Hoe ik mijn eigen moord oploste

Castle Knoll Files #1

by Kristen Perrin, Waldemar Noë (translator)

Frances zei altijd dat ze vermoord zou worden. Ze kreeg gelijk.
Voor de fans van De jachtpartij van Lucy Foley, Richard Osman en de film Knives Out

Engeland, 1965. In het stadje Castle Knoll voorspelt een waarzegster het lot van de dan zeventienjarige Frances Adams: haar sterfdag zal niet vredig zijn en ze zal worden vermoord door iemand die ze kent. Zo begint voor Frances een leven vol wanhopige pogingen om haar moord te kunnen voorkomen.

Niemand nam deze voorspelling ooit serieus – decennialang niet – totdat Frances vermoord wordt aangetroffen in haar woonkamer. Bij de zoektocht naar de moordenaar komt het goed van pas dat Frances haar rol als dorpsbemoeial serieus nam: met het verzamelen van roddels en geheimen over iedereen die ze ontmoette probeerde ze haar leven veilig te stellen ingeval de moordenaar ertussen zat. Met het materiaal in haar bibliotheek zou de juiste speurder de moordenaar zo kunnen vinden – als die eerst haar ongelooflijk ingewikkelde archiefsysteem had kunnen doorgronden.

Frances' achternicht Annie wordt gedwongen deel te nemen aan de laatste grote wraakactie van haar oudtante. Frances heeft in haar testament opgenomen dat de persoon die haar moord oplost miljoenen erft. Kan Annie het mysterie ontrafelen en gerechtigheid vinden voor haar oudtante of zal het opgraven van het verleden haar juist in het vizier van de moordenaar brengen?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Thriller, Book Club, Crime

370 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2024

About the author

Kristen Perrin is originally from Seattle, Washington, where she spent several years working as a bookseller before immigrating to the UK to do a Masters and PhD. Her debut murder mystery How to Solve Your Own Murder is the first book in the Castle Knoll Files series, and has been translated into more than twenty languages. The book was also a Good Morning America Buzzpick, was featured on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and has been a New York Times, Indiebound, USA Today, and Der Spiegel bestseller. She lives with her family in Surrey, England, where she is hard at work on more books in the series.

Find her on Instagram: @kristenperrinwrites

Find her on Tiktok: @kristen_perrin

Reviews

[Yun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes when the premise is really good, maybe there's just nowhere better for the story to go.

When Frances was a teenager, she receives a bone-chilling fortune that she'll be murdered one day. She then spends the rest of her life trying to prevent it. But lo and behold, 60 years later, murder comes for her. Now it's up to her great-niece Annie to find the killer and earn her inheritance.

You have to admit, that's a pretty darn interesting premise. And the title certainly plays it up. In fact, I think this might just be one of the most eye-catching titles I've ever come across. So of course straight to the top of my TBR pile it goes. I couldn't wait to dig in.

And initially, I was hooked. I just love all the possibilities when you're starting a new mystery. Especially here because Annie is also looking into the disappearance of Frances' best friend Emily, so we're really getting a twofer for the price of one. The story's certainly not shy about casting suspicions this way, then that way. There's an interesting list of characters, all of whom could be friend or foe. It was a delightful start in the way that only cozy mysteries can be.

But then slowly and surely, I started becoming less excited. For one thing, when it came to the characters and the way they interact, there's something a little off about it all. It was stilted and contrived, as if every character was playing a part and knew it. The dialogue lacks that natural volleying back and forth that's essential to being authentic, often leaving me feeling like I'm just reading a bunch of non sequiturs. It's as if the author wanted certain results from each scene and kind of forced the dialogue and interactions to achieve it.

The other thing is that I had a lot of trouble keeping all the characters straight. We have two timelines, and some characters appear in one and some in both. But since Annie isn't a direct descendent of Frances, but rather her great-niece, I started losing track of all the different branches of the family tree and everyone's spouses and children, along with their relationships to each other. It was really confusing.

As for the mystery itself, honestly, that fell short for me too. I'm not expecting Agatha Christie (really, no one can reach the great dame), but when a book compares itself to Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club, I have certain expectations. And this didn't really meet that, not even close. It feels like there were all these clues and then they just didn't really go anywhere. And the final solution didn't wow me so much as leave me vaguely puzzled, and I'm still not sure I understood how it all went down.

