A teenage girl receives a cryptic teadimg from a fortune teller that she will be murdered and decades later, the fortune because true - who is the murderer and why? Great idea but it just didn’t click with me. Lots of characters that were hard to connect with and keep track of, and the storyline was a bit too slow to hold my interest. Many folks will probably enjoy this book, it just wasn’t for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This mystery is absolutely the best mystery I've read this year. I loved it!! This is or should be in the running for book of the year. I loved it it was written perfectly and I loved every word of it.
I just reviewed How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin. #HowtoSolveYourOwnMurder #NetGalley
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This was very reminiscent of Agatha Cristi. This was a great cozy mystery. Great cast of characters too. Great work!

Split between present day and 1965, How to Solve Your Own Murder follows Annie Adams as she tries to solve both the murder of her great aunt Frances and the disappearance of Frances's friend Emily. Summoned to her great aunt's country home for a meeting about her estate, Frances is found dead and her will reveals a challenge to her great niece and her step nephew: solve her murder in the next seven days, or everything gets sold off and donated. Though Annie has never even met her aunt, she is drawn in, especially when she learns that Frances had been obsessed with solving her own murder, which had been foretold sixty years before. As Annie learns more about her aunt, she also learns about a second mystery - that of the disappearance of Aunt Frances's friend Emily in 1965 - and works to solve both before time runs out on the will and her own life.

This is a twisty mystery that will keep most readers guessing for quite a while. Everyone in the village seems to have a reason to have hated Frances and many of those players also could have been responsible for Emily's disappearance as well. The alternating between present day and Frances's 1966 journal helps to reveal information similar to how Annie is discovering it herself. A cozy-ish mystery with a satisfying reveal, made up of interesting characters and fun plot twists.

Thank you to Penguin Group, Dutton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read How to Solve Your Own Murder early in exchange for a review.

This was an incredibly enjoyable read, and the perfect prevention mechanism to starve off my impending book slump. I found myself itching to pry my eyes open for just ONE more chapter every night to figure out what was going to happen next. That anticipation is the exact feeling I seek out a mystery/thriller for.



In ‘How to Solve Your Own Murder’ we follow a young Annie Adams who was recently declared sole beneficiary to her Great Aunt Frances’s will. After being called to the mansion estate amongst a small-countryside town to discuss further, it’s revealed that Annie will actually be competing for the inheritance in a race to solve her Great Aunt’s murder. Upon learning how superstitious Frances was, and uncovering her 1960s diary containing a whole separate mystery - Annie figures out that it will take the weaving of the past’s loose threads to shed light on the current chaotic tapestry. 



I really loved the dual perspective the book gave - both Annie’s current investigation and Great Aunt France’s diary. Through each diary entry we gained more insight on the involvement and relationships between the people Annie was currently meeting, adding a whole extra layer of intrigue to each interaction. We were forced to combine the perspectives of both of our narrators, and thus was shown how people change and grow throughout the years. It became a story of redemption, of justice, of grief, family, and of remembrance. The way we as readers grew to understand Frances in-time with Annie made Annie herself a very sympathetic protagonist, encouraging me to not just root for her success but also genuinely feel her sadness towards the Aunt she never met. 



I wouldn’t say it’s as involved as a Christie nor as laughable as Knives Out - but it was still a solidly fun read. I would totally recommend this as a cozy murder mystery - light and easy, but with just the perfect mix of suspense and substance. 



Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC e-copy!

What would you do if you knew you were going to be murdered? Perrin presents this unsettling conundrum in her cozy debut mystery. Here, Frances Adams is told by a fortuneteller that she will lose her life at the hands of another. Yet no one believes Frances and her talk of her ominous fate until it actually happens decades later.

Having no doubt, however, Frances spent the rest of her life gathering evidence of the upcoming slaying, maintaining files on anyone even slightly suspicious. In her final act of life, the now affluent Englishwoman invited relatives to her quaint Castle Knoll home, stating in her will that whoever solves the crime first will inherit her estate. But the kicker is, they only have a week. Thus begins a whirlwind of an amateur investigation, layered with spellbinding suspense and captivating twists. Perrin alternates Frances’ timeline with that of her great-niece, Annie, a relative invited to help crack the case.

I had such a great time reading this! What started as more of a cozy mystery turned exciting and competitive with a wild kind of ending!

A few thoughts I had:
- Annie was a great fmc - she had her own reservations, concerns, and anxieties, but she also used every single piece of her brain to solve the murder.
- I love the competition element of the mystery solving. Pitting everyone against each other to solve the murder first made the story move along faster with more complicated dynamics between characters. Who to trust?? No one??
- Everyone has secrets, and I loved discovering how messed up the town was.
- The ambulance scene at the end was exciting and really amped up the action leading up to the resolution.

Overall, I loved reading this. It was similar to a lot of typical murder mysteries, but it had a few unique elements that had me hooked until the end.

