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.

More on my bookstagram - @bookish_starry_skies

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

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an Advanced Copy of this book in exchange for a review.

How To Solve Your Own Murder is your typical Agatha Christie-inspired cozy murder mystery, set in a small English town, where everyone is a suspect! Annie has been tasked by her murder-obsessed estranged great aunt Frances to solve her murder within a week to claim her inheritance. After visiting a fortune teller booth in her teen years, Frances had become obsessed with the circumstances of her own death and spent most of her life planning for her eventual demise. The book is split between Annie's investigation and Frances' teenage diary where we are introduced to all the possible murder suspects in Annie's investigation.

This was such a fun, easy, and compelling read! There were twists and turns throughout the entire book, and it kept me on my toes at all times. There were numerous characters, which made it impossible (for me!) to guess the murdered until the reveal. Annie was a charming detective and her growing affection for Frances, even in her death, was very endearing.

Free eARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher for reviewing purposes.

Unfortunately, as a dedicated Mystery Reader, I found this book to be terribly disappointing. Despite the intriguing premise, the lovely cover and compelling title, this book was boring. I didn't care about the mystery, I didn't care what was going to happen next or who did it, and the dual timelines unfortunately made it doubly hard for me to get through reading it.
Our main character, Annie, a mystery writer (Why? She seems to have no insight into solving a mystery from her career. I found her to be incredibly lacking in common sense and uninteresting) who is invited to her Great Aunt Frances' home (Great Aunt Frances has been anticipating her own murder since she was a teenager, and is the source of the title) to discover Frances has been murdered and the person who solves the murder will inherit her fortune. Annie also finds Frances' teenage diary (the other timeline in the book) which tells the narrative before and during the disappearance of Frances' best friend Emily. A Christie-inspired premise, to be sure. Unfortunately, the execution is lacking. The narratives are repetitive, there are too many characters, all of which seem to be either one- or two- dimensional. None of the characters are fleshed out or realistic, which made it hard for me to care about anything happening. I admit to skimming the last 30% of the book, because I just wanted it to be over, and I found the resolution to both mysteries to be lacking- I can tell the author wanted to have some clever revelations, but they didn't work for me.
Alas, despite how much I wanted to enjoy this, I don't recommend this book. I wish it had been better written.

Annie Adams has been called to her great aunt’s country estate. Wealthy, eccentric Aunt Frances has spent her life trying to understand a fortune-teller’s prediction of her death. When Annie arrives for the meeting she finds her dead. The prediction has finally come true. Aunt Frances has changed her will so that the one who solves her murder is the one who will inherit her fortune. As Annie tries to unravel the clues her aunt collected throughout her life, she is embroiled in not only the mystery of her aunt’s death but also the strange disappearance of one of Frances’ best friends. Suspense and danger intensify as Annie gets closer to solving the mystery, but will she solve it in time to inherit it all?

Perrin has created twists and turns in this Agatha Christie style mystery that will keep you guessing. She presents and interesting ensemble of characters and though I would have loved a deeper dive into some of them, the plot must go on. Overall it was an enjoyable read and highly recommended.

First, the title itself is brilliant. I would have definitely grabbed this book just by the title alone. Second, the premise of the book is clever and original- it is a double murder mystery set in two different timelines that involves solving a riddle-like fortune reading. And I think the author did a fantastic job setting the scene in the prologue; I was hooked within the first few pages. There is also a hint of romance throughout the book that I found enjoyable and cozy.
That being said, the book slows down significantly about half way through and gets a little confusing with the amount of characters introduced along the way. However, I still found it a pleasant read with a captivating plot!

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for an eARC for an honest review.

I was immediately gripped by this book! I loved the multiple timelines woven together. What a great mystery! I only wish the romance had been played up a little bit more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book!

Annie Adams has been summoned from London to her Great Aunt Frances' quite country village where Frances has an announcement about her will. Before Frances can convene the meeting she's murder- just as a fortune teller predicted she would be the summer she turned 17.

Two murders, more than five decades apart, are so intertwined they've corrupted the small village with secrets. Frances is at the center of it all, and she's been collected secrets for nearly sixty years in order to solve her own murder. The person who solves in first wins the fortune, but if Frances' murder remains unsolved a large developer will take over the land.

A little bit Agatha Christie and a little bit Westing Game, this mystery is intricately woven with layers of secrets, bitterness and even love.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a fun, quirky, British mystery. While it isn’t a thriller, there are unexpected twists and turns as a plucky heroine attempts to solve not one but two murders. A quick, entertaining read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This had a bit of a slow start, but once it got going, I enjoyed it. I didn't guess conclusion of either murder, so it was a successful mystery.

4.25 stars, rounding to 4 for GR and NetGalley. I loved the setting, the premise, and the story. It’s refreshingly unique in a crowded sea of murder mysteries.

HOWEVER, it look me a really long time to get through the first 40% because I couldn’t keep the characters straight. I eventually just grabbed a pen and paper (and then grabbed them again when my dog stole them) and took notes on the characters and how they were related. It helped clear my head and got me really excited about the story and trying to figure out the mysteries.

Because of the many important characters, I’d recommend reading this book rather than listening, if you’re able — or just check out the “who’s who” guide on my IG (@lizziepagereads).

Overall, I’d recommend it to anyone who reads mysteries, but especially to those who enjoy quirky, Christie-esque, small town, British murder mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for the gifted copy. Opinions are my own.

I ate this book up in a day. I adore Annie Adams! She is brave, whitty, creative and persistent as she’s thrown into a “murder mystery game” to solve her great aunt Francis’ murder. Whoever solves the murder inherits Francis’ estate. Francis lived her life obsessed and guided by a fortune she believed foretold her murder and the disappearance of her best friend.

This book switches between present day with Annie investigating Francis’ murder and excerpts from Francis’ journals from the time her friend disappeared.

I was hooked by chapter 3. Loved the writing. Loved the pace of this book. I didn’t guess the ending and that is a huge plus for me in any murder mystery I read!

I didn't love Ford's character. The age gap with Francis and that he slept with her friend knowing her friend was a minor. I get that he was being painted as this morally gray, broken, closed off man but I just wasn't a huge fan of his character in particular but I see how him being written this way was important to the story.

The romance girlie in me wanted more of the potential relationship between Annie and Detective Crane. His protectiveness over her as well as little gestures throughout the book but especially the end had me wanting more! But I can also appreciate an open ended conclusion so I can decide if they end up together or not.

3.5/5 rounded down

A fun and inventive twist on the mystery genre! With a large cast of characters and a dual timeline (one through journal entries), I was really excited for the story. While I did find the middle a bit too back and forth (it’s this person, no it’s this person, no it’s this person), I didn’t want to stop reading because I had to know. I was hoping for a bit more from it— it was closer to cozy than I was anticipating.

Hooked from the very beginning! Annie is the perfect character just the right amount of flaw to be endearing while endlessly rooting for her! Most books of this type tend to drag on and give all the info at the very end not this one! I learned new information with every turn of the page and still didn't guess who did it! Definitely a must read!