How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin is a cozy mystery that had its moments, but it didn’t fully deliver for me. The story centers around Annie, who gets involved in solving her great-aunt’s suspicious death after being named in her will, and it’s packed with family secrets and a hint of the supernatural. While the plot had potential, the pacing felt a bit slow, and I wasn’t as hooked as I hoped to be. The characters were okay, but they didn’t feel as fleshed out or engaging as I expected for a mystery like this. I kept waiting for the “fun” to show up, but it never quite hit the mark. The twists weren’t as surprising, and the story dragged a bit in places. That said, it wasn’t a bad read, just not as captivating as I wanted it to be. For me, it’s a solid 3 stars—enjoyable at times but could’ve been better.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristin Perrin is an immensely fun and quirky mystery centered around Frances Adams, who spends her life trying to prevent a foretold murder, only to be proven right nearly sixty years later when she’s found dead in her sprawling country estate. The plot kicks off in 1965 when a teenage Frances is given a chilling prophecy by a fortune-teller, and she spends the rest of her life digging up secrets to prevent her demise. In the present day, her great-niece Annie arrives at Frances’s estate, determined to solve the mystery, only to find a village full of eccentric characters, each with their own potential motive. While the premise is wonderfully imaginative and the early chapters build an engaging atmosphere of suspense, the story ultimately doesn’t live up to its potential. The pacing sometimes falters, and the ending, while satisfying in some ways, doesn’t quite deliver the payoff expected from such an inventive setup. It’s an enjoyable, fast-paced read with charm and clever twists, but the conclusion feels somewhat underwhelming compared to the ambitious premise.

I definitely wanted to like this one more than I did. It was a super interesting premise but the book itself was pretty slow paced and didn’t keep me super engaged. Perhaps it wasn’t the right time for me and this book but it just wasn’t for me. I could see this being a hit with others though.

Thank you publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for providing me this Digital Advanced Readers Copy of the book!

While it took me a bit to get into it, I really enjoyed this book and did actually enjoy the pacing of it all by the end. This was a cozy mystery and really gave me Clue vibes! The characters were entertaining, the atmosphere really sucked you in, loved it!

Wow. What started out as a slower read for me quickly turned into a fast-paced, exciting, and also cozy whodunnit that I ended up loving. I’m truly so excited that this book is becoming a series, as I will definitely be reading the second one! I love a book with a dual timeline, connecting the two in a unique way (makes me think of the way Fiona Davis writes), and while this novel has a large cast of characters, I never found the plot difficult to follow. Major plus there.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this digital review copy!

4.5/5 stars

This book was amazing. I found myself hooked on the alternating timelines. This book was a great escape and adventure.

This book was hard to get into and find interesting. Very slow paced. I would not recommend. The story just couldn't seem to go anywhere. A small town mystery for sure. I can see how some may love it. But it wasn't for me.

🥀🥀🥀 / 5

thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for access to the ARC!

quick thoughts:
🕵🏻‍♀️ granddaughter tries to find her grandmother’s killer
🔎 whodunnit mystery
🔥 slow burn
✍🏼 multiple POVs, dual timelines
🤷🏻‍♀️ might recommend to mystery lovers

i was excited for this book because it seemed right up my alley! however, i wasn’t expecting the slow burn or the huge cast of characters in both timelines. i had to set this one aside at 30% because it wasn’t holding my attention. however, once i gained access to the audiobook, i was more invested. i ended up enjoying this one on audio and following Annie’s POV, as she was a great protagonist.

This book is full of teasers, starting with the title. Then the cover synopsis, how could you not read this one? A unique story line full of characters that are just a little crazy at times. As a teenager, when Frances receives a prediction of her murder, she goes just a little overbaord in her method of solving/preventing her murder. She keeps a detailed journal of her interactions with EVERYONE in her life. When she really is murdered......60 years later.......the story takes on a life of it's own. This was an entertaining read that keep me engrossed as Frances' murder investigation gets more and more twisted. Great premise, great characters, great story.

The title of this book had me interested immediately. Once I began reading it, the story and the writing kept me hooked throughout the entire book! I really enjoyed it and trying to solve the mystery as I read and I highly recommend this to mystery lovers.

This was a great, easy mystery to read. I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to the publisher, author and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book.

