When I saw that this book was for fans of Knives Out and the Thursday Murder Club, it immediately landed on my TBR. Unfortunately, I don't feel that this book lives up to that description.

The idea of this book is extremely unique, but I felt that overall it was a little underwhelming. It wasn't the can't put it down story that I was hoping for. I found most of the characters unlikeable, and even though I feel the author wanted to gain your sympathy for them in the end, I don't feel that she succeeded. It took forever to get through this book because it just wasn't entertaining in my opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

This was my first cozy mystery and let me tell you, it was a JOY! A woman is tasked with solving her great aunts murder, with the help of her great aunts old diary entries. Perspectives switched between today and the 1960s, which was a detail that I really enjoyed. It really was a unique story; definitely one of a kind. It had me guessing at every turn!

As an Agatha Christie fan, I was absolutely delighted by this, which I wanted to read solely for the title, and it gave me so much more than I was hoping. It was engaging, it kept me turning the pages, and it was just a fun read all together. Never underestimate the power of a good whodunit and the author hit the mark here

My love for a good 'whodunnit' is strong, so when I came upon "How to Solve Your Own Murder" by Kristen Perrin, I knew I had to read it. Set initially in the 1960's, How to Solve Your Own Murder begins with the story of three best friends- Frances, Emily and Rose- when a fortune teller offers Frances a cryptic message, which sends her on a 60-year, paranoid trajectory of attempts to solve her forthcoming fate. Fast forward to Annie Adams, aspiring author and great niece of Frances, who is summoned to France's home just in time to solve her mysterious murder.

🕵This unique whodunnit storyline is the debut adult novel from Kristen Perrin (she's written a middle grade series) and gives nod to classic mysteries like Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, and Knives Out- some of my favorites.
🕵I appreciated Perrin's choice to use dual timelines to navigate between the early life of Frances Adams and shortly after her death; I felt the writing flowed smoothly and the technique allowed important storyline details to be offered in a more natural way.
🕵To my dismay, I felt like the pace of the story started off slow. Admittedly, I put the book aside fairly early into it, thinking it might not be for me, but eventually picked it back up again. I'm glad I did, because I quickly became intrigued and worked through the remainder in no time.
🕵I really enjoyed the protagonist, Annie, who felt normal and brave and flawed in all the right ways. There was nothing about her that felt over or under-done. Unfortunately, I can't say that I felt the same about many of the other characters (and there were A LOT of other characters)- many of whom felt superfluous, problematic and/or left me feeling confused about who was who, even up until the very end of the book. In this case, less characters would have offered more "space" to focus on the development of the important ones.
🕵The use of multiple overlapping storylines for various characters was- for the most part- great. I really enjoyed catching bits of information to help piece together the larger puzzle. With that said, because there were so many characters, I felt like there were also too many storylines to tell. Unfortunately for me, this both complicated and rushed things, which wasn't a fault of Perrin's writing; had there been less characters and stories to keep track off, I think the success of the plot could have been even stronger.
🕵As you can probably guess, the challenge of too many characters + too many storylines lead to the issue of too many twists and turns, which (yes, you guessed it) took away from the really GOOD twists and turns that Perrin created... and subsequently, what felt to me like a rushed, slightly over dramatic ending that left me feeling underwhelmed.

Overall, despite a few other nit-picky issues (Ford is creepy + Great Aunt Frances is a lot write AND read over and over and over again!) generally, I felt like this debut novel was fun and had great potential, which allowed me to rate it on the higher side given the issues I had. To me, the issues felt like a problem of too much excitement and too many ideas by the author being crammed into one story vs. a problem of poor writing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group, Dutton for the opportunity to read the ARC of How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin in return for my unbiased review.

Happy reading!

Kristen Perrin’s How to Solve Your Own Murder, which follows Annie Adams as she races the clock to solve mysteries new and old, was quite a lot of fun to read.

The book successfully straddles the line between the amateur sleuth and cozy mystery subgenres and is well-paced. Its dual-timelines approach—one presented from the protagonist's point of view and the other through her great aunt's teenage diaries—allows the reader to collect clues and information right alongside Annie. By the time I was certain that I'd solved the mystery (ahem...mysteries) myself, I was invested enough that racing to the end to confirm my suspicions only strengthened my connection to the protagonist.

