Present Day: After inheriting the Gravesdown Estate, Annie Adams is beginning to settle into life at Castle Knoll. When local fortune teller, Peony Lane, is found dead not long after speaking to her, Annie realises that she is being set up – someone wanted to silence Peony while also making Annie look like the guilty party. Once again, Annie is drawn into the secrets of Castle Knoll and her discoveries are about to shake the local community to the core.

1967: It has been a year since the disappearance of her friend Emily, and now Frances Adams finds herself torn between two men: wealthy Ford Gravesdown and Archie Foyle who lives above the local pub. When Frances helps Archie to investigate the cause of the crash that killed Ford’s family, it soon becomes apparent that it was no accident, setting in motion events that will continue to have repercussions for years to come.

I loved the first book in this series, How To Solve Your Own Murder, and so I was pleased to once again enter the world of Castle Knoll and discover more of the secrets of the inhabitants. This story continues from where the previous one left off so while it would be a good idea to read the first book, it is not essential as it can be read as a standalone. I did see the benefits, however, of already knowing most of the characters.

The book is told in two timeframes, the plot cleverly overlapping to give you a modern perspective as Annie conducts her investigation while also showing the results of a similar task back in 1967. This was well-written and despite the two timeframes being about the same plot, it was not repetitive, giving us different aspects of the same story.

With all of the diaries and notes left behind by Frances, there is definitely scope for more books so I hope it won’t be too long before book 3. I look forward to seeing what Annie discovers next!

A sequel to How to Solve Your Own Murder sees Annie trying to settle into village life. Multiple characters, double timeline and a slow narrative left me feeling flat. Cosy crime readers will enjoy the story and setting but it was not for me

Intriguing…
The second offering in the Castle Knoll Files series and Autumn time in Castle Knoll finds Annie settling into her new home and feeling thankful that the murders have been done with - but have they? Unsettlingly, Annie has an odd feeling of being watched - and that’s just the tip of a very sharp iceberg. Another entertaining and engaging outing with a well developed cast of eclectic characters and a pacy and unexpected plot. Intriguing.

I was really excited to receive this ARC as I very much enjoyed the first book in this series, but although there was definitely stuff to enjoy in this one too, I can't quite shake the feeling that it's a poorer copy of the first book.

It's obviously not the same story, but it has the same structure of being based around a fortune told many years ago by fortuneteller Peony Lane, and somehow our MC Annie Adams gets sucked into solving the mystery. It also alternates between Frances's diaries from the 1960s and present day. This time, it is the fortuneteller herself who is found dead, in Annie's house.

I enjoy the setting and the atmosphere of this series, and I feel the author is good at building up tension and making things exciting - knowing someone has been in the house and may still be there, the feeling of being watched, of people close to you hiding something, etc. And when I picked it up I felt compelled to keep reading.

However, it does feel a tad chaotic. In the first part of the book I felt like I needed to remember who a bunch of people from the previous book were in relation to each other, which I didn't. And once I was settled in the story again it feels like the author is consciously making things vague or complicated. Often actions seem to be taken quite spontaneously, leaving me wondering what the character's motivation is.

I think the previous point is also somewhat related to the fact that I didn't connect with the characters. They all feel kind of bland and cardboard to me. No quirks, no mannerisms, passions or aversions, nothing to really make me care about them - and thus perhaps I also have trouble understanding their actions. This is less forgivable in a second book than the first, and I really missed some proper character depth and development here.

Leading on from that again, when it came to the denouement, I just felt that I didn't care. This was partly due to not feeling connected to the characters, and partly due to the manner in which it was done, in which Annie basically just tells everyone what happened because for some reason she has worked that out, but not in an exciting Poirot way, more just reciting facts.

That being said, I did find parts of it exciting and I think the series has promise if some work goes into developing the characters further, and the third book doesn't just follow the same formula.

(Also, a big deal was made about Annie's phone battery, which felt like a Chekhov's Gun that was in fact never fired.)

Sequels to cosy crime novels are always a risk, as it's debatable how many murders an ordinary person is likely to get involved in. So there's a plausibility issue straight away. That may not bother some readers, but I dislike when books are unrealistic (except for obvious magic/fantasy), as I feel it's cheating. 'How To Seal Your Own Fate' falls into that category, and in fairness, so did its predecessor so I wasn't surprised by that. The structure is similar to the original. Chapters are split between diary entries from the 1960s, when a young woman named Frances Adams was starting to gather information on people in her village in the hope of outrunning a fortune saying she would be murdered, and the 2020s when her great-niece Annie tries to use Frances's records to solve a murder on her own doorstep.

