** Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. **

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a brilliantly written who-dunnit with a twist. Annie arrives at her Great Aunt Frances' home thinking she will simply hear the changes that Frances has made to her will. But when Annie arrives to find Frances dead, a string of events is set in motion that will have Annie competing with other potential inheritors to solve the murder that Frances knew was coming.

This book had me furiously turning the pages as I tried to suss out who killed Frances. Told in snippets of Frances' teenage journal and Annie's own investigation, the two stories weave together perfectly. An absolutely brilliant book that will definitely be in my top 10 reads of the year.

This was a super cute, cozy mystery! I loved learning more about Frances and discovering the two different murderers in the process. The characters were lively and the setting was idyllic-- even if it was hiding some pretty dark secrets.

I am surprised by how much I enjoyed this book!! I was consumed by the mystery, and found it hard to walk away to take care of responsibilities outside of reading! Although some parts were predictable, I was still sucked in and couldn't look away. I look forward to reading more from Kristen Perrin!

I REALLY enjoyed this book. I think it’ll be great for people who enjoy classic murder mystery novels, and people who’ve never read the genre before.

Annie was such a loveable protagonist and I enjoyed all the well-placed clues.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy!

This book very much gave me Knives Out and Pretty Little Liars vibes, especially the dynamic between Emily, Rose, and Frances. Our journey begins with a teenage Frances receiving a chilling prediction from a fortune-teller. She will one day be murdered. This fortune becomes the focus of Frances' entire life, compiling dirt on nearly everyone who crosses her path. It's sad because no one takes Frances seriously, and she is the town crazy lady. At least not until Frances is actually murdered, nearly 60 years later.

When Frances' will is read, its no surprise that she has created a little game for her potential heirs. She wants her nephew, Saxon, and grand-niece, Annie, to figure out who murdered her in order to receive the entire inheritance. They must solve her murder before the police, in one week. So, we begin to follow Annie and her journey to finding Frances' murderer.

I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down anytime I picked it up. I loved the parallels between the POV of Frances and Annie. The timeline jumps did not feel abrupt and choppy. They moved really smoothly. That is something that can be difficult to accomplish. The book takes place in a beautiful setting. I could easily picture the town and characters. I loved it.

This book had me hooked from the first paragraph. It's fast moving and simply fascinating. The twists kept me guessing and I didn't figure out who done it!

This was an interesting take on an Agatha Christie style murder mystery. I enjoyed the narration and how the story progressed. The characters were likeable enough and I was genuinely rooting for the main character.

What a fantastic story that kept me guessing all the way through. I felt like I was trying to solve both murders as I was reading about them. Normally I’m quick to figure out murder mystery books, but this one had me second guessing myself throughout the story!

I found myself connecting with Annie right away, especially when it’s shared that she faints and hyperventilates at all things medical related. Girl…I am the same way. I only wish there was more interaction with Annie’s best friend, Jenny. Every time they talked it was so fun to read and it made me want more! I hope one day to read a book where they actually work together fully on solving a murder!

“Your future contains dry bones. Your slow demise begins right when you hold the queen in the palm of one hand. Beware the bird, for it will betray you. And from that, there is no coming back. But daughters are the key to justice, find the right one and keep her close. All signs point to your murder.”

In 1965, Frances Adams receives the terrible fortune predicting her future murder. She lives the rest of her life in fear of the prediction coming to fruition, and alienates herself from those around her in the process. She is considered the crazy old woman in her local town and no one believes in her crazy rantings. But when the recipients of her fortune find her dead in her study, the town quickly realizes they were wrong and in more ways than one.

How to Solve Your Own Murder was an incredible murder mystery read! I enjoyed this book from start to finish. The secrets revealed during flash backs of Frances’ young adult life were fascinating! I loved the characters involved and the banter/humor was great. The solving of the murder was also very fast-paced and kept my entire focus! I did not guess the murderer correctly, and I love it when that happens! I definitely recommend reading this if you are a fan of humorous, drama filled, murder mystery books!

(2.5) Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for sending me an eARC of this novel. Unfortunately, I thought the story was pretty mediocre and drawn out, and I found myself continuously checking to see how many chapters I had left. I didn't feel like enough clues were dropped throughout the story, and Annie just randomly solved it with a few chapters to go. There are a lot of mysteries that I like better than this one, and they would certainly be a more engaging read.

The title and premise caught my eye immediately, but unfortunately this book ended up being a little underwhelming. I did not feel attached to the huge cast of characters and often found them difficult to distinguish, and the reveal was disappointing. Overall this book had potential but ultimately didn't deliver.

Finally a mystery that I throughly enjoyed and did not guess the culprit way before the big reveal!

The main character, Annie, has been tasked with figuring out who murdered her Great Aunt Frances and she does a bang up job of doing it. The book switches between present day and the diary of Aunt Frances. In some books this becomes a tedious chore to read, but Kristen Perrin has done a marvelous job giving voice to both characters.

