Thanks to Penguin Group & NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute and enjoyable, if overly-complicated bit of plotting. And I think it marks the first time I've ever enjoyed a dual timeline story!

In the present day, weird old Great Aunt Frances has been obsessed with a fortune given her at a fair when she was a teenager in the 60s (which seems to have foretold her death by murder), and now she has summoned Annie, her niece's daughter, to meet with regard to her estate, which is not inconsiderable. Shortly after Annie arrives, Frances is dead, and it appears to be foul play. Annie sets about solving the mystery immediately. but just to make it even quirkier, Frances has made provisions for the dispersal of her estate based on which relative solves her murder (so certain was she that she would be murdered, and apparently given to whims of a legal nature). Annie finds herself pitted against her cousin by marriage, and even wary of sharing too much info with the local constable, who is about her age and very cute, lest he solve the murder first and take options away from Annie (and her Chelsea property away from her mother, an artist who's pretty disinterested in responsibility from what we see).

Pros:
Clever plot, engaging heroine, hint of romance, creepy villains/family members, old country estate setting, dual timeline doesn't feel forced or lazy

Cons: TOO MANY CHARACTERS, challenging to keep sequence of characters appearing in both timelines who aren't major players, clever plot borders on incomprehensibility and I think I could pick holes in it if I could be bothered

All in all, I have way more good feelings than bad ones about this book, and I would read the next one if Annie decides to delve into the mystery of her father or whatever. 3.5 stars rounded up.

I enjoyed this mystery. When Frances is young, she goes to a fortune teller who tells her she’s going to be murdered. She becomes obsessed with the fortune, journaling and taking notes to figure out who’s going to do it, try to prevent it, or help her family solve the crime. She is, in fact, murdered, and her great niece has to find out who did it, racing against the clock to piece together the clues.

The perspective shifts between the present day and the past. I liked them both- when I was reading one I didn’t want it to end, then it would switch and I wouldn’t want that one to end. Frances’ story kept revealing little bits at a time, with mysteries inside mysteries and a town full of secrets buried in the past.

This was a fun mystery, and I’m looking forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for the eARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars

A fun and engaging murder mystery of a different sort.

This book follows a dual POV and timeline; told through the present day voice of Annie, and through writings of her now deceased Great Aunt Frances.

I loved the whole whodunit feel and the multiple mysteries taking place aside from just the main murder plot.

I never really read a cozy mystery before, but I can definitely see what the allure is after reading this one. It kept me guessing in an enjoyable game of Clue type of way, rather than being overly involved and complex like my usual thriller mystery reads.

Overall, I found this book refreshing and a great adult novel debut by the author.

Goodreads and Fantastic Fiction have this listed as book one in a series, while the publisher makes no mention of one. This book wraps up nicely with no cliffhangers, but I can see Annie leading readers on more mystery solving adventures in the future; perhaps one involving her dad since his mention is brief yet cryptic.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House (Dutton), and the author for this digital Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderfully fun and twisty mystery! This one kept me guessing up until the very end. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me enjoy it early.
This book is definitely one any fan of mysteries would enjoy. By focusing on 2 different murders that took place almost 60 years apart the story is able to take you on twists and turns you don’t see coming. You spend so much time trying to piece together what clues matter to which crime it becomes even harder to guess the ending before it arrives. It keeps you on your toes throughout, second guessing all the players and clues. Something I consider a hallmark of every great mystery book. I was very happy with the ending and one particular trope the story used that I won’t reveal. It’s a trope that I think almost always heightens the enjoyment for reader. Definitely recommend!

This cozy mystery has a lot going for it---the setting and it's unique plot (plus an adorable cover). The plot begins with sixteen year old Frances hearing a fortune teller tell her she will be murdered. What she doesn’t know is it will take 60 years for the forecast to come true. The title is a bit deceiving because it's actually not Frances who will solve her own murder. In her will, whoever solves it first stands to inherit everything.
The story is told from the perspective of Annie, her great-niece, in the present day and from Frances’ journals from 1965-66. I enjoyed the alternating timelines. I liked this book wasn't too cozy and sweet---it had some bite to it. I predict this be a highly popular book club title, as well as a popular book in general.

How to solve your own murder by Kristen Perrin was such a fun cozy mystery. With the very Agatha Christie-esque style, you are left following a mystery set both today and in 1965/66. If you love cozy mystery or movies like Knives Out and Enola Holmes, you'll like this book too.

It follows Annie Adams who has to solves the mystery of who killed her Great Aunt Frances. In 1965, teenage Frances Adams attends an English country fair with friends. A fortune-teller predicts she will be murdered. Despite decades of denial, she is found murdered nearly sixty years later. Meanwhile, Annie Adams is summoned to a meeting at her great-aunt Frances's estate, but upon arrival, she finds Frances dead. Determined to catch her killer, Annie must unravel the dark mystery at Castle Knoll or risk being thrown into a killer's path.

