This was a highly entertaining mystery novel that was actually more like 2 mysteries in one! I loved the characters introduced throughout the story and how they all interacted together. It came across a lot like a Knives Out style of mystery, with family secrets coming to light and constant misdirection on who the ultimately guilty party was. Credit to the author, as I thought I had this one figured out about 3/4 of the way through, only to be proven wrong at the end in a very delightful way. The novel was well written with very good pacing throughout and I look forward to reading the follow-up!

As a teenager Frances Adams and her friends attend a local country fair. When a fortune teller predicts that she will be murdered she takes it to heart. These chilling few minutes forever changes her future and outlook on life. In an effort to solve a crime that has not happened she suspects everyone she meets and gathers lists detailing secrets and misdeeds of others. Decades pass with no one taking her seriously until she is murdered 60 years later. Annie Adams is surprised to be summoned to a meeting concerning her Great Aunt Frances whom she had never met and her mother rarely mentioned. When the reading of the will discloses that whoever solves the crime will inherit the estate Annie, a long time mystery and true crime fan, is determined to find answers. Despite the disadvantage of being unfamiliar with the other contenders or the locale Annie uncovers truths that had been hidden for years including the disappearance of one of Frances girlhood friends. Told from different points oi view and across differing time;lines this was a compelling narrative. A very different premise with a diverse cast of characters the unraveling of the truth kept me turning the pages . This was evidently the author's debut and is listed as Castle Knoll #1. I am unsure what the follow up would be but would definitely persue another adventure with Annie.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin is a wonderfully clever cozy whodunit weaving dual timelines between 1965 and present-day England. With an eerily prescient grandmother, a diary full of secrets, and a race against time to claim an inheritance, the puzzle unfolds with cliffhanger twists and charming village intrigue. Ideal for readers who love a smart, heartwarming mystery filled with red herrings, eccentric characters, and a generous dose of classic Christie-style suspense.

I really liked the protagonist in this book. The mystery was intriguing and kept me turning the pages. I will definitely recommend this title to patrons looking for cozy mysteries set in England.

Fun cozy mystery that’s been on my TBR forever. I liked the multiple time lines and cast of characters. I prefer a modern domestic thriller so this was probably never going to be my fav but I enjoyed it for what it was.

Couldn’t get into this book. I struggled staying interested and connecting with the characters. I loved the cover art for this book.

Love this book! This book was different from others. It will always keep you thinking what’s next or what’s the plan.

When Frances was 17 years old, a fortune teller predicted her murder. She spends her whole life trying to stop it, but fails. Her great niece Annie is mysteriously summoned to Castle Knoll to meet her great aunt Frances, but finds her murdered. Even in death, Frances wants her murder solved. This makes Annie tangled up in Fances's past. Will she solve her murder?

I LOVED this book! I could not put it down. The story was giving cozy village vibes. The amateur detective storyline is different than what I've read before. Even with the dual timelines, you don't get lost in what's happening when. If you're looking for a cozy murder mystery, this is the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a delightful blend of classic Nancy Drew charm and modern mystery. With a whimsical tone that balances light humor and suspense, the story keeps readers guessing with clever twists and an engaging sleuth at its center. Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries, it delivers both a nostalgic feel and a fresh take on the whodunnit genre.

How to Solve Your Own Murder was the perfect cozy mystery. It had me guessing the whole time, and I really enjoyed the characters as well! There was a little touch of romance, which never hurts in my opinion, but it definitely wasn't the main focus! I enjoyed it enough to read the sequel, so make sure to look out for that review soon!
Thank you to netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin is a clever, twisty mystery with a fun, high-concept premise and sharp writing. It's equal parts suspenseful and charming, with engaging characters and a satisfying unraveling of clues. Perfect for fans of modern whodunits with a unique twist.

When Annie's Great Aunt Frances summons her to go over a reading of her new will, Annie is both intrigued and excited. She hasn't met Frances before but knows all about her quirky personality. The cause of the quirkiness: a fortune told to Frances decades ago with her friends Emily and Rose. It completely upends and changes Frances' life.

