ARC thanks to NetGalley.

A murder mystery in a small town where everyone knows everyone. Frances has her fortune read in 1965 and spends the next 60 years expecting her murder.

I enjoy multiple timelines and learning things about the mystery from multiple perspectives, Anne in the present and Frances in the 60s.

I liked the writing and the who-done-it atmosphere. Trying to guess who the killer was then adding in another murder. At times could be a little confusing with so many character in play in the 2 timelines.

What an interesting premise to this book. Frances wholeheartedly believes the fortune teller’s prediction of her murder and devotes her life to proving its validity. After her death, she passes the responsibility to her great niece Annie. Annie is soon wrapped up in the “game” of unearthing secrets and figuring out the truth.

I love that Annie was learning about her late great aunt through Frances’ handwritten diary and old photos. She is determined and motivated by justice, not winning the inheritance. She has a pure heart, mirroring Frances in her youth.

The story was entertaining, even though I did guess some of the twists. The characters were intriguing and I loved trying to make all the connections as the story unfolded.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a fun, fresh take on the cozy mystery genre pushing the traditional amateur sleuth meets real-life murder beyond fresh baked goods and bookstore settings. I love this recent trend, lending the cozies to a slightly more realistic feel.

In this story, we meet Annie an aspiring mystery writer who through a series of accidental events finds herself traveling to the English countryside to meet a long lost relative. However, upon arrival said relative shows up – dead. And so, the sleuthing begins.

With well-executed dual timelines, a large cast of characters - both likable and unlikable – a somewhat creepy English manor and some excellent deduction that is capably explained on the page, this book really delivered.
For those that like their cozies with a dash of edge, this will be a perfect choice.

Thank you to the Penguin Group and Kristen Perrin for an advanced reader copy of this book.

A solid Five Stars. If you're a fan of MC Beaton and Richard Osman, you'll want to snatch this up on release date and not put it down until the last, satisfying page. There's family secrets, drama, intrigue and a fair bit of humor. I loved the multiple suspect angle and honestly couldn't deduce who the criminal was which is rare and refreshing. A wonderful cozy mystery with a lot going for it. On release date, I'll be buying a few copies on release date to send to my relatives as this is exactly the sort of read they gobble up

Annie Adams isn’t close to her extended family as there is so little. So it was a surprise to be notified she is being summoned to meet her great aunt Francis. Francis has changed her will to make Annie her heir. Unfortunately it’s not so cut and dry. Over fifty years ago Francis’ friend, Emily, disappeared leaving Francis trying to solve the decades old mystery. Francis is also convinced she herself will be murdered based on a fortune teller’s prediction from her teenage years. Unfortunately Francis has been making progress, as she is found murdered in her kitchen. Now Annie must solve the murders before she too becomes a target.

This book was so good! I was hooked from start to finish. I loved the way this author was able to fully grasp my attention and didn’t let go

I’m glad to see this listed as “Castle Knoll Files #1” and look forward to reading future books in this series. I enjoyed the characters and their interconnectedness. As with pretty much every mystery novel I have read, I did not correctly guess whodunnit.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I tend to avoid cozy mysteries but this is the kind I can get into. I would categorize How to Solve Your Own Murder as a cozy-spicy mystery.

Annie goes to Castle Knoll after she received a letter regarding her great aunt's estate. She's never met the woman and doesn't know why she wants Annie to inherit everything. Once there, the body of Great-Aunt Francis is discovered in her home. Her will stipulates that if Annie solves her murder, she gets everything. But Annie is not the only one who could solve it and take all.

So it becomes a race against time, Annie has to figure out who wanted Francis dead more. She mainly depends on a journal Francis kept in the 60s. It's all about her and her bored friends stuck in a small village. Annie only reads it in bits and pieces and decides on various people's guilt based on the feelings and motivations she's attached to all these strangers.

It's a solid three stars, I liked it. But it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I agree with others that the premise is good but the execution.. It's mostly my personal preference I'm sure. And since it's a series there's opportunity to really get to know Annie and the other villagers better.

Thank you Dutton and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

This was so enjoyable. I was hooked the entire time and had no idea who the killer was. The characters were interesting and the storytelling through the present day narrative and the diary entries kept the mystery moving. I wish there was a little bit more to flesh out Saxon and Ford, who were my favorite characters. I didn't really get the sense of the 'games' they were infamous for.

Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

A double murder mystery set outside of London in Castle Knoll with a Clue/Sherlock Holmes vibe. In 1965, Frances receives a haunting fortune detailing that she will be murdered. Frances spends her days living strictly by this fortune and is quite paranoid everyone is out to murder her. 60 years later, Frances is found murdered in her estate, just days after changing her will.

Everyone in the town is shocked that Frances' prophecy came true - and now it is up to Annie to solve the mystery of who killed Great Aunt Frances. When another cold case is re-opened, Annie knows the murders are connected.

Strong character development, great characters you love to hate, and a solid plot, there is a lot to love about "How to Solve Your Own Murder".

