This was a phenomenal story. Cozy, mysterious, and very well written. Loved every minute of it and I feel this could be the beginning of a series.

Two murder mysteries for the price of one! Surrounded by deep and complex characters, a family history that takes volumes to uncover, and little to aid her but determination and clever resourcefulness, the protagonist is forced to navigate a gauntlet of challenges that become more and more complex as the story goes along.

I was once told that if I encounter a literary character I despise so strongly that they evoke real, physical emotion - the writer has done their job. Kristen Perrin has clearly gone above and beyond with this one. The list of characters I liked was significantly shorter than the list of those I disliked.

A fun ride, deep enough to hook the savviest of amateur sleuths (I did NOT get the answer correct), and paced in a way to drive the exciting narrative, this one was a real treat.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel.

While the premise of this story was intriguing, I felt unconnected to the characters and struggled to engage with continuing. It was a slow read, although easy enough for a cozy mystery.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead.

I love the premise of this book and I love the alternating points of view between the diary entries and the present day. The plot is so creative and makes one wonder how these authors come up for these ideas! My trouble with the book was the sheer number of characters, and the multiple generations, I found it hard to keep up with the subplots and who was who. Some of the characters were not very interesting, and also not very well developed. I lost interest and even a tad bored in the last 30% of the book.

If you are a fan of Agatha Cristie type cozy mysteries, this book is for you. It was described in the description for "fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club"

A cozy murder-mystery about an heiress solving her Great Aunt's murder. The characters were not relatable and the plot was challenging to follow as an e-reader. Thank you to NetGalley, Kristen Perrin, and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for this ARC ahead of it's release date.

That’s the thing about all of us—all of us except you. We’re all guilty of something.” In many ways, “How to Solve Your Own Murder” being compared to “Knives Out” was appropriate. There were similar character tropes and I suspected pretty much everyone at one point or another. Also, much like “Knives Out,” there are some aspects of meta fiction included in the narrative. It wasn’t as in-your-face as Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” or, more recently, Alex Michaelides’ “The Fury”, but the inclusion felt organic, and I enjoyed it.

Characterization
Loves:
The two main characters, Annie and Frances, had gumption and I dug it. I like how Annie’s brain worked and her approach to her task. However, that being said, I gravitated more toward Frances as a character. She felt more well rounded and her experiences, heartache and all, felt more real to me. She was dynamic, and I was hoping that she was actually alive and that this whole story was just a human chess game that she had orchestrated.

Issues:
Several characters with the same last night spread over two timelines was confusing. Some characters, while I enjoyed them (Jenny and the cab driver) felt slightly superfluous. I also feel like Perrin couldn’t quite decide what kind of person Oscar should be, so he acted in ways that didn’t quite make sense.

Writing
Loves:
The writing was approachable. Perrin’s use of imagery is perfectly balanced within the narrative. I found myself really enjoying the visuals she created.

Issues:
The roses in the beginning seemed extreme and their origins remained unexplained. Also, while many of the red herrings were fun to puzzle through, several (missing items and trashed library) seemed unnecessary.

Overall
I was able to guess Emily’s murderer before the great reveal, but I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing. That was only a single piece of the puzzle. Frances’ murder reveal still felt fresh. I enjoyed the final reveal and how everything fell into place.

This was the first cozy mystery that I have read, and it was a delight. Thank you so much to NetGalley and DuttonBooks for this eGalley! It truly was an unputdownable read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All thoughts/opinions are my own!

I thought that I would LIKE this book ~ but it turned out I ended up LOVING this book! If you enjoyed the movie “Knives Out” you will absolutely devour this book!

“How to Solve Your Own Murder” starts with a seventeen year old Frances Adam’s being told my a fortune teller that one day she will be murdered. This haunts Frances for the next 60 years and she tries to prevent this crime from happening - but ultimately fails. We follow two timelines throughout this book

1. Frances Adam’s past starting at her fortune telling
2. Annie in the present (Frances Adam is her Great Aunt)

Annie ties in perfectly with this story to help solve the crime of her Great Aunt Frances - SHE HAS A LOT TO LOSE & A LOT TO GAIN.

At first I was a bit overwhelmed by all the characters and the family tree but as the story goes on it’s easy to pick up!

This was a fantastic debut adult novel for Kristen Perrin and I will definitely be reading more from her!

Originally gave it a 4.5 ⭐️ but I have to bump it up to a 5 ⭐️ because I can’t stop thinking about this book!

How to Solve Your Own Murder was a mystery reminiscent of a crime novel from the 1920s-50s with a unique and intriguing premise.

In How to Solve Your Own Murder, Frances and her two best friends visit a fortune teller. Frances is left with some cryptic clues and the prediction that she will be murdered.

Now, many years later, Frances summons her great-niece Annie (whom she has never met)to her estate in the English countryside. Annie has grown up hearing about her eccentric aunt and her belief that she will be murdered, so when she arrives and finds her aunt actually was murdered Annie is determined to solve the mystery for more than one reason.

The novel weaves the past with the present as Annie discovers her great-aunt’s journal and uses it to solve her murder.

This was a fantastic story! I read it one sitting because I wanted to see how it all came together in the end.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book which publishes March 26, 2024.

**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.