How to Solve Your Own Murder was an intriguing cozy mystery that thrilled me at times but unfortunately left me a bit unfulfilled in the end. That being said, it was still a worthwhile read that I’d recommend to fans of other cozy mysteries.

It follows two timelines: Frances’ account of events back in the 1960s, and her great-niece Annie in present day. With help from the deceased Frances via her diary entries, Annie is able to unravel the mystery behind who killed Frances, thus in a way fulfilling the title of the book.

I found myself more drawn to Frances’ story. There was a lot of relationship drama involved (which I'm a sucker for) and I was more intrigued by that than the actual mystery of who killed who. Frances' diary entries were my favorite parts of the book. I found Annie’s chapters to be less compelling, and the ending wasn’t very satisfying and honestly a little forgettable. The story was easy to get into and I found most of the characters interesting, though I thought the character relationships in Frances’ entries were much stronger.

Fans of Agatha Christie and dual timelines will most likely enjoy this book. Overall I’m giving it 3 out of 5 stars.

I loved the premise but this one just didn't work fully for me. My favourite were the diary entries from the past. There were far too many characters and they weren't fleshed out enough. I found myself skimming through at some points because it was quite repetitive in parts. It wasn't bad and I am glad I read it I just needed a little more from it. I would still recommend people try it out as it is just my own opinion on it.

I wanted to love this book but I just couldn’t connect with it. I can’t put my finger on what didn’t connect I just found myself wanting to put it down all the time. There were a lot of characters that I had a hard time following the 2 timelines which I think was the biggest obstacle for me. Overall I loved the plot twists and the happy ending but it just wasn’t for me.

Prepare yourself for a fun journey! This book has two timelines and a ton of suspects, making it a real brain teaser. I had a blast trying to piece it all together, but fair warning: if you're not into details, this might not be the book for you. Still, if you love a challenge and don't mind a bit of complexity, dive in and get lost in the suspense of How To Solve Your Own Murder!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, the Penguin Group and Kristen Perrin for the opportunity to read an ARC of How to Solve Your Own Murder. This is my honest and unpaid review of the book.
First things first, how could anyone not want to read a book with this title?! Right from the start it hooks you in. Then you start the actual book, get to know the characters, the situation and before you know it you've been pulled into the world full of secrets at Castle Knoll. The premise of the murder starts with a cryptic fortune given to a teenager that changes the course of her whole life. 2 generations later her great niece is looking for somewhere she feels she belongs when an opportunity presents itself. The characters in the book are so lifelike you almost expect them to jump off of the page. The story is full of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing while being pulled along for the ride. I'm not ashamed to admit that I stayed up late to finish this book because even though I had some guesses I needed to know how the story would end before I could go to sleep. This book is so good and will make a great summer read!

Three teens visit a fortune teller at a fair in the 1960s for a laugh, but teenage Frances gets more than she bargained for in the form of a grim prediction of her downfall and murder.

She spends the next sixty years trying to outrun death, only to finally be overtaken immediately after summoning her niece Annie (whom she’s never met) to her estate to name her as the sole heir. Now Annie is tasked with solving her aunts haunting riddle and finding the real murderer.

This story is told alternating Frances’ diary entries with modern day Annie, which I really liked. I’m not personally a huge fan of cozy mysteries, but if they are your jam you will love this offering by Kristen Perrin, which apparently is going to kick off a series with sequels to come.

Thank you netgalley!

I commenced this novel expecting only an English small-village cozy Mystery; what I found was a glorious contemporary perfect version of a classic Golden Age Mystery! Weaving seamlessly between two timelines (now, and 1965-1966) and employing two very endearing main characters (one from the earlier timeline continuing into now, and the protagonist of the current timeline). Secondary characters bring depth and lots of surprises as the plot is very close in nature (though not exactly) to a "locked-room" Mystery. A plethora of twists and convolutions keep readers alert till the very satisfying end. I am eager to see what else author Kristen Perrin has in store for us, as she has perfectly nailed this category.

As a fan of murder mysteries and thrillers, I was excited to receive this ARC from Netgalley. It had it’s fair share of twists and turns that kept me interested, but all in all, I’ve read far more interesting books in the genre.

Why 3 stars:
- Love a dual timeline
- There were A LOT of characters who all had some relation or connection to Great Aunt Frances which was great for keeping me guessing but also hard to keep track of who everyone was
- It seemed like there would be some romantic subplots for Annie, but then they just kind of dissolved
- Once the mystery is solved and revealed, I felt a little underwhelmed
- The house setting reminded me a lot of the new Netflix show, Fool Me Once (which I know is based on a book but I haven’t read it) so it was easy to visualize
- Definitely doesn’t make me want to go visit a fortune teller anytime soon!

