Such a great set-up - Frances receives a fortune-teller fortune of impending death when she's 17 and spends nearly her entire life trying to figure out who's going to kill her, only to have her great-niece have to figure it out when her murder happens 60 years later. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but it turned out to be such a cozy, fun one to read. I loved young Frances and her diary the most, but enjoyed Annie and watching her unravel the town and the mystery. There were a couple hints that this might become an ongoing series with Annie and Frances' many files and I look forward to seeing if that's the case and meeting them again. Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the early access in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Group Dutton for providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars- How to Solve Your Own Murder is a quick & easy to read murder mystery book following Annie Adams, who is summoned to her Great Aunt Francis Adams’ estate for a meeting. Her great aunt has had a sort of “prophecy” about her own murder and has been trying to solve it for 60 years, and is unfortunately correct that she would be murdered. It becomes up to Annie & clues collected from her late great aunt over the years to figure out who murdered Francis, & also to figure out another mystery of a disappearance that also happened 60 years ago.

What I liked about this book: the fast plot & easy reading style, it was super easy to follow along with and gave enough clues to keep me interested and trying to guess who did it. I also always enjoy a small town setting for a murder mystery plot because you get a bunch of characters who definitely would know each-others secrets because of their proximity. I also enjoyed the journal entries from the past in the narrative of Frances.

What I didn’t like about this book: I didn’t feel connected to Annie as a character, nor did the reveal satisfy me. It made sense, but I felt like other characters would’ve been more satisfying to be the murderer. I feel like a little bit of the plot was also jumbled and things were glossed over too quickly. I also felt like no one in this book was a likable character besides I guess Annie, but she was a little bland to me and naive.

Overall I would still recommend this book to a murder mystery lover & a lover of Knives Out because it definitely reminded me of that movie.

This book started strong but was hard to keep tracking after reading it. There was lots of characters and was confusing. May try the book when it comes put.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review

A murder-mystery based on a cryptic plot. When Frances was 17, her fate was told to her by a fortune teller - that she would one day be murdered. Frances spends her entire life trying to solve her own murder. When her prophecy comes true, the burden falls on those set to inherit her wealth to unravel the mystery she couldn't solve.

Told from the alternating viewpoints of Frances's grandniece, Annie, and Frances as her teenage self, the story is full of clues and reads like a classic murder mystery. I was engaged from start to finish, and while I failed to predict the identity of the murderer, the ending left me thoroughly satisfied.

The characters are genuine and you can't help but become engrossed in the quaint village of Castle Knoll. This book will resonate with fans of mysteries like "Inheritance Games" and "Truly Devious," or enthusiasts of movies such as "Knives Out."

Thank you to Kristen Perrin, NetGalley, and Penguin Group Dutton for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review.

How to Solve Your Qwn Murder is a must read for mystery fans. Kristen Perrin’s protagonist, Annie Adams, is relatable, engaging, and smart. Annie must solve her Great Aunt Frances’ murder in order to receive her inheritance. In the process, Annie is drawn into a 60-year missing person’s case. Annie must match her wits with other potential heirs because the winner takes all! This entertaining read has an innovative storyline and twists and turns along the way. Get comfortable, readers. This is page-turner and you will not be able to put it down until the very end. A delightful read!

This was such a captivating book! I read it in about a day. If you love whodunit mysteries and dual timelines, you will love this book.

For me, it took almost a quarter of the book for me to get into it, but once I did I couldn't put it down. I love the dual timeline aspect where we get to know Frances as a teenager since we don't get to know her in the present day. There are many characters, but each has a unique story and personality, which makes it easy to remember who was who. I could not wait to continue reading and try to figure out who killed Frances as Annie investigated. There are many twists that you won't see coming!

I rated this 4.5/5 stars. I really enjoyed the book and the plot once it started to progress. I would definitely recommend this to any fellow reader. Thank you!

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a tightly written cozy mystery set in a sprawling English countryside estate. With dual timelines split between the 1960s and present day, floundering mystery novelist Annie ends up in an investigation of her own when her Great Aunt Frances dies and leaves her estate to whomever can solve her murder first. This is a great read for anyone looking for something quick and engrossing but not too heavy. While there were times I got a bit caught up in the details, the story moves fast and clicks together nicely at the end.

Annie Adams, a destitute, ,aspiring mystery writer, receives a summons from her wealthy great Aunt Frances’s’ solicitor. Her Aunt is revising her will, and all benefactors must be present to hear the changes. When Annie arrives in town, she meets a panoply of townspeople who know not only her Aunt, but also know Annie’s mother. Twenty five years earlier, her mother’s best friend, Emily disappeared, and no one know what happened to her. Almost immediately after Annie’s arrival, a murder takes place. As Annie tries to solve it, she realizes it may be related to Emily’s disappearance years ago. As Annie uncovers motives from the many suspects, (perhaps too many) she realizes she may be the next victim. This is an enjoyable read, but you may need a “murder board” to track all the suspects, their motives, and their alibis.

What an intriguing read! I enjoyed this book tremendously and cannot wait for its publication, whereupon I will recommend it heartily to all readers of mysteries.

This was OK. The beginning was good but then it started to drag in the middle and I found myself not caring as much about the "mystery".

4.5 ⭐️ I’m not sure I’ve ever read such a downright fun mystery! It has some “thrilling” moments for sure, but reads more like a classic Agatha Christie/detective novel but that occurs in modern day England. This is one of those cleverly told stories where you get multiple stories in one — the modern narrator as well as an underlying story from 1965 delivered in diary form. I love the way the book shifts back and forth between the two; I’m not sure which perspective was more engaging to read, as I really enjoyed both!