It's never good when a mystery ends in puzzlement rather than amazement. No doubt cozy mystery aficionados will find this a worthy read, but for everyone else, the jury's still out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
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[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book made me feel like I'd lost my mind.

So, the main character Annie is a mystery writer. Or...she wants to be. Unclear if she's actually finished anything. But it's her passion, so when she's confronted with a REAL mystery, this is her time to shine, right? This is a woman who wants to make a career out of writing about crimes getting solved. You assume she must have read extensively in the genre, knows all the ingredients to a good mystery, how to treat clues and all that. I mean you assume that, as a human person alive in contemporary times, she's at the very least come across some media about crime and has a basic understanding of how crime-solving works.

Then there's a murder of a woman who, famously, believed her whole life that she would be murdered. It's a little messy getting the cops to the scene, but they look it over and I guess say it was natural causes (???). Later, Annie's at the scene. She's poking around what should still be an active crime scene, but I guess the cops had too much cozy village stuff to do so they just bailed and left it as-is. And she finds what she thinks is the murder weapon. Oh dang! Well, time to back away and call back the incompetent cops who missed this obvious thing, right? Especially since the thing could cause further injury if handled. Right?

Right?

No. Annie grabs the potential murder weapon - yeah, picks it up with her bare hands - get it into a car, and takes it to the police station. Oh, of course it injures her as well. And the cop seems to be untroubled by the way this woman removed a weapon from a crime scene and then transported it elsewhere, contaminating any evidence that might have still been available under all her added fingerprints.

I - what? I'm just, I'm so sorry. This is like writing a main character who desperately wants to be an astronaut, who then finally gets to NASA, looks around, and asks the first person she sees, "So how do we get to the moon? Do we take a car?" And then agents, editors, friends, and everyone else who read the book gets to that part, sees no problem with it in any capacity, the book gets printed and lands in my hands, and I think I've gone absolutely stark raving mad because there are also hundreds of reviews where NOBODY ELSE mentions this insane, glaring, obvious, ridiculous, dismaying moment that completely removes any credibility from the main character and also demonstrates an astonishing lack of care not just for the genre but for, like, the intelligence of the reader...I just...what? Anyway, then the main character finishes the book by going to the moon because she's just sooo smart actually, and everyone else at NASA ferries her around and holds her hand on the way.

This book is apparently the start of a series, which feels like a threat, but at least explains why most of the bloated cast of characters barely gets any characterization. It also explains the glanced over suggestion of a future love triangle where one of them is a jerk and the other is a cop, gag me with a spoon. I have to also point out the very strange writing style here in which the present day narrator has the voice of a teenager (seriously, how old is she supposed to be? she acts like a 17 year old but apparently graduated from Central St. Martins which is an incredibly prestigious school to go to for a person who didn't commit to a career in fashion and also acts pretty dumb) while the flashback scenes (allegedly journals, but written narratively with full dialogue which I'd complain about were the rest of this book not so much worse) that are actually from the perspective of a 17 year old seem much more maturely written.

I'm so glad this book is over.

My thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Agatha Christie-esque, intelligent, captivating; a small-town mystery that seizes your attention from the opening scene, introducing the relatable and easy-to-engage young protagonist, Annie Adams. The plot immediately intrigues with the tale of Annie's eccentric, wealthy great-aunt, Frances, who has spent nearly sixty years expecting her own murder, driven by a fortuneteller's prophecy that has eerily come true with each revelation.

This book beckons me to dive in without delay, promising an enthralling murder mystery and a challenging guessing game, all delivered with a riveting pace that leaves you breathless until the final pages, deserving of a solid 5-star rating.

At the outset, we're introduced to Annie Adams, a mystery author who recently left her day job. She receives an invitation from her estranged and eccentric great-aunt, Frances, a wealthy busybody with a fixation on solving her future murder before it occurs. Annie hesitates over the decision, but her curiosity wins out, and she heads to Castle Knoll, Frances' estate, to discuss recent changes to her will. It appears Annie is the newly designated heir, tied to the fortuneteller's enigmatic prediction: "but the daughters are the key to justice, find the right one and keep her close."