Like most mysteries, this was more plot- than character-driven, and my biggest complaint is that, with such slight development of the secondary characters, the cast seemed somewhat too large. I almost needed my own murder board to keep track of who was who. (Hey, Great Aunt Frances had two; surely I could have one without raising any eyebrows.) That being said, a few from the supporting cast, most specifically the local detective, piqued my interest enough that I'd be more than happy to see them reappear in future volumes. (Yes, I've made the not-exceptionally-huge leap that this book is the start of a mystery series.)

I wouldn't hesitate to suggest How to Solve Your Own Murder to anybody looking for a quick, mostly cozy mystery that requires the reader to pay attention without ever overwhelming them.

This book was SUCH a fun ride! A masterful, small town murder mystery interchangeably told through the eyes of Annie and her Great Aunt’s diary after her murder, this story explores relationships of friends and family. A great pick for fans of Agatha Christie and Knives Out.

All of my Nancy Drew dreams have come true in How To Solve Your Own Murder. I disagree that it's for fans of Knives Out because you barely get to explore Frances' estate, but if you loved Nancy Drew this is for you. It's also got a mystery within a mystery which is very akin to Anthony Horowitz, and it's simply my favorite type of murder mystery. Both mysteries are equally as interesting and you can't help but fall in love with all of these deeply flawed characters. Annie, the FMC, is slow to start solving her grandmother's death but her character arc is so fun to follow. The book was overall cozy, with bits of darkness sprinkled in. Not too scary but still there is a feeling of unease until the very end.

What a great read to start the year! I enjoyed the way timelines went back and forth weaving the clues together. The pacing was just right. I look forward to reading more titles from Kristen Perrin.

It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair - the night that a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a murder that’s supposed to happen to her. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.

In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But the meeting is derailed when Frances is found dead. Annie is determined to catch the elusive killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up everyone’s secrets and lies, it seems every benign villager might just have a motive for her murder.

WOW. It’s as if The Birdcage and Clue: The Board Game was mashed up into a wonderfully captivating murder-mystery.

The best part was that I truly could not predict how the plot would twist and turn so frequently and kept me on my toes! I find that my least favorite part about murder-mysteries is that they get predictable after reaching a certain section in almost every novel and you’re already so invested in it that you just finish it anyways, even though it’s not very satisfying.

This book was a fast-paced, un-put-down-able page-turner. I enjoyed every minute of reading it! I may even go so far as to say it’s a new favorite….

The book switches from past to present, and apparently, I'm in the minority because I enjoyed it. I actually found myself enjoying the past more than the present. This is a very slow burn of a book. It took me a while to get into it, and considered DNFing a few times. Give it time; it'll grow on you, or at the very least, you'll want to figure out who did it. I really enjoyed the premise of the book but did feel like it fell short in some areas. After about halfway through, I did find myself more engaged with it. So, just be aware that it's a very slow burn, but overall kind of fun!

Thanks NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton for the ARC!

An enormously fun 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 in her sprawling country estate.... Now it's up to her great-niece to catch the killer.

If you loved Knives Out, this is the book for you! What a fun read. I enjoyed this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the opportunity to read and review this upcoming novel. I have some mixed feelings reviewing this one. I myself love a good murder mystery plot, but this one fell short. The main character is tasked with finding out who murdered their great aunt, a woman she herself has never met. Beyond just the thrill of solving the riddle presented from the very beginning, and a chance to inherit what sounds to be a pretty penny, there is no personal motivation.

I have no qualms with the writing style, though it was a bit lacking. The same can be said about the plot. There were so many plot points introduced that had the potential to really influence the story, but many of those points were not flushed out and merely mentioned, which just adds unnecessary detail.

I did not deduce the overall killer, so that did surprise me, but the reveal and overall arrest was lackluster. Overall, this story left me wanting more from it. I'm conflicted as to if I'll read more in the future, because the way it looks, it'll be series in some effect. Guess I'll just see when/if the time comes.

