As a teen, Frances visits a psychic who tells her she will be murdered. Two timelines unfold to solve a mystery first predicted sixty years earlier. It's story of a small town, different classes, and taking what you want. A cozy-ish mystery.

“Your future contains dry bones. Your slow demise begins right when you hold the queen in the palm of one hand. Beware the bird, for it will betray you. And from that, there’s no coming back. But daughters are the key to justice, find the right one and keep her close. All signs point toward your murder.”

A fortune teller reading gone astray leads Frances to spend her life trying to solve her murder before it happens.

Are the people she chose to spend her life surrounded with there because she trusts them completely or because she feels the need to watch them?

I enjoyed a great deal of this book. It did seem like a lot of coincidence in the generations around years later, maybe a little clunky in making the pieces fit.

Overall, a fun read!

Full review to come - absolutely loved this book and all its read herrings. Also loved a dual murder mystery! Soooo good!! Can’t wait to see more from this author and read the second one when it comes out!

When an estrange great-aunt invites Annie to her countryside manor, a weekend stay soon becomes a murder investigation.

A comfy, cozy little murder mystery set in an English countryside town. This started off strong enough, but my interest in solving the murder started to wane about halfway through. The diary entries became a little too long-winded and the final murder plot/reveal was a little too convoluted for my liking. Overall, as far as cozy murders go, this was entertaining and well-written enough to get an average rating from me.

As a teenager, Frances visited a fortuneteller, and was given a laundry list of things to look out for, culminating with the warning, "All signs point toward your murder." She spends her life in trepidation, waiting for the axe to fall . . . literally.

This one was just an okay read for me - a great premise with a so-so follow through. The many characters seemed very similar, and none of them interested me much.

I see that this is to be a series, and it may indeed get better as it goes along.

This book was everything I hoped it would be, and more! The characters were unique and well-developed. The setting offered just enough intrigue to keep me entertained, and the mystery kept me guessing all along! I loved the dual timeline going back to the diary as Annie solved the murder. It also had so many laugh out loud moments that I enjoyed so much!

Thank you to the publishers for allowing me to read and review this book. I will definitely recommend it to my Instagram followers.

It is hard to believe that this is Kristen Perrin’s first novel. She writes with an assured hand and keeps readers turning the pages in her take on a traditional mystery.

The story-Frances Adams was a teen growing up in the sixties when she went to see a fortune teller. She was given a very detailed and particular warning of things to watch out for. Much of her subsequent life was spent trying to evade her own death by nefarious means. On this night, Frances was with her friends Emily and Rose. They have roles to play in the story.

Frances had a niece and grandniece who are living an eccentric London life as the story opens. When Annie is summoned to meet with Frances’s lawyer in the small town where Frances has an estate, off she goes. There she meets Walt, the attorney and his relative, Oliver. She also encounters the annoying Elva and her family.

Not a spoiler because this happens early in the story, Frances is found dead. Who will inherit her money? Who killed her? Find out in this very enjoyable novel.

It is easy to recommend this title. Hopefully, Ms. Perrin will keep writing twisty, fun mysteries.

Many thanks to Penguin Group-Dutton for this title. All opinions are my own.

I really liked this book! It really reminded me of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie in that I truly suspected everyone. It was a unique concept for a mystery, and the characters were well developed. The reader gets clues and information alongside the protagonist, and has to piece together the story with her. Just when you think you might have something figured out — you might not!

This one was just okay for me. The premise was so good and original but it kinda fizzled out for me as the book went on. It was hard to keep track of all of the characters and I didn’t feel strongly about any of them. But it was a quick read and good for an easy afternoon read

This was a really fun and clever mystery. It had a great cast of characters with a classic mystery plot.

The set up is so engaging: a woman spends her whole life trying to prevent her predicted murder, only to be proved right sixty years later when she is found dead in her grand country estate.

The clues are set out in a way that I wanted to get out my notebook and make a chart to organize all of the information. Even without creating a chart, I did figure out a piece of it, but didn’t figure out the whole thing until the end.

I could see this being an entertaining series or even a great adaptation for television.

In How to Solve Your Own Murder we are once again reminded of the peril of living in a quaint English village. You really are taking your life into your own hands.

This was a highly entertaining murder mystery with a fantastic premise. I loved the diary flashbacks to the past, and the idea of the fortune teller predicting Frances' death was such an interesting take on a murder mystery.

