**Thanks to NetCalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this title in exchange for a fair and honest review**

This was a fun read. Lots of twists and turns as the reader tries to solve the murder of Great Aunt Frances along with the disappearance of a friend from Frances' past.

Are the 2 mysteries linked? What do they have to do with the fortune Frances received as a teenager? Who can be trusted to play fair when a large inheritance is at stake?

Truly, this book was an absolute pleasure. The premise (granddaughter needs to solve a decades old murder and a current one in a week’s time to prevent a creep and a developer from inheriting a large estate) is fun, but this book still exceeded expectations. It had a bit of Knives Out energy and I can’t wait to read more by Kristen Perrin. Such a fun book!!!

This book was so much fun to read! It’s a perfect modern day cozy mystery that deserves a place right next to Agatha Christie on the shelf.
The title alone is original and intriguing.
In 1965 Frances Adams visits a county fair with her two best friends when she gets told by a fortune teller that she will one day be murdered. This sets Frances on a winding path for the next sixty years of trying to solve her own murder before it occurs.
In present day, Annie Adams, the great niece of Frances, is summoned to her wealthy estate to discuss changes to Frances’ last will and testament. But by the time the meeting is about to occur, Frances is found murdered. Preparing for this her whole life, Frances’ will says that Annie has one week to solve her murder using the clues Frances has left on who she suspects killed her or she will lose the inheritance and sell off her sprawling estate to a property developer, which in turn, would destroy the small cozy town of Castle Knoll.
As Annie dives into solving this mystery, she can’t help but wonder if instead of inheriting her estate if she’ll instead share in the same demise as her Great Aunt.

This is a dual timeline cozy mystery in which Annie Adams must solve the murder of her Great Aunt Francis in order to receive her inheritance.

The title, cover, and description made me want to read this book. The statement that it was for fans of The Thursday Murder Club totally drew me in. While the writing was solid, this book could not keep me engaged. There were too many characters doing too many things, and I found myself not caring about any of them. There was too much unnecessary description in the narrative for my taste. I am sure many readers will enjoy this book. Sadly, I am not one of them.

Thank you, Penguin Group Dutton and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. The comments expressed are my own.
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3.75 stars

I worried at first that this would be too much looking back at angsty high school stuff, but I was soon drawn right in. The story alternates present time and looking back to 1966. The main character Annie has (sort of) been named a beneficiary of her great aunt's will and is summoned to a meeting with the still-living aunt, other family and the lawyers. But when they arrive, they discover the aunt's body, and she did not die a natural death. The creepy part is that a fortune teller told her when she was a teen that she would be murdered and she spent her life trying to piece that out and doing strange little investigations.

The plot really revolves around a very close friendship between the aunt, Frances, and her two best friends Emily and Rose. There are guys involved too, and other family members, and things get complex from there. Annie is obliged under the circumstances of the will to try and solve her aunt's murder in order to inherit and she moves right in and starts poking around.

The alternating chapters work well and the story gains momentum as you get further into it. Annie is an interesting character, and Aunt Frances, though dead, comes to life for us through her journal. A very good read with some great characterizations. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was such a fun mystery to follow along!

The book is set in two different perspectives - Annie Adams, an aspiring writer, and her great aunt Frances. The book goes between Frances' diary of past events, starting with her chilling fortune reading at a county fair. The fortune teller predicts her death and sets Frances on the path of obsession. She spends her entire life planning for her own murder, compiling tons of information on those closest to her. Upon her murder, Annie sets out to solve the mystery of Frances death and vows to get justice for her great aunt.

I loved the alternating perspectives and how the mystery unfolded as Annie digs into the town's secrets as she reads through Frances's diary. It was such an interesting concept for a book, giving me all the Clue game vibes. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but overall I really enjoyed following Annie along as she unraveled the mystery of her great aunt Frances' murder.

3.7/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for offering me my first ARC, I really enjoyed it! It reminded me of the game clue & kept me guessing until the end!

What a unique premise! It’s refreshing to come across a plot you’ve never read before. This book was filled with the perfect amount of suspense and humor. I look forward to reading more from this author.

