Any book that’s a cozy mystery taking place in an English Manor is definitely going to be my vibe.

This book was chalk full of exceptionally well rounded characters as well as a story that held your attention with its mystery and suspense. The dual timeline fell together seamlessly and there was a twist I kind of sort had an inkling about but didn’t see fully coming

Enjoyable cozy-esque murder mystery.

I enjoyed the dual narrative of past (through the diary) and present. Frances was such an interesting character, I enjoyed reading the flashbacks often more than the "current time" with Anne. The idea of someone being so obsessed with the idea of getting murdered from a fortune teller is a very fun idew. I read the entire book in one sitting, so the pacing kept me interested and I did not want to put it down.

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A fun book for fans of Knives out. A fun small town mystery that immediately had me hooked. A quick read with fun characters.

I really liked the concept for this book, but the execution fell flat to me. The writing felt stilted and the characters felt one-dimensional. I wasn’t intrigued while reading, I was mostly just bored.

*3.5 stars rounded up*

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC. How to Solve Your Own Murder is a dual-timeline murder mystery with an Agatha Christie feel, as noted by other reviewers. The setting itself is cozy, whilst an undercurrent of danger runs throughout the narrative. I will say I wasn't too intrigued by the 1960s flashbacks until later on in the book, but they did become very intertwined with the present day after a certain point. Overall, a solid read, though some of the characters left something to be desired.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc of the book. I could not put this book down. It had a lot of cozy vibes.

I picked this book up last weekend after receiving the arc and starting today, I have officially dnf'ed my first book. This book was written well and pretty interesting in the first few pages. But about halfway through the book, I just felt disinterested. The plot idea was very interesting, but I feel like the actual product and the direction it was heading wasn't my cup of tea :( but I would recommend this book for huge fans of murder mysteries and things up that alley.

This was a great novel. You get not one but two murders which is always awesome, had me on the edge of my seat most of the time. It considered a cozy mystery but there are some things that wouldn't be considered "cozy" but it's not too crazy. I'm new to cozy mysteries but I really like the atmospheric feeling of it. The character are awesome. It also has a Agatha Christie feel to it which is awesome!

Thank you for this arc!

OH MY WORD!! I loved this book! I live for this book! Literally incredible! I was so slow to start this and I literally regret not reading this masterpiece earlier, Would recommend to anyone and everyone. Just incredible, that is all. Plot incredible, characters incredible! There were times where I was so internally conflicted about what I thought the outcome would me! Just amazing, a must read!

100000 ⭐️s / ⭐️

Thank you to Kristen Perrin, NetGalley, and Penguin Group Dutton for an advanced reader copy of this incredible book!

This is a perfect whodunnit! The dual point of view going between the 60s and current day makes the mystery unfold in a way that is hard to put down. I think this is going to be one of the mysteries of the year a la The Maid.

Thank you for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this incredible book! I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. While I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a “cozy mystery”, I would say it gives you the same level of comfort as an Agatha Christie book. You know you’re in safe hands because nothing too outrageous is going to happen and the ending will be satisfying and clever. Not to mention that the almost gothic setting of the old mansion and quaintness of small town life gives a “settle in with a cup of tea and get ready to be enthralled” kind of vibe.

With dual timeline books, there is always the risk of the reader caring about one story more than the other. I can say this was not the case with this story. Both the present day and 1960s storylines were equally interesting and entertaining. I found myself excited each time the story switched between the two and never frustrated about “having” to read the other timeline.

I enjoyed going into this book somewhat blind and not knowing the twist of the inheritance game. I thought the mystery was done well and the evidence had me suspecting everyone and their mother (except for Joe and Rose!). The ending was a brilliant conclusion and the the evidence all made sense in hindsight.

Things that prevented this from being a five star book were few and far between, but there were two characters stuck out to me as not completely fleshed out. I thought Ford was really alluring and great as a plot point, but I couldn’t really get a feel for him. His characterization felt a little flat and I didn’t understand his motivations. I’m the opposite vein, I loved the character of Jenny and could really picture her personality, but I did forget she existed multiple times throughout the book. The addition of her character felt a little unnecessary and I think her usefulness to the plot could be given to a different, already established character.

Overall, I loved this book and would definitely recommend it to others. While I think it makes a good stand alone, I’d be excited to hear what the plot of the next book is and would most likely continue reading the series.

