"I love murder mysteries. But standing here in this room, facing my great aunt's obsession with her own murder after only just finding her dead body... I feel with full force that this isn't just a story, and murder isn't just a puzzle. It's a selfish, final, complex act."

Annie Adams is a young woman living the dream in London when she loses a job she didn't care that much about anyway and decides to move in with her eccentric painter mother to save some cash. She longs to become a mystery writer but, you know, making money that way isn't exactly the easiest. So it really feels like fate or life imitating art when Annie gets wrapped up in - you guessed it - a murder mystery! You see, Annie's great aunt Frances has been telling anyone who will listen that she WILL be murdered. She doesn't know when or how, but she's certain it'll happen. So when Annie heads to the countryside to visit her dear auntie (who she's never met) per a letter summoning her to review mysterious changes Frances wants to make to her will, it comes as a surprise to no mystery novel reader that Frances dies under mysterious circumstances before the will can be read. What follows is a cozy mystery where Annie gets to play a younger, hipper Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple.

How to Solve your Own Murder was really cute! I definitely got Agatha Christie vibes throughout. Annie is a sweet and likable character and I found myself rooting for her to figure out who dunnit and why who dunnit had dunnit. There were a plethora of characters who had a motive and the opportunity to knock off Frances, and while The Big Reveal made complete sense, I didn't see the ending coming.

While I thoroughly enjoyed HtSYOM, it wasn't particularly memorable. It feels like the cozy mystery genre is getting flooded with new authors these days, and I don't know that Perrin's book is one that'll stand out. I mean, it's no contest which cozy mystery I read in 2023 will stick with me longer between this book and Legends & Lattes. The answer is Legends and Lattes. When you've got a retired thug orc vs. a regular old Londoner as your protagonist, there's just no way the Londoner will come out on top.

A witty and fun cozy double murder mystery that will have you continuing to flip the pages. I loved the double timeline and trying to solve the present-day murder while reconciling it with what happened in the past. I loved the whole cast of characters and would love to see Annie take on another mystery. This is a must-read for those who are fans of The Thursday Murder Club and the Marlow Murder Club. Love!

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for my e-ARC!

I haven't read Kristen Perrin before, but I love a murder mystery! I found myself enjoying both Annie and Frances' perspectives and seeing how it all plays out. It was a fun cozy mystery and I will recommend to all when it comes out in March!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book! Here is my honest review:

As a big fan of Knives Out and Agatha Christie-esque novels, the premise of this book was right up my alley. It was a bit of a slow build-up but once the will was read, I was in it. Despite there being a plethora of characters in the past and present town of Castle Knoll, I found myself so invested in the crossovers of all their relationships that I even drew out a little map to keep track of everyone and their connections! I loved the excerpts where we would read Frances' diary from her teenage years along with Annie and seeing how moments from her writings would connect with questions that needed answers in order to solve the two murders in the story. As much as I wish I had solved the case myself, I was definitely wrong - I found the ending pretty shocking as it tied up the loose ends.

This was a chill read for me. I would definitely recommend this to people who already enjoy thrillers, mysteries, and murder mysteries.

Thank you to Netgalley, and Dutton Publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Truly, I was expecting to enjoy myself but opted to stay completely in the dark when it came to anything beyond a brief glance at the title and cover, both of which are fantastic. The character work was fun, and more classic whodunnit mystery was a great change of pace among most of the murder mysteries currently at the forefront of publishing.

Rounded up from 3.75

When Annie's Great Aunt Frances, whom she hasn't seen in years, dies, Annie is surprised to learn that she's been invited to the reading of the will instead of her mother. Francis led a strange life, believing a fortune she received from a fortune teller when she was in her teens that predicted her murder. Shortly after that time, one of her three closest friends, Emily, disappeared. Was her disappearance so long ago connected to Frances' death that turns out to be the murder she believed would end her life? Annie, a relative, and a detective take on this case after Frances' will challenges them to solve her murder using clues Frances herself discovered.

With interesting characters and several twists, this was an enjoyable read.

Okay, woooooooow.

I did not expect to love this, but I really did! It started a little slow for me but before too long, I was hooked. Stick with it if it starts slow for you, too.

