A fortune teller predicts a young woman’s murder, yet she lives to a ripe old age in this crime mystery tale - How To Solve Your Own Murder (2024) by Kristen Perrin. The lives of three teenage girls and best friends are inextricably changed due to that murder forecast, with one disappearing within months and the murder finally occurring decades later. Annie Adams is a struggling writer when she gets called to a meeting to find out what inheritance her great-aunt will bequeath her. Annie’s hitherto unknown elderly reclusive aunt is found murdered before they can meet. The reading of the will sets off a hunt for the killer, with a fortune for the person who solves the crime within the week. This cosy mystery debut novel is a pleasant read with a three and a half stars rating. With thanks to Quercus Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

I have mixed feelings about this title - I almost felt it should be directed to a teenage fiction reading group.
For a young woman to spend her whole life searching out who might murder her because of a fortune teller's reading seemed a little far-fetched and self-defeating.
Annie comes to the village to meet her Great Aunt for the first time only to find after 60 years her Aunt has in fact been murdered. And so starts Annie's attempt to solve her Aunt's murder.
As the story continues the story picks up - told between Annie's efforts and her Great Aunt's diary entries from the 1960s.
Overall, 3 /1/2 stars for me!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Kirsten Perrin/Quercus Books for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

How To Solve Your Own Murder is a distinct cut-above your average entertaining murder mystery.

In this, her adult fiction debut, Kristen Perrin has taken one of my favourite literary constructs, parallel present day and historical first-person narratives, the latter epistolary, and executed it superbly.

The character development feels deeply authentic, with both narrators, instantly engaging. I found both women’s unique spark and persistence highly appealing. Annie in the present engages in some fantastically funny banter and simmering tension (romantic and otherwise) with the entertainingly varied ensemble cast that’s brimming with depth and heart.

In addition to the myriad clever twists, turns and reveals woven into How To Solve Your Own Murder, Kristen Perrin’s almost literary writing style is something I enjoyed immensely.

Each setting and scene depicted is vivid and the sense of time, place and mood is always strong.

Plus, there’s a clear story path for us to revisit the characters in the future, and the fact that the publisher has already named this Book 1 of the The Castle Knoll Files series indicates that is likely to happen. Sign me up for Book 2!

When Annie Adams receives an invitation from her estranged Great Aunt Frances about a change to her will, she is looking forward to a family reunion. Frances has been plagued by a fortune that was given to her as a child and is obsessed with her own murder. However, when she is discovered dead in her house, the race is on to see if her fortune came true.

How to Solve Your Own Murder is quite a cosy murder mystery – there are certainly some cliches, particularly to the beginning of the story which made me feel that it isn’t very original. It is an easy read though and it kept me gripped throughout - although I don’t think it has the humour that Knives Out or The Thursday Murder Club does, so I think this comparison on its description is misleading. The narrative alternates between Annie’s present-day investigation and diary entries from Frances telling of events that happened in the 60s after her fortune was told and before her best friend disappeared.

The diary technique is a little weak – there were certainly a lot of plot points not revealed until a lot later which are conveniently hidden from both Annie and the reader because she put off reading it or fell asleep before finishing the story. It gave the feeling that the murder could have been solved earlier if she had just read it in one sitting (which you would do surely, if a murderer was on the loose and your family house was at stake) and this made it feel too convenient and unrealistic.

I didn’t feel that I particularly sympathised with Annie – she makes some questionable decisions throughout. I did however, feel that we got to know Frances quite well, despite not meeting her ‘in person’ and I enjoyed the diary entries about her. I didn’t feel that we got to know the other characters as well because there was too much suspicion that one of them was the murderer which was a bit if a shame. I also wanted to hear more about the ‘Ford’ character in the present day narrative as well.

Overall, How To Solve Your Own Murder is a cosy murder mystery that feels a little too unrealistic and cliched in places. Thank you to NetGalley & Quercus Books for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fortune told to Frances in the 1960s takes over her life.
When the fortune comes true and she is murdered it falls to Annie to find out what really happened.
The story is told from the current day and also through Frances's journal from the 60s
This is a good way to tell the story as it fills in more about the characters who Annie doesn't know.
A big house, a list of suspects and some nice diversions. I enjoyed this and sped toward the end.

