups and downs Annie discovers that Joe killed Frances because his mother Rose killed Emily to set both herself and Frances free. Frances finds out the truth after Annie sends back a trunk with Emily's body in it which Annie discovers after discovering it in Great Aunt Frances's library. There are quite a few comparisons to Agatha Christie and I found this story very interesting . I'm glad that Frances finally figured out what happened to her friend Emily.

This book was good but didn’t have much of an impact on me. It was a lot to process. Frances’ fortune about being murdered (not a spoiler) was intriguing the first few times I heard it. But the book is muddled with all the side stories of characters that left me asking who is it talking about now?

With all the characters it was hard to get to know any of them more in depth.

I am a big fan of alternating storylines so I did enjoy that aspect of the book. Piecing the puzzle together was not as big of a mystery as I would have liked but it did keep me entertained.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced ebook

As other reader's have said, the premise of this novel is great. A fortune predicts Frances's death, and 60 years later, the prediction seems to have come true. Having been given plenty of warning about her own murder, Frances has set it up to have her grand-niece Annie Adams investigate her murder.

I found the characters somewhat stilted, and kept losing track of the thread of the story. There are plenty of positive reviews of this book available, so maybe its just that I was easily distracted while I was listening to the audio!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

QUICK TAKE: I am a sucker for any book that features a poisonous garden or poisonous plants…don’t ask me why. There’s something so dark and f*cked up about seemingly beautiful, innocuous flowers and plants being used in service of…murder. I love it. So no surprise, I instantly prioritized HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER after reading a review of it in last week’s NYT and seeing that the murder weapon used in the death that kicks off the novel is…a bouquet of flowers full of freakin’ needles!! yes yes yes. gimme gimme. And good news for all of us: the book is a VERY solid whodunnit. I struggled a bit to keep track of all the characters (many who are family members sharing the same last name who are woven into both the flashbacks and present day storylines), and the ultimate reveal of the killer is…fine. But the story moves at a brisk pace, the twists feel earned, and the mystery is engaging. It’s not my favorite murder mystery of the year (still EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT), but it’s worth recommending if you’re looking for something in the genre.

While I did enjoy this book because there is nothing more than a good whodunnit involving a murder that was 40 years ago as well as a current murder, I just felt that this book felt a bit flat. I like that the reader got to be involved in both the murder of Emily Sparrow as well as Frances. With that being said, did I find that all the characters to be a bit overwhelming at first which made it difficult to keep it all straight. Then, by the end of the book I felt like the momentum was almost completely gone. I wished that there was just a bit more build up in tension in the book to make it more believable. I think that the author did a good job wrapping up the mystery and I enjoyed reading the diary entries from Frances, but it felt just a bit disjointed at times. No matter, I did like it but just wished that it gave me a bit more in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

This was such a fun read! It gave me a lot of Murder She Wrote vibes, and was very cozy - with a satisfying mystery and interesting cast of characters. I would definitely recommend to mystery lovers who are looking for something more cozy, but not too sweet.

I think this was really fun! I’m a sucker for a dual timeline so I really enjoyed reading for Frances’ perspective and Annie’s. And to be honestly I really never figured out this mystery. It was a lot of turns where I never knew who exactly to trust! Lots of fun, wasn’t perfect though because I think it takes a bit to jump into the scene and understand what you are getting into. But overall I would recommend to anyone that’s looking for a new who done it! Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC and for letting preview this twisty story!

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a fun read, with a unique plot device. Kristen Perrin creates a plot that uses two time periods, 60 years apart, to create a murder, which the victim spends those 60 years trying to solve. The earlier time period, in the mid 1960s, is Frances' story, which focuses on a fortune teller who predicts Frances will be murdered. This earlier time is retold in journal entries, which are in italics, and so switching back and forth between time periods was easy. Sixty years later, Annie arrives for a meeting with her Great Aunt Frances, only to discover that Frances has been murdered. As could be predicted, there are many suspects and many clues to be examined and rejected. Solving Great Aunt Frances' murder is devised as a competition between two possible heirs, but readers will definitely choose Annie as our hopeful would-be-winner.

There are a great many characters, and I suspect many readers will be hoping for a cast of characters in the front of the novel. How to Solve Your Own Murder is book 1 in a new series, which apparently will also soon appear on British TV. I did enjoy this novel, although I felt a bit of a drag in the middle. I would have liked more background information, since I found myself feeling like I had jumped into the novel in the midst of a few chapters. Perhaps more background will be supplied in subsequent novels. Many of the expected elements of a British murder mystery were included, although I did expect this large British home to have more bedrooms? In the end, chaos is replaced by order and the small English village is once again a place of peace.

I do recommend How to Solve Your Own Murder. The mystery was good and most of the loose ends were tied up at the end. Thank you to the author, Perrin, and publisher, Penguin Group Dutton, and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.