What complex characters! What a great plot. It kept me guessing the whole time, and I did not figure out the whodunnit (and I read a lot of detective stories so I’m decent at guessing the endings).

I would love if this was the start of a series (though it doesn’t seem like it is). Just wish I could keep up with Annie and Rowan and Jenny and Laura and all the quirky folks in Castle Knoll.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Thanks to netgalley and dutton publishers for this arc in exchange for an honest review! I immediately was drawn into this plot. I thought the concept was awesome and exciting. However I slowly lost interest with the long list of characters that were very one dimensional. Annie and frances’ pov seemed very similar to me, their voices were too similar. It wasn’t a super long book but at times it felt extra long. It was slow at times for me as well, not enough surprises. There also wasn’t enough cliffhangers from one chapter or pov to the next like a good thriller does. I don't think this one should be under the thriller genre- it was just a cozy mystery kind of book like Agtha Christie's books.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this advanced reader copy!

If you learned of how you were to die in the future, would you do everything in your power trying to prevent that from happening? That's the premise of How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin. Frances visits a fortune teller, who reports to her that she is going to be murdered. Then, we follow Frances' niece, Annie, as she tries to solve her aunt's murder. This is a fun little murder mystery and it will keep you guessing.

I cannot say enough good things about this book, holy wow.

It was the perfect cat and mouse mystery, tied in with a present situation and the past. I loved the authors way of telling this story and connecting the reader to the current day and the past. It was addicting, quick paced and thoroughly entertaining. No gore, no smut, just brilliant writing.

Obsessed doesn’t even cut it.

Thank you to the author for this read.

Do yourselves a favor dear readers and add this to your TBR asap. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.

Whodunnit mystery that keeps you on your toes! This was such a fun book to read with a lot of twists & kept me engaged with all of the clues sprinkled throughout. Every time I felt like I figured something out about Frances, there was a whole new revelation. Annie was a fun character to follow while she solved the murders of both Emily & Frances - I loved the flashbacks from Frances’ diary! This was a quirky, mysterious read that is sure to leave you changing your mind on who the murderer is!

Did you hear that earth rattling scream?

That was me.

I was just approved for How To Solve Your Own Murder, and I have a feeling I won’t stop screaming for a bit.

Kristen Perrin, is the next “best thing”, mark my words, this chick is going to break the internet.

What is really bizarre is that this isn’t typically a book I would gravitate toward, yet something really peaked my interest. I think I felt a “Simone St James, vibe” when I read the description and as you all know, I love a debut author!!!!

I have a house full of Thanksgiving guests but I just can’t wait to sit with my thoughts on what I just read.

I hope they leave soon.

Where are my Perrin fans at? Are you looking forward to this one? What has been your favorite book of hers so far?

This book is perfection,

I was never bored. I felt like an amateur detective and could not wait to see what would happen next. The suspense and droplets of clues kept me engaged.

I love Perrin and you should too, check out this teaser :

It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’s night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.

In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?

As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.

This is a unique murder mystery with a cast of characters directed to solve an elderly woman's murder in order to win her inheritance. Annie ends up solving two murders despite being chased, and tricked, and almost meeting the same fate as her great aunt.

Annabelle Adams has found herself at the center of a murder investigation and to save her beloved family home she’ll have to uncover her great aunt Frances’ killer. If that isn’t enough, Annie has never actually met her great aunt nor stepped foot in the quaint little village where Frances lived.

I enjoyed this fast paced mystery and loved the use of Frances’ journal to transport us back to the 1960s. The journal tied Annie to the great aunt she never knew in a satisfying and clever way.

While there were quite a few secondary characters, they all served a purpose in the story and how things ultimately played out. There is no romance for Annie but I liked seeing the budding attraction between her and a certain policeman.

The one downside for me was that the end of the book dragged slightly but not so much that I was put off.

A great aunt you’ve never met summons you for a change in her will but is murdered before you can get there and the fate of her large estate rests with whoever can solve her murder which was predicted by a fortune teller when she was 16. This murder mystery reminded me of Clue with a cast of suspects and weapons and had me evaluating each person and their motive and opportunity only to be surprised by the final chapter! Enjoyed this whodunnit!