“All signs point toward your murder.”

Overall, it was a lighthearted murder mystery that I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of the genre! Thanks so much Netgalley and Penguin Group for this ARC!

If I could hug a book, this is it. Such a lovely low-stakes cozy British mystery. This is told from two perspectives although the one in the past is more diary entry than an abrupt time change so it flows very nicely. Essentially, Frances (in the past) is given a cryptic fortune predicting her death. Lo and behold, in the future she dies. Now her grandniece is tasked with figuring out who did it.

I loved the past diary entries from Frances. They're a little more lyrical being diary entries and, TBH, that's where all the good stuff is. I loved Frances as a character so it's bittersweet that her death is what sets off the whole story. The modern day characters aren't as fleshed out; they're pretty stereotypical "mystery novel" characters.

Is this story offering something new? No.

Is it a nice little story to while a way a few hours. Absolutely.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but I'm so happy to have gotten to read this!

Frances is dead. She leaves behind her fortune to whoever can solve her murder, but everything is not as it seems. Follow along as Annie unwraps decades-old mysteries and attempts to solve several mysteries along the way. Equal parts Agatha Christie and modern-day true crime addict, this quick-witted murder mystery is a fun 'whodunnit' from start to end with plenty of twists along the way. As an avid mystery reader, I highly recommend picking this one up for your summer reads!

I enjoyed reading through this and the interesting concept kept me super engaged. I enjoyed the stories of the past and the prsent. I tend to occasionally find past chapters boring. But this book kept me engaged from the begining to the end. The premise was so much fun! It has cozy mystery style book set in the 1960s and the present. The atomosphere of the village and the manor were great at putting images in my head. Ill be keeping an eye out for more from this author.

I didn't really love this one. I'm pretty skeptical of mystery/thrillers and I found this one to be slow paced. I think were seeds well-planted earlier in the book but the solution in general just didn't make sense in the grand scheme of the story, in my opinion.

I received this eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

This is a fun mystery.

Interesting storyline! I love a good mystery and a good game/riddle so those were fun aspects to the story. I do feel like the book could have been more concise in some areas, and there were a few characters or plot points that didn't really seem to be answered or reach resolution. Perhaps another book is planned? (A couple of sentences in the last chapters lead me to wonder if that's the case.)

All in all an enjoyable story, 3-3.5 stars. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a complimentary digital review copy of this title.

4.5 rounded up! This started a tab slow but really picked up and was so fun! Such an interesting premise and took so many fun twists and turns, but I didn’t find myself rolling my eyes at any of them like I do at some mysteries. Told in two POVs/timelines, every time I’d finish one section I’d find myself wanting more but still excited for the POV to come, I loved both! I’d definitely recommend this, especially to my friends who aren’t yet sold on cozy mysteries!

Simply put, I loved everything about this book! The story bounces between 2 time periods - 1960’s and present day. It is so wonderfully well written that the 2 stories meld together seamlessly.

I found myself consistently engaged in the life and happenings of Annie and her discoveries of her Great Aunt Frances. To me, that’s always a sign of a good book - keeping me engaged for the duration of the story. Ms. Perrin did a masterful job of creating a simple, yet complex story that had me guessing until the end. Thank you, Ms Perrin!

I can hardly wait to see what she brings us next.

What a fun read! Lots of twists and turns. The description said it was for fans of Knives Out and that definitely rang true. It was reminiscent without feeling like a carbon copy. Can't wait to have friends read it so that we can all discuss. Pick this one up!

A very interesting premise that sadly left a lot to be desired. Interesting cast of characters, however the story was not captivating so it made it hard to keep them all straight. Overall not a horrible read, but not the best.

A fun story though I am not a fan of jumping back and forth in time. I quite enjoyed Annie as a character. She's in her mid-20s and thought she'd have life figured out at this point but she sure doesn't. When visiting her (possibly somewhat flaky though we don't see her much in this book) mother, Annie sees some mail addressed to her. It's from her great aunt's lawyers. Though Annie's mother has, for decades, been thought to be her great aunt's presumptive heir, it seems that a last minute change is being made and Great Aunt Frances would like to see her and the other heirs to talk it through. So Annie travels to Castle Knoll, only to discover that her aunt has been killed and the person who solves the crime will inherit a fortune.
I didn't think this was fairly clued but the story was intriguing nonetheless. Lots of options for sequels: Annie's mother's history, Annie's father, her best friend, more about the Great Aunt's stepson.

Four stars
This book comes out March 26, 2024
Castle Knoll Files #1
ARC kindly provided by Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book to review.

This wasn't the book for me, and that's okay! I had a hard time maintaining interest and keeping track of the extensive list of characters. The idea behind this book is great, but the execution fell a bit flat for me.