As Annie arrives at Castle Knoll and meets Frances' lawyer and old friend, Walter Gordon, along with his brusque and work-driven son, Oliver, and the dramatic, irritating Elva, the wife of Frances' late husband's niece Saxon, it becomes evident that a complex web of dysfunctional relationships is entwined with Frances. The narrative takes a twist when Frances is found lying lifeless on the floor. The question looms: Is it natural causes, or has someone finally fulfilled her long-held expectations of murder?

During the will reading, Annie learns that Frances may leave her entire estate to the person who uncovers the truth behind her impending murder. Competing with her are Saxon, determined to claim what he believes is rightfully his, and the charismatic Detective Crane, armed with experience and resources to solve the crime.

While she may appear the weakest link among her rivals, Annie's immediate connection to Frances through an old diary – revealing a complex friendship with Rose and Emily, including the unsolved mystery of Emily's vanishing – serves to activate her grey matter, propelling her to pursue justice for her great-aunt.

In the face of death threats, an escalating race against time, and mounting pressure to uncover the truth, Annie fights to protect her mother's home and Gravesdown Estate from developers, outmaneuvering Saxon's psychological games, and partnering with Detective Crane to exploit his resources. As tension mounts and danger escalates, Annie becomes entangled in a deadly race that imperils her own life.

Overall, this book is an unputdownable, clever, and twist-laden whodunit that unequivocally earns its 5 stars. The execution of the mystery is superb, and I found myself fully invested in each character's journey. I'm hopeful for sequels, intrigued by the prospect of more unopened diaries from great-aunt Frances. I eagerly anticipate more adventures with the promising amateur detective, Annie Adams.

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

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[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if you believed a fortune teller who predicted you would be murdered?



In 1965 that's what happened to Frances Adams.
Now, she didn't completely believe the woman at first, but after living through some spoilery events that took place in the next year of her life, she eventually became the townfolk's worst nightmare.
How?
She started spending her considerable fortune ferreting out everyone's darkest secrets in an attempt to find the person who might murder her.
That's not going to go over well, is it?



Fast-forward.
When Annie Adams receives a letter telling her to report to her aunt's lawyer about her inheritance, she's understandably confused. Her mother has always been the one who would inherit.
Right?
No.
Her aunt has reinterpreted what the fortune teller told her all those years ago and has now decided to make her inheritance a race to find her killer.
But her aunt is still alive.



Except she's not.
When Annie arrives with the rest of the family at her aunt's house, they discover her body.
Was it murder?



Of course it was!
Why else would we be here?
And it seems as though her aunt has pitted her and her cousin by marriage against each other in a race to find her killer.
Winner takes the inheritance!



Ok, while you do have to suspend disbelief with this one, once it gets going, it's not as wacky as I thought it would be at first glance. The whole fortune teller thing is pretty well explained and the batty aunt turns out to be not as insane as she looks from a distance.



No guarantees, but if you're into cozy mysteries, this might just scratch your itch.
I know I'd certainly read another book from this author.
Full disclosure, I was sick and listened to this in one day, bless audiobooks.
Recommended.

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

It was all supposed to be just a bit of fun, when three teenage friends visit Madame Peony Lane at the Castle Knoll Country Fair in 1965. But, when Frances is given this grim prediction, she becomes fixated on its message. For the remainder of her life, she will try to outrun death, and solve her own murder.

Was the fortune teller right? Or was this a self fulfilling prophecy?

Sixty years later, Frances has summoned her great niece , Annabelle (Annie) Adams to her solicitor’s office. Although she has never met Annie, she has decided to make her the sole benefactor of her estate and assets.

But before the Will can be read, Frances is found dead.

Now, Annie must figure out who murdered Frances by deciphering the riddle of the fortune, and by unraveling the clues which can be found in a diary from 1966 (“The Castle Knoll Files”) AND from not ONE, but TWO “murder boards” that her great Aunt had been keeping.

But, not everyone wants this murder solved.

The story alternates between Annie’s perspective and the diary entries.

This was a story where the premise was better than the execution for me. I struggled to become invested, and when you are not invested it makes it more difficult to keep track of a large cast of characters, which this book has.

Most reviewers seem to prefer the diary entries to the present day, but they are written by a seventeen year old who is coming of age, which is not a favorite for this reader.

I preferred Annie’s chapters, BUT, I didn’t find the characters in either timeline to feel authentic which is a problem for me-or in other words, they seemed like “characters” as opposed to people you might actually meet.