Reminiscent of the classic murder mystery, this book offers lots of clues to solve the murder(s) but then throws in a new twist to make you think again.

When Frances has her fortune read, it changes the way she is going to live the rest of her life and when her friend disappears, she spends the rest of her life trying to discover what happened to her. She suddenly changes her will and summons her great niece Annie to a meeting but is found dead before they have a chance to meet. It is then down to Annie to unravel the decades old mystery.

It is 1965 and Francis Adams is a teenager. She is at Castle Knoll Country Fair along with her best friends Emily and Rose. They convince Francis to have her fortune told which is the worst thing that can have happened as the fortune teller tells her that one day she will be murdered. Francis believes her and it affects the rest of her life. Not long afterwards Emily disappeared but no one did anything about it. Told from dual POV and in multiple timelines this was an excellent debut, with a lot of characters, and a good cozy read.

Briefly, 60 years later Annie, living in London with her mother, and a budding crime novelist, receives a letter inviting her to Castle Knoll where her Great Aunt Francis wants to talk to her about her estate. But she never gets to speak to her as Francis is dead - murdered. She has left instructions for a group of people, including Annie, to help solve her murder. No pressure though as they have only 7 days to solve the case otherwise the estate will be sold off.

I loved seeing how Annie tries to work her way through all the information that Francis accrued over the last 60 years and how they reveal secrets from the past which everyone is trying to cover up. Some good red herrings that kept me guessing and a very clever story. An engaging read.

When she was a teenager, Frances Adams visited a fortune teller at a fair she was attending with her two best friends. She was told that she would be murdered. There was a bit more to that prediction but, spoilers... This, as you can imagine was a bit of a shock and, well, basically changes the life path she has planned and also pretty much influenced her every movement and decision... It really was a weight...
Our main story starts nearly sixty years later when Frances's great-niece Annie Adams is summoned to a meeting with Frances, her solicitors and others. She arrives only to be told that Frances has car trouble so will not attend the solicitor's office where the meeting was planned. Instead they are to go to her. Which they do, and find her lying dead...
Long story short - the will decrees that whoever solves her murder will inherit the lot. Unless its the police, in which case it will all go to the Crown/Government. Annie's main rival is Saxon who is Frances' late husband's nephew and who firmly believes he is entitled to the lot... To make it even more interesting, there's also a time limit...
And so begins a cracking whodunnit which takes the reader back and forth in time as the pieces of the puzzle are slowly exposed until finally, the whole truth is laid bare. The past is ably injected into the narrative by way of diary entries which adds a bit of spice to the mix.
I really enjoyed this book. It's quite a novel premise which kickstarts a very interesting and intriguing plot which is most ably executed. Wrapping up in a wholly satisfying ending. The characters are all well drawn and easy to connect with. As per the genre I did a bit of toing and froing with my allegiance as I got to know them better. So much so that I was actually quite sad to have to say goodbye to them at the end of the book. So... you can imagine my delight when I found out that it's the start of a series. I'm definitely going to look out for book two... My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Great Aunt Frances Adams has been murdered. After 60 years, she has been vindicated. Following a fortune teller's prediction when she was 16, Frances has been telling everyone she will indeed be murdered while relentlessly pursuing leads to discover who the killer might be. Now there is a cabinet full of information to help the person to find her killer after she is gone. Who will take on the challenge? Annie, her great niece has been entrusted with the task and if she solves the murder she will inherit Great Aunt Frances' estate. Is Annie up to the job or will nephew Saxon beat her and take everything?
I started this book full of enthusiasm, anticipating an easy absorbing read. Unfortunately my enthusiasm quickly waned. I felt the characters needed more development, the plot needed tightening up a bit, the 1960s needed to be presented more convincingly, the Englishness never felt quite authentic. That being said, I do see potential in this author and I think that the next books may well be much better.

I enjoyed this and would recommend it to fans of the genre, it gives out Agatha Christie vibes and the main character, Annie, is very likable. What's not to like about a fortune teller's prediction coming true many years later? And the fact that Annie, has never met her great aunt Frances and therefore, we go through the clues with her, and get to know the victim together as the mystery unfolds, makes the story more interesting and appealing. The time jumps between past and present are really good and make Frances feel more relatable, not just an old, quirky lady who was killed. A lot of well plotted twists and some highly unlikable characters, make for a fun read! An easy, fun read, would highly recommend if you're a fan of the genre and looking for your next read.

