𝓗𝓸𝔀 𝓽𝓸 𝓢𝓸𝓵𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓜𝓾𝓻𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓫𝔂 𝓚𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓷 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓷 🐦‍⬛

<i><b>”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.”</i></b>

Brief Summary: When visiting a fortune teller Frances is told a prophecy about her death. She spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder from happening only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her estate... her great-niece Annie decides to solve the murder.

<b><u>Read if you love</b></u>
✔️mystery/thriller genre
✔️London setting
✔️Dual POV
✔️old diary entries
✔️who did it murder?
✔️fortune teller reading
✔️searching for clues

I loved the cozy mystery and the London setting however there were a few problems that kept me from loving the book.
1. Way too many characters- I was easily confused by who was who and most characters felt undeveloped/one dimensional.
2. I enjoyed a certain character POV a lot more than the other.
3. The book just ends. The murder is solved but I had so many unanswered questions.
4. The biggest problem is I felt no connection to characters or the plot.

Overall thoughts: This was just an okay read. I wouldn’t personally recommend because I didn’t absolutely love it. The story itself was paced well and each chapter ends making you want to know more so I had to finish to know the ending.

If you love a good game of Clue or curling up with your favorite Agatha Christie novel, How to Solve Your Own Murder is the perfect book for you!

Thanks to Kristen Perrin, Dutton, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this murder mystery! It was beautifully written, fast paced, and tightly plotted (not extraneous plot twists just for drama; no loose ends). The outsider coming into a small English village to investigate a murder at the local manor house as well as the characters and clues seem very classic Agatha Christie. The ingenious twist is that the murder victim has foreseen her own death through a fortune teller and has left it to her heirs to use her own research to catch the murderer.

I would highly recommend this to any fan of classic mystery stories!

When teenage Frances Adams receives a fortune predicting she will be murdered, she's the only one who takes it seriously. She then spends the rest of her life trying to collect evidence of a crime that has yet to happen, digging up dirt on friends and neighbors. When Frances is actually murdered 60 years later, it's a shock to everyone (except, presumably, her). Enter Annie Adams, Frances's great-niece who has been summoned to a meeting with Frances at her country estate. Unfortunately, Frances is already dead by the time Annie arrives, but this just makes Annie determined to find proof of her aunt's suspicions and track down the killer. To do that, she'll have to dig into the many secrets Frances has collected over the years, and put all her amateur sleuthing skills to the test.

This was a fun small-town mystery with an Agatha Christie feel. The action is interspersed with passages from teenage Frances's diary from the summer she received her dire fortune, and Annie is puzzling out what the events of the past might have had to do with the murder in the present. I really loved reading Frances's perspective and wished we could have seen more from her. Annie was fine for an amateur sleuth, but not as notable as some of Christie's iconic characters. I will note that there are a lot of characters and relationships to keep track of, so that was a bit tricky in the first few chapters, but once I got my head around who everyone was, it was easy to read. The book was not quite technically a cozy mystery (some swearing, a bit of violence) but still a delightful read.

I received a gifted galley of HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER by Kristen Perrin for an honest review. Thank you to Dutton, PRHAudio, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER follows two women. In 1965, Frances is a teen who receives a prediction from a fortune teller, that she will one day be murdered. This sparks a lifelong obsession with solving her own murder. In the present day, all of Frances' attempts have failed and her Annie is summoned to a family meeting by her great-aunt Frances, only to arrive and find that Frances is already dead. Annie must find the answers Frances never fully uncovered, using Frances' research and her past to look for clues.

I enjoy a good mystery and the premise of this one quickly caught my attention. I was both intrigued by, and a bit saddened by, Frances' life which was so wrapped up in the eventuality of her own death. Was it a true prediction or a self-fulfilling prophesy? Frances' obsession with her own murder case has rubbed many the wrong way and Annie has no shortage of suspects to pursue.

The story follows Annie in the present day, but also takes us back to Frances' youth through her journal entries. I found the present case to be a bit more compelling for me to read, but enjoyed the full story and how things tied together. The past timeline includes a mystery of its own as one of Frances' friends disappeared. I was very interested in getting answers to how these things tied together and I thought that it all wrapped up well.

I would recommend this to fans of a good cozy mystery! I would definitely pick up future books in this series! HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER is out on 3/26!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the advanced reader copy of How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin!

Incredible. This story kept me engaged right up until the end. I'm generally pretty good at guessing the finales of mysteries and thrillers and while I did get close to this one, I was surprised by the reveal. The converging narrations by Anna and Frances, the twists and turns, and the eventual revelation of "whodunit" made this novel one of the most fun I've read in a while. I loved the huge cast of characters, that had me mentally looking like Charlie Day with a murder board, as well as the entire fortune plot line. I imagine being Frances, knowing she's going to be murdered and yet not knowing when or by whom, dedicating her life to finding out.

