This was a fun, interesting, quirky read that I enjoyed. At times the plot felt slow, but the characters were so lively written, I didn't mind so much. I look forward to reading more from this writer.

What a wild ride! This book makes the most of its delightful premise as Annie works to solve a murder decades in the making. The story took many twists and turns as the author revealed both the past and the present bit by bit, and the host of self-interested side characters each worked to make things harder for the others. And of course the murder victim, Aunt Frances herself, was nutty in the best way possible. It's a rarity when the dead person turns out to be the most interesting character in the book. The blurb compares this to Knives Out and I would definitely recommend one to fans of the other.

While the book had an incredible plot (and I could not believe this was the author's adult debut, it was so well-done), the characters mostly fell flat for me. They didn't feel like real people, instead seeming more like characters scripted to fulfill a function in the story. I am someone who can like a book for its plot, but will only love a book if it has great characters, hence me giving this four rather than five stars. That said, I look forward to recommending this to many of the mystery fans in my life who will rejoice at reading something so fresh. The twists in this weren't predictable, but neither were they far-fetched.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin for this eARC!

This was a captivating murder mystery and very fun. I loved the characters and their complexities, the journal entries and flashbacks.

The pacing at times was a little off and descriptions could get lengthy or repetitive, but I admit that it kept me guessing to the very end and I kept coming back for another chapter!

I wish I could see this on screen, it gave Knives Out energy in the best way.

I was given a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. The character development was great and it had that Agatha Christie murder mystery type feel to it! It felt like a live game of clue in my head and definitely had those cozy mystery vibes! Well done

3.5 ⭐️

This was a really clever murder mystery about a woman who has a fortune teller predict that she will be murdered one day. Sure enough, 60 years later, she ends up dead under suspicious circumstances and her great niece is part of a quirky cast of characters who are trying to solve the murder.

What I loved? The characters were fun and the story moved along at a good pace. I sped through this quickly!

What I didn’t love? The entire novel is a bit cheesy, almost like Clue. The end was also a bit underwhelming and felt rushed.

All in all, this was a fun mystery that was perfect for spooky season, especially if you want something that isn’t too dark or violent, but still has some drama and intrigue.

ARC provided by NetGalley

Oh my goodness, this was one of the best murder mysteries I've read in a long time. The characters were interesting. I even rather liked the main character, which doesn't happen often for me. I couldn't have guessed the ending, either.

If you enjoy a good mystery, please read this book! You won't regret it!

4.5 Stars!! WOW. I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. From the second I started it, I feel in love with the writing style, the mystery, the different characters, and trying to figure out this murder before Annie did.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a story about Great Aunt Frances, who received a fortune when she was a teen about the circumstances in which she will be murdered. Frances becomes obsessed with trying to solve her murder, and the story opens with Annie, who is distantly related to Frances, finding out that to inherit Great Aunt Frances' house and estate, she must solve the mystery of how Frances was ultimately murdered. Throughout the book, there are flashbacks to the past, where you slowly learn more about Frances and her friendships with her best friends, Emily and Rose, that all are essential clues to how she ultimately was murdered.

This book reminded me a lot of Clue and Knives Out, while also having some similarities to a fun Agatha Christie murder mystery. I could not stop reading it, because I wanted to know so badly what had happened to Frances and her best friend Emily, who had disappeared when they were younger. This book kept me on my toes, and especially because Annie is an aspiring mystery writer, I loved the way that she described different characters and her unique perspective working through the clues surrounding Frances' murder. The revelation of the murderer at the ending was such a shock and not what I expected at all. I loved this book so much and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, unique murder mystery.

Thank you to Dutton Books and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my review!

This book was a slow start for me. I liked the way the author goes back and forth between time lines and years to build they story and mystery surrounding Francis. Each character had some quirky personality traits which intrigued me more. The ending of the book nicely wrapped up everything for me. Thank you for letting me read this book. I'd recommend this to others!

** A copy of How to Solve Your Own Murder was provided by the publisher and NetGalley/Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review **

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a cosy small-town double mystery that is captivating and interesting. Annie is a loveable protagonist who you can't help but root for!

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book. This was a fun, cozy mystery to read.

In 1965, Frances Adams receives a fortune predicting her death, so she spends the next 60 years trying to figure out who will murder her. In present day, Frances’ great-niece, Annie, is summoned to the estate as Frances has changed her will, but before she can even meet her, Frances is found dead, murdered. Luckily, Frances has left behind her own murder board to help Annie solve the mystery of who killed her, plus unraveling other secrets long thought buried.

This was a fun book to read. A cozy mystery with a whole cast of great characters, all whom have some connection either presently with Frances, or from her past. We get glimpses of Frances’ past through a diary that Annie finds that helps her solve the mystery. And being an aspiring murder-mystery writer helps as well.

I give this book a solid 4.5, and that’s only because I would’ve liked a little more about Frances’ background, like how her husband finally won her over and her relationship with his nephew, Saxon, that he raised. But a very good read. I definitely recommend it when it comes out!

How to Solve Your Own Murder was thrilling and hard to put down! I was enamored as the pages increased to discover the mystery behind Frances death. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves the thrill of solving mysteries.

For fans of Agatha Christie and Knives Out! This one was SUCH a fun read, very much a cozy murder mystery. I enjoyed this immensely and it was the perfect read for Halloween week. I can't wait to read more by Kristen Perrin.

The premise behind “How to Solve Your Own Murder” is intriguing, and author Perrin is able to grab the readers attention from the outset.

