I found great pleasure in this charming, traditional murder mystery. Annie Adams proved to be an engaging protagonist, and I relished her astute deductions and interactions with the ensemble cast, particularly her dynamic with her best friend and the detective.

Would recommend for fans of…
🔎 Knives Out
🔎 Grantchester
🔎 The Three Dahlias

I’m a huge mystery fan, but I don’t always gravitate towards cozy mysteries. While they’re fun, they can often be a little too cute and quaint for my liking. However, How To Solve Your Own Murder, a multi-generation mystery set in the English countryside, is the perfect combination of puzzles, tension, and twists, guaranteed to satisfy any mystery fan.

The story opens in 1965 at a county fair where a teenager named Frances receives a terrifying prediction about her future. Years later, her great-niece Annie finds herself caught up in the fortune when she’s forced to investigate Frances’ murder.

How To Solve Your Own Murder is perfect for readers who enjoy mysteries that are heavy puzzling and symbolism. Frances’ fortune is the central element to the story and as such, there’s a big emphasis on decoding it and figuring out how it relates to the secrets and scandals of the village. Annie, an aspiring mystery writer, is a great character to follow as she turns into an amateur detective and author Kristen Perrin avoids a lot of the cliches associated with those types of characters.

While I personally liked this book, I didn’t quite love it, partly because of the slower pacing. While the puzzle aspect will likely be a draw to readers who like classic, more relaxed mysteries, I found that it sometimes slowed down the action of the story in a detrimental way. There are also A LOT of characters to keep track of, so be prepared to spend some time flipping back and forth to keep them all straight.

While this might not be a book to bring to the beach this summer, I’d definitely recommend adding it to your TBR, as it will pair perfectly with a cup of tea later in the fall and winter.

How To Solve Your Own Murder is out now. Thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is easily my favorite book of 2024 thus far. I may have become a little obsessed and made some case notes in my journal for myself so my brain would relax and I could finish the story lol. But honestly I just feel like that attests to how good the mystery and writing is.

If you like mysteries of any kind I think you would like this but especially fans of Agatha Christie or Thursday murder club. It is a little more gruesome than say a cozy mystery but it’s not like True Detective level gritty. Like OG law and order. PG-13 at most I would say.

This is one of those books that makes you forget that you’re reading. It feels more like you’re watching a movie, or you’re solving the case yourself. The story is very unique, and the characters are wonderful. I cried at the end, thinking about the generations affected by these events. They felt so real. And in a way they are, because there are so many cold cases still out there waiting decades to be solved. And everywhere you look there are still women who were too smart for the times and the small communities they lived in. I was rooting for Frances all the way, and Annie felt plucky and resourceful without seeming campy or naieve.
I think we all knew a Frances and an Emily growing up, and we may even have been an Emily or a Frances or a Rose at some point. The author really takes these teenage girls and makes them relatable without talking down to them or pandering. So I have a lot of empathy for those characters. I’ve been thinking about Frances for a couple weeks, as if she’s a real person, and that’s how I know this book is going to be a favorite reread for me.

The mystery itself scratched all the corners of my ADHD brain, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

Frances Adam's has been murdered just as she ALWAYS knew she would be and now it's up to her great-niece, Annie, to figure out what Frances has spent DECADES trying to: Who is Frances killer?

HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER is a cozy and fun mystery that weaves the past and present together seamlessly. From the beginning of the book I was hooked by how one moment in time, one terrifying fortune told at a country fair, sets in motion a chain of events that leads from 1965 to nearly 60 years later. With a brisk pace, a unique plot with plenty of twists, and several suspects harboring their own secrets, Kristen Perrin's debut murder mystery leaves me anxiously awaiting to see what is next from this author.

This was exactly my cup of tea - a cozy-ish but compelling mystery that isn't too cute, unbelievable, or OTT. It's not trying to be a thriller, it's a fun little mystery in a big house near a small village.