I have 2 qualms with the novel.
1. The story and relationship with Rutherford was a little lackluster. I felt as though his character could have had a larger plot in the "present day" part of the novel, even if it was revelations through old paperwork, items, etc. I felt like a 23 year old widower having sex with 17 years olds with the explanation that he "gets around" was a bit disappointing.
2. It felt like the fortune played very little part in the "flashback" portions of the book. Frances mentioned it a few times, but by the time our present day main character came in, it seemed that Frances was wrought with fear, anxiety, determination, etc. Which led me to wonder what happened in the time between the two narratives.

This book was a 3.5 for me!

I really enjoyed it overall, but it was a slow start. This cozy mystery stars Annie Adams, whose great-aunt Frances was told a fortune in the 1960s that she would be murdered, and said fortune finally comes to fruition. It's up to Annie to solve the mystery, otherwise her aunt's fortune will be sold off. There's a lot of corruption and secrets in the small town that Annie needs to weed through in order to find the true killer of Frances, as well as what happened to Frances all those years ago.

Following along with Annie was a fun ride, though it took awhile until I felt I was fully immersed in the story. It didn't happen until about 30% of the way through, but then I was fully immersed.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"How To Solve Your Own Murder" by Kristen Perrin is a captivating mystery that cleverly weaves together dual timelines to create a rich and engaging narrative. The story revolves around a county fair fortune filled with odd characters, inheritance issues, riddles, games, and challenges, leaving readers with plenty of suspects to ponder.

One of the highlights of the book is its dual timelines, which add depth to the story. Frances's diary entries, written when she was 17/18 years old, offer a glimpse into her life and add a youthful, almost YA feel to the novel. Despite their seemingly juvenile nature, the diary entries play a crucial role in the story, offering clues to solving the mysteries at hand.

While the plot is engaging, the characters feel flat, serving more as caricatures to support the kooky plot than fully fleshed-out individuals. Additionally, the time crunch imposed on the characters, which forced Frances' would-be heirs to race against the police detective to solve her murder in a week, makes the story feel rushed and clunky.

Annie, the protagonist, is a compelling investigator, but as an aspiring writer, I wished for more explicit details woven throughout her journey. The author often presents clues in a showboat-like manner, similar to a magic show with reveal after reveal, which detracts from the immersion in Annie's investigative process.

Despite these shortcomings, "How To Solve Your Own Murder" is enjoyable, offering a fun and entertaining mystery that keeps readers guessing until the end. The dual timelines and the inclusion of the diary add depth to the story, making it a compelling read for fans of the mystery genre.

I haven’t read a mystery in such a long time and this was everything I needed it to be! I was on the edge of my seat the whole book.
I was really mad when she was trying to tell people she would end up being murdered and no one believed her. And then she was murdered. I said out loud “she was trying to tell you all along!”
I will definitely buy not only my self a copy of this book but I will be buying a copy for all my Murder Mystery loving friends because this is so good!

4.5 ⭐️
Frances Adams received a fortune as a teenager that controlled the rest of her life, as it predicted how she would be murdered. 60 years later, Annabelle “Annie” Adams is summoned by her Great Aunt Frances to witness the revision of her will. But, upon arriving to Castle Knolls, Great Aunt Frances turns up dead. Annie is thrust into an investigation to solve her Great Aunt’s murder and find the killer, uncovering secrets while up against the local detective and neighbors who knew Frances very well.

I really liked this one! My only hang up is that it moved slowly for a while, but once it picked up I was hooked. There were also a lot of characters to keep up with but in the end this paid off. Speaking of - I loved the ending! If you like themes of family, secrets, grief and murder mystery, you’ll love this one!

Thanks NetGalley and Dutton Books!

Title: How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
Publication Date- 03/26/24
Publisher- PRH Dutton
Overall Rating- 3.5 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start off by saying that the first 2/3ish was an easy 5 star. I really enjoyed getting to know both main characters and found them enjoyable. Essentially this story is told in almost equal parts in the past and the present. In the present we have a woman trying to solve her great aunt's murder and gain an inheritance (she also wants to know what happened to her). In the past we have her great aunt’s story where she gets the fortune that tells her how she will die. Her great aunt's storyline also follows a good friend of hers who went missing. I personally really enjoy dual timeline and dual POV and I felt like that was done well here.

Other things I enjoyed; the atmosphere, the whodunit storytelling and some of the relationship dynamics. I will say if you have read the Truly Devious series this felt similar in the way the story was told. I personally love that series so that was a win for me. I also felt aspects of Knives Out, which was quite entertaining. How to Solve Your Own murder is cozy and on the medium to slower pace.

