Three teenagers visit a fortune teller in a small English town in 1965. The fortune that Frances gets seems to predict her murder. She spends the rest of her life trying to understand and stop it from happening.

Decades pass, and Frances summons her great niece Annie, whom she has never met, to a meeting concerning recent changes made to her will. But when everyone arrives at Frances's estate, they discover her dead body.

The story alternates between passages of Frances's diary written in the 1960s and Annie trying to figure out what happened in modern times. Dual timelines don't always work for me but since these are diary entries, it was very easy to stay focused and keep things straight. The story moves quickly and there are characters both likeable and unlikeable. I enjoyed the fact that Annie was not a perfect heroine, and it wasn't easy to figure out exactly what had happened. I look forward to reading more from Kristen Perrin.

I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the opportunity.

A quaint murder mystery with dual timelines that manage, in a rare feat, to be equally entertaining.
Kristen Perrin's How to Solve Your Own Murder feels like a modern take on an Agatha Christie novel, set in a small town, with busybody characters who all seem to know each other and have potential motives for murdering the busybody-est of all, Frances. The American-Londoner does a solid job painting a thoroughly British milieu, from the drafty Gravesdown to the overall coziness of the tone. It's a bit more complex than your average closed-door mystery, but it really feels like the kind of book you curl up with, alongside a fireplace and a hot tea (or cocoa). Drawing a comparison to Knives Out doesn't do this book any favors, as it sets expectations for punchy pacing and humor that this doesn't meet-- and not so much out of a disparity in quality as a drastically different tone and aim altogether. This book is understated, with a more classic feel, rather than flashy and thrilling. While I'm not an avid reader of the genre, I would say it more closely resembles The Maid by Nita Prose (which is a high compliment, as I loved that book).
Although this doesn't necessarily have you on the edge of your seat, it does a good job keeping the mystery afoot until the very end-- and I really liked that there were two mysteries going on at once. The device of solving one murder to solve another is Perrin's most clever, and is what kept me sailing right along through the narrative. Not only did the author do a good job interweaving the stories, but she also handily navigated the issue that plagues so many of these dual-timelines-by-way-of-a-diary stories, which is that the material must somehow be drawn out for the present-day character, despite the fact that anyone in their right mind would likely consume it in a single sitting. Overall, I found this to be a charming read and would recommend it to lovers of the genre.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group for this ARC! This book is fabulous! The characters are intriguing and mysterious. The storyline is new. And plot twist had me guessing! Great book! Shared on my Goodreads and Social Media Accounts including X

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 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.

Remember this because if you're Frances Adams you're going to spend your whole adult life trying to figure out this riddle you received from a fortune teller at 17 years old in 1965. Fast forward 60 years and we meet Frances' great niece, Annie, who has been summoned to meet her estranged great aunt after she has deceided that Annie is the "chosen daughter." Only upon her arrival at the grandiose Gravesdown estate, the 60 year old fortune has come true- Aunt Frances was murdered in her own home. Now Annie must solve the mystery of Great Aunt Frances' murder Frances spent 60 years trying to prevent as well as an unsolved missing persons case from almost must as long ago that has deep roots in the Adams-Gravesdown Family

Overall, I found the book enjoyable but it did take some time for it to find its footing, hence why it took me about a month and half to finish reading it, but once it did, very enjoyable to read while still being relaxed and not too serious. I did feel that there was a lot of unnecessary characters that weren't super important in the end and could've been combined character just to make it easier for the reader to keep everyone straight. The final reveal was unexpected while still staying in the vein of "cozy-mystery." I am interested to see what else Kristen Perrin writes but I'm a bit worried that this type of "cozy-mystery" is becoming very saturated and frequently written so I hope this series doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

An enjoyable cozy mystery full of drama and suspense. A plot centered story around the murder of Great Aunt Frances who has been obsessed with her own predicted murder by a fortune teller when she was seventeen years old. This book had an abundance of characters which made it a bit hard to follow and never felt the characters were fully developed. I enjoyed the puzzle of the creepy fortune and the whole "who done it" mystery surrounding the murders. I just wanted more from the key characters such as the friendship between the girls back in the 1960's to better understand the motivations of certain characters. The story has an alternating time line between present day told through the POV of the main character, Annie, the great niece, an old diary of Great Aunt Frances. I just didn't feel like the alternating time lines worked and there was not enough crumbs spread out to figure out the murderer as well as too many red herrings to throw you off track with so many characters. Enjoyable read just not my favorite cozy mystery ever.