A perfectly lovely and cozy mystery with a unique twist that is revealed upfront. I love murder mysteries like this where just enough breadcrumbs are left so the reader can play along and try to solve the murder as the story progresses. Like such, there isn't a huge twist or surprise at the end, but everything is tied up nicely and leaves you feeling satisfied with the outcome. I wish there was a bit more character development outside of the murder storyline, but still a fun read nonetheless!

The premise made it sound as though this book would be fantastic. Unfortunately, I was unable to read very far, because it is written in both present tense and in first person, a combination that rarely (if ever) succeeds with me.
Thank you anyway for the ARC. I’m sure that many other readers will find this much more up their alley.

A lighthearted Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery. I started this book thinking I was going to read a couple of chapters before bed but ended up staying up until 3 AM to finish this book. The book was compelling, refreshing and kept me guessing until the end. I can definitely say I will be purchasing this book once it is released to put on my book shelf and will be reading any other books Kristen Perrin releases.

I had a mixed reaction to this book. The constant switching to past and present just felt terribly executed, to me, at least. I do think that it could work if it was more thought out, but it wasn't a pleasure to read and I found myself skipping every other chapter. It is a solid mystery book, however, and was fairly engaging in the sections of the book that took place in the present. I think that some readers will enjoy this book, but it certainly isn't for everyone.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and Kristen Perrin for providing me with an ARC. I was not required to write a review, and all thoughts presented in the review above are my own.

I have heard patrons at the library already asking for ‘How to Solve your own Murder’ and I will be recommending it whenever I can!
It is a clever, witty, well written book full of great characters who twist and turn through the book which effortlessly travels back and forth between the present day where Great Aunt Frances needs her murder solved back to the diaries written in the 60’s by Frances herself.
A satisfying read with a rewarding ending.

There is much to enjoy about Kristen Perrin's How To Solve Your Own Murder. In a clear and compelling voice, Perrin introduces us to present day Annie Adams who through a series of maneuvers by her Great Aunt Frances stands to inherit her aunt's fortune if she can solve her aunt's murder. Through a diary found by Annie, we are also introduced to a young Frances, who spends her life chasing the shadow of a fortune teller who dooms her to a life wondering when she will be murdered. If this sounds a bit convoluted, it is is, but it is also enjoyable, clever and fast-paced. I would have benefited from a cast of characters to keep them all straight - present day and past - but a small quibble for an otherwise enjoyable mystery. Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm going back to the mystery genre because this was just brilliant.

I consider this book as Katrin Perrin’s debut because her others - which I think are short stories - are in another language and only a few people read them. And as a debut, it has its flaws, but it's also pretty great.

I'm not blind to the many issues other people have had with this story, its many, not-very-developed characters are the main reason behind the complaints, but I’m following my heart on this, and I loved it. Even if it didn't understand much.
The said characters are an annoying aspect, for example, but if you don't consider the weird circumstance of the murder and how convenient is for the main character to be an aspirant mystery author, the second place of things to correct would be how quick was Annie to solve not only the muster surrounding her great aunt’s death but the much older mystery involving her great aunt’s best friend’s disappearing.

Long story short, Annie got everything right and then had to explain to us - and the Detective assigned to the case -, because she was the only one able to figure out what happened in all this mess of characters playing games with each other, many suspects on the background just for show, and a piece of the puzzle always missing.
She did win an exceptional inheritance for her heavy work, so good for her.

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

I liked the conceptual idea for this book. Having said that, I have mixed opinions about the writing. The general writing style wasn’t bad, and I thought the first person present tense was interesting. But the dialogue felt very artificial and awkward, (rather than flowing naturally) like you would see in a play. Also, there were a lot of portions where we were being told a lot of information in quick succession and it was a bit overwhelming.

Side note, it started to get on my nerves everytime the protagonist said “Great Aunt Frances” because why do you have to say her entire title? Especially when the people you’re talking to already know who she is.

All in all, this book wasn’t really for me (in terms of grabbing my attention) but it’s quirky and cute and I’m sure others will enjoy it more.

Thank you to Dutton and Netgalley for this DRC