As usual the summary got me and the plot of this story made me stay. The title of the book also had me curious about what I would be reading. The story started off so strong to me but just felt lackluster. I felt like the author was dragging it out to make it much more than it was. I love mystery and the fact that I really don’t know what I’m getting into but sometimes they just bore and disappoint me. The book felt as if it was only written to become a movie. The characters all felt like what they were, characters. I wanted more of their stories and I found myself getting quite confused. The clues, the story, the characters and even the plot felt lost and clunky. I had more questions than answers and the ending through me off.

I was sucked into this book instantly! I loved Frances and Annie and Crane *swoon* and the story was written so well that I never saw the end coming. I think I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time 💗

Thank you Dutton and NetGalley for this advanced copy. I hybrid read this with the audiobook and I loved the narration!

I loved this book! The pacing was beautiful, the writing was thoughtful, and the ending was left open. I loved that the POVs were switching throughout the book, and that we got to know Francis.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

what's it about? ⬇️

When a fortune teller gives a teenage Frances Adams a fortune predicting her own eventual betrayal and murder, Frances is floored by the revelation, and though her two best friends try to convince her to ignore the fortune, she can't help but constantly look for signs that different portions of the fortune have come to pass. And when those pieces slowly start to appear and fall into place throughout the years and other tragedies continue to change her life, Frances devolves into paranoia as she tries to solve her future murder before it can occur.

It is years later when her great niece Annie Adams receives the news that she has been added into Frances's will and is invited to come and meet the great aunt she's never seen before. And unfortunately, just when Annie and others are preparing to meet with Frances at her house, they find her in her library, dead. Murdered, if Annie has anything to say about it.

Now Annie, along with Frances's nephew Saxon and his wife are charged with solving the murder on an insane timeline, and racing with the local police at that. Can Annie solve the murder of the great aunt she never got the chance to know, and even more importantly, can she avoid being the next body found at Castle Knoll?

my thoughts? ⬇️

I adored this book. It was mysterious, it was stressful, it kept me fascinated the whole time I was reading, and the short inputs of diary entries from Frances herself added so much extra depth to the story and to all of the characters and their motivations, both in the past and in the present. The determination shown by both Frances and Annie and the way both of these clever women looked at the world around them and were able to see things differently than other people was so fun to read, and Annie's ability to think on her feet was so fun to read in real time, like a proper old classic mystery novel. Also, the romantic subplot was so sweet and I'm so excited to see what mysteries Annie and the gang end up wrapped up in in the next installment.

based on you other likes? ⬇️

If you enjoyed the media listed below, I think you might really enjoy this book.

🔍 Knives Out - a family embroiled in drama after a murder and a reading of a will.
🔍 Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - a sequel to the above, another classic whodunnit.
🔍 Murder on the Orient Express - the film is what I have seen, and is another great whodunnit mystery.
🔍 Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie - for the same reasons as above, obviously.
🔍 Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn - older women proving they are still incredibly strong and tough and can take care of themselves. also a big murder mystery.
🔍 The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley - a sister trying to solve the disappearance of her brother.
🔍 Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney - a family-centric murder mystery with a massive twist.

trigger warnings ⬇️

murder, death, violence, blood, gun violence, needles, drug use, grief, toxic friendship, toxic relationship, pregnancy, infidelity, infertility issues, emotional abuse, gaslighting, medical content, medical trauma, alcohol use, bullying, classism, stalking, car accident, panic attacks, homophobia, outing, dementia, sexual content, adult/minor relationship.

This book was a lot of fun once I got into it. It took me a bit, but that should not take anything away from the fun sleuthing that I had trying to solve this mystery. It gave some serious Agatha Christie vibes throughout. When Annie learns that she has been added into the will of her distant Aunt Frances, she doesn't know what to expect, other than trying to retain the house that she grew up in that was owned by her aunt. With the help of the local detective, she not only is faced with solving her aunt's death, but the very cold case of her aunt's missing friend. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC. 4 stars.

A cozy, murder-mystery. The title obviously caught my interest right away. The story started a little slow for me, but it quickly picked up and I had to finish! The setting, the characters, all of it. I really enjoyed it.

A solid murder mystery and an interesting premise. The characters were all very colorful and I enjoyed following Annie on her journey. The story was wrapped up a little too quickly and easily for my taste, but it's a solid cozy mystery novel.

I don’t read many mystery novels so this was a little bit outside of my comfort genres, but this was cozy and great for the autumn season!