Annie suddenly finds herself named in her great aunt Frances's will. Frances - who has been trying to outrun or outsmart the ill fortune predicting her own murder since her adolescence - has summoned those who have a stake in her fortune to the Gravesdown Estate, but is murdered before the meeting can take place. Frances's death sets a contest in motion between those who would hope to inherit - who can take the pieces of Frances's lifelong investigation and solve her seemingly inevitable murder?

We follow two timelines - Annie's in the present day and Frances's journal entries from the 1960s detailing a traumatic summer that ended with the disappearance of her friend Emily. I felt the balance between the timelines was good and kept the tension up and cast suspicion across a wide range of characters. I solved the mystery, but it was still a satisfying conclusion and played out differently than I thought it would.

I was a little surprised to see it might be a series as it seems like a really great standalone, but I'd pick up the next one to find out what else they get up to in Castle Knoll.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for a digital arc. All opinions are my own.

It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’s night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be. In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer? One of the best books I have read this year! Definitely a fun ride and I highly recommend!

Kristen Perrin's debut novel, How To Solve Your Own Murder, is a gripping blend of mystery, suspense that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page. Perrin's writing is both atmospheric and evocative. The pacing is brisk, with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing at every turn. The author deftly weaves together elements of the paranormal with traditional mystery tropes, creating a narrative that feels fresh and original. How To Solve Your Own Murder is a standout debut from a talented new voice in the genre, and fans of mystery and supernatural fiction alike will find much to enjoy in this captivating tale. Overall, How To Solve Your Own Murder is a haunting and immersive read that will linger in the minds of readers long after they've turned the final page. Kristen Perrin is definitely an author to watch, and I eagerly anticipate her next literary offering. Highly recommended.

So many times when I read a dual timeline book I find myself disliking one of the timelines and wishing the author would get back to the other one. I didn’t feel that way with this book! I enjoyed both timelines and they both really added a lot to the storyline. I found the story interesting and exciting and it moved quickly. One thing I would have liked more of was a bit more romance. There were tiny hints about possible romance and I wish that would have developed just a bit more. Overall, it was a fun mystery.

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

Annie is summoned to her great-aunt Frances' country estate to discuss Frances' will. When she and the other invitees enter the home, they find Frances dead on the floor. Frances had spent her life trying to solve her own future murder after she received an ominous message from a fortune teller. She was also trying to solve the mystery of the disappearance of one of her best friends. It is now Annie's turn to solve these mysteries so that she can inherit Frances' estate, but she is in competition with Frances' step-nephew and the local detective. Frances' own words in the diary Annie found may help Annie solve the mysteries.
This cozy mystery takes place in England, in two time periods: present day and 1965/1966. Annie is a relatable main character and the secondary characters are likeable or appropriately unlikable. There are no red-herrings or unexpected twists to frustrate the reader, but enough possibilities to keep the reader guessing. There are several subplots that were not fully developed, such as a possible romance, but this may be intentional as this is the first in a series and will keep the reader interested in following up with the characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this egalley.

It was OK. Definitely not as fast paced as I would have liked. I enjoyed the first half a lot and then it kinda dragged a bit and I felt the tug of boredom but i pushed through only because I wanted to know who did it.
I did enjoy the flashback scenes we got sprinkled throughout and the fortune used as clues was a great use of karmic insight (Objectively speaking anyways).

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy!

Unusual but intriguing premise for a cozy mystery. Our protagonist, Frances, learns from a psychic that she will be murdered one day, She accepts her fate as inevitable but spends her long and varied life solving the mystery of who would kill her, how, and why. She summons her niece, Annie, to a reading of her will, but Frances is murdered before Annie arrives, leaving Annie to finish the investigation. She commits to the challenge and is relentless in her pursuit of the truth. The story kept me guessing the whole way. Everyone was a suspect, then no one was. Recommended read for fans of cozy mysteries. I received this Advanced Reader Copy of How to Solve Your Own Murder from PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC of the book.

Annie Adams is invited to Castle Knoll to meet her great aunt Francis who is known to be superstitious and is obsessed with an old prediction of her death. Now that Francis is gone, Annie has to solve her murder in order to get an inheritance.