I definitely figured out the culprit before the end, but I don't mind that at all. It was great fun and overall a superb mystery.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I thought this book was really fun and I was secretly hoping at the end that Frances was going to be alive and congratulate Annie for solving the murder. I liked the different timelines because it really helped put in perspective why everyone acted the way they did, and why everything happened for the reasons they did. BUT I will also say I got a bit confused with some characters, specifically Joe. Maybe I just forgot really who he was... Rose's son? grandson? And why he tried killing Annie? She called for Magda (I can't remember if that's her name) but then Joe showed up because there's 2 ambulances. How did Joe show up if that's not who she called... but that's what she planned? Also Annie almost killed herself in the beginning with the roses but then no, just kidding, she was just having a panic attack... but it was nightshade/hemlock. So it could have killed her if it entered her bloodstream, which .... wouldn't it? If it stabbed her? And produced blood? That didn't really make sense to me. Because didn't it kill Frances? So why didn't it kill Annie? I don't really get it. Now I'm questioning if this book really was as good as I thought it was. Maybe there were some plot holes. Also, she had all this evidence/information and just kept it in her room. Why wouldn't you bring it with you 24/7? And she kept getting scary notes but didn't tell anyone? Or she told the detective about one but that was it? Idk I felt like she could've been smarter about it a bit. But the premise of this entire book was great. I just wish Frances was alive at the end :(

I absolutely love many "surface" aspects of this book. The premise is amazing, and the title and cover do it justice. However, the book itself didn't entirely live up to those promises. The characters weren't really compelling (and were a bit hard to keep straight) and the dialogue was sometimes a bit stilted. The plot was interesting, but there were perhaps a few too many red herrings and a solution that wasn't entirely satisfying. In all, I'd say this is a decent read, but not a great one.

Do you like cozy mysteries that take place in small England towns? That take place in two time periods? So you like twists and turns that have you guessing that everyone and no one is the culprit? If so, this book might be right up your alley.

Annie Adams thinks she’s going to a Castle Knoll to meet about a revision to her great aunt’s will. But when her great aunt Frances turns up dead 60 years after a fortune teller predicts her murder, Annie is determined to find her killer with the help of the info Frances has been collecting for years.

This book has a lot of buzz around it. I’d say for 60% of the book I didn’t get why it’s considered one of the hottest books of the year, and then it kicked into gear. I know there’s not really a fine line between a regular mystery and a cozy mystery., but this one feels like it got right up close to it due to the nature of the crimes and intrigue that take place. The comparison made to Knives Out in the book blurb I read is actually pretty apt: there’s a lot of twists and turns that kept me guessing who did it, and stuff I wasn’t expecting. The pacing for me felt a bit slow in comparison to Knives Out however, and I was looking for something that moved a bit quicker. For that, I’m giving it a solid 3.5 stars out of 5. However I’m confident that cozy mystery fans will enjoy it.

Many thanks to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book! How to Solve Your Own Murder is an intriguing murder mystery. Our lead, Annie, gets mysteriously summoned to the countryside by her great aunt, who - no spoilers- ends up murdered. Great Aunt Frances, as we come to learn, has spent a majority of her lifetime gathering evidence and trying to predict who might murder her, leaving many clues behind when it actually happens. What follows is the reader working through the mystery with Annie as she meets the town's characters and tries to work out both the history of what has happened and what's going on in present day. Overall, I found this tory to be really interesting, albeit a little bit confusing at times. I did appreciate the time hopping between present and Frances' diary, because that provided a fun perspective and allowed us to meet a character who unfortunately is deceased for a majority of the book. I also think this book really nicely sets up a sequel, which I'd be interested in reading.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a great read for people who prefer their mysteries not too bloody.

Annie Adams receives an odd summons in London: She's asked to visit a great-aunt she's never met. When she arrives, her Great Aunt Frances is dead. The murder isn't exactly a surprise. A fortune-teller told Frances in 1965 that she'd be murdered, and she spent the rest of her life trying to figure out who in her village would kill her and why.

Frances' will contains a twist: If Annie can solve the murder within a week, she inherits the entire (hefty) estate. The same provision applies to another relative, setting up a competition. If neither solves it, or the police solve it first, the estate will be sold off to a property developer.

Author Kristen Perrin alternates chapters between Annie in the present day and Frances in the past, creating strong dual heroines.

Like an Agatha Christie novel, the book is somewhat overstuffed with suspects. The difficulty of writing a mystery is pulling off the twist. Drop too many clues, and the reader will guess the culprit early. Drop too few, and the reader may say, "Where the heck did THAT come from?" Perrin's ending falls more toward the latter category, but it's not so far out of left field that it ruins the enjoyment.

This book is highly recommended for fans of the Thursday Murder Club series.

I received an early review copy from NetGalley.

A bit of a cozy mystery, “How to Solve Your Own Murder” by Kristen Perrin starts with a very interesting premise: if you believe that you will be murdered, and you live your whole life trying to prevent this, what happens when you actually are murdered?

Annie Adams is called out to visit her great-aunt Frances, whom she has never met, for a meeting where changes to Frances’ will are going to be discussed. Arriving at the English village where Frances lives, she stumbles into a murder scene before she even gets a chance to meet her.