A charming murder-mystery set in an English village. This book is a low-effort mystery, as Annie (MC) connects all the dots for you, spelling everything out along the way. It's a cozy mystery for sure. Personally, I prefer mysteries that make my brain work a bit harder, but there’s a respectable place for easy-reading books too!

Unfortunately, I found most of the characters to lack dimension. Frances and Ford were the most complex characters and I couldn't get enough of them. Frances’s journal entries from the '60’s were by far my favorite part, probably because I craved the character development they offered that the present-tense chapters lacked. I found myself eager to get to the next journal chapter each time one ended. I would have loved to read an entire book of just Frances’s teenage exploits, or a book focusing on Ford.

I can’t say I’m a particularly big fan of the way this story went, namely of the way Annie handled her investigation and of all the sneaky corruption in the village. I also struggled to get past the clunkiness of the writing on several occasions. It’s an interesting concept and plot, that I wish had been told with a bit more tact.

This book did wrap itself up nicely, tying everything in a ribbon bow. The book isn't without its flaws, but I do think it'd make a good casual reading book for a rainy day spent indoors.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. This book was entertaining and had me guessing who did it the whole time. My one criticism would be that there were so many characters and so many different types of relationships between them that I was often confused and it took me a couple of minutes to get it all straightened out in my head, every time I picked the book back up. Maybe a cast of characters page at the beginning of the book would be helpful in the published version.
It looks like it's going to be a series and I'm excited for the next one !

SUMMARY:
Annie Adams learns she's been updated to be the sole heir to her Great Aunt Frances's estate. Great Aunt Frances has been known to be a little weird as she's been obsessed with a fortune she was given at 17. Annie has never met Frances but lives at the Chelsea house with her mom, at her Great Aunt's kindness. She's summoned to Castle Knoll to meet Great Aunt Frances for the first time and go over why the will has been changed. Upon arrival, Great Aunt Frances is murdered and Annie is tasked to solve it before others if she wants to keep the inheritance.

WHAT I LIKED & DISLIKED ABOUT IT:
This read like the movie Clue for me. The right amount of cheesiness where it's not too cheesy but it's an ode to old-school murder mystery radio shows. I actually really liked the dual timelines where we get a perspective from teenage Great Aunt Frances. This was a fun and cozy read! I don't read a lot of mysteries and thrillers but I'm starting to become a fan. It looks like this is the first of a series and I'm looking for to the next.

RECOMMENDATION:
If you like cozy mysteries and that old-school murder mystery vibes mixed with modern fun, I think you'll enjoy this. This isn't a mystery with a bunch of twists and suspenseful but thoroughly enjoyable.

This is a tough one to rate. It's a solid cozy mystery that's pretty fun so long as you don't think about any of it, at all.

“How to Solve Your Own Murder” by Kristen Perrin is a delightful and entertaining whodunnit. Annie Adams, a 25 year old aspiring writer, is thrust into the role of detective in her great aunt’s murder. If Annie succeeds in solving the murder, she stands to inherit a vast fortune that will set her up for life. Throughout the novel, there are wild twists and turns that leaves the reader on the edge of their seat wondering what will happen next. Although this was a fun and entertaining novel, things got a little confusing with the enormous cast of characters. It became difficult to keep everyone straight and also for any genuine character development to occur. This is a solid 4 star read for fans of murder mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the advanced reader copy.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book, Netgalley and Dutton Publishing. This is a cozy mystery with an interesting concept- Frances’ family must solve her (predicted) murder in order to get her house and inheritance. I liked the concept and overall course of the mystery. I think for me my biggest barriers were the amount of characters (I got confused) and the lack of action- it fell a bit flat at points. I will say a cozy mystery isn’t usually my thing so big fans of this genre will likely enjoy it more.

✨Book Review!✨
“How To Solve Your Own Murder”
Written By: Kristen Perrin
Published by: Dutton
Publication date: March 26, 2024
ARC provided by Netgalley
•••
Annie’s great aunt Frances lived the majority of her adult life as a recluse in her country mansion. Constantly worried a fortune told to her as a teenager would come true, she spent her time gathering information about the people closest to her in case she were ever to be murdered.

"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."