Frances was at the fair in 1965 when she’s given her fortune that she is going to be murdered. From that point on, she spends her life trying to figure out who is going to murder her. Frances’ great niece Annie is summoned to Gravesdown Hall by Frances’ attorney, Walt Gordon, for a discussion on Frances’ will. When she arrives, they find great aunt Frances has been murdered, her fortune has actually come true! Now, Annie is working against the clock to try and solve her murder so she can inherit Frances’ fortune which includes the house she and her mother live in.
I became so obsessed myself with figuring out who killed Frances, I just could not put this book down! I fell in love with Frances from reading her diary entries and just kept hoping Annie would figure it all out. I enjoyed going back and forth between the past and present, and seeing how the characters portrayed in the present evolved over time. Most of the characters were well developed, even though some of them weren’t very likable. And Gravesdown Hall was so well described, I felt like I was staying there for a bit, and I loved it!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for this ARC!

This story was a lot of fun - lovers of the cozy mystery genre will definitely eat it up.

Did not really enjoy . I did enjoy knives out as well as glass onion and its not the plot that is throwing me off its 100% the execution. and I did not enjoy over all

Read this book if you like Knives Out or The Inheritance Games. This was quite a messy and entertaining who done it. Adding in Frances’s diaries as a second point of view was a great literary device. I found myself being really annoyed with Annie’s lack of urgency though. I felt at times like she wasn’t even trying to solve the murder. She was just in her room reading diaries being terrorized by multiple murder suspects.

One glaring issue for me was that full names of characters were used far too many times. There were a lot of characters but not too many that I ever got so confused about who was who that I needed their full names repeated to me ad nauseam. If I had to read “great aunt Frances” one more time, I was going to throw my kindle across the house. That being said, I really enjoyed this book!

One of my favorite crime novels of the year. With the colorful warmth of Knives Out and The Glass Onion, this novel brings the chronology approach of a Cold Case episode. This book is well-written and intriguing from the first page. Despite my many guesses, I was wrong as to the conclusion and plot twists, which rarely happens.

As a teenager, Frances Adams had her life changed forever when a fortune teller predicted that she would be murdered. She then spent her entire life trying to figure out who was going to murder her. In the present, Annie Adams, her great-niece gets called to her great-aunt's country home to discuss the recently updated will which now includes Amy. But before the meeting can take place, Great Aunt Frances is found murdered.

What follows is an entertaining mystery. Annie is our main character, and she is delightful. Needing to solve her aunt's murder to inherit gives her a lot of incentive to figure out who would have wanted Frances dead. There is an abundance of suspects as Frances has spent her life as a bit of a busybody, which has not ingratiated her with the town. This town has more than its fair share of secrets too. The story moves along quickly, and I enjoyed the feeling of urgency. The past is revealed through Frances's journal, which Amy uses throughout, as this plays an important part in the story. The story is written in a way that immersed me in the narrative from the very start.

I enjoyed How to Solve Your Own Murder and with so many interesting characters, this small-town mystery series is off to a great start.

Thank you, NetGalley, Dutton Books, and Penguin Random House Audio for the opportunity to enjoy this book in advance in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so crazy good! I didn't really know what to expect going in but I was hooked so quickly. Everything about it was everything I love in a thriller and the ending was so fantastic

THIS WAS AMAZING! When a french woman is read her fortune she tries her might to never get murdered and never be placed in a compromising scenario. When her death does happen, her niece is on the case. I had a lot of fun reading this!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was originally lured in by the quirky cover design, but stayed for the fantastic story! How to Solve Your Own Murder lives up to the Knives Out comparisons. Annie Adams is summoned to Castle Knoll to meet her Great Aunt Frances who has decided to suddenly change her will. Frances has spent her life trying to figure out who was going to kill her because of a fortune she received when she was seventeen. When Annie arrives to Frances' estate she discovers Frances' body and the mystery ensues.

This was a great handling of back and forth timelines to figure out both mysteries from the past as well as who the killer was in the present. The pacing was really well done and the overall story telling was engaging. I'm not a huge traditional mystery fan, but this one kept me entertained the entire way.

In "How to Solve Your Own Murder," you'll find a delightful mix of characters and a captivating double murder mystery. Although it's not a cozy, there are a few swear words and one non-explicit sexual encounter. The story is told in two different timelines: the present, where Annie Adams is trying to uncover her Great-Aunt Frances's recent murder, and the 1960s, where the story takes place, following Frances's teenage years when her close friend disappeared under unusual circumstances. I found Frances's backstory more interesting than Annie's, and I enjoyed how Annie learned about her late great-aunt through Frances' diary and old pictures. Annie is motivated by justice rather than inheritance, and her pure heart mirrors that of Frances in her youth. This murder mystery is compelling, evoking memories of Agatha Christie and the spooky homes and chauffeurs from the Clue game. Perrin does an outstanding job of vividly describing the area, creating an almost gothic ambiance. The vast cast of characters can be challenging to keep up with, but it also means there are plenty of potential suspects, making it difficult to identify the true culprit. This was four of five strong stars for me!