So, despite a fun and original premise, this cozy mystery just was not a great fit for ME.

Other reviewers are rating this higher, so be sure to read a sample of reviews to see if it might be a better fit for YOU.

Now available

Thank You to the Publisher, Dutton, for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frances Adams has been murdered, just as a fortune she was given as a teen foretold. She’d spent her entire life, in fact, trying to solve her own murder-to-be. Right before it happened she summoned her great-niece Annie, who she’d never met, among others for a mysterious meeting at her English estate. Instead of finally meeting her great aunt, Annie finds herself being tasked by Frances’ will to solve her murder - only there are a lot of potential suspects in Castle Knoll, and one of them doesn’t want that mystery solved!

How’s that for a premise?! I thought it was pretty darn clever, and the blurb comparing it to Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club, both of which I loved? YES, please! Let the party begin!

Well, I’m bummed to say … that party balloon went flat fast.

I get WHY publishers throw out popular, enticing titles to market their new books. Frankly, it works. It caught MY attention, for one! The problem is, if you’re going to hook potential readers by mentioning titles many of us know and love, the book should have enough similarity to back up the claim.

This does not. Having a large cast of characters and someone trying to sleuth out a murderer does not automatically justify a comparison to either of the titles mentioned. The singular quality that made both of those work so well for me was their HUMOR. I had FUN with them. Even the rotten characters brought a smile or smirk to my face! This played it straight, which is totally fine … just not if you’ve been led to believe it’ll have a lighter emotional tone.

While Kristen Perrin has written a perfectly good mystery in the vein of so many other Agatha Christie-style whodunnits out there, what I really hoped for and never got was that carrot dangled in front of me by the blurb promising me an “enormously fun mystery”. To be fair, everyone has a different idea of what “fun” means. I think of something that makes me smile/laugh or keeps me on the edge of my seat. This did neither.

Was it well-written? Yes. No complaints there. Did it have a clever, creative premise? Absolutely. Perrin can write, and those wanting a solid enough murder mystery to solve should still find enjoyment in trying to puzzle this one out. Series lovers will especially be happy to know that this is the beginning of a series, so if you do like it, there will be more to come.

Where it fell flat for me was that, as much as the book highlighted Frances in both the current timeline and diary excerpts from the past, I never once felt like I got to know her or any other character mentioned. Even worse, I didn’t connect with the main protagonist Annie or understand, despite the promise of Frances’ inheritance, why she felt so invested in a woman she literally never met. Too many things didn’t have adequate explanations, making the final reveals feel lackluster and less believable than I’d have liked.

Those who enjoy a slightly more serious, dual timeline, Christie-style mystery will likely enjoy this more. I would absolutely give this author another try. She has the writing chops, even if this particular story didn’t wow me!

★★★

Thanks to Dutton Publishing, NetGalley and author Kristen Perrin for this digital ARC to honestly review. It’s out now.

[Emily (Books with Emily Fox on Youtube) · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this was a murder-mystery, it was a fun cozy one!

There's just something about the English countryside that makes it work.
I recommend it as an audiobook if that's your thing.

Will read the second one!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Solve Your Own Murder starts with the premise of sixteen year old Frances hearing a fortune teller tell her she will be murdered. What she doesn’t know is it will take 60 years for the forecast to come true. The title is a bit of a misnomer, because the way Frances sets up her will, it’s left up to her relatives to solve her murder. Whoever solves it first stands to inherit everything. If they can’t solve her murder within a week, or if the police solve it before one of them, everything will be sold off.
The story is told from the perspective of Annie, her great-niece, in the present day and from Frances’ journals from 1965-66. The journals detail the time leading up to the disappearance of Emily, one of Frances’ best friends. Despite being told in the present day, this definitely feels like an old school mystery - a small village setting, inheritance issues, plenty of suspects, everyone with a secret of some sort. It was fun and entertaining.
Annie is an engaging character, hoping to become a published mystery writer, and young and brash enough to take some crazy chances. Perrin also did a good job of fleshing out Frances. Not as easy to do as everything we learn about her is through her journals, her files and others’ memories of her. The plot moves along at a brisk pace, with Annie trying to determine who she can trust while staying one step ahead of both her competition and the detective on the case. I’ll admit to being flummoxed and not figuring out the culprit before Annie. The ending was well thought out and not rushed.
I’m not sure the comparisons to Knives Out or Thursday Murder Club are apt. Don’t go into this expecting lots of humor.
My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an advance copy of this book.

