What a fun mystery! Interesting premise, but a bit sad to think that Frances spent her entire life expecting to be murdered - and after 60 years, it came true!
I've been on a mystery reading spree and this did not disappoint. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this one!

Unfortunately, I only made it about halfway through this book. I kept putting it down and not wanting to pick it back up, always reaching for something else. I think the mystery did not quite make for a compelling enough read for me.

How to Solve Your Own Murder was a fun dual-timeline cozy mystery set in a small town. I enjoyed jumping back and forth between the present and the journal entries, however I wasn’t as drawn into the mystery as I would have liked to be. Ultimately I enjoyed my time reading it, but it’s not a book I’ll return to or think of often.

How to Solve Your Own Murder started out as an engaging and clever story, that didn’t ramp up as I anticipated it would. I feel like it was a good enough read that just didn’t quite measure up to the comparisons. That said, check it out for yourself to see what you think.

**I appreciated the opportunity to read and review the electronic ARC. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher.

Okay I was hooked from simply the title of this book. I thought this was a great concept and honestly very well executed too! I am a murder mystery buff so I knew from page one I was going to enjoy this book. Can't wait to see what else this author puts out!

Frances lived her life expecting to be murdered. When it finally happens, her great-niece is determined to figure out who did it. But the way Frances lived her life, suspicious and keeping notes on everyone, there are a number of possibilities. Can Annie find the killer before she meets the same fate? A fun mystery. Looking forward to the next!

“For fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club , an enormously fun mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate...”

I loved this cozy mystery and found it very atmospheric. The mystery is clever and the investigation follows logic and skills of deduction from start to finish. I was hooked the full way through, especially having the diary entries from Frances to read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately this mystery was a little too cozy for me. I put it down and never picked it back up. I tried the audiobook version on Spotify once it was released and that didn’t work for me either. I typically like a dual time line but this just wasn’t for me. I have seen plenty of other great reviews for this book!

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

Solid mystery read! Candidly, I was really enjoying the quaint sort of style and setting, and then the ending threw off the vibes for me a bit. But liked the overall themes of betrayal and obsession, and the structuring of the dual timeline was fun.

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is the first book in a wry and very well constructed new series by Kristen Perrin. Released 26th March 2024 by Penguin Random House on their Dutton imprint, it's 368 pages and available in hardcover, large print paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

This is a fun homage/send up of the classic British murder mystery with a deceased (murdered) great-aunt, a crazy will, a huge inheritance up for grabs, dastardly grasping relatives, conspiracy theories galore, a convoluted plot, and a satisfyingly exciting denouement and resolution.

It's not primarily a humorous plot, but there are quite a few wry moments with departed great-aunt Frances' murder board and files which she collected over a 60 year period, having been convinced as a teenager that she was going to be murdered at some point (and she was).

It's not derivative, but fans of Knives Out, Clue, and the Thursday Murder Club will likely enjoy this one. There's a second book due out in March 2025 from the same publisher.

Four stars. It would be a good choice for public library acquisition, home use, or gift giving.

The unabridged audiobook format has a run time of 10 hours 51 minutes and is expertly read by Alexandra Dowling. She has a classically trained RP English accent and does a good job with the disparate and varied accents over a range of ages and both men and women. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

this was such a cool mysterious mystery type thriller. I dont want to spoil but really did enjoy it. I look forward to more from Kristen Perrin

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for this advance copy of How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin.
This was a fun unique spin on the classic whodunit. I would recommend this to anyone who loves Agatha Christie, Knives Out and Clue. The pacing was great and I could see this translating well to a movie or miniseries. This is also a beautiful cover, and is sure to catch attention at the bookstore.

When Frances was a teenager, she received a fortune that one day she would be murdered. She lived her life trying to solve her own murder. Then, 60 years later, the inevitable happened and her great-niece, Annie, was the right daughter to solve the murder. See, what an interesting premise!

As the story progressed you learn about Annie and Frances and how, although never meeting, France was convinced that Annie would solve the murder. The story takes you through Frances' journal and present day, so there is a bit of jumping around.

I didn't give it more stars because I just felt like there was soooo much going on. While trying to solve Frances' murder, there was also the disappearance of Emily to figure out and an introduction of multiple characters. Trying to keep everything in check was sometimes a bit confusing.

All in all, the book was full of twists and turns and I ultimately enjoyed it.

A special thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for providing me with the digital reviewer copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. I have not felt this excited about entering a new book neighborhood since the Flavia de Luce books. I can’t wait to see what else happens with these characters!

This was a DNF for me, I just couldn't get into the characters and storyline even though it sounded like a lot of fun!

A fantastic summer read that I think readers of all ages will thoroughly enjoy. I highly recommend this book, it will keep you wanting to know what happens next. Strong characters help move an intricate plot through beautiful settings. This book will keep you up late at night.

I enjoyed this novel by Kristen Perrin. The story follows Great Aunt Frances who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate. Annie Adams, her estranged great-niece is added to the will as an inheritor but the murder becomes a game. Whoever is the first to solve the murder inherits the estate in its entirety.

I thought it was an excellent premise for a novel and kept me entertained and on my toes trying to find out for myself who had done it.

Thanks to @netgalley @penguinrandomhouse and @kristenperrinwrites for allowing me an advanced copy! You don’t need to wait though - it’s out and ready for reading!

This is was so fun and entertaining! I often find mysteries to be quite predictable and just enjoy them for the journey anyway, but I never knew where this story was going to go! It was a pleasure reading:)

3.5 out of 5 - So this book hooked me, it got me with the first chapter. The only thing is it got kinda slow and repetitive for me after that. I loved the switching between the aunt's story and the niece's story. It was easy to tell who was the center of the story at the time. I just felt that the niece's investigation chapters were a bit slow for me. I wanted the story to move a little faster. I really like all the characters, which in some thrillers is hard to do. I also totally called the killer as soon as they were introduced, which was kind of a bummer. I read this book while traveling and I would describe it as the perfect book to buy at an airport bookstore when you need something to read.

Thank you NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, and Kristen Perrin for my copy of this book. All opinions are honest and my own.