What I struggled with in the last ⅔ of the story was it started to feel repetitive. I felt like we were going round and round the same mystery over and over again. Granted at times more truths were uncovered but it was not enough for me to not wonder when the story would end. It also became pretty complicated as more and more people were involved and connected in different ways. This aspect was significant enough, in my opinion, to lower my rating from a 5 star to a 3.5.
All in all I did enjoy my time with this book and I’m glad I had an opportunity to read it. I am unsure if I will continue the series, I might because I truly enjoyed the main character a lot and the writing. The writing itself was fine, it was just the way the story was told in the last third. If you like murder mysteries, Truly Devious, The Inheritance Games and Knives Out I think you should give this a go.

I was so excited about this one, but for whatever reason the way the execution of this storydidn't work for me.

The premise is amazing: a girl goes to a fortune teller with two friends and is told she'll be murdered.
Fast forward about 40 years, and she's still alive. Her grand (or great?) niece is summoned for some kind of discussion about this lady's will. Okay, I'm still in.

Then there are about a dozen random characters dumped on me, with complicated genealogical relationships. Some are from the present, some from the past. There are diary entries from the 60s. The setting seems interesting but isn't really described.

Then there's a dramatic event, the lawyer drops a bombshell and ... what? Who are all these people again and what exactly is happening?

For me, this book continued to be confusing up until the end. I'm hoping the finished copy has a character/geneology list because I gave up making mine.

I tried to give this one my best shot with this one. As much as I want to love the cozy mystery genre - maybe it's not for me. The plot was quirky and was pushing for things that didn't really vibe with me. Some of the writing was too descriptive and would pull me away from the story. It was overall an okay read.

I unfortunately DNFed this book a few chapters in. Though I think it would be a great read for lovers of the cozy mystery, some of the plot felt a bit too quirky and convenient for my liking. Not a bad book or a bad story, just wasn't for me!

Such a fun who dunnit with a unique twist that the deceased was trying to solve her own murder after learning it was to happen from a fortune - and it's easy to follow along with and feel involved in solving the case. Yet it's full of twists and surprises and ofc an ending no one saw coming

If I’m being honest, I requested this book originally because the author had the same name as me and the cover was interesting, but I’m glad I did!
I love dual timelines, and I enjoyed that this wasn’t as “ancient” as I thought it was…the fact that it had the vibes of Pride and Prejudice times but was closer to Knives Out like others have suggested was very much my vibe.

No spoilers, but I definitely didn’t see things coming. I zoomed through the last 30% because I HAD to know who did it!

Interested to see what the next book brings. Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for this eARC :)

When Great Aunt Francis updates her will to include her grand niece, Annie Adams heads to the English village of Castle Knoll to an important meeting with her aunt. An aspiring mystery writer, Annie doesn't expect to play detective in a live mystery after her aunt is found dead. Annie learns that old family rumors are true that her aunt spent her life obsessed with a fortune teller’s prediction that she will be murdered. Now that she has, it’s up to Annie to solve it to claim the estate. But will she live long enough to become the rightful heir to the country estate? A cleverly styled and fun mystery!

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a quirky and fun murder mystery. Annie must solve the murder of her great aunt Frances, who just happened to have spent the majority of the last 50 years proactively trying to solve her own murder after it was prophesied by a fortune teller. Pretty much every character in the story is a potential suspect for Annie to consider.

I liked the way the story was told between Annie’s pov and great Aunt Frances’ journal, however I thought the pacing was a bit strange between the two POVs. It felt weird to me that Annie wouldn’t have prioritized reading the whole journal on the first day after seeing what kind of information it contained. This led to some of the conflict feeling contrived since it would have been irrelevant if Annie had just stayed up late one night to finish the journal.


I also enjoyed all the different characters, but there were quite a few situations and details that arose as a red herring for the reader. Some of these details were left unresolved and felt like loose ends because at one point they were suspicious enough to suspect that person of murder. I would have liked to see the red herrings connect a bit better into the storyline instead of being fully irrelevant in the end.

Overall, this was a fun read and I enjoyed Annie’s journey to find her great Aunt’s killer!

This was a pretty good mystery. It fits well in the cozy mystery genre. I'm a bit prudish in my reading, so I could have done with out some of the cussing and I skipped over a few pages that were a little too descriptive for me. I think it would have read well without these things, but that is apparently just my taste.

I loved the premise of this book. As a teenager, Frances goes to a fortune teller and becomes fixated on the future foretold. Enough so that she becomes wary of every one and everything. Fast forward many many years and Frances summons the great neice she has never met to discuss her will.

This story is told in dual time lines, Frances in 1965 where the story begins and Annie in current day. This was a fun take on a cozy mystery.

There were a lot of interesting elements that were hinted at but not thouroughly revealed. I wish there had been more revealed, more show and less tell.

Overall a fun read.