When Annie receives a letter in the mail requesting she attend a meeting with her great aunt Frances regarding her inheritance, even though they have never actually met one another, her curiosity wins and she decides to go. What Annie doesn’t expect is to find her aunt Frances very dead. Who killed her and why? And is it related to the long ago disappearance of Frances’ best friend Emily? Those are two questions Annie must answer if she wants to win her inheritance.
•••
If you love trying to solve a good murder mystery, don’t miss out on reading this book once it’s published in March! How To Solve Your Own Murder is like the game of Clue, come to life. Mixed with family and teenage friend drama, there is a competitive edge added to the typical mystery that makes it a bit more fun!

1- Characters: 9
2- Atmosphere/Setting: 9
3- Writing Style: 8
4- Plot: 9
5- Intrigue: 8
6- Logic/Relationships: 9
7- Enjoyment: 9

Total Score: 61
61/7 = 8.7
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Annie Adams has been called to Castle Knoll at the request of her great aunt Frances. When she arrives, a fortune tellers prophecy has already come true, Frances is dead. Now it's up to Annie to find out who murder her and how her death connects to her friend, Emily, many years ago. A whole cast of characters are taken on a wild goose chase to a finish line where only one can claim the inheritance Frances left behind.

The basic premise of this book started off strong. The dual timeline set a nice pace for the story and kept me engaged. Everything was great until the last hundred pages. It kind of stalled and felt like someone was running around in loops. I think it was meant to trick the reader but it was just a massive fumble for me. The ending tied up but it just didn't end the way I had hoped it would.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

If cozy mysteries are your thing, you will likely enjoy this. While I, personally, found it hard to stick with it was an enjoyable, well written story. I think it was an interesting story that ran on a bit too long. The I had a hard time caring about the main protagonist or any of the characters. Overall I can see many enjoying but this book just wasn't for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is told from two perspectives: Frances in 1965, who receives a devastating fortune, and her great-niece Annie. Annie travels from London to Castle Knoll to meet with Frances and instead finds her dead. What follows is a competition of sorts - whoever uncovers Frances's killer will inherit her fortune. But there are more than a few suspects, as Frances has been collecting dirt on her neighbors since she received the fortune in 1965 telling her that she would one day be murdered.

Read this books if you enjoy:
* Knives Out
* Twisty murder mysteries
* A dash of romance
* Small town mysteries
* Quirky side characters with a lot to hide

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

In 1965 while enjoying a county fair, Frances Adams and her two best friends visit a fortune teller who tells Frances a foreboding tale- She’s going to be murdered. Sixty years later, Annie Adams receives a letter informing her she is set to inherit her great aunt’s estate and is requested to meet with her estranged aunt. Before this meeting can occur, Great Aunt Frances turns up dead, murdered. Annie is determined to seek justice for her eccentric aunt, which is easier said than done. Since receiving her fortune, Frances dedicated her life to preventing her own murder, unintentionally generating a lengthy list of suspects, plenty with a motive to kill.

A very enjoyable murder mystery, with short digestible chapters making it perfect for getting out of a reading slump. Kristin Perrin did an amazing job of piquing reader curiosity by interlacing Annie’s narration with passages from Great Aunt Frances’s diary. I kept telling myself “one more chapter one more chapter” until it was 2:30am and I had read the entire book in a day.

There is clearly inspiration from Agatha Christie but I almost consider it a “cosy” version of her work, in that the scenes are not intense and unexpectedly funny. It is the perfect read for a rainy evening and a cup of tea.

The strongest point of the book and what really quickly drew me in is the immediate like-ability of the main character, Annie. She is naturally curious, intensely clever, and has a strong sense of justice that contrast heavily with the rest of the characters, further pushing her into a standout role. The mystery itself was challenging but perfectly executed so that you can’t truly guess the murderer until right before the reveal.

Overall this was a very enjoyable read, and one I would gladly come back to in the future. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, this book sucked me in from the beginning and was a story I was reluctant to put down.
It had its dull moments - especially in the diary entries. I felt like there was a lot of story building in the diary entries but that sometimes things were revealed that didn't make sense just yet. I love a good mystery that keeps you guessing, don't get me wrong. But the things that didn't make sense because the main character hadn't put the clues together yet was a little frustrating.
I wanted to keep up with the clues but instead I felt like I was a step behind the whole time and was missing vital information in order to follow the story of past and present.

Good book though! Interested in how the author will continue this as a series.