I adored this cozy little slice of English countryside, paired with a murder mystery, a huge inheritance at stake,, and completely believable characters. It moves along at a nice pace, no boring interludes, and the mystery keeps you engaged at every step.

There did start to be so many characters that I began to lose track of who was who, but, I loved this, and will be looking for more from this author

How exciting that I've gotten so many great ARCs! 2024 is shaping up to be a good year for reading (fingers crossed). This was very clever. The main character was likable, it had this sort of creepy, sinister undertone to it that I enjoy greatly in a Halloween read (even if you don't read this on Halloween. Halloween is a mindset, not just a holiday enjoyed by millions). It had a little bit of a romance, and I was generally impressed by the thoughtfulness of the whodunit. 4 stars even, since it dragged a little bit more than I please, and the pacing was a little odd at times, but all-in-all, color-me-impressed.

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me. The characters weren't very engaging and something about the writing style just didn't grip me. A shame because the plot was pretty good!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Annie and her mother have always had family money to fall back on when the popularity of Mom's art wanes, or Annie unexpectedly loses her job. When wealthy Great Aunt Frances decides that Annie should be her heir instead of Annie's mom, the change is nominal at best since they live together in a house owned by the estate anyway. When Annie arrives in the countryside to meet Great Aunt Frances for the first time, it is to find her deceased. The stipulations of the new will leave her racing against a distant cousin and a police inspector to solve the murder and save not only herself and her mother, but also the whole estate from developers. Shouldn't be too hard for an aspiring murder mystery writer.
This book was fun to read. Alternating between memories in Frances's journals and Annie's modern day search for a killer, it was hard to put down but fleshed out enough that was still easy to follow. The characters were interesting, and had motives and personalities that were quirky but sympathetic and believable. I really loved the description of the estate and countryside, it had me checking out the area on Google Street View, and even looking at vacation and employment opportunities in the general area.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kristen Perrin, and Penguin Random House for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own and given freely. I can't wait to share it with the mystery lovers at my library.

Kristen Perrin's How to Solve Your Own Murder is a clever and engaging novel that will keep you guessing until the very end. With its unique plot, well-developed characters, and suspenseful atmosphere, this novel is sure to please fans of psychological thrillers and murder mysteries alike. If you loved Knives Out, then this book is for you!

The plot of the novel is original and engaging, with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Perrin masterfully weaves together past and present events, creating a suspenseful and unpredictable narrative.

Overall, How to Solve Your Own Murder is a well-written and suspenseful novel that will appeal to fans of the genre. With its unique plot, complex characters, and unexpected twists, this novel is sure to keep you guessing until the very end.

Annie Adams has never really known her crazy great aunt Frances. But when Frances changes her will to include Annie, summoning her to her old castle like estate, Annie quickly finds herself in over her head. Frances has always believed in a cryptic message from a fortune teller that predicted her death, and this fortune seemingly comes to pass when Annie stumbles upon the dead body of her great aunt. Was it murder? Did the fortune teller’s prediction come true? Or did Frances’s paranoia catch up to her? Only Annie can find out the truth. Told in alternating timelines of the present and past (as if Annie was reading her great aunt’s journal), Perrin delivers a solid mystery and introduces a slew of new characters in what is likely to become a series!

I really enjoyed this mystery, especially the dual timelines. I loved reading about the past from Frances’s point of view and thought this was where the writing was best. The characters in the past felt well rounded and had understandable motives. Annie’s timeline did not feel as strong, especially in terms of character development. Some of the present day characters felt one dimensional, even Annie. But I came for the mystery, and while I guessed who the killer was I had no clue on motive and thought everything was wrapped up quite nicely. I hope Perrin continues to write about these characters in the future and to continue developing them. There’s a lot of potential here, and I would love to read more! Perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, Knives Out, and even Nancy Drew!

Release date: March 26, 2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you @netgalley and @duttonbooks for an ARC of this book!

3.5 *'s Interesting premise, decent mystery, tricky execution...I suppose I wanted something more from this story, I wasn't especially drawn to any of the characters.

i'm not typically a mystery girlie, i'm more of the thriller type of reader. so the whodunit, agatha cristie vibes weren't necessarily my favorite, but that's simply because it's not my cup of tea. i still had a good time with this and by no means is it a bad book!

** 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.