A quick whodunit mystery, that was predictable but fun. Annie only meets her great Aunt Francis after she passes, and discovers a kindred spirit whose murder she must solve. Lots of various events and characters that have just enough fleshing out to bring them to life on the page. Coming March 26th!

Loved this murder mystery! Read this if you want a twist on the classic murder mystery. This is a dual timeline murder mystery where Frances has her death predicted in her teens and then lives her life trying to figure out who will be the one to do it. Definitely a page turner and I did not see the ending coming. Would absolutely recommend this book!

This wasn't quite a page turner, but an enjoyable read nonetheless. I enjoyed the mystery and, like the main character, would've liked a fuller picture of the grown-up Frances.

This book good could have been a solid 4 with a couple of changes. There were just a few too many characters:; a few too many names to remember. Also, I believe Annie’s character, since she’s the character in the present, the main character really, needs a bigger personality.

Thanks to NetGalley for this selection.

There is nothing I love more than a mystery, especially one that includes the reading of a will. In this multi-generational story told in two timelines, Annie is left to solve the mystery of her great aunt’s death in order to secure her inheritance. I flew through the story as I was dying to know who-done-it, but there are many unexpected twists and turns along the way. A great mystery, especially for people who prefer something on the lighter side.

If you enjoy Agatha Christie, The Thursday Murder Club series, or really any murder mystery set in a small English town with a cast of characters who all have a motive to kill, How to Solve Your Own Murder is for you. This witty, fast-paced who dunnit with two different timelines is a smart, quick read.

When Annie Adams, finds out she is her eccentric great aunt Frances' next of kin, Annie travels to Frances' estate at Castle Knoll at Frances' request only to find her dead. Frances has been preparing for her death since 1965 when a fortune teller made a terrifying prediction regarding Frances' future and death. Following Frances' death, Annie is pit against her cousin, a real estate developer, and the police to solve Frances' death before anyone else to save Castle Knoll and inherit 40 million pounds. During her investigation, Annie learns more about her own familial history and unravels other secrets that have been hidden for decades.

This was a really fun read with lots of twists and surprises - highly recommend!

Thank you for NetGalley and Peguin Group Dutton for this ACR in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun murder mystery. The story goes back and forth in time between the present day with Annie who is trying to solve her great aunt's (Frances) murder, and the 1960s with Frances trying to figure out who is going to murder her in the future based on the words of a fortune teller who reads her fortune and tells her she is going to be murdered.

This book kept me up reading way too late to figure out how Frances's murder, the fortune, and the disappearance of Frances's friend Emily in the 1960s all tied together.

Seeing this listed in various places as Castle Knoll Files #1, I hope that means we will see more of Annie, and perhaps the good-looking detective....

I really enjoyed this mystery that takes us from the 1960s town of Castle Knoll to current day Chelsea. Annie is put in a unique position trying to solve 2 murders and learns a lot along the way. Loved the all characters and town settings. Wonderful who done it!

How to Solve Your Own Murder has a great premise and I felt the mysteries were strong. I enjoyed how it felt like Frances' murder just kept getting more and more sprawling as the book went on. Annie obviously really came to care about Frances and the life she lived. I liked a lot of the characters and understood the motivations of even the people who weren't the murderer, but still were not great people.

I had two issues with the book. One was that it was a little slow to get going. Once it hit the premise though, it felt much better paced. The other is an issue that happens a lot with mysteries that have significant events that happen in the past. Annie is able to get ahold of Frances' diary written about an event that's important to the mystery and Annie doesn't immediately read the entire thing without stopping. It's just kind of weird when Annie only has seven days to solve the mystery and she's racing with other people who might be able to solve it before her.

But overall, I had fun reading and thought the ending was really interesting.

No notes, loved reading this book. I had 70 pages left this morning and debated faking sick from work so I could finish it. Nothing read as too obvious or alternatively too outlandish. I loved getting the glimpses into the diary pages along with Annie and never felt like she was too far ahead of the reader. Would love to see Annie in a future book.

Releases: 3/26/2024

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC!

Gave me similar feelings to The Maid by Nita Prose with more of a snark comedy to it but the same cozy mystery with low stakes for the anxious girlies out there. I figured there would be a romantic subplot brewing but was surprised it was with the detective. I was anticipating a rivals-to-lovers play with Oliver instead.

I liked Annies tone and quips throughout the story but it drove me CRAZY that she wasn't updating her mom, especially when a literal dead body was found from a box that came from her and her mother's house !!!!!