When Annie get to Castle Knoll, the tiny town Frances lives in, chaos ensues. Frances is found dead, fulfilling her fortune. In order to keep her inheritance (to include the home she lives in with her mother), Annie has to find the killer before anyone else does. This will change not only the trajectory of Annie's life forever but of those close to her as well. Annie will learn not everything is as it seems, especially when it comes to those closest to Frances, not even when it comes to Frances' best friends. Can Frances help Annie solve her mysterious death from the grave?

I want to call it a cozy mystery, but maybe it isn't a cozy mystery? I think it made me feel that way because of the small town vibe, the closeness of the community, and the sense of family. It also could be that it was set in England, and that is always a favorite setting of mine. The vibe is just automatically different there. How the story weaves from past to present really pushes the plot forward in a fun way. I loved that the past was told from Frances' point of view via her diaries. I LOVED the characters in this book. They all had different personalities that really fed off one another. Annie was bright eyed and somewhat naive. Frances was quirky and a bit paranoid, Emily is manipulative, but the reader has to feel compassion for her based on what they learn about her. Rose is the quiet one, trying to keep everyone and everything together how she thinks it should be. It was interesting to see how the characters from the past relate to the present, both in person and through family ties. What a fun mystery read!

A fun read, though not necessarily light-hearted, the book had twists and an intriguing set-up. Will recommend and am waiting for the sequel.

I loved the two timeliness. One on the future and one through the journal entries. I had fun tryong to figure out who did it and all the characters.

Review for The Secret by Lee Child & Andrew Child

The Secret delivers everything fans of the Jack Reacher series crave—tight pacing, sharp dialogue, and a lead character who thrives in high-stakes situations. In this installment, Lee Child and Andrew Child continue their collaborative momentum, offering a thriller that feels both familiar and fresh.

The plot revolves around a secret buried deep within government corridors and the people willing to kill to protect it. Reacher, with his trademark instinct and sense of justice, steps into the chaos with precision and unwavering focus. The action scenes are crisp and satisfying, and the pacing rarely lets up.

What stands out here is the seamless blending of the brothers’ voices. The book maintains the stripped-down, punchy prose that defines the series while introducing just enough complexity to keep longtime readers engaged. Reacher remains consistent—a force of nature—but the authors continue to layer in new angles to his character.

While the plot may not reinvent the wheel, it's executed with skill and energy, making it a solid entry in the long-running series.

Final thoughts: The Secret is a no-nonsense, well-oiled thriller that proves Reacher still has plenty of life left in him. A must-read for fans, and a solid jumping-in point for newcomers.

4 out of 5 stars

Everyone liked this but it was a bit too cozy or something for me. I don't know. Trying to force myself to catch up ends up resulting in hating everything probably.

I used this book for the cozy mystery book club at my library and all the participants really enjoyed reading it.

I found this book to be pretty fun but not quite what I expected. I'm not mad about it. I think I read this book when I was in a bit of a reading slump so the timing wasn't the greatest. I probably would have enjoyed it more had I read it at a different time.

"An enormously fun mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying. to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate..." - from Goodreads.

This is definitely a book for mystery lovers. I started this one as my last read of 2024 but ended up reading the majority of it on New Year's day making it my first read of 2025. It was a fun mystery that pulled me in right from the beginning. The book is told from two different timelines. One is in the present and is told from the viewpoint of Annie who is Frances' great niece. The other timeline is told from Frances' perspective around the time she received the fortune and thereafter through her journal entries. I read this one constantly guessing and trying to figure out who might have murdered Frances. I will say that this book has a lot of characters. I can see this being an issue for some readers to keep track of them all. For me, it made the book feel like a game of Clue where I suspected everyone at one point or another for a variety of different reasons. The ending definitely surprised me as I didn't guess the whodunnit behind it all whatsoever. I did have a few questions left on the why's behind it but overall found it to be a satisfying mystery.

Mystery readers and those looking for a suspenseful read should pick this book up. There's actually going to be a sequel to this coming out this year that I will definitely be reading. Four stars and a fun way to start off my 2025 reading year.

Interesting premise, but lacked on the follow through for me. The book alternates between present and diary entries from when the main character was a teenager, and while normally dual TL doesn't bother me, it wasn't hitting for me in this instance. The characters also fell flat, in my opinion, making them hard to really get into.