It's definitely a page-turner and I couldn't wait to find out how the mystery ended. I would love to see more of Annie in future books. I hope Kristen writes more!

How to Solve Your Own Murder was a book I was really excited about, but it fell flat for me.
The characters were one dimensional and the story was just not flowing very well.
I love mysteries, but this one just didn't work for me.

This was such a pleasant, easy read. I really don’t have much bad to say about it.

This book follows Annie, who is summoned by her rich Great Aunt Frances for a change in her will. But after Frances is suddenly murdered, Annie is left with a week to find the killer. The only problem is she is surrounded by people who all have their own secrets.

I really enjoyed the dual perspective of Annie and Frances through the diary. I thought it was woven together well enough that made it seamless.

It was one of those murder mystery plots where there are so many characters you start to just suspect every one. Even the obvious ones you think will be murderers at this point. I was nervous towards the end because I thought the ending would be anti climatic but it wasn’t!

I personally did not guess the murderer. I had suspicions but I think the author did a good job of manipulating the story so that you were distracted until the reveal.

I really liked this one! Definitely a quick murder story that’s not very intense but still gripping.

This book was good but I did get confused at some parts. There are a good amount of characters to keep up with. The storyline over all though was really good! And I was also surprised by the ending. It does a good job of keeping you guessing. Or it did for me at least 😅

This book was about a young woman solving the murder of her great aunt who knew she was going to die. It had a good plot, but was poorly executed. The book didn’t keep my attention. There were a lot of characters that I had trouble remembering who they were and the pacing was slow. It didn’t get interesting until the killer was revealed but then immediately got boring again after that.

In 1965 Frances and her friends go to a local fair where a fortune teller tells Frances that she will be murdered one day. Frances spends her whole life trying to forgo her murder until it is too late- she is eventually murdered!

I really liked this story. I enjoyed the writing and the characters. I liked how we had to throw back chapters to the 1960's to get a backstory on the people in Frances’ life. Then, we get current chapters with Annie who is a descendant of Frances and has to solve the murder. It is one of those situations where you can’t trust anyone. I liked how we got to know Frances through journals of her telling her story, it added an air of mystery to Frances and I liked that. I had fun trying to solve this mystery and enjoyed the cast of characters. There were a lot of characters, but I had no trouble deciphering who was who, because everyone was different in their own way.

I would highly recommend it if you like murder mysteries, cozy mysteries or just a regular “whodunit” mystery. This was a very fun read and I will continue on with the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.
#HowtoSolveYourOwnMurder #NetGalley

This is a cozy, small-town English countryside mystery in the style of Miss Marple. You’ll enjoy it if you like thinking-heavy mysteries, as there’s very little action but lots of political intrigue between people related in various ways.

This book follows Annie, who’s suddenly called to a small town for a meeting with her great-aunt Frances, whom Annie has never met but who owns the London house that Annie and her mom live in. Annie is an aspiring mystery writer, but somehow that manages to contribute nothing to the plot.

Frances has been living since 1967 with the weight of a fortune told by a fortune teller at a traveling fair. The fortune teller predicted Frances’ murder. Frances has obsessed over the prediction since she was 17, and it seems she’s finally figured out a mystery related to her death.

Told in a dual timeline (Annie in the present times and Frances as a teenager in the 60s), this book had a few too many character names to follow but was overall quite enjoyable. There’s a bit of a found family element. I’m not sure the characters will stay with me, but I enjoyed it while I was reading and will probably continue reading the series.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC!

3.5 stars. This was SUCH a fun read! The pace was a little slow at the beginning, but as it continued it slowly sank its claws into me and I was HOOKED. The twists and turns especially towards the end were so much fun.

I wish there was a bit more depth to Annie and the characters in the “present day” time, I felt like the flashbacks were much more in depth than the present day parts, but I still enjoyed it! I turned my brain off and just enjoyed the ride, so the ending was so fun to get to and find out what happened!

I would recommend this for those that love a good mystery!

I loved the start and setup of this book, seventeen year old Frances receives a cryptic fortune that changes the course of her life. Knowing she will be murdered, she becomes superstitious and strange. Collecting secrets and clues on everyone in town. When instead her friend Emily goes missing, Frances dedicates her life to solving her murder. Now in her seventies, Frances invites her great niece Annie to the estate but she’s found murdered before they can meet. Now Annie is tasked with solving Frances’ murder on her behalf. Leaving a ton of clues, Annie discovers who killed Emily all those years ago and murdered Frances to keep the secret hidden.

This was a pretty solid murder mystery. I really liked the fortune prophecy plot and it kept me guessing throughout. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and Frances had dirt on everyone. I liked the dry British humor and line delivery, I could see this play out on screen like a TV show.