Thank you to Penguin Group for the ARC. #HowtoSolveYourOwnMurder #NetGalley

The only reason I eventually decided for a 4-star rating instead of a 5-star one is because this book tended to drag on in the last few chapters. I did enjoy the way the mystery was solved, although I found it more and more unlikely... I also didn't appreciate the fact that everything came together somewhat magically toward the end, something I have come to hate about mysteries.
HOWEVER, this book had a lot of positives, too. For one, I enjoyed the switch between the 60s action and current day. There was a significant difference in the tone of Frances and Annabelle, which made for an even more realistic experience. I loved Frances' journal the most as I felt that it perfectly conveyed that 60s atmosphere in the United Kingdom. Annie was a lot more modern by comparison, also because of her somewhat disjointed upbringing and the fact that her mother didn't tend to communicate her feelings properly.
The many quirky characters in this novel make it lovable, as well, from the veterinarian and her wife to whatever the gardener is planting on his farm.
In the end, this was a pretty good book and it very much exceeded my expectations.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free copy in exchange for a review.

I have to say I did not expect this book to be a favorite! From its unassuming cover to the plot summary, I thought it would be a middle-of-the-road read. And I was as wrong as I was when I guessed “who dun it”!

We follow Annie Adams, an aspiring writer, who ends up being summoned to the estate of her great aunt Frances. When it seems that Frances’ 60 year old fortune foretelling her death has come true, it’s up to Annie to investigate into the killer to have a shot at her great aunts’ inheritance.

I’m in love with this whole book! I loved the writing, with its cozy feeling(yet not quite a cozy mystery). I loved the cast of characters, past and present. I really got invested in the whole town of Castle Knoll and all of its various businesses. Annie was a very likable main character with very human weaknesses. And mostly I loved reading about Frances! I could read another 300 pages about her life and the way she thinks.

Basically the only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars is because the ending left a little to be desired and the amount of times I had to read “Great Aunt Frances” was a bit much(like we get it just call her Frances).

Big thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of the book to review.

This is a fast paced, entertaining, cozy mystery that kept me guessing. Frances is so scared when she receives a fortune teller's premonition at age 17, that she spends the next 60 years collecting evidence against her friends and neighbors to avoid being murdered. When she is found dead, there is a race to solve the crime and inherit her vast fortune. The story has a "Knives Out" feel - numerous suspicious/unreliable characters, all seemingly vying for Frances' money. The setting is a small village north of London and told in dual timelines: in the present, Frances' niece, Annie, an aspiring mystery writer, works with a handsome detective on the case, and in flashbacks, through Frances' diary from 1965, when the fortune is first told. This book was a pleasant surprise. Due out March 26, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin House Dutton for this E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Frances Adams is a teenager in 1964 she has a horrifying fortune read. One day, Frances will be murdered. She spends her whole life obsessing over this fortune and doing everything in her power to prevent it from happening. For decades everyone thinks she's crazy and just doesn't take her seriously, until one day Frances actually is murdered.

In present day, Frances' great niece Annie is summoned to Frances' estate for a meeting. They have never met, and unfortunately they never will, because by the time Annie arrives she finds Frances dead in her home.

What follows is a back and forth timeline with Frances as a teen and present day with Annie trying to figure out who murdered her. Whoever solves the murder before the police gets to inherit the fortune left behind. With shady characters and years of investigation done by Frances this is a fast paced murder mystery that will keep you guessing.

I had a hard time keeping up with all of the characters and had to go back and remind myself who someone was to Frances as a teen and where they fall now in Annie's timeline. My only other dislike for this book was how easy some things came to Annie without much explanation.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I will absolutely read more from this author!

My first read by Kristen Perrin! I was super excited to get to read this one. I would say it reminded me of the game of Clue. A fun cozy mystery (until the end) that goes between two time lines. As a reader I was fully committed to solving this crime. I could almost make my own murder board.

Thank you to Kristen Perrin, Penguin Random House/Dutton and NetGalley for this opportunity