The only reason this wasn’t a five star read for me is because it has such a large cast of characters that are so closely intertwined that at times it got a bit tricky to keep everyone straight. Otherwise, this was a such a fun, quick, and unique read that I highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley, Dutton, and Kristen Perrin for a free e-ARC in exchange for this honest review.

How to Solve Your own Murder by Kristen Perrin. Agatha Christie-esque, duel time lines, large cast of suspects, and two murders.

I rate this 4 stars.

I loved this book , was the palate cleanser I was looking for. A good cozy mystery. Solving mysteries of new and old. Two murders, one needing to be solved to solve the other. POVs are from our two protagonists Annie and Great Aunt Frances. I loved getting to know the characters past and present through both Annie and Frances. Annie’s viewpoint is present day while Frances is when she was a teenager in the 1960s.

Would definitely recommend this to people.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 🌟 A fun, compulsively readable, christiesque cozy Mystery. It kept me interested from start to finish.

Ehhhh. Unfortunately I did not love this book. There was a lot of jumping around and A LOT of characters to keep up with on my opinion. It was ok but not a favorite. The ending was also not as I expected. It was hard for me to stay focused during this book.

this book follows a young woman, Annie, who is suddenly thrown into solving the murder of her great aunt Frances. the dual timeline shows the pov of Frances through old diary entries in the 60s. after receiving a cryptic fortune that predicts her death, Frances becomes obsessed with solving her own murder. the second pov is of Annie, set in present day who arrives at her aunts castle estate to find her murdered and is tasked to continue the investigation.

there was a very large cast of characters that felt hard to keep track of at times. i found Frances’s backstory very fun and interesting so i really enjoyed reading the diary entry chapters. as for the mystery itself, I liked the ending but I felt like there could have been more details on certain side characters that would have added to the impact of the final reveal. it felt very rushed leading up to the end. i liked the way all of the characters lives were intertwined with each other and how all of them had their own secrets, it made it a lot harder to guess the murderer!

From the moment you delve into unraveling the mystery of solving your own murder, the storytelling captivates you. The narrative skillfully weaves between present-day events and the 60s when Great Aunt Frances, growing up, experiences the sudden disappearance of her best friend. This unsettling incident follows a foretelling from a fortune teller, predicting her friend's impending murder.

Beyond the gripping plot that held my attention until the very end, preventing me from predicting the resolution, the characters undergo a rich and intricate development. They are multi-layered, compelling, and, most importantly, realistic. I found myself empathizing with Francis during challenging moments, sharing in the laughter when best friend Jenny called, and feeling devastated for Anne's mom. The unexpected twist of solving not one but two murders added an extra layer of intrigue.

The conclusion of the book took me by surprise. As an avid mystery reader, I can confidently say that this has been the best mystery I've read in years. Coming from a devoted Agatha Christie fan, that's a significant compliment. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries, suspenseful plots, dual perspectives, multimedia elements, or, quite frankly, anyone with the ability to read. The story is so fantastic that I can envision readers of various ages, from my friends and myself to high schoolers, thoroughly enjoying it. I unequivocally give this a five out of five.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advance copy of “How to Solve Your Own Murder” by Kristen Perrin.

A quaint English village, a creepy prediction by a fortune-teller, and a woman spending her whole life dodging a murder that’s supposed to happen. Years later she’s found dead, and it happened just like the fortune said it would. Now her great-niece, Annie, steps in to solve the mystery and claim her inheritance.

What I loved:
- The cozy vibes of the English village of Castle Knoll.
- The many puzzles and secrets that kept me engaged.
- A solid whodunnit where anyone could be the killer.
- Franceses perspective through her journal.

What I didn’t love:
- Characters lacked strength; many were bland and forgettable.
- The writing occasionally dragged, affecting the overall pacing.
- Unnecessary fluff detracted from the action I craved.

If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries and can overlook occasional pacing hiccups, this one is worth a read.

How to Solve Your Own Murder was a perfect cozy murder mystery! The book starts off with a fortune that Frances receives at a country fair in 1965, which predicts that she will be murdered.
Unfortunately, 60 years later that fortune rings true as Frances is murdered in her home. The rest of the book jumps between the diaries of Frances from 1965 and present day, where her great niece, Annie, is trying to solve Frances’s murder for the chance to receive her inheritance.

This was a very Clue-esque book with multiple suspects, motives, and red herrings. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the ending shocked me!

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton via NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review!

The summary sounds great - an old woman (Frances) is murdered nearly seventy years after a fortune-teller gives her a riddle predicting her death. Her great-niece, Annie, tries to solve her murder as well as the decades-old disappearance of another young woman who was friends with her aunt. There is a huge inheritance on the line and everyone is a suspect.

I really struggled to finish this book. I couldn’t keep track of the ninety million characters, none of whom were particularly distinctive, and it went on and in with endless conjecturing and what felt like unnecessary stalling to finally reach a kind of meh conclusion. A lot of other reviewers loved this, so I’m definitely an outlier — I think fans of A Christmas Murder Game would like this (it’s another one that didn’t work for me that lots of other readers loved).

4.5 Stars rounded up to 5. As an Agatha Christie lover, I love a good cozy mystery with all the best tropes - money, fortune telling, puzzles, and 2 whodunnits. I loved this author's dual timeline, I felt like we were solving the mysteries at the same time our FMC was, which interesting. The characters were realistic and believable, and there were a few little twists and turns I wasn't expecting. My only concern was that there was a LOT of characters to keep track of, which got a little confusing. I can't wait to read more by this author.

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Thank you netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this EARC.