Annie and Frances are both sympathetic characters, but the story is really far fetched. It has extremely unbelievable police, which I find very annoying, and all the events in the 'present' are very implausible. The part in the 60s is stronger and more interesting, though still stretches credibility. The small village setting and elements of the plot make me think of the TV series 'Midsomer Murders' - which isn't entirely a compliment. But whereas the latter is a couple of hours with ad breaks of undemanding background telly, a novel requires a significant investment of time devoted just to reading, and for that I have a higher bar of what constitutes worth my time.

There's a certain coyness about the writing which I also find annoying, partly because I get the impression the author is aiming to spin this out over as many books as possible. There's a possible romance (an unrealistic one, by the way) that goes nowhere. We are told Annie's father (a man she has never met) is back in her mother's life, but that goes no further. No doubt he'll be turning up as either corpse or suspect in the third or fourth instalment. I don't think I have the patience to read any further books to find out though. The writing isn't witty or enjoyable in itself, the plots aren't intriguing enough and the characters aren't loveable enough to engage me for more than two books.

If you read nothing but cosy crime, and enjoyed the first book, then you will probably enjoy this one and find it worth reading. If those two things don't apply, I'm not sure it's worth it. If you dip into the genre along with others, there are so many better options to read before this one.

What a fabulous continuation of the story.

I absolutely loved all the twists and turns, along with revisiting some great characters from the first book. It was a joy to be back in there presence and learn more about them all, through Frances diaries and the present day investigation with Annie.

If you've read and enjoyed How to Solved Your Own Murder, you will love this follow on. If you've not read it yet, go and enjoy the first book, before diving into this one.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Kristen Perrin’s How to Solve Your Own Murder was a particularly fresh, clever and contemporary take on the amateur sleuth mystery novel. I really enjoyed its dual timeline construct and use of journal entries, the complexity of the underlying mystery, and the burgeoning character relationships. So I was excited to see how this would translate into a series with the publication of Book 2, How to Seal Your Own Fate.

Firstly, I do not recommend reading this second book as standalone. Initially I found it tricky to regain my bearings regarding the many different character connections and histories. And, since this story starts up relatively soon after the last novel ends, it refers to many events in it.

Secondly, while Perrin utilised journal entries and employed a dual timeline construct just as she did in the first novel, this did not feel quite as revelatory, or indeed necessary, the second time around. Rather than the story leading, at times I wondered whether this overly complicated (rather than clever) mystery was in part moulded to fit this novel construct. The red herrings felt less robust. There was less humour. Suffice to say, my lofty expectations set by Book 1 were not quite met.

Having said all this though, I must stress that the vivid scene depiction and strong evocation of time and mood are captivating once again. The rural village idyll of Castle Knoll and Annie’s inherited new home Gravesdown Hall that Kristen Perrin has conjured up are settings plausibly ripe with history and secrets.

Ultimately, I flew through How to Seal Your Own Fate in only two days, so clearly I was entertained. I simply found the relationship development in both timelines more compelling than the sleuthing elements this time around. 3.5 Stars.

Published on BookloverBookReviews.com

In the second novel in the Castle Knoll Files, Annie Adams is back with another web of murders to solve in the past and the present. Annie is just settling into her new life in Castle Knoll when she crosses paths with Peony Lane, the woman who told Great Aunt Frances’ fortune all those years ago, and is given a cryptic message. Hours later, Peony Lane is found dead inside Annie’s home. The murder seems to be linked to a terrible accident that took place decades ago, causing the death of three members of the Gravesdown family. So, Annie decides to dig into events past and present to discover what really happened back then and how it relates to Peony’s murder.

I really enjoyed How to Solve Your Own Murder, so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read the second book in the series as well. And I was not disappointed.

Annie is a great character. She’s likeable, relatable, and her totally unqualified investigations actually make some sense, given the events of the first book. I also enjoyed seeing more of Detective Crane – I am desperate for more of a romance to develop there later in the series!

The plot is surprisingly complicated for a cosy mystery, particularly with the dual perspectives and timeframes, but it all links up and makes sense, and isn’t at all difficult to follow.

