Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton for an ARC copy via NetGalley for an honest review.

I heard about this book a while and ago and was very intrigued about the story. Overall I throughly enjoyed the read. I loved the small town setting with this mystery of who done it with the story spanning over 60 years. The cast of characters were easy to follow and made the reader keep guessing who the murderer was. I enjoyed the dual timeline allowing you as the reader try and piece together what happened.
The one downside to the novel was that it did seem to take awhile to get through.

In all, I really enjoyed the story and would recommend if you are an avid mystery reader.

Interesting premise of a fortune dictating the life of not only the main character, but also her friends, family and community throughout her life and after her death. The "game" she establishes for solving her murder after her death is very unique. Providing historical information through the journal writings as the murder investigation unfolds gives important context and clues. Can you correctly identify her murderer?

The wonderful premise leads to an engrossing mystery with an interesting cast of characters. Although it is morbid at times, overall it is an intriguing tale moving back and forth through time, giving the reader the opportunity to weave together all of the different strands to solve the mystery. I would have liked getting a deeper character development of the murderer, as well as a twistier conclusion that would make it harder to guess before the end who the murderer was.

This was a classic-feeling murder mystery that struck all the right notes! It reminded me of an Agatha Christie book in terms of the setting, pacing, and overall tone of the book—but updated for 2024. Annie and Frances, the main characters, tell their stories in two different timelines, encouraging readers to help Annie solve two different murders. I love any book with a hint of a romance subplot, which this also had. The book was well-written, the idea was creative and really well-executed, and I hope it becomes the first in a series!

I really enjoyed this book! I love a good murder mystery, but what was so cool about this book was that you actually were trying to figure out two murders, the first occuring back in the 60's and the one that just happened. The diary entries were informative enough but I loved watching Annie piece everything together in the present as clues come up. I was definitely hooked the entire time trying to guess who dunnit, highly recommend this book!

Frances Adams and her friends are at an English country fair in 1965 when she meets a fortune teller who sets the entire course of her life. She predicts a series of events that will lead to Frances' death at the hands of another.

This psychic reading colors the next six decades of life for Frances, who spends her existence in a virtual murder board, making constant connections and trying to identify who is out to get her and who may be able to help her. When she identifies that her great-niece Annie Adams may be key to keeping her alive, she sends for Annie…but not in time.

It’s now up to Annie, our POV character and a would-be mystery writer, to unravel what happened to her great-aunt, which of the side characters may have betrayed her, and who - if anyone - can be trusted.

The setting of this book in the English countryside is absolute chef’s kiss, and the vibe is a mix of wholesome and subversive that leaves you rooting for Annie to find out what happened to Frances. This is a strong debut that will definitely have me watching what happens next in the (fingers crossed!) series. I predict this will be a buzzy spring book!

Thank you to Dutton for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Overall rating: 3.5/5 (rounded up in stars)

Read this book if you’re interested in: inheritance, riddles, small towns and family drama.

This story is told through multiple POVs - we hear from Frances, as told through her teenage journal entries, and we hear from Annie, with narration on a present day timeline.

In the 1960’s, a 17 year-old Frances attends a local County Fair with her best friends. At this fair, a psychic predicts that Frances will be murdered in the future, and this unlikely predication becomes a fixation throughout the remainder of her life.

Fast forward to present day - Annie Adams is moving back home to live with her mother in order to pursue a career in writing murder mysteries. Shortly after her arrival home, Annie receives a request from her estranged Great Aunt Frances to meet and discuss her will. Upon Annie arriving to Frances’ mansion in Castle Knoll, she finds Frances already dead. Frances’ will details that select members of the family will have one week to solve her murder - and whoever solves it first will inherit her entire estate.

While this certainly falls in the mystery category, the story has humor embedded throughout, and hints at a potential romance (I can’t be the only one who wanted more between Annie and Detective Crane, am I right?).

I found this read to be a “cozy” mystery - it does not move at a fast and thrilling pace, instead, the reader uncovers information alongside the characters. That said, it did take me a bit longer to read than usual; there was lots of opportunity for breaks between the chapters given the pace of the storyline. I also didn’t find myself guessing the “whodunnit” until the very end of the story, once enough information had been revealed.

This book is expected to be released on March 25, 2024.

Thank you to the publisher, Dutton, for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC through NetGalley!

What a journey this book took us on! I loved the storyline switching from past to present as we tried to solve not one but two murders. It kept me guessing until the very end!

How to Solve Your Own Murder - is an Agatha Christie-ish style murder mystery which leans towards the side of a cozy style mystery. There are lots of characters who all become a suspect in the murder of Frances, a woman who spent the last 60 years of her life trying to solve her own murder which was foretold by a fortune teller when she was young. Frances, with some due cause became suspicious of everyone in her life and spent her time analyzing a crime that did not happen yet, until it did!!! Her Great Niece, Annie is summoned to Aunt Frances' sprawling estate for the reading of the will and quickly picks up Frances' life mission and has to solve not one but two murders.

Fun premise and story line with a dual time line, one being Annie's in the current day and the other being Frances' diaries from the 60's. I did have one issue with the book and that was my own personal preference, if 1/2 stars were available I would have given the book a 3.5 but did settle on rounding up. I realize now that cozy murders mysteries take up a large portion of my reading lists and have become accustomed to a certain style of writing. Although the setting for How To Solve Your Own Murder is set in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll. the writing and vernacular did not seem British. I ended up researching the author and soon found out that she is indeed and American living in Surrey.

Looking forward to the next installment of the Castle Knoll Files...

Thank you to Dutton Publishing (Penguin Random House LLC), NetGalley and Kristen Perrin for the opportunity to receive an advanced copy of this fun book for my honest review.