This was such a fun cozy mystery!

Cozy mysteries have been a little hit or miss for me recently so I was very happy that this one had me captive till the end! I loved Annie's character (usually the mc is kinda annoying to me). Her quick wit and love of mysteries makes her a fun protagonist. I really enjoyed the mystery as well! I wasn't able to guess who the culprit was but at the reveal, I audibly groaned because I was so close to figuring it out!!! Other fun things to look forward to in this book:

-miss marple vibes
-shocking twists
-british small town filled with a unique set of characters
-dual pov: present and past diary entries
-hint of romance

This was such a great start of a series and I can't wait what mystery Annie will solve next. And also hoping the next book has a bit more romance 😉

I can only imagine the confusion of a great aunt you've never met calling on you in her small village in the countryside. She spent her whole life with a curse over her head and it ended with her murder. I would consider this book similar to the movie Knives Out with Agatha Christie-esque vibes. I found it quite intriguing and a fun read.

This novel bounces between the first-person perspectives of Annie Adams, who is trying to solve her Great Aunt Frances’ recent murder, and of Great Aunt Frances via her 1960s journal as she tries to solve her own impending murder as well. To my surprise, I find myself enjoying Great Aunt Frances’ perspective more than that of present-day Annie. Frances is confronted with deceitful friendships, and she struggles to process her feelings, show compassion, and find her inner confidence.

The first few chapters are not boring but do not captivate until further in (past 20%), perhaps because it is more clear by this point how the journal flashbacks give us insight into the case. It is hard to put down the story after this.

Personally, I suspected the culprit early on but not in a way that was frustratingly obvious. What I appreciate about this book is that the reader truly does feel they are piecing together the mystery alongside the main characters. The truth is not revealed in some serendipitous manner where all the sleuthing does not matter in the end, which is a common pitfall in many murder mysteries.

The book feels complete as is, but I would be thrilled if this author continued with a sequel!

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Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton who provided this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the pacing of this novel. I was never bored or waiting for the next thing to happen. It was a bit formulaic and not the most original premise, but I like a good comfort read. I really liked the ending and I can't wait to read the next in the series. I feel like I could read multiple books in the series without it feeling old.

This mystery was very unique and fun! When a fortune-teller foretells her murder, Frances spends the rest of her long life trying to solve her own murder. Sixty years later, her grandniece races to solve her murder to win her fortune. The dual timeline was so interesting, and I loved figuring out how the multiple mysteries fit together! This is only the first book in the series, and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I found "How To Solve Your Own Murder" by Kristen Perrin
to be an addictive, interesting, clever & well written murder mystery that pulled me in right away & didn't let me go until its final reveal.
I enjoyed the author's writing style by using the present & the past timelines to solve the murders.
I would love to read another book by
Ms. Perrin.

Set in the UK and told from both Annie's POV and Frances's diary entries, this whodunnit had a charming, classic mystery feel. This was a complex puzzle, with a large cast of suspicious characters, a few red herrings, and a surprise or two along the way. Many characters appear in both timelines, and their relationships and possible motives are revealed gradually. Hence, the reader needs to concentrate in order to sleuth alongside Annie and try to unravel the many threads. The number of characters was not easy to track at first. It took me about a third of the book before I felt I had a grasp on everyone. However, I was pleased to have been surprised at the reveal! I also enjoyed Annie's character, Frances's flashbacks, the slightly creepy manor house setting, the unique premise, and the book's overall atmosphere. Although this has a cozy feel, I think it lands somewhere between cozy and classic mystery. It reminded me a bit of a Midsomer Murders episode or a British crime series on PBS. I recommend this to those who love a British mystery and enjoy examining lots of clues and solving puzzles. It is a promising start to a new series, and I would be interested to see where the author takes things from here. And I love the cover!

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton for the gifted eARC. I enjoyed it!

I would love to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an early digital copy of this book.

How To Solve Your Own Murder centers around a group of friends out one day, when they were young and came across a fortune teller. One of the girl's fortune pretty much said that she would be murdered.

She spent her entire life trying to figure out who and how she was going to be murdered. Eventually, she dies and her "friends and family" have to finish what she started.

I can't put my finger on it, but this book felt a bit old fashioned. Perhaps it was the bouncing back to 1965 (which isn't really old fashioned), or that it took place in the English countryside. Not sure, but I enjoyed that feeling. Unpublished mystery writer Annie Adams is called to the home of her great-aunt with a previously unknown reference to her being the heir. From there the story becomes an expose of small town secrets, past and present, and the hunt for a murderer (or two) before the deadline. This was a super clever and engaging book with a plethora of interesting characters. I do wonder how this is going to be the start of a series, but I'd read more of this world!

From the title alone, I was immediately drawn to this book. Fortunately, "How to Solve Your Own Murder" lived up to its intriguing name!