Kristen Perrin created a great atmosphere with a perfect combo of creepy prediction from a fortune teller, mysterious death, bunch of suspects and amazing dialogues.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

This book was SO MUCH fun. I didn't actually manage to predict the ending, which surprised me - but in a pleasant way. I wouldn't say this book is particularly mentally taxing, which was a very nice surprise. It was very much a cozy mystery, and I recommend it to anyone who likes murder mysteries with less dark elements to it!

I had a great time reading this book!! I enjoyed the who-done-it type of mystery and the flashbacks through the journal. I don’t think we particularly need this to be a series, as the last chapter seemed to be setting up. I actually think I would’ve enjoyed it more without that last chapter. That said, it was the most enjoyable and engaging book I’ve read in a while

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin is about Annie Adams, an aspiring writer who is summoned by her Great Aunt Frances to finally meet. However the trip does not go as planned and Annie ends up in a race to solve her Great Aunt's murder. In the investigation Annie finds Frances' diary and we get to see what teenage Frances was like.
I really enjoyed this mystery. I liked the back and forth of the timelines to be able to get into her Great Aunt's head. To see what the people were like as teenagers that Annie is interacting with in the present was a cool concept. The twists in this novel could sometimes be confusing with so many characters but once I got everyone straight I just got that much more into the story.
Overall I liked this story and it had a good rhythm to it. I would recommend it to cozy mystery lovers.

In this book, an aspiring author faces the murder of her great aunt, whose death was predicted six decades prior. I enjoyed the pace and coziness of this mystery novel, the writing style, and the unique plot. I suspended a bit of disbelief with the legality of the case and methods, but that did not hinder my reading too much. There are two timelines, which was sometimes difficult to follow, but the characters and twists were fun for this type of whodunnit story.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Massive thanks to both NetGalley & PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for the ARC copy of this mystery that is out now!!

I absolutely enjoyed how well the author did with making you think that every character was guilty and the culprit. I also loved the dual timeline and thought it gave a great platform for Annie to be able to trace Frances' steps present day.
Another piece I really thpught was interesting were the diary entries - this gave a unique side to the story in my opinion.

I think overall this was definitely a fun and cozy mystery that you should check out!

Had such a fun time reading this book! Couldn’t put it down and thought the twists and turns along the way were super fun.

Annie lives with her artist mom at a home that's owned by her Great Aunt Frances, whom Annie has never met. But when Great Aunt Frances summons Annie and others, including her lawyer, to her estate for a meeting, they anticipate a change in Frances's will. What they don't expect is for Frances to be murdered, and for the fortune she received 60 years ago to apparently come true. Frances's will stipulates that Annie or the nephew, Saxon, must solve the murder before the local detective in order to be named her heir. Annie finds herself intrigued by the mystery - and all the gossipy files Frances kept on everybody - and starts investigating.

A fun mystery that is drawing some comparisons to "Knives Out", and certainly matches its quirkiness. How to Solve Your Own Murder is Perrin's adult debut, and does have a few issues to work out. I never really understood the point of having the fortune and whether it was real or a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy as Frances interpreted everything through its lens. The back and forth between Frances' diaries from her teenage years in the '60s and Annie's investigation made for good pacing, and the characters were all intriguing. We're kept a little bit in the dark of all that Annie figures out so the reveal is a bit Agatha Christie-like where everything comes together at once and the murderer confesses. A solid choice for fans of cozy mysteries set in small English towns.

It's 1965, and Frances Adams attends a country fair with her friends. She received a foreboding reading from a fortune teller predicting one day Frances will be murdered. Though her friends don't think she should, Frances believes this future will come to fruition. As a result of this (mis)fortune Frances spends the rest of her life trying to prevent her murder, or at the very least leave enough clues for it to be solved. This story is told through multiple time-lines, as Frances' great niece Annie is tasked with solving said murder in the present.

I thought the premise was interesting, and had potential to be great, but didn't totally meet expectations. As well, I found some of the time-line to be a bit hard to follow/keep track of. It was a solid cozy mystery, and one I mostly enjoyed. A 3.5 rounded up.

I will definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good murder mystery, and would be open to reading from Kristen Perrin again in the future.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.