Annie is summoned to her great aunt Frances’s estate. It seems like Annie’s mother is out of the will and Annie is in. Before she can spend time with Frances, the thing that Frances has feared for most of her life comes true. She is murdered, and her will pits several people against each other. The one who solves the crime within a week will inherit her estate. It’s a lot of money, and Annie is determined to catch up with the other players, who actually knew Frances.
Told in the past (Frances) and in the present by Annie, I should’ve guessed the killer. But, alas, my radar was on someone else, and I totally looked right past the reason for the murderer to need to silence great aunt Frances. I was almost as upset as Annie that I didn’t get to know Frances in the now. She was some character and having her fortune told early in her life (and what the fortune teller said) really shaped her future.
This was a fun mystery and honestly, I give kudos to Annie for figuring out who was the murderer. I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing her in another book.

This book was a fun, comfortable read, and best of all, clever enough to keep me guessing pretty much the whole way through. Not quite "cozy" but highly recommended for a rainy day with a warm beverage.

The cover and title of this book are what originally drew me to it, and I am pleased to report that the story inside of it kept me turning the pages and fully entertained. The blurb references one of my recent favorite movies, Knives Out, and I would say that's a good comparison. It has sort of a cozy mystery vibe, and a fun plot full of puzzles and riddles for the characters to solve, while they all try to be the first to solve Frances' long ago predicted murder in order to win her estate. I didn't like all of the characters, and there were a lot of them, but it also made it fun trying to figure out who the actual culprit was since everyone seemed likely at one point or another. And best of all, I didn't figure it out ahead of time. I also loved the English village setting, the descriptions of which made it very real in my mind. This is my first novel by Kristen Perrin, but won't be my last.Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group DUTTON for an ARC of this book!
How to Solve Your Own Murder is a fun mystery in its own genre! I don’t think the comparisons to Knives Out or Thursday Murder Club (one of my all time faves) does it any justice.

In the 60s, Frances receives a fortune that changes her life forever. Present day, her great-niece Annie is tasked with solving her murder in order to inherit. The catch - she only has one week to solve the murder and she has to solve it before the mysterious Saxon (the nephew of Frances’ deceased husband) or Detective Crane.

This book had me second guessing everyone. I absolutely did not see the reveal at the end coming. I recommend for anyone in search of a fun mystery with dual timelines.

I really enjoyed this book. Granted, I don't really read mysteries often, so perhaps there are other books out there like this one, but I thought that it was fresh and fun.

In this book, an aspiring author is called to her Great Aunt Frances's mansion and is tasked with solving her murder in order to inherit everything. If the case is not solved within a week, however, or is solved by the local police force, everything will be sold off to developers. There are some holes in this plotline, of course. I'm not sure why Frances would suddenly turn against the police force when she relied on the sheriff to help her pursue all of her suspicions in the past (Frances learned that she would be murdered when she was 15 and has been collecting dirt on everyone she knows ever since then), but it sets the characters up for a nice balance of teamwork and competition.

I enjoyed the dual timeline in this book, but feel like at times it simplified the story a bit too much-- there were a lot of red herrings in the present-day story that weren't legitimate suspects since they only tangentially related to the historical timeline. But it was a fun read and I was genuinely curious about what was going to happen next. I enjoyed learning about the minor characters and learning about their personal motivators.

I think this book had room for improvement, but it was fun and I'm glad that I read it. It went very quickly and I've been recommending it to people in my everyday life. Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy of this text in return for my review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I actually really enjoyed this. Started off a bit wordy and overly specific with details, but after a while you get really sucked in. Finished in one sitting.

Lots of clues and misdirections and it was really nice finding out who the murderer was and seeing if I guessed correctly (I didn’t haha.) Intricate world building and didn’t get overly caught up in character description. I would be interested in more books by this author.

I love funny mysteries and this story is excellent. Reminded me of Knives Out and Finlay Donovan! Definitely recommend if you like murder mysteries on the lighter side.

Thank you Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I had such a fun time with this cozy small town murder mystery. The story follows Annie Adams as she tries to solve the murder of her Great Aunt Frances. Great Aunt Frances spent her life trying to prevent her own murder which leaves no shortage of suspects. The cast of characters was entertaining and I loved exploring Great Aunt Frances's backstory through her diary entries. The diary gave a duel timeline element to the story that was really enjoyable. You'd think as much as I like cozy mysteries I'd be better at solving the crimes, but I'm not. I didn't solve this one ahead of the reveal, but that never bothers me. I actually enjoy the big reveal when I'm not expecting the answer. Overall, I would recommend this to all readers who love a murder mystery full of family secrets but that doesn't include any blood or gore.

I absolutely adored this cozy British mystery! It definitely gave me inheritance games and knives out vibes which was perfect for a rainy fall day. The MC was spunky and smart, I liked the supporting characters, and I really hope the author will continue this as a series with the MC as a detective. Also great for fans of Truly Devious!