2.5⭐️ This book was unbelievable.. but not always in a good way. Throughout the book I encountered situations, character traits and lines of dialogue that didn’t feel authentic, emphasized by the frustratingly nonchalant tone of the book. None of the characters — especially the police — went about the murder investigation with the protocol or level of seriousness you would expect and it pulled me out of the story a few times.

The sheer number of characters was overwhelming (I really needed a chart or index), and the story suffered from the majority of them written as all blatantly suspicious in a way that felt overdone.

Although this book didn’t resonate with me as much as I had hoped, I think a lot of readers will appreciate the Agatha Christie like setting, the story’s clever premise, and the page-turning twists and turns.

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

📚 How to Solve Your Own Murder 📚 by Kristen Perrin

Publication date 03/26/2024

I needed to break out of my romance era and read something a bit different. How To Solve Your Own Murder was a perfect choice 👌

Set in both the modern and 1960s English countryside, this read was interesting from the very beginning. Three teenage friends visit a local fair and visit a fortune-teller. The fortune given becomes an obsession for one of the teen girls and shapes the course of their collective lives forever. Fast forward to modern times, and their friends and family gather together, trying to piece together the girls' complicated history.

I found this book entertaining & intriguing. It's a perfect mystery without being too dark and heavy. I'm not always up for horror type mystery reads 😬 It's not overtly light either. The mystery definitely touches on themes of death, murder, and adult relationships. The cast of characters is woven together well, and the story moves along at a pleasing pace. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a good read but doesn't want something too heavy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶/5 for some non-detailed talk of sex
🤬/5 for light swearing occasionally

Thanks to Penguin Group Dutton for an early copy of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Group DUTTON, and Kristen Perrin for an advance copy of How to Solve Your Own Murder in exchange for an honest review. This was such a fun read and somewhat different then most mysteries I read! We find Annie heading to visit her great aunt after learning she has been included in her will. When she arrives, she ends up having to try to figure out who killed her aunt. The ironic part about this is that her aunt, Frances, believed she was going to be murdered based on a fortune she received as a teenager. It was fun to see Annie piece together clues and get to know the other suspects and characters in Castle Knoll. The ending did not end as I predicted and in fact was quite good. This is truly such a fantastic cozy and you can add it to your shelf on March 26th!

I love cozy mysteries, but this one missed the mark for me. The plot seemed a little too chaotic and because of this I had a hard time feeling invested in the story. There were also too many characters, in my opinion, which made it difficult to connect with any of them. I felt like we spent so little time with each of them that I didn’t get a feel for who each of them were.

I feel like a little more editing would have really helped this book to tighten things up a little bit and make them more cohesive. I’m sad this one didn’t work for me, but I’ll be keeping my eye out for future books from this author!

Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book!

British Cozy-ish Mystery in which a woman's summoned to a quaint English village to discuss changes to her reclusive great-aunt's will turns sleuth after finding her dead.

4/5 stars: This is a stand alone by Perrin which is a British Cozy-ish Mystery that features an out-of-work want-to-be writer who uses the excerpts of her great-aunt's diary entries from 1966 to sleuth out her killer. With plenty of twists and turns, Perrin has crafted a mystery that balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. I also really like how Perrin wove the 1966 cold case into the current day mystery of Annie's great-aunt's murder. Additionally, Perrin's character work is great; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain likable. Annie's floundering in her life but finds herself during her investigation into her great-aunt's death. While Frances is killed at the start of the book, you really get to know who she turned out to be be through her teenage diary entries. This book touches on some sensitive topics, so take care and check the CWs. I would love to read further adventures of Annie and the village of Castle Knoll, there are defiantly still mysteries to uncover.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

As an avid mystery reader, I really enjoyed this fun, fresh take on a murder mystery. I was immediately excited to read it when I saw the description about it being excellent for fans of Knives Out because that is my favorite movie.
The book does feature an eccentric cast of characters in a big, old house trying to get to the bottom of a murder. It is a fun read that does not take it self too seriously, and I look forward to checking out this author's next book.

A truly great mystery. I got really swept up in the story. It’s fast paced but not too fast for you to grow attached to the characters. I would absolutely read a sequel. My only small gripe are the cringey millennial neologisms every once in awhile. They feel jarring.

I usually hate the term “cozy mystery”, but it is fitting for this one. A cute little read in front of the fireplace.

While the premise was cute - a woman gets her fortune read when she’s 16 and spends the rest of her life trying to prove it wrong - the execution lacked for me. There were far too many characters to keep track of for a 300 page story, and I found myself bored due to extraneous details.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Charming, mysterious and captivating, I was hooked from the very beginning. This book had just enough suspense to keep the pages turning, but the pacing was also extremely well done. I enjoyed the past and present timelines and how the author planted enough bread crumbs along the way to keep the wheels turning, but did so without making anything too obvious.