A dual POV, dual timeline story, this book follows Frances in 1965, who is given a fortune telling reading that says she will be murdered, and Annie in present-day.

I really enjoyed the mystery and don’t want to say too much about the story and give it away. There is a broad cast of characters, and though at times they were difficult to keep straight, they created more complexity and questions for the story.

Although a murder mystery, there is not an overt amount of violence, for those who like mystery but are sensitive to that. I recommend!

Thank you to Dutton, an imprint within Penguin Random House, NetGalley, and the author for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Murder mysteries and family secrets are two components that make up some of the best novels, especially in this case! I absolutely loved this family-based, Clue-like, whodunit! I love that it is set in the country side of a deceased family member's mansion that everyone thought was crazy. It gave off such cozy mystery vibes. I loved it! I highly recommend it! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Annie Adams’ Great Aunt Frances is the definition of eccentric. She’s super wealthy (with 40 million pounds plus numerous properties – including the house where Annie and her artist mother live) with a bizarre pursuit: she was told by a fortune teller when she was 17 that she’d be murdered, and she’s spent her life trying to figure who’s going to do it.

Frances has made a change to her will and has summoned Annie and other related parties to reveal the changes. Unfortunately, before Annie meets Frances, her fear becomes true, and she’s killed. The details of the will are then revealed; if Annie can figure out who murdered Frances in a week, she inherits. If not, it’ll go to the other heir (if he figures it out) or to the land developer if the police figure it out. Annie’s got a huge incentive to figure out it, if only to keep her house.

There are a bunch of possible motives for Frances’s death. She had a good friend who disappeared soon after the fortune teller made her prediction. Is Frances’s death tied to it? Frances did a lot of snooping to figure out who her killer might be; is her death tied to that? If so, is it something that happened recently, or did it happen decades ago? And why did she decided to change her will, before even meeting Annie for the first time, after all these years?

I enjoyed this novel. The premise was unique – figure who finally killed someone who was expecting to be killed for 50 + years. There were lots of little details that added to the plot. Annie finds Frances’s journal from 1965; reading it, she gets to know Frances and her friends, many who still live in the same town. It was a neat twist to read about young Walter doing something, for example, then meeting the older Walter at the will reading. Likewise, there were many generations of characters: Walter’s grandson represented the developer; the grandson of another friend was the detective investigating the case. Having the will create a competition of sorts between Annie and the police added an interesting twist giving Annie a reason not to share all with the police.

My one complaint is that Annie’s sections are all written in the present tense, “I snap on a smile,” or “Mr. Gordon takes out his pocket square.” I realize it’s trendy, but it always takes me out of the flow of the story. In this book, I don’t think having the present tense adds anything to it, either.

There’s a hint at the end that this might become a series, the Frances might have solved other murders. I think if it was it would be a huge challenge for Ms. Perrin to come up with a reason for Annie to get involved and to keep the police at arms’ length, but if she does, I look forward to reading it.

Recommended!

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.com that I voluntarily chose to review.

This book is UN-PUT-DOWNABLE!!

I DEVOURED this book in almost one sitting because the writing style was so effortlessly immersive and highly addictive.

The plot was BRILLIANT. I was consistently guessing “whodunnit” until the very end when the killer was revealed. I honestly came close to guessing but was still off the mark when all the puzzle pieces were revealed.

As we follow our MC Annie, we slowly learn of secrets long since (thought) to be forgotten. This is a story of finding the truth, putting together the clues and figuring out what parts everyone plays in this foreboding family. How will a great-niece who is far removed uncover all the secrets and solve a murder? Why was she even chosen to be involved?

A delicious unwinding with heart pounding moments, I seriously found myself trying to speed read just get to the end of the sentence! I resisted the urge of turning to the end to find the killer many times…that is how expertly written and suspenseful this novel is. Immediately yes, I want to read everything by this Author.

Thank you to the publisher Dutton and Penguin Random House LLC for the book in exchange for my honest review.

How To Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin is such a good and fun story! I found it hard to put down and there wasn't a dull moment. I loved trying to solve the murder as well, but of course it wasn't who I suspected in the end. The story was captivating from the very beginning to the end.

The main character Annie is invited to the reading of her great aunt Frances last will and testamant. In which she's sure her great aunt has got it wrong, because they have never met. But her great aunt thinks that Annie is possibly the key to a fortune of her demise that she received decades prior with her best friends.

Frances, with her two best friends, has her fortune told in 1965 which predicts that her future contains 'dry bones' , these two words haunt Frances until the day she dies.

The book is told between the present and flashbacks to 1965/1966 and involves the disappearance of Emily, one of the girls who went with Frances to the fortune teller.

Interesting read but I am always puzzled by how police detectives in books, seem to let people just look at evidence?? Hey ho, I am being picky!

Entertaining and hope to read more by the author

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Group Dutton for sharing this absolute treasure of a book with me, several months before its release.
My Nancy Drew-Clue-murder mystery-whodunit little heart soared from start to finish with this book. It was incredibly fun without being so “cozy” it lost its suspense.
This is my second book in a row with the setting being an old estate and honestly, I don’t think I will ever tire of it. The character development was superb and I really hope to read more about our detective gal Annie Adams in future books.
This book was just the escape I was desiring. I might need to read it again here soon.
Publish date is March 26, 2024
5 ⭐️ out of 5

Told in a dual POV, split timeline, anyone who loves books like The Alice Network will find the right book for them in How to Solve Your Own Murder. I found it very enthralling and the kind of mystery that keeps you hooked from the beginning until the end.