My only complaint is that it took a bit for the story to get rolling, but soon I was invested and needed to know what the heck was going on.

I look forward to seeing if the author turns this into a series.

Thank you to NetGalley and
PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

It took me a few chapters to fully become invested in the characters and story but once I did it was a fast-paced mystery. I would have loved more of the writings of Great Aunt Frances though since it’s her mystery being solved. Some of the characters needed more fleshing out to become invested in them.

Not sure if the author plans on making this a series of books but I would read future sleuthing between the main character, Annie, and Detective Crane.

Overall, I really liked the book and characters. I loved the story idea of Great Aunt Frances trying to solve her death before it ever happens.

This book was fun, and honestly, I was pretty shocked by the reveal because it felt like a race to solve the murder before even our own main character (Annie Adams) did. A race I sadly lost but had fun taking part in.

As Annie dives in deeper, she finds herself following the fortune her great aunt received and becoming a target herself.

While she was a fun character to read from the perspective of, I so terribly never wanted to stop reading France's chapters. I felt more of a connection to her, and the writing for her section was so beautifully laid out, and her emotions complex. It's not that Annie is a bad character, it's just clear from the beginning that as the main character, she will not only be fine but will succeed which eliminates the feeling of risk or character development. Despite this, I enjoyed the mystery that surrounded her and the suspense of the mystery becoming unraveled.

The big reveal of who it was was a bit underwhelming. It makes absolute sense but is still underwhelming because I felt slightly cheated that we got a lot of buildup for a few good candidates for the role of the villain and nothing went anywhere with them.

Despite it all, the book was good, fun, and felt like a well-thought-out murder-mystery.

*Received in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a fun book, and very fast paced! I loved the generational characters, that were all drawn very well. I think my only sticking point is that Ford still seems very fishy -- how did he know she needed a new winter coat?

I was so excited to receive an ARC of How to Solve Your Own Murder! This murder mystery is a unique one - it's told in the present time, and also through the main character's Great Aunt Frances' journal from 1965. Annie arrives in her Great Aunt's small town to learn about being included in her will, only to find Frances has been murdered. Frances has spent her whole life preparing for this day, and las left behind info and instructions to help in solving not just her own murder, but the disappearance of her friend Emily back in 1965.
With a quirky cast of characters in both time periods, Annie has her hands full learning about secrets from her past and trying to stay out of a killer's way while figuring out the ultimate whodunit.
I had a lot of fun reading this story! Both timelines were well told, and kept me on the edge of my seat! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this murder mystery so much! I wish it was a series. It kept me guessing and looking for clues right along with Annie! I loved Aunt Frances journal. I will most definitely be
recommending this one!

Received as an arc through Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

Dnf at 30% 😭

I never dnf arcs but I could not, for the life of me, find it in me to get invested in this story. It lacks the tension and rabid curiosity that should be imminent in a murder mystery. Even the scene when the body is found seemed quite lackluster.

Another contributing factor to my lack of investment lies in the characters. I am so wholly uninterested and uninvested in the characters, that I'm finding it hard to care about them. I was thinking about the 2 main characters, Frances and Annie, and realized I know so little about them that I honestly couldn't even tell you a single personality trait of theirs? Supposedly Frances is eccentric and superstitious, but that is only really hearsay so far. Are Annie and Frances intelligent women? Kind? Naive? Cunning? I honestly could not tell you. If I am a third into a book, and cant even name a single personality trait, that's no good in my opinion.

And even the other characters: Oliver, Saxon, Mr. Gordon, Mum, Archie, etc. None of them appear to have any personality so far. I couldn't tell you what they are like, or what their personality is. Elva is really the only character with any bit of intrigue or personality to her.

I feel really awful for giving this book a poor rating and review. Having interesting, richly layered characters is just so extremely important to me. This book missed the mark on that account. If that isn't something that is super important to someone, they may like this story better than I.

Reminiscent to Agatha Christie's style of writing, this book centers on Frances, the woman who knows she's going to be murdered, and Annie, her niece who must now follow Frances' breadcrumbs to the truth of her mysterious death. This is a fun read with interesting characters and an engaging storyline. Overall, a great pick to snuggle up with this winter.

Thank you to Dutton Books for an advanced copy of "How To Solve Your Own Murder''.

The Book begins with a premonition: 'Your future contains dry bones. Your slow demise begins right when you hold the queen in the palm of one hand. Beware the bird, for it will betray you. And from that, there's no coming back. But daughters are the key to justice, find the right one and keep her close. All signs point toward your murder'.

This was a delightfully sinister and twisty path towards discovering who killed Frances Gravesdown. I often detect who the murderer is early on, but this one kept me guessing until the very end. Learning how each line of the premonition came to pass and eliminating suspects when everyone has a motive kept me engaged and wanting to read more.

My own premonition is this: you will love this book,