A cozy mystery that you can’t help but read in an English accent in your head!

I liked the pace of the book, the characters were lovely, and the twist was sufficiently dramatic and surprising.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is about two timelines - 1960s and modern time, and actually has two murders. We see the 1960s mostly through the diary of Frances in which she describes the events that took place when she was 17. One of her friends (frenemies?) disappeared back then, never to be seen again.
Now her great niece, Annie, must solve the 60 years old mystery to figure out who might have wanted Frances dead (lots of people fit the description).

This is an easy read and the pace of it works well. We get a tidy ending and a bit of a promise for the future installments.

I am not usually into murder mysteries but the description pulled me in and it was a delightful read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

The book is out on March 26.

I was a little hesitant to read this because I thought it might be too slow or cozy for me but I wound up loving it. The suspense and clues in each chapter kept me engaged. I loved learning about Great Aunt Frances through her diary entries and I felt like I was solving the mystery piece by piece along with the main character, Annie.

This book did everything it needed to as a murder mystery: I was intrigued by the plot, invested in finding the murderer, and ultimately unsuccessful in guessing whodunit, which is always a pleasant surprise. However, beyond the essential elements of a cozy mystery, I found this book sadly lacking. I did not have a problem with the slow pacing, but the characters were forgettable and I could not recall a single detail in the book that had moved me emotionally beyond intrigue a day after reading. This is not a bad book by any means—it is still certainly an enjoyable read. It just needed a little more to cross the line into being a memorable one.

What a fun read! The title and cover caught my attention and I was hooked within the first 10 pages. I liked the use of present timeline and flashbacks and really liked how it wrapped up at the end. It was a fun read that was also suspenseful and kept me guessing. I would definitely recommend this when it comes out.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

my rating: 3.5

How to Solve Your Own Murder elicits memories of sitting in my grandma's living room watching back-to-back episodes of some British murder mystery or another on a late Saturday afternoon: it's intriguing and yet a little boring at the same time, has likeable characters, and you can't put it down until you know whodunnit.

This book is an easy read and equally easy to pick up and set down for periods of time, which made it not a particularly quick read for me: fast when it was happening, but not very often—as someone that enjoys reading multiple books at once this quality was very much a pro.
I was also very intrigued by the dual timelines, each piece balancing out the other to create one cohesive, well-presented story.

I wish I had more experience with these kinds of books to know if everything came together much *too* easily or if that's just the standard for the cozy mystery genre.
Overall I enjoyed my time with this one though it didn't blow me away and I plan on checking out the next installment of the series if that ever materializes.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was an interesting read. I didn't love this book but I also didn't hate it. However, I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. I thought they were a little flat. I would consider trying another book by Kristen Perrin in the future, and I may even try this book again at some point.

Read if you like: Agatha Christie, Lucy Foley
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I enjoyed this twisty murder mystery of a young woman who has to solve a murder to inherit the family estate. It is the beginning of a series, but no cliffhangers here. There is a good-sized cast and some of the story is told in flashback (the Castle Knoll Files). It has a bit of a creep factor - the tale hinges on a fortune a teenage girl receives at a carnival and a couple of the characters are just a shade weird.

I found the story to be well-plotted. There are plenty of red herrings and plenty of secrets to make everyone a suspect. While I guessed at part of the truth, I didn't figure out the mystery before the big reveal at the end.

If you enjoy a good mystery, you'll like this one.

Family friendly, but some of the subject matter is inappropriate for younger readers (this is a murder mystery after all).

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton. I receive a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The mystery and pacing of this book were excellent. This is good because the writing was very juvenile, and I would have stopped reading, but the pacing kept me interested in reading what would happen next.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for my honest thoughts.

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!