I'm wondering what will happen in the second book of this series because to me the story was nicely rounded up. We'll see.
In times I found this book a little hard to follow because the complicated family ties. We get to read the story from two POV's and since one part of the story is set in the sixties and the other in the present, the reader has to make a lot of connections before the story gets wholly clear.
Main character Annie needs more background and depth, I think, will the second book be a success. She's coming across as an 18-year old - she doesn't have a job, apparently not a lot of education but decides to 'write crime books'. Confronted with a death in the family she really needs to solve the crime that was involved, but she knows next to nothing about police procedural - hence the fact that she finds something that could be the murder weapon but instead of calling the police she picks it up and takes it to the police station.
Really?
Anyway, there are some interesting characters here - the greedy in-law, the estranged son and the dubious solicitor - but it was not enough for me to go beyond three stars.

Thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for this review copy.

As an Agatha Christie fan and lover of a good murder mystery this was right up my street and I literally finished in a weekend. It’s perfect for snuggling up on the sofa to read and escape with.

Annie is sent an invite to a meeting with her great aunt Francis whom she has never met.
The meeting is to discuss her aunt's wishes in the event of her death.
Francis is convinced someone will murder her after hearing her fortune told at a fair, not long after which one of her friends went missing.. She has spent her life trying to discover who would want to kill her.
Before Annie can meet Francis, Francis is killed in mysterious circumstances, leaving Annie to try to work out who did it and why.
An enjoyable murder mystery without the blood and gore of many. Almost a gentile murder.
Ideal holiday read.

Oh my word, this book had me reading it quickly!! Great Aunt Frances, has been researching her own murder following a fortune teller's reading saying she will be murdered. We find out she has been keeping secrets of people within the village of Castle Knoll. It is told over several time periods. Annie Adams, Oliver Gordon, Elva and Saxon Gravesdown, Frances's nephew from her marriage to Ford Gravesdown, are pitted against each other as per the terms of Frances's will. Along with Detective Crane and Mr Gordon, her solicitor, are there to keep score of the winning person. Annie discovers a dairy from 1966, and this talks about Emily's disappearance. No spoilers but I found it to be an enjoyable, unputdownable book with a few red herrings thrown in along with the twists turns of the plot. I will be recommending this book.

Throughly enjoyed this book. A good pace to it and I loved how it developed. Kept me guessing until the end.

The way I’d describe this book is ‘meh’. It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t amazing either. The first half of the book was really good and it drew me into the mystery but then second half felt rushed as if it the author was just trying to get it done. It left a lot of loose ends and I felt it just jumped to the conclusion with no actual way of explaining how the character really solved the mystery. It was like she took a wild guess and hoped it worked. It was an easy read, great first half but the final half just fell flat with a lot of unanswered questions.

I really enjoyed this dual timeline mystery. It had an old fashioned style to it that made it very readable. Great characters throughout and I especially enjoyed the diary story.

This is a great twist on a detective story, with the prime mover trying to solve her and a friend’s murder before it happens, and roping in the main protagonist (a debutante mystery writer) when she is bumped off before she figures things out.

Has many of the standard features of a traditional detective story and some new ones.

When Frances is a teenager she is told by a psychic that one day she will be murdered and takes this so much to heart, she spends the rest of her life gathering as much information about her friends and neighbours as possible. When Frances is murdered 60 years later it is up to her great niece, an aspiring crime writer, to solve the whodunnit.

This book is a good cozy mystery, perfect for fans of Richard Osman and the Rev. Richard Coles. It has an interesting cast of characters and moves from past to present in an interesting and quick paced way. It's not revolutionary but good mystery is very difficult to write and Kristen Perrin does a bang up job.

This has been written in an Agatha Christie style but with a much more modern twist. It was a case of dining oout who committd te murder, why and when and throughout I kept changing my mind. The story is fairly convoluted with so many characters involved and the flashbacks were very helpful but added more characters and events that needed being considered if you needed to solve the crime.
The comparison between the London life an the village life was very well written and added more to the intrigue.
A good book that i recommend to crime sleuths