I think I enjoyed the first book slightly more, simply because it felt more original, but this is still a solid mystery, with plenty of twists to keep things interesting.

The second book and i really think you need to read the first one beforehand.
Wonderful writing, great characters and overall a good murder/mystery.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

In this sequel to How To Solve Your Own Murder, Annie Adams has an encounter with fortune teller Peony Lane, the same one who told her great-aunt Frances her fortune years back. However, when Peony Lane is found dead just hours after their meeting, and someone is clearly trying to frame her, Annie has no choice but to delve right back into Castle Knoll's web of secrets, through her great-aunt's diaries and files.

I was a huge fan of the first book, so I was incredibly excited to dive back into this world, and I was not disappointed at all. Once again, we have a dual timeline, following Annie in present day, and Frances back in 1967, through her old diary entries, and it was just as fun as it was last time. It felt like being one step ahead of Annie, thanks to alternating between present and past, but also I still had no clue what was going on, and it was so fun to connect the dots as it all unravelled.

It took me a while to get back into this world and remember everything, as there is many characters to keep track of, and so many things going on, but the pieces clicked back into place very easily, and everything you needed was given to you very smoothly. The writing is so engaging, and it makes this such an unputdownable read, with all the secrets constantly hovering everyone's head and waiting to be revealed. It all connects so perfectly, and it truly feels so good to watch it all come together in a very satisfying way. Maybe it can be a little predictable, especially if you've read many mysteries, but it still remains a fun, very entertaining cozy mystery,

I really, really love this series, and I'm so excited to see where it goes next.

This is a sequel to How to Solve your Own Murder and normally I would say that a sequel works as a stand alone but in this case I would recommend reading the first one, it’s helpful and to be honest it’s a delight to read. This is not a cosy mystery nor is it a police procedural it’s a category in its own right combining personal memories (in Aunt Frances’s diaries) with clever plotting and believable if not always sympathetic characters. It is a perfect read for Agatha Christie fans and keen mystery solvers. I would totally recommend this book.

How to Seal Your Own Fate was exactly the type of cosy crime I adore with three-dimensional characters, long-buried secrets and plots that keep the pages flowing past. Kristen Perrin has delivered again.

How to Solve Your Own Murder was an excellent inter-generational murder mystery that rooted itself inside my brain. It is such an addictive and cleverly plotted read that builds on a gem of an idea to create a treasure trove of a story. This sequel brings us back to Castle Knoll for another knotty mystery to untangle. It was fantastic and surprising with many twists and turns in store. I loved the way it continued to use the dual timeline narratives so effectively, continuing that sense of a ripple effect through time. It allows both Annie and Frances to take centre stage as the protagonists, despite them never actually meeting. The past and the present intersect in interesting ways. This is another highly personal mystery and adds new depths to characters and plot points from the first book. It feels like an evolution.

A central concern of this book is the question of fate. Perrin interrogates how differently our lives could have gone with another decision and the way our destinies can seem pre-determined. Of course that is explored literally through the recurring theme of the predictions, which shaped the events of the first novel, and come to the fore again here through the complex shape of Peony Lane. There is a lovely sense of everything being slightly blurred, with a line between the supernatural and realism perfectly balanced throughout. Our actions shape our fates – something that really rings true here with consequences and stakes unfolding from each decision these characters make.

How to Seal Your Own Fate is another cleverly plotted cosy crime mystery from Kristen Perrin that I thoroughly enjoyed. If she so decides, I would enjoy another trip to Castle Knoll.

This is the second book in the Castle Knoll Files ,Written in two timelines ,Annie has been in town for a few months but the locals haven't really welcomed her .She meets up with Peony Lane the fortune teller to her late Great Aunt Francis who is found dead before she could reveal her future.. Interesting characters full of mysteries a very enjoyable cosy murder story .

Having solved her great-aunt Frances' murder and inherited her fortune, Annie is settling into her new life in Castle Knoll when she crosses paths with Peony Lane, whose prediction that Frances would be murdered not only came true but also became Frances' lifelong obsession. So when Peony tells Annie that she has a fortune to tell her, Annie is not convinced she wants to hear it. But before she can decide one way or the other, Peony is murdered and Annie's murder-solving skills are put to the test once more...