I enjoyed Frances’ diary entries, where we get recollections from her POV about certain events that lead up to Emily’s death. I liked Annie’s POV and I respected her drive to get to the bottom of the secrets and clues Frances left behind. There were moments of intrigue and a creepy being-watched-feeling that Annie kept sensing, it added to the atmosphere that I also enjoyed.

I wished the pacing overall was a little faster and we got more character development for Annie. I would recommend this to Agatha Christie and cozy mystery fans.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton for the review copy.

This book was extremely hard for me to get through. I DNF around the 40% mark because it was way too slow for me. I normally like books that grab you right away and not a slow burn. I'm giving it 2 stars because a ton of people are loving this book and comparing it to Agatha Christie which I do not get into her books but that could be why this was slow for me. I'm assuming that others will really enjoy this book because it seems to be an old style writing of a classic mystery story. I just kept trying and after a few weeks, I just couldn't do it anymore. I found myself picking up and finishing other books instead.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for the ARC and opportunity to read the book!

If Nancy Drew had an eccentric great Aunt that was recently murdered and owned an estate in a charming English village and was written for adults you would have How To Solve Your Own Murder. I loved this cozy mystery and can’t wait to see how our characters develop in the next book. The story was fast paced and the mystery kept me guessing until the very end. As far as cozy mysteries go, I do like when our protagonist has a quirky personality and I think Annie could have been a bit quirkier.

I was intrigued by the title of "How to Solve Your Own Murder" and the book didn't disappoint. Annie Adams arrives in the small English town of Castle Knoll, summoned to meet her great-aunt Frances since Frances has recently made Annie her beneficiary. But before they are introduced, Frances is murdered and it's up to Annie to solve the murder if she wants to inherit.

What makes this book unique is that when Frances was 17, a fortuneteller predicted her eventual murder. A few years later, her friend Emily disappeared, and Frances spent the rest of her life trying to figure out what happened to Emily and if she was murdered in Frances's place, or if Frances was still at risk.

The story unfolds in two timelines -- Annie's current investigation, and what happened to Frances from the day her death is foretold, through Emily's disappearance. A story that Annie pieces together through Frances' diary and old photos.

The book starts a little slow, but stick with it because once Annie starts investigating it picks up speed and you'll be anxiously turning pages, trying to figure out which of the people from Frances' past could have played a part in Emily's disappearance and/or Frances' murder. I was excited to learn this will be the first in a series.

The narrative unfolds in the contemporary setting, where Annie Adams discovers her imminent inheritance from her affluent Great Aunt Frances. However, her arrival in Frances's quaint village is marred by the shocking discovery of Frances's murder. With the clock ticking, Annie embarks on a race against time to unravel the mystery behind her aunt's untimely demise, facing off against her distant relative, Saxon, and the diligent police detective.

In her quest for answers, Annie stumbles upon Frances's teenage journal, chronicling events leading up to a friend's disappearance. The narrative seamlessly transitions between past and present, as Annie delves into the journal's contents, ostensibly conducting her investigations. However, her investigative methods often lean towards passive engagement, relying heavily on journal entries rather than proactive inquiry—a narrative detail that occasionally strains believability.

While the premise held promise, particularly with the intriguing concept of a competitive "game" to solve the crime, the execution falls short. Annie's passivity and occasional lapses in judgment detract from her character's credibility, making it challenging for readers to fully invest in her journey. Similarly, secondary characters lack depth, characterized by a handful of discernible traits.

Although Frances's past offers some respite from the narrative monotony, the predictability of Annie's reliance on the journal diminishes the suspense. The cozy mystery genre's tropes are evident in the story's resolution, leaving little room for surprise or intrigue.

In essence, while "The Inheritance" holds the potential for an engaging mystery, its execution falters due to predictable plot developments and underdeveloped characters. Despite its shortcomings, readers may find solace in its cozy ambiance and nostalgic charm.

This is a cozy mystery set in a small English village. Aspiring author Annie Adams is in line to inherit the vast estate of a great-aunt she never met, but first she has to solve the old woman's murder. As a teenager, Frances Adams received a mysterious fortune at a country fair that stated she would be betrayed and murdered. She became obsessed with the fortune, gathering dirt on everyone in her village, but it wasn't enough to stop her eventual murder. The story alternates between Annie's efforts to learn what has happened, and Frances's old diary entries. Secrets, lies, betrayals, etc. This is a good premise, but I never really clicked with either Annie or Frances, so I struggled to stay invested. It may have just been a right book, wrong time situation, so if you enjoy this type of mystery, do give it a try. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for a digital review copy.

This was a good book for a cozy mystery. Thank you Netgalley for the Arc This follows 2 timeliness from Frances who has her fortune told that convinces her of her own murder. When she is murdered before her living will is read, it is up to Annie her great niece to solve it even though she has never met Frances.I really liked this book.