The vibe of the book was so interesting; it wasn't quite a cozy mystery, but I also wouldn't classify it as a psychological suspense/thriller. It was a perfect medium with an incredible cast of characters. I loved the switching narrative and how the reader gets a full view of Annie and Frances's lives.

I'm very much looking forward to the next book in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book with high expectations and was not disappointed. I loved the style of the writing, it kept me fully engaged. Normally I dislike books that jump between past and present every other chapter, but in this case it was so well executed and seamless. The pacing of the plotline was a little slow for my liking with little character development to show for it. With the exception of Annie and Frances, I didn't fully get a feel for most of the other characters. But I can also understand that because there were a lot of other characters, to the point I did occasionally get confused and have to re-read certain parts. Some of the twists were obvious for an avid mystery reader. But the major plot twist though... woah. It was wild. Even if I thought it was this certain person, never would I have guessed the level of complexity this reveal gave the plot. Extremely well written because they were never on my radar at all. Overall I loved the cozy feel and the storyline, it had a nice happy ending - well as happy of an ending with a murder involved. I have the feeling the ending calls for a possible sequel or at least it leaves a sense of incompletion. Perhaps too abrupt of an ending for me, but not enough to dislike the story it told. Definitely recommend for those who enjoy a sort of slow burn mystery with cozy feels.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is the debut in the Castle Knoll series by Kristen Perrin. This is a cozy mystery, perfect for all who love cuddling up to warm, crackling fire in a charming, old bed & breakfast while the rain gently falls outside and life passes by like an old-timey movie.

Synopsis: Step into the captivating mystery of "Castle Knoll": A thrilling tale where a woman's lifelong efforts to prevent her foretold murder lead to a chilling realization sixty years later when she's found dead. Now, her great-niece, Annie, must unravel the secrets of their family's sprawling estate to catch the killer. As Annie delves deeper, she uncovers a web of lies and motives, but can she unveil the truth before becoming the next victim?

This book has all the trappings of a good cozy mystery. There is the whodunit element, suspicious behavior from multiple characters, a small-town group who all seem to know each other in some way or another, a murder (minus the graphic and frightening elements), and the heir to a great, old fortune at stake. As a person who grew up loving Scooby-Doo and seeing the Mystery Gang bust local monsters, this was reminiscent of that style of mystery (minus the goblins and ghouls fantasy aspect).

I believe this novel would pair better in the Fall months for obvious reasons. It is a fairly low-action book in that it is very heavy on the cozy mystery side and very low on the thriller side of the genre. I felt the 3rd quarter begin to drag as it seemed not much was happening, but thankfully things picked up in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy of How to Solve Your Own Murder. I'm interested to see how the next installments of The Castle Knoll Files will play out as I feel I may have picked up on a few ideas at the end of the novel. Overall, I give this a 3.75/5 stars (rounding to 4/5 stars if viewing on Goodreads).

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a novel about an elderly woman who has been trying to prove since she was seventeen years old that someone is trying to kill her. A fortune teller told her so, and she believes it. And as it turns out, they were right.

In 1965 Frances Adams and her two best friends stopped by a carnival fortune teller's table on a lark, expecting that they would hear one of those boilerplate, one-size-fits-all fortunes that are so easily laughed off. Instead, Frances was warned that her life would almost certainly end at the hands of a murderer. From that moment on, Frances began to watch everyone around her through new eyes - always trying to identify her potential killer before it was too late. In later years, Frances would even take to creating her own murder board, the kind you find in homicide investigations. Her photo was in the center, surrounded by all those she thought might wish her dead.

Annie Adams, Frances's great-niece, who lives alone with her mother in a house owned by the old woman has never actually met her great-aunt. Then one day, to her great surprise, Annie is asked to come to tiny Castle Knoll to attend a meeting with her aunt and several other people where an announcement of some sort is to be made. But on the very morning of that meeting, Frances finally meets her fate and a very different kind of meeting is in order.

Frances is dead. Is it because she finally solved her own murder, but couldn't prevent it?

The more Annie learns about her great-aunt, the more determined she becomes to identify the killer and to complete the task Frances spent a lifetime working on. But will Annie suffer the same fate her aunt suffered before justice can be served? Maybe so.

Kristen Perrin has written a mystery here that is a whole lot of fun, one that reminds me very much of the kind of classic cozy mystery written in the 1920s and 1930s. The characters are all eccentric, and there are plenty of them for the reader, and for Annie as the big city outsider trying to identify a killer, to keep track of. Chapters of Annie's first person narration are alternated with chapters featuring excerpts from Frances's teenaged diary to tie together what happened in the '60s and her death all these decades later. And I'm happy to say that Perrin plays fair with her readers in How to Solve Your Own Murder. If you don't figure out this one for yourself, rest assured that it will all make perfect sense to you at the end. No irritating bolts of lightning out of a pure blue sky from this one to irritate you.