How to Seal Your Own Fate is the second book in the Castle Knoll series, and it follows on closely from the events in How to Solve Your Own Murder. The story alternates between past and present, told from the first-person perspectives of Annie and Frances. In the present Annie tries to solve the murder of Peony Lane using the two clues she left behind: a cryptic prophecy, and an instruction to investigate the life and death of Olivia Gravesdown. In the past Frances investigates the car crash that killed Olivia and her family, leaving the Gravesdown fortune in the hands of Frances' boyfriend, Ford. Through the slow unspooling of these two narratives, the reader not only discovers who killed Peony, but we also learn more about the great-aunt Annie never met and the truth behind the fortune Annie has inherited.

I really enjoyed this book. The story is full of twists and turns, but the dual-narrative structure ensures that the plot points are all made perfectly clear, and I loved returning to the series' settings and characters. I feel like there is something of the romance novel about this murder mystery series, with its charming settings and whimsical characters, which I really love. How to Seal Your Own Fate wasn't quite a five-star read for me, mainly because it relied a lot on the first book in the series and it's just been too long since I read it for me to get the most out of the references and connections. I will have to reread both books before the third in the series comes out!

How to Seal Your Own Fate sees the welcome return of amateur sleuth Annie Adams.
A few months have passed since Annie solved the mystery of her great aunt's murder. She is now living in Gravesdown Hall, but life in Castle Knoll is very different to her previous life in London. It's quieter, and lonlier. Then one day, whilst out for a walk, Annie meets Peony Lane, the fortune teller who gave Frances Gravesdown her chilling fortune. Suffice to say Annie's life is far from quiet following that encounter. 🗡
Once again the story is told across two timelines, from two POV's: the present day from Annie's POV, and the 1967 timeline from Frances' POV, through entries from her diary. 🗡
I enjoyed How to Seal Your Own Fate more than its predecessor. There were a lot of twists and turns, and try as I might, I failed to guess the killer. 🗡
How to Seal Your Own Fate is a well paced, entertaining, cosy mystery. I would however recommend that you read How to Solve Your Own Murder first, as it will provide context for events mentioned in this sequel, and because many of the characters return. 🗡
Many thanks to Quercus and Netgalley for my digital edition.

Perrin strikes again - 5*

I was a HUGE fan of How to Solve Your Own Murder so I was incredibly hyped for this book AND LET ME TELL YOU... it did not disappoint.

Reading a sequel is always a scary experience, especially if you loved the first novel, because it doesn't always go well. This, thankfully, bucks the trend. I was sceptical at first: was there any more stories to tell? Surely, the plot was finished. NOPE. I was wrong. Especially after reading the final chapter, I feel this could become a fully fledged series. The sequel sticks to the award-winning formula of the first novel - and yet things are extended further. I was hooked and engulfed this novel. There's something about Perrin's writing that is so addictive. I got to the point in the book where reading fans can only dream of - it didn't feel like reading anymore. I was just desperate for answers.

If you are fans of How to Solve Your Own Murder, then you NEED to pick this up.

My final comments are aimed at you, Kristen Perrin. Detective Crane and Annie Adams DESERVE a happy ending. Please give this to me in the third novel? Thank you.

An enjoyable read. Although the second in a series, I was halfway through before I realised that I had read the first one. It can be read as a standalone but it's worth reading the first part. It has lots of twists and turns as Annie delves into her great-aunt Frances' diaries to solve an old murder. It does feel repetitive at times as we hear Frances' version then, what Annie discovers. Still a good read. Hopefully a third is in the pipeline.

I was excited to get an advance copy of this sequel and I wasn’t disappointed. I really enjoyed being back in Castle Knoll. The present storyline interspersed with Frances’s diary entries work really well and I enjoyed the twists and turns of this murder mystery.

I really enjoyed this mystery. I had read the previous book in the series so knew a bit about Castle Knoll the village where this is set and about how the protagonist, Annie, came to Gravesdown Manor ( no spoilers, worth reading first).

This involves a dual time line of the late 1960s and the present. There is a mystery to be solved which reaches back into this past.All is told in engaging prose, and there are romances, fulfilled and tantalisingly close to being fulfilled. There is also the mysterious Peony Lane who tells fortunes which seem to come true.

As I say, enjoyable and a good read. I read an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publishers.

Annie thought that finding those two dead bodies in Gravesdown Hall would be as unpleasant as things got. She was wrong...

She's got another one...

It's the fortune teller who predicted Great Aunt Frances' murder years ago. And Annie had only seen her a few hours before...

An excellent sequel