The title intrigued me, and I was engaged from the first pages of this British murder mystery in two timelines: the 1965 journal of a teenage girl and the current day mystery of who killed Great Aunt Frances (the former teenage girl).

Combining the clues, characters, secrets, and twists of "Knives Out" with "Magpie Murders" had me guessing as to who was the murderer – or were there two murderers, one from the past and one in the present?

Lots of characters, possible motives, and suspects kept me turning the pages. Present day Annie Adams, who has been tasked with solving the murder of her Great Aunt Frances, is a likeable amateur sleuth, and I enjoyed how she shared her suspicions and riddle solutions with the reader so we could also solve the murder mystery. Unfortunately she was one of those people who ignores advice to stay safe and puts herself in danger due to her impetuousness. The book loses a star for how the author artificially creates drama through Annie’s bad judgement.

All mysteries and suspects were explained as the novel winds down, not always to my satisfaction. I’m rating this 3.5 stars and think it would be an entertaining beach read. ( )

How To Solve Your Own Murder is a distinct cut-above your average entertaining murder mystery. And yes, I can confirm the publisher’s parallel…. this book really does have a wonderful ‘Only Murders in the Building‘ vibe.

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. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2024/03/how-to-solve-your-own-murder-kriste... ( )

First sentence: "Your future contains dry bones."

Premise/plot: Frances Adams receives a fortune at a country fair that changes the lives of her and her friends in Kristen Perrin's newest mystery novel. The mystery has dual time periods. Frances' journal/diary is from 1965/1966. The present story is told from the point of view of her great-niece, Annie Adams. It seems that Frances' fortune that she would be murdered was accurate. It is up to Annie (and several others) to solve her murder and possibly inherit her estate. Frances spent most of her life--all her adult life--preparing for the day. She took NOTES and kept files and records on anybody/everybody. So Annie will have a lot of material to work from...but it might just prove dangerous. The person who murdered Frances might not hesitate to murder again...

My thoughts: I really LOVED this one. There were multiple crimes to solve. The characterization was substantive. So MANY characters--all of them quirky/interesting. Plenty of people might have motives for wanting Frances to mind her own business...but who would kill to protect a secret? There are red herrings. But I really enjoyed puzzling this one out. I enjoyed BOTH narratives. Definitely recommend this one. ( )

All Annie has ever known about her Great-Aunt Frances is that she is reclusive and very rich, now she has been summoned to meet her. However, before the meeting can take place, Frances is murdered and Annie must solve the case. Given that Frances was told by a fortune-teller that she would be murdered, she has spent her life compiling evidence to try to find out who which leaves Annie with lots of suspects, lots of motives and a fantastic reward if she succeeds.
I really loved the premise in this story, someone trying to solve their murder before it happens. The plot has huge holes in it but it is very clever and the narrative bounces along at a decent enough pace. It's not a particularly demanding book but it does entertain. ( )

“Your future contains dry bones. Your slow demise begins right when you hold the queen in the palm of one hand. Beware the bird, for it will betray you. And from that, there’s no coming back. But daughters are the key to justice, find the right one and keep her close. All signs point toward your murder.”

Frances Adams has lived her life wary of the prophecy given by a fortune teller she met as a sixteen-year-old in 1965. Throughout her life she has tried to collect as much information as she could on friends, family, and almost everyone in her circle, all relevant information documented on private files and the puzzle depicted on her very own murder board, to identify those who could possibly be plotting her murder. Sixty years later, she is found dead in her lavish home in the English countryside and she has left specific instructions on how she wants her murder investigated.

Aspiring mystery writer Annabelle “Annie” Adams is summoned by her estranged Great-Aunt Frances’s solicitors to meet her for the very first time in connection to revisions made in Frances’s will. Unfortunately, Frances is found murdered the day Annie arrives in Castle Knoll. As per Frances’s last wishes, Annie and her relatives are in competition to find Frances’s killer. Whoever can solve the mystery within a stipulated time frame or before the police – will inherit Frances’s estate – not an easy task in itself compounded by the fact that Frances made enough enemies by digging up dirt on everyone she knew. Everyone Annie meets has secrets they want to protect and with a murderer in their midst, Annie needs to work fast before she becomes the killer’s next target.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin is a well-crafted, entertaining whodunit. The narrative is presented from the perspective of Annie with Frances’s journal entries from the 1960s in chapters interspersed throughout the narrative. The author deftly weaves past and present events into a fluid, well-paced narrative with more than one intriguing mystery and several suspects in the fold. Even though we don’t get to meet adult Frances we get to know a lot about her from her journal entries from when she was a teenager on the cups of adulthood and details shared by those who knew her during her lifetime. Annie is an endearing protagonist – impulsive yet smart, perceptive and curious - and I enjoyed following her efforts in unraveling the mystery. I loved the atmospheric setting and enjoyed getting to know the characters (even the unlikable ones). Even though the story features a large cast of characters and several sub-plots woven into the narrative, at no point does the plot get overly complicated, ambiguous or convoluted. Though I wasn’t entirely surprised by the final revelation, I enjoyed how we got there and was intrigued by many of the developments along the way.

Overall, I found this novel to be an enjoyable, cozy mystery and would be eager to explore future books in this series.

Many thanks to Penguin Group Dutton for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. ( )