Member Reviews
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an e-arc for review.
As soon as I read the synopsis of this one I was excited to read it! It did not disappoint at all. I will absolutely be continuing this series. I really enjoyed the characters.. they were well fleshed out and as the book went on that only became more so. The mystery was absolutely the centre point and it's been a while since I have been this hooked into a mystery. Did I figure it out?... no, no I did not. Did I try to work it out?.. maybe.
It felt very golden age vibes even though it was mostly set in a modern setting... it just had that je ne sais quoi that a golden age mystery has. I did also have access to the audio arc too and so immersive read this title. The audio was well done too and complemented the characters and the plot very well.
The only aspect that stopped this from being a 5 star read for me, was that there was a small romance sub plot that I didn't really think was necessary and just felt like it was there to satisfy the potential romance readers that could be drawn to this title.
What a huge disappointment! The idea for the story was good, but I struggled to read it as it had so many inaccuracies. It read as if it had been written by someone who had never set foot in the UK, so I was surprised to read that the author lives in England. I found it very irritating, and won't be resommending it.
Thank you Quercus Books and Netgalley for this advanced copy.
This was a fun read and started off really well. I liked the present day and 60's as it gave an insight as to why things may have happened and what went on.
A small criticism is that I wanted a bit more on the murder front. At times I felt it just got a bit silly with things being ripped up, things torn from boards and someone in a wardrobe - was this really necessary?
The beginning was great, the middle lost it a bit and the end felt a bit a bit rushed to tie everything up.
Overall an enjoyable read.
I want to give 3.5 stars as I can't give 4 hence the 3 stars.
I would like to read more by this author though.
This excellent mystery novel is told over two timelines - 1965, when Frances Adams was 17 and a fortune teller foretold of her murder - and the present day, which are skilfully woven together. Frances spent 60 years painstakingly compiling dirt on everyone she met, in an effort to try to identify her future killer.
Annie is summoned to a meeting with her never-met great aunt Frances and her solicitor, but unfortunately Frances is murdered just prior to this meeting. According to Frances' will, whoever identifies her killer shall inherit Frances' millions, and Annie resolves to do just that. Although dead, in this fun and entertaining read, the character of Frances gradually comes to light as an endearing woman who kept to herself but was always afraid the fortune teller would be proved right.
The more Annie learns about her great aunt, the more determined she is to get to the bottom of her murder, and the more she appreciates Frances. This engaging story is shot through with extracts from Frances' journals, which provide clues as to the identity of the murderer.
Unusual murder family mystery. Frances was old by a fortune teller that she would be murdered. She spends all her life trying to work out who it might be and what happened to her friend who disappeared. Worth a read.
I ADORED this book! The characters, the world building, the writing style - I just couldn't put this down and I can't wait to recommend this to people now that it's out!
With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun and clever premise that was then well executed and enjoyable to read. A good old fashioned whodunnit in a modern setting, there were plenty of twists, turns and red herrings to keep things interesting. The tensions rose, and we were kept guessing until the end. Very much enjoyed!
Frances, a young woman, is told by a fortune teller she’ll be murdered. She spends her life trying to solve her own death. Decades later, she’s killed. Her great niece, Annie, must solve the murder to inherit the estate—or risk becoming the next victim.
This was a thrilling read with great characters. The story unfolds through first-person accounts and diary entries, keeping you guessing until the end.
I loved the concept and execution of this story and cannot wait for more in this series.
A young woman Frances, goes to see a fortune teller as a teenager and is told that she will be murdered, which leads her to spending her whole life trying to solve her own murder.
Sixty years later Frances is murdered which leads to her great niece Annie being summoned to her estate to help solve the murder, if she can do so she will inherit the estate, if not she may be murdered.
This was a great read, with some amazing characters and the plot moved along at a fast pace unravelling the story through first person experience and diary entries which was a great way to get clues to solve the mystery, where everyone is a suspect, but also giving good evidence as to why most were not the murderer.
It was fun to try to guess along as I was reading.
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.
A most clever premise even more cleverly executed!! This was such a fun ride and totally deserves all the hype its received thus far!
An enjoyable murder mystery. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie this has a good cast of characters and an interesting premise which is satisfyingly worked through to its conclusion.
A different way of writing a murder mystery. Flitting between timelines and diary entries! Was a good read look forward to the next one
Absolutely amazing book! Ended up enjoying this via audiobook and the physical copy. Would definitely recommend to everyone. I love a classic ‘whodunnit’ and this did have me guessing at points which I like. I also thinks it’s hard sometimes to come up with a new and original idea for a murder mystery so the author done well.
This was a really fun read. It was quite light hearted despite the murder mystery aspect. I enjoyed meeting the characters. A small criticism would be that I would have enjoyed reading more about the relationships between the characters - the murder solving would have been better as a background and more on the charater development and their relationships with each other. The end felt a bit rushed to tie it all up nicely in a bow. But overall a fun summer read.
This is a very different way of presenting the 'whodunnit' genre. I really enjoyed the book and all the different characters. The stairs features 3 friens, one of whom has her fortune read at a local fair and this turns out to be the start of major upheaval in her life. The fortune teller I hers that the friends will betray each other and murder will be committed. Read on to learn more.....
I found the idea of this book really unusual and not like anything I've read before so I was instantly drawn. Sadly it didn't really hold my attention as well as I had hoped.
Sensational! So clever, so layered, so unique in it's perspective. I couldn't look away from this brilliance and I recommend you do the same ASAP.
How To Solve Your Own Murder is the first adult novel by British author, Kristen Perrin. Recently jobless, aspiring murder mystery writer Annabelle Adams is living with her mother in her great aunt Frances’s Chelsea house when she receives a summons from the woman’s lawyers.
Annie has been made the sole benefactor of her great aunt’s estate and assets, a woman she’s never met, and is attend her at Gravesdown Hall in the Dorset village of Castle Knoll to learn what responsibilities this entails. But when she arrives there, in the company of the lawyer and other interested parties, they find Frances Adams quite dead.
Since she had been told a fortune predicting her murder at a summer fair at age sixteen, Frances had always been wary of certain items, and had made it her business to know everything about everyone, in case they might end up trying to kill her. It didn’t increase her popularity in Castle Knoll.
The special conditions of her will require potential beneficiaries to reside at Gravesdown Hall and pits them against one another to solve her murder, for it is indeed murder, within a week, or the place will be sold off to developers, a premise that really is rather contrived. There’s a large cast so many of them lack depth and appeal.
The story is told over dual timelines, with the 1960’s narrative in the form of diary entries whose dating is a little confusing. It turns out that Frances Adams has the dirt on most of the people around her, giving them ample motive to kill her off. But Annie is distracted from her investigations by the unsolved disappearance back in 1966 of one of two teenaged friends with whom Frances had a toxic closeness.
The plot is quite convoluted and several aspects require the reader to don their disbelief suspenders. There are some twists and surprises, a dramatic climax, and a sequel that some readers may be interested to read. An adequate debut.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Quercus Books.
Fun, enjoyable whodunnit. Our main character is named in the will of an aunt who was murdered and with the help of some diaries we flit between the 60s and present day to find out who did it , little confusing with the timelines at times but a very enjoyable read nonetheless
A clever, enjoyable storyline that keeps you guessing. Even better because I didn't guess who did it, but it all made perfect sense.
If you enjoy a whodunnit, this is for you. Hopefully a sequel is on the way?