Anyways... I wasn't expecting the reveal to pan out how it did and the murderer being who they were but maybe on a second read it would make more sense. The ending funeral scene was very heartwarming and cute and nice! I do wish Elva and Saxon had gotten their comeuppance for being annoying and rude... but we can't all get what we want.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars.

The mystery of all mysteries. This book pulled me in. The journal entries from the murder victim. The timeline.

Within the first few chapters, I was pulled in due to the family drama and history. The characters and the vibe of the game "Clue" was VERY interesting to me. In my head, I felt like I knew who did it but then a new clue would arise and I was second guessing again. Great read. Great characters.

I enjoyed the twists and turns in this engaging cozy mystery. The author tells the tale of a group of teens whose friendship starts to unravel as lies and deceit, along with a fortune teller’s warnings, start to tear the group apart. Those eligible to inherit a wealthy woman’s estate must figure out what happened over 50 years ago and successfully solve the case before the detective does...or worse yet, become the next victim.

Aunt Frances had her fortune read 60 years ago predicting her death and spent her life trying to prevent her fortune from coming true, but nothing could stop it. When her great niece Annie is one of several friends and relatives to discover her murdered body at what should have been the reveal of Annie as the recipient of her fortune, Frances's will is read.

In her will, Frances commissions her beneficiaries to solve her murder. Whoever solves it by the end of the week will receive her fortune. If they don't solve it, they receive nothing. Annie sets off on a mad dash to find out who killed Frances and uncovers not just one murder but a second murder, sixty years ago.

This murder mystery sucked me in from the first page. With its fast pace, fascinating characters, red herrings, and a spooky setting. It flashes back and forth between Annie's investigations in the present and Frances's diary 60 years ago, which Annie discovers might be the key to the entire mystery of Frances's death.

This murder mystery is amazing. It evokes every Agatha Christie mood, reminding me of the game of Clue with vicars and chauffeurs and creepy mansions. The setting is almost gothic and Perrin does an amazing job at painting the scene. The cast is so large that at times it's hard to keep track of, but this also leads to so many potential suspects, it's hard to figure out who really did it. I'm proud that I did figure it out towards the end, but it was definitely a tricky novel. I highly recommend this novel for murder mystery fans. It has some of the twist of a thriller but reminds me more of Clue, Agatha Christie, or even a twisty Stuart Turton novel.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc!

4.75/5

I requested this book from Net Galley based on the first words in the description, "for fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club." I find this to be a good description of a fun and engaging mystery about family, inheritance, friendship, and trust. Sometimes the dialogue is a little cheesy and unnatural, but for the most part, it's another enjoyable cozy mystery.

A solid mystery! The summer of "65, Frances was about 16, she and two friends get their fortunes told at a summer fair. Frances gets the shock of her life when her fortune predicts that she will be murdered. Francis spends her whole life trying to solve the crime before it happens, digging up dirt on the villagers, and driving the local police and medical doctors crazy. But when Frances is murdered before her new will is revealed, everyone is forced to look at her paranoia in a new light.
The blurb said this book would appeal to fans of "Knives Out" and the Thursday Murder Club. Cozy, quaint British village? check. Amateur sleuth? check - actually, France's great niece, Annie, an aspiring, unemployed mystery writer comes to the will reading and stays to help solve the mystery. A back story with secrets? check. Multiple suspects? check. Family secrets? check. This mystery has it all- thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy!

So first off, I am so grateful to even have the opportunity to read this book. Second omg! I new I would love this book because no matter how many times I read or watch a murder mystery trope I still feel impressed even if its cheesy or slightly corny. I was so into this book that I didn't even realize that my glasses were off until I rubbed my arch of my nose an that means something if I can read a book without my damn glasses😂

Holy begeezus! What a WILD RIDE! I’m still catching my breath! Really really loved this clever whodunnit. Super creative and kept me guessing until the very last page. And never saw any of it coming! The characters were very well developed and the writing was smart. You know you’ve read a good book when you are sad that it’s over. Definitely recommend this one!

I really loved this!! The plot was so Interesting and I loved trying to solve the mystery along with the main character. There were SO many characters that were all connected to Frances and it was so hard to keep track of them all, which got frustrating towards the end.

Absoutely adored this cozy murder mystery. I loved the flashbacks to the journey and truly felt as though I was side by side with both women as they solved this case. The murderer was not someone I was expecting and loved the twist!