I did find myself getting a little confused at times with the various characters and the dual timelines, but Perrin did a great job of providing enough context to remind me quickly of where we were in the story and who was who when it came to the characters. The setting was atmospheric, and I loved getting to know the cast of characters in this quaint little town.

There were also plenty of tense moments that had me on the edge of my seat, and I absolutely did not guess the ending! Overall, this was a quick and entertaining read for anyone who loves a good cozy, whodunit mystery, and I absolutely hope to read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for a complimentary copy of this novel!

Three friends in the mid 1960s – Rose, Frances, and Emily.
They are at a local county fair in Castle Knoll and Frances decides to get her fortune told. But what she is told is not what she expected to hear…her own demise at the hands of another person. So Frances devotes her life to trying to figure out who will be the one to murder her. Fast forward to present day 60 decades later. Annie, Frances’ great niece, is summoned by Frances to come meet her because Frances has changed her will to include Annie. A few other friends and relatives (all possible suspects) have been invited as well. But when they arrive for the meeting, Frances is lying dead on the floor. And her will is written in a way that is way more complex than any of them expected. Whoever solves the mystery of her death will inherit everything. As Annie uses Frances’ diary from 1965-1966 to read about her past to get clues to help her solve Frances’ murder, Annie realizes there is one more murder to be solved. Can Annie find both killers past and present before she herself becomes a third victim?

I truly enjoyed this novel!!! It was a very cozy, Agatha Christie style novel! I enjoyed the dual timelines alternating between Frances’ diary from the past and the present day where Annie works to solve her great aunt’s murder. I look forward to more books from this author. 5 stars for me.
AVAILABLE March 26, 2024

I devoured. “How to Solve your Own Murder” by Kristen Perrin (March 26, 2024). The story switches between 1965 when Frances Adams was a teenager, hanging out with her besties (Emily and Rose) and present day wherein Frances has been murdered, and her English country estate will be left to her great-niece (Annie Adams), her nephew, or a local land developer, depending upon who solves the murder first. As a teenager, Frances had received a cryptic message from a fortune teller, foretelling her death. Frances spends a lifetime trying to avoid anything that has to do with the message’s clues. Simultaneously she also has tried to solve the mysterious disappearance of her friend Emily, gone some 60 years. Through the use of France’s diary, Annie learns the secrets of Frances, Emily and Rose to assist her with solving her great-aunt’s death, and in the process also solving the Emily mystery. Many interesting characters, plot twists, and adventure.

Oh man did I love this!!!

This is your classic mystery that leaves you awake at night reading because you need to know what happens next. Very modern day Agatha Christie-esque. It oozes with charm. Set in a cozy village town with a cast of characters that leave you guessing at every turn, How to Solve Your Own Murder, brought an exciting thrill to the table as you try to solve the mystery. Being transported to the 1960s as we learn about Frances story was really fun and I couldn't decide if I like her chapters or Annie's more. Both left me wanting more as I was reading, so simply put I loved it all. Annie was a great MC and is someone I would want to be friends with. I am thrilled that this is just the beginning of a series and I cannot wait until the next mystery is afoot in Castle Knoll.


Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! First, the premise…so clever. And second it was a classic whodunit, which I love! When I read the synopsis, I was curious as to how the story would be told. Because how does one solve their murder once they are already dead? But the storyline is well-done and leads you right where you need to go.

The story has a slew of interesting characters (almost a little hard to keep track of at times), but the author subtly gives reminders that help you remember (which I appreciated).

I also enjoyed this book because it was a murder mystery without feeling too heavy (like a thriller). It was an easy read and cozy to cuddle up with during winter weather, however I can definitely see reading this out in the sunshine - beach, pool, vacation, backyard…all of the above!

Thank you NetGalley, Kristen Perrin, Penguin Group Dutton for letting me read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. It was a wonderful read and I don’t regret a single page!

Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton for the eARC! This was such an enjoyable, simple, and gripping read! The entire novel was full of turns and twists that kept me engaged the entire time. Because there were so many people, it was difficult to figure out who had been murdered until the big reveal. Even after Frances passed away, Annie's growing devotion to her was sweet, and she was such a fascinating detective. I definitely recommend this as a fun, cozy fall read!

This was a fun good old fashioned mystery and honestly that was such a breath of fresh air. So often the thriller/mystery category promises a mystery and I'm left thinking "ok...but...where was the mystery?" This book had not one but two mysteries and both were really intriguing!