It turns out that Frances had her fortune told when she was a teenager, a fortune that predicted her murder. When one of her best friends disappears, Frances is determined to solve her friend’s disappearance as well as her foretold murder. For the next 60 years, Frances gathers every story, every item of gossip, every piece of dirt in the village to try to discover who would murder her. Eventually this pays off ironically, as she makes her fortune come true. One last gasp from Frances: both Annie and her stepson Saxon have one week to solve her murder, whoever does it gets the whole inheritance. And if they fail, the money goes to charity and the great manor gets sold.

Well, this being a quaint English village, there’s no shortage of suspects and eccentric villagers, each with their own secrets and hatreds, all with various reasons to want Frances’ secrets to go to the grave with her. Annie has to determine which secrets are worth killing for, which are just worth leaving alone. But as she starts to uncover the trail Frances left, her own name might be the next one on the killer’s list.

A fun premise, but the execution could be better. Annie’s motivations, conclusions, and actions could be better explained, and the character of her mother is really underdeveloped, just a big puzzle. Not enough time is spent on the fact that Frances’ actions probably led to the fulfillment of her fortune! The characters can be one-dimensional, it seems everyone is evil and skulking around until it turns out not to be the case. For a first book of a new series, it’s a bit uneven but still worth a read. Looking forward to Annie’s next adventure.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from PENGUIN GROUP Dutton via NetGalley. Thank you!

I love mysteries that have larger-than-life characters like How to Solve Your Own Murder!

Frances Adams is paranoid. When she was a teenager, a fortune teller gave her a chilling prediction: that she would be murdered. For sixty years, she's kept detailed files on everyone in Castle Knoll and looked for signs that the prediction is coming true. One of her best friends also disappeared shortly after this prediction, fueling her paranoia.

But now, Frances has invited several of her potential heirs to her home to discuss her will. Unfortunately, before they can meet, someone kills Frances, finally fulfilling the prophecy. Annie is Frances' grand-niece, and has been invited to her home, even though she's never met her. Her mom, Laura, was one of the presumptive heirs until a few weeks ago, when Annie mailed several trunks from their basement to Frances' home. For some reason, this causes Frances to change her will, and Annie is there to find out why.

Annie and her uncle Saxon (and his wife) are pitted against each other by the will. Solve the murder of Frances, and you inherit the property. If neither Annie or Saxon solve it, or the police solve it first, the property goes to Oliver the property developer, and is most likely sold to make apartments or something equally as ghastly for the village. But really, there are two mysteries to solve, because Annie is pretty sure this murder is related to the disappearance of Annie's best friend Emily in the 1960s, and if someone is willing to kill Frances to keep the truth from coming out, she knows they won't hesitate to kill her as well.

This book was set in two time periods, with Frances' diary serving as a detailed description of what happened in the 1960s, and Annie narrating what is happening in the present day. Foreshadowing is a key to solving the murder(s), but I certainly didn't figure it out ahead of time! Annie laments that she only got to know her great-aunt through her diaries, and readers will feel the same way. You will wish you could sit down in one of her comfy chairs and talk about her life.

I look forward to reading the next book in this series! Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

If you were told you were going to be murdered, what signs to look for, things to avoid: would you do anything differently? Would you wait for death or spend the rest of your life avoiding everything you were told, spend years collecting paperwork and files on anyone or anything that could lead to that fortune coming true?

And one day in your old age, what was foretold comes true. You end up murdered, but did you do enough to help your family solve the mystery?

Annie Adams travels to Castle Knoll to meet her great-aunt Frances but Frances dies before they could meet. She had been murdered, just as predicted. Annie is going to be the one that solves it but doing so could put herself in danger, right in the path of a murderer.

I really enjoyed this read and it gave me "Thursday Murder Club" vibes for sure! I didn't guess the murder correctly but I still really enjoyed this read. Super excited to see the next book in the Castle Knoll series!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Penguin Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to PRH Audio for an ALC*

Get excited, because finally Knives Out is an apt comparison! Sometimes you just need a classic whodunnit, but How to Solve Your Own Murder turns that genre on its head. What happens when your victim was obsessed with her own murder? Or when the terms of her will create a competition to inherit? And even better, we get a dual perspective - that of Annie (present) and Frances (our victim, 1965). 2 murders in 2 timelines, and YES they both get solved! I loved the narration, especially the accents. It gave it Agatha Christie / Murder She Wrote vibes and was the perfect background for packing up my apartment. Annie was sweet and quirky while she stumbled into clues, whilst Frances is so fixated on her murder that she accidentally helped solve it. And even better, EVERYTHING is connected! And most of the characters are morally gray at a minimum which is just delightful.