4.5⭐️ I debated rounding up or down, and ended up going with a 4. I enjoyed this book! I could not put it down. I was obsessed. It literally consumed my brain/thoughts. I loved the characters. I loved the way the plot was structured and unfolded. This book had so many layers, but it worked. The amount of characters and jammed pack twists and tidbits of info would normally be overwhelming, but I thought this story and this author managed it very well and was able to weave a beautiful tale. I recently read The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins, and this book gave me the same energy in different ways. They both were generational mysteries that took place in an estate. The Heiress gave 🖤🔪mystery🥀🐍 but this gave ✨🕵🏻‍♀️mystery 🌈🔮 and I’m here for it. I love the range within this genre and wanted to compare since they did remind me of the other! The reason this wasn’t a 5 star for me was because I felt like this was missing something. For me, it didn’t have a spark or pizzazz. It was missing that “IT” factor and I can’t describe it. I rapidly tore through this book and when I finished, I felt like ‘that was it?’. I just felt a slight sense of deflation and I can’t explain. It looks like this will be a series and I will definitely be waiting for this second book! So good! So jammed packed with twists! Loved the characters! Loved the vibes and I am here for ALL of the secrets!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Penguin Group Dutton, for this enthralling and tantalizing ARC!

Oh I LOVED this, and I highly highly recommend. Cozy, funny, twisting whodunnit about a young writer who gets pulled into investigating her great-aunt's murder - the same great-aunt who has been predicting her own murder for the last 40 years. The narrative switched between the current investigation and the great-aunt's diary, which split up the book nicely. My only complaint is that the cast of characters may have been a bit too large - at times, I had to rack my brain to remember who was suspected of what or why they were relevant at all. That may also stem from my abysmal reading comprehension post-law school reading, but I digress. Could definitely see this expanding into a series, and I hope it does!

This book had an interesting premise. How do you solve your own murder? Frances tries, but her great niece Annie, ends up vowing to solve the mystery. This book put me in mind of old timey mystery novels. Quite enjoyable.

If you like your mysteries with a little humor, this book's for you. "How did she do that?" I kept muttering to myself. I want to reread to see what clues I missed the first time around. Cheers to the author for a great title and premise and characters. Great who-dun-it.

Publication date: March 26th, 2024
Page count: 300
Genre: cozy murder mystery
Setting: small town in England

Unique premise. Annie solves the murder of her great aunt, who has spent the last 60 years anticipating and try to avoid this murder. Creatively woven story. Found it difficult to keep track of the large cast of characters. Found characters to not have much depth.

Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

This book WAS SO GOOD! I literally devoured it in two days and could not stop reading. My favorite kind of book is one that you can't put down, and this was exactly that for me!

The characters were well flushed out and were so easy to picture in my mind. Each character had a unique voice that was distinct and well written. The mystery behind the plot was intriguing and kept my attention nicely. The author gave little hints and clues in a way that kept me investigating, but still blindsided me with the ending. The alternating timelines within the story kept up the suspense and made me fly through the pages!

Highly recommend for anyone who likes cozy mysteries, loves solving puzzles, and like old-fashioned crime stories! Can't wait to see what this author does next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kristen Perrin, and Dutton for this complimentary Advanced Reader's Copy.

At once a very traditional mystery but also with a unique premise. Three teenage girls attend a village fair in the 1960s and one receives a fortune that she will be murdered.. She takes it seriously and spends the next 60 years trying to solve a murder that hasn’t taken place. ALAS, she is murdered in the present day and her great niece gets pulled into investigating the murder – helped by her aunts files, notes, list of suspects… If you like a cozy English village mystery but turned on its head this is for you.

I greatly enjoyed this whodunit with a twist, that being that the murder victim left behind clues in all her research into figuring out who was going to kill her!

Annie Adams finds herself written into her Great Aunt Frances' will without ever having met the woman, but then almost immediately Frances winds up murdered, just as a fortune teller told her she would be when she was seventeen years old. Her recently revised will stipulates that Annie and one other relative must compete to figure out who murdered her; whoever wins, gets the entire inheritance. If neither solves the crime by the end of a week's time, then the estate goes to property developers who will likely turn it into a county club and golf course.

While investigating, Annie also reads through her great Aunt's journal from the time when her (mis)fortune was originally told. In its pages, she meets the teenage versions of many of the same villagers she is just meeting in person, a whole cast of characters in an idyllic English village.

I did have to suspend my disbelief a bit when some parts of the mystery were too far-fetched, but I was having enough fun that I didn't mind doing that. I was kept flipping pages to find out what had happened! It keeps you guessing right up until the end. I do wish we delved a little deeper into some of these characters, but I can see how that would be a challenge with first person narration.

Overall this was a fun read. Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have posted it on Goodreads, but will wait until the publication date to post to my blog and Bookstagram.

Thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for an ARC.

I sorta liked this story ... and I sorta didn't like this story ... in the beginning, so many characters were introduced that it became confusing ... and, although I finished the book, when I did pause for interruptions, I wasn't chomping at the bit to rush back to it. About halfway through, when all the characters made sense, it became more interesting. But I still felt "something" was missing -- that spark that drives you to stay up all night for just one more chapter.

All in all, it's a 3-star.

Decades after a fortune teller warned Frances that she would be murdered, she summons her aspiring mystery writer niece, Annie, to her home. Annie arrives expecting to meet her eccentric aunt for the first time only to find her murdered. The story moves quickly with Annie growing stronger as she searches for the murderer. Reading this felt like I was watching an episode of Midsomer Murders with a female detective. Fun!