I was intrigued by the description of this one - a fun mystery for fans of Knives Out and Thursday Murder Club, about a women who is told she will one day be murdered & then spends the rest of her life trying to avoid that fate…a unique take on a mystery indeed!

The cast was enjoyable & mysterious, I liked how Perrin used a dual timeline … and she kept me guessing until the big reveal!

After Frances receives a grim fortune at the county fair, she spends the rest of her life waiting for it to come true. When it does, her great-niece Annie is left with two mysteries to solve - what happened now and what happened back then.

Annie is a likable, but very naive, aspiring mystery writer who has an awful lot of good luck throughout the story. Frances speaks through her old journal and the maze of clues she’s enshrined in her old estate. This is one of those books where there are a lot of characters and everybody has something to hide.

Although there were some very convenient coincidences and strokes of luck, and a few confusing resolutions to clues (the bank statements come to mind, I didn’t understand the explanation) I enjoyed the writing and the dual timelines. I’ll admit I didn’t guess the villain (in either timeline) but it made sense once it was all revealed.

The ending sets up for a series, and it looks like this will be the first of at least a few. I wouldn’t mind reading the next one! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Delightfully engaging. This murder mystery kept my rapt attention from page 1 & was consumed in one day. The comparisons to Knives Out are accurate, but I rather think I enjoyed this more given the way it was written between Annie in present day & Frances’ older journal entries. Was sad to see this one end, but could see an opening for a companion or series in the future. I at least look forward to seeing this in film one day.

Thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fun, twisty mystery of a 'small-town secrets' variety - after receiving a dismal fortune during a tumultuous summer, Frances Adams spends her life trying to find out what secret someone will kill her for. Now, she's just died, and it's up to her mildly estranged great-niece Annie to untangle the secrets of Castle Knoll in order to inherit, and vindicate her great-aunt's paranoia.

I enjoyed this book, and would definitely head back to Castle Knoll, if the gently hinted at series unfolds of Annie using Frances' files to uncover more mysteries (and flirt more with the handsome detective of course.)

Easy read could potentially be shelved in young adult or adult fiction.

When the great niece of Frances is suddenly gets a letter from a solicitor saying she’s been written into the will she sets off to visit and hear the new version of the will. As she arrives into town her great aunt, Frances, suddenly dies from a heart attack. But everything is not what it seems.

Now she is solving a murder from decades ago along with the murder of France’s, as it is the condition of the will to inherit her fortune.

Overall this was a good book and an easy read.

I love a good murder mystery but I did find this one a bit confusing to follow. A lot of back-and-forth with the past and present. I felt like there were a lot of characters to keep track of and my mind would start to wander while I tried to remember and figure out who was who. It kept me interested because I wanted to find out “who done it “ but the ending didn’t “WOW” me. It was just ok.

Oh this was such a cozy book! I was hooked from in from page one. This story had a little bit of everything to fulfill everyone’s needs.

The Plot- In 1965, Frances went to a fair where she went to the fortune tellers booth, who told her she'd be murdered. Frances talked about this all throughout the years and no one believed her when she would profess that it would happen. They finally realized she was correct when she was found murdered. Fast forward to present day we have Annie who is determined to catch the killer, but as Annie digs deeper is she putting herself in danger?

My Thoughts- I loved the strong writing in How To Solve Your Own Murder in this murder mystery. The character development was also top tier. Like I mentioned before this a cozy read so the pace is a little slower than most mystery books. Dont like that stop you from reading this. It was such a fun read. I was entertained an the storyline kept me guessing the whole time. I will recommend this book to anyone who like a cozy mystery. I look forward to checking out more work by this author.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a cozy and puzzling thriller. Annie is set to inherit her Great-Aunt Frances estate, but she first must solve her aunt’s murder. A murder that her aunt has been trying to solve prior to taking place. The setting and characters were charming. Overall, I really enjoyed this quick and fun read.

Thanks to Dutton Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy to read and review! HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER will publish on March 26, 2024, and I think it’s worth your preorder!

Annie’s Great Aunt Francis was told 60 years ago she would be murdered, and she’s dedicated her entire life to solving and preventing her own demise. When it does come down to her untimely end, it’s a race against the clock for Annie to solve the crime.

First, let’s talk about this cover and title! How intriguing is that??! 🤩 I hadn’t heard much about this one, and it was so enjoyable. I was so excited to pick this book up each night! Kristen Perrin wove a delightful and witty tale of a young woman solving her eccentric aging aunt’s murder. The dual timeline and dual perspective really worked for me and provided key details to the murder. I couldn’t help but cheer on Annie as she got closer and closer to solving the mystery. I tend to be a reader who tries to solve the crime as an armchair sleuth, and the red herrings here were very believable. In the end, I was only half correct in my hypothesis, and I found the ending to be immensely satisfying.

Check this one out if you love an entertaining murder mystery, Agatha Christie, or enjoy solving riddles!

Let me just say, that when I wasn't reading this book I was constantly thinking about reading this book. That's how captivated I was by this story and the mystery surrounding it.

I LOVED the contrast between the story set in the 60s and the current story playing out. This book kept me guessing right up until the very end, and as soon as that final piece fell into place I was shocked but it all made sense. I adore these sweet characters and this little tiny town and how an entire fortune set the tune for Frances' life. This book is fantastic and I can't wait for it to be out in the world.

Move over Knives Out! This was the most engrossing book I've read in a long time and I could not put it down. The whodunnit style plot was engaging and kept me guessing. I LOVED this book and it had the bonus of not having too much gore. Truly this was a masterpiece in suspense and had the perfect amount of mystere, romance, and drama.