I'm an absolute sucker for a murder in a English country manor nestled in a quaint village with secrets so this setting was right up my street. The character work was good, although there were a lot of characters involved with multi-generational ties so those were a little hard to keep track of. I loved the inclusion of France's diary to drive the second timeline. Often when I'm reading two timelines I always find myself vastly preferring one over the other but I thought both worked really well together. While I did solve the mysteries pretty early on I still thought the story was well crafted enough that I didn't mind. There's nothing worse than solving the mystery early on in the book, hating the solution and hoping you are wrong, but then of course you aren't wrong. I found the conclusion on this one satisfying.

It looks like this may be a series but I was pretty happy with this as a standalone so I'm not sure I will continue on. I don't know if I'm invested enough in the characters of Castle Knoll to need to read more but I was happy to have read this one and highly recommend if you are looking for a classic feeling mystery in your reading life!

* Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for the ARC!

Great Aunt Frances was a paranoid wreck ever since she got her fortune read at 16 years old saying that her demise would be her getting murdered. Since then, she’s put in the work to solve a crime that has yet to be committed.

When Annie is summoned to Castle Knoll for the reading of her Great Aunt Frances’s will, she becomes looped into a huge murder mystery with Great Aunt Frances in the center of it all. Without having met her, she discovers her aunt’s diaries that reveal everything that allows her to piece everything together.

This book started off strong, in my opinion. I was highly interested to get to know each character to try and sum up who exactly did it. However, I felt like as the story progressed, I began to lose interest.

Not only were there too many characters for me to keep up with, but I wondered how relevant they were to the plot. The detective and his line of family had me disinterested, along with Miyuki and Beth. There was just too much going on, but I see what the author did to have it really truly be a mystery up until the very end.

I feel like the story could’ve also been at least 50 pages shorter. I just feel like there were subplots that didn’t really need to exist.

Overall, I think it was still a fun story. I really liked getting to know Frances through all of the research, I feel like these parts were well written. I enjoyed reading about the past and how it linked to current day. It just added a different dynamic to the story that kept me interested.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

.𝚎𝚌𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚌.𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍.𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚊𝚕.𝚜𝚞𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕.

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

Sixty years after a chilling prophecy at a carnival, Frances Adams is found dead in her sprawling mansion. Enter Annie, her niece, summoned to untangle the web of secrets shrouding the murder. With a hefty inheritance on the line, Annie must crack the case, navigating a labyrinth of family drama, juicy scandals, and enough red herrings to fill a tackle box. "How to Solve Your Own Murder" is a dual-timeline, delectable Agatha Christie-inspired treat, sure to keep you guessing until the very last twist.

I really enjoyed the characters in Perrin's latest novel, particularly Frances. Her eclectic nature resonated with me, and I felt a strong connection to the intricate layers of her personality. Throughout the story, we meet a diverse array of characters, each authentically themselves in a way that blurs the line between fiction and reality. Perrin weaves together the dual-timeline so seamlessly that it enriches the story with added depth that would have been hard to draw from Annie's account alone.

𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝙿𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚞𝚒𝚗 𝙳𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙽𝚎𝚝𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢.

4.25 🌟

Such a fun mystery!

I enjoyed this book so much! I loved the dual time-line and reading Frances' diary to piece together what happened during the teenage years. While I wouldn't describe this as a complete cozy mystery, it did capture me from almost the first page.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

What a fun read this was! Ok, as much fun as solving a murder can be!
It's 1965 and teenage Frances has just had her fortune told. It isn't good; One day she'll be murdered! Frances spends the next 60 years trying to figure out who will betray her. And when she finally does succumb to the prediction made so long ago, it's up to her great niece to find her killer. She'll have to wade thru all the evidence that her great aunt has collected throughout the years which is no easy task.
I loved the writing, loved the characters (although I did have at first a hard time keeping them all straight!!) and loved the mystery. Had me guessing til the very end!

Mystery and friends with history! I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns this book took. The context itself was appealing in that entertaining way - whimsical with the books title, of "solving your own murder." Frances is my favorite, as she sets the tone through her diary entries from the late 60's. Based on a terrible fortune Frances receives from a carnival fortune teller, she navigates her whole life picking a part the pieces of her future murder. The mystery of the book kicks in within the first few chapters that leaves you wanting more and more. Then enters Annie, inspiring thriller novelist, but not quite, appointed in her Great Aunt Frances will, is summoned to a meeting, only it's not what Annie is expecting, not at all.

While I loved the story line, I did have a hard time connecting with Annie, the main character. She's an aspiring thriller mystery novelist, but the way she showed up in the book suggested otherwise. At times, she seemed weak which gave me pause to her credibility. It took most of the book for me to respect her and trust that she was smarter than she laid out to be early on. The ending. What a twist!

I'm giving this book 3.5 stars, as I do think there are areas the author needs to clean up.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me early access to this book in exchange for my honest review.