I love this book! If you’re looking for a haunting mystery with no gore and lots of heart, put this one on your TBR list.

The story centers around Annie, whose great-aunt Frances spent her whole life trying to outsmart a fortune she was given as a teenager that she’d be murdered. When she does end up dead, Annie has to unravel a whole town’s worth of secrets and lies to solve the mystery.

The story is told in the present-day with Annie and in the 1960s through Frances’ journal. The characters are deep, the setting is interesting, and everyone is hiding something. I don’t know how Kristen Perrin did it, but I found this story remarkable creepy and fun. I’ll definitely be reading her next one.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

2.75/5

The synopsis of this book and the comparison to Knives Out had me thinking this would be a quirky, fast paced read. The dual timelines helped with me getting through the book, but mostly because I wanted to get back to young Frances. I was devouring those chapters - I wanna be sneaking onto estates with my silly friends doing silly things (minus the murder part).

I felt no type of way towards any of the characters or really any of the plot. There not only were so many characters, but a majority of them felt so undeveloped that it was so hard to keep track of who’s who. I love a small town vibe but everyone being related to or having dated someone else had me so confused on the dynamic between any two characters. This book left me with the most neutral feeling - I feel nothings towards any character of anything that happened, because of the lack of connection to almost everything in the book.

And as someone who can never guess the twist in the book, I couldn’t even guess this one when it was “supposedly” laid out right in front of me. Overall, I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it!

4.5 stars

Annie, a 25-year-old aspiring mystery writer in London, has just received a letter summoning her to the small town of Castle Knoll to meet her Great Aunt Frances for the first time. Frances is eccentric and has just amended her will to leave everything to Annie, despite their lack of relationship. But when Annie and the other attendees of the meeting arrive, Frances is dead, and has left behind a massive murder board, red string included, centering on this very case. It turns out, in 1965 at age 17, Frances was told by a fortune teller that she would be murdered and spent the rest of her life preparing for this inevitability.

Annie is determined to solve the case, but it turns out that this small town is full of secrets, and that Frances was at the center of more than one. It's almost impossible to tell which threads of this massive web were the ones that killed her in the end. But Annie finds a diary written by 17-year-old Frances that tells the story of some of her earliest secrets, and as Annie gets to know her aunt through her past while trying to make sense of the present, things start to come together in a way she didn't expect, leaving her trying to solve two cases instead of one.

I am a sucker for dual timelines, and found Frances' diary entries very compelling---I'd read a whole book about the 1965 gang getting into mischief. I loved that I was reading them at the same time Annie was, so that once the book was back in the present time I got Annie's reflections on the things I'd just read as well. It was kind of like a little meta book club. I didn't predict the whodunnit, and was satisfied with that twist, but wish we'd gotten more information about the logistics and what happened after the 1965 case that led Frances to live the life she did. But I also understand that part of the story was how things rarely wrap up in a perfect bow.

I really liked Annie, but Frances was my favorite. She was very self-possessed and intelligent, and the author did a great job of giving her the mystique we lend to victims while also making her a realistically flawed and biased character. There were some plotlines that didn't get fully wrapped up, like Annie's writing and potential romance, but I see that this book is listed as book 1 in The Castle Knoll Files, so I'm hopeful that more books in this world will continue those storylines, and will definitely check them out! Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

cozy mystery vibes, agatha christie-esque

while this is typically a type of read i really enjoy, this one didn’t quite land for me

there’s a huge amount of characters that didn’t have many distinguishing features so i could barely most of them straight. i wish that the very small hint at a potential romance had been fleshed out.

the 1960s flashbacks via diary entries were fun

the premise was more promising than the execution but this wasn’t a bad read by any means

thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

"How to solve your own murder" is a small-town thriller written by the brilliant Kristen Perrin.
From the first page you are captivated by the story, the writing is smooth and pleasant, a truly enjoyable read.
The story is divided into two different timelines, we have the present time with Annie, and the sixties, with Frances' diaries.
We manage to capture the essence of that period thanks to Frances' stories. She is convinced that she will be killed, and this is why
pushes her to invite Annie to her house, to solve her own murder.
The real protagonist is Annie Adams, Frances's niece. When Annie receives an invitation from her great-aunt, first she hesitates
and she is tempted to refuse it, but then taken by curiosity, she decides to visit her.
This is where we get to the heart of the story.
Frances is dead.
What happened? Did she die of natural causes? Was she killed? And if so, by whom?
Everyone has a secret, we have lots of suspects, but who did it?
While reading I had some suspicions, valid or not, and in the end I was wrong about the culprit. Nice Shot!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me with the digital copy, in exchange for my honest review.
Ps i just found out this book has become a series. Give me the second one now!