[Sujoya - theoverbookedbibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

“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’ 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 Francis 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.

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[Linzie (suspenseisthrillingme) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1965 while she was just a teen, Frances Adams had her world turned upside down when a fortune teller told her that one day she would be murdered. From that day forward, she set out to weed out who could possibly mean her harm. Cataloguing the secrets and lies of every neighbor, family member, and friend in order to ascertain who could possibly kill her, Frances made plenty of enemies. At the same time, though, no one else ever thought that her fortune was true—until the day she’s found dead by her great niece, Annie, sixty years later.

Summoned by Frances’s attorney for a mysterious meeting prior to the fateful discovery, Annie instead finds herself at the reading of her reclusive great aunt’s last will and testament. What she doesn’t expect, however, is to learn Frances’s rather bizarre set of rules to inherit. In order to see even a penny of the vast estate, Annie must race her relatives to uncover who murdered Frances. Already caught up in the case, Annie is quick off the block. But so is her cousin, Saxon. Who will reveal Frances killer first? And will she be able to escape her great aunt’s fate as well?

What a truly epic whodunnit! From the moment I read the synopsis, How to Solve Your Own Murder had me under its thrall. I mean, what’s not to love? An eccentric great aunt. An amateur sleuth. Oh, and let’s not forget the Golden Age-esque mystery wrapped up in dual timelines with a deliciously cozy edge. All put together, it was sure to be a rollicking good time. And let me tell you, what transpired was that and oh so much more.

Narrated by Annie and Frances via dual timelines, the plot was complex and finely layered in a manner that was quite a departure from a standard classic mystery book. Alternating back and forth between the past and the present, the well-written storyline laid out a tantalizing puzzle. Fast-paced for a mystery, it was also action-packed in the best possible way. And with twists and turns that kept me on the back foot throughout, it was all interwoven beautifully until the timely final reveal.

As for the characters, Frances wasn’t the only quirky individual. With plenty of personas that easily matched Madame Grand Dame Christie in the perfection department, I got sucked in by each and every one as the book rolled along. From merely unlikeable to untrustworthy in the extreme, my suspicion meter went off for each of the large cast of characters. After all, taking place in a small English village, everyone seemed to be wrapped up in some sort of drama, which made for the perfect kind of setting in a mystery novel.

The only teeny, tiny imperfection that irked just a bit was how convoluted the plot seemed to get by the end. Just the same, Perrin did an excellent job outlining the murder plot possibilities, but it did seem a bit overwhelming here and there as it was revealed. Yet even this didn’t curtail my adoration for Frances and Annie. I just had to pay rather close attention as I went along.

With plenty of potential suspects and two intriguing plots to unravel, this book was a definite hole in one for this mystery lover. Add in the adrenaline-pumping climax and somewhat cliffhanger conclusion, and I’m already excited to read book two in the series. Get yourself ready for plenty of secrets and even a deft lie or two. A wonderful combination of Clue and Knives Out there simply wasn’t much not to love, so grab your copy ASAP. After all, I guarantee that this one will give you the ride of your life. Rating of 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Kristen Perrin and Dutton Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

PUB DATE: March 26, 2024

Trigger warning: infidelity, teen pregnancy

[mimi (depression slump) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s fair to consider this book as Katrin Perrin’s debut because her others - which I think are short stories - are in another language and only a few people read them.
And as a debut, it has its flaws, but it's also pretty great.

I'm not blind in front of the many issues other people have had with this story, its many, not-very-developed characters being the main reason behind the complaints, but I’m following my heart on this, and I loved it. Even if I didn't understand much.
The said characters are an annoying aspect, for example, but if you don't consider the weird circumstance of the murder and how convenient is for the main character to be an aspirant mystery author, the second place of stuff to adjust would go to how quick was Annie to solve not only the mystery about her great aunt’s death but the much older mystery involving her great aunt’s best friend’s disappearing.

Long story short, Annie got everything right and then had to explain to us - and the Detective assigned to the case -, because she was the only one able to figure out what happened in all this mess of characters playing games with each other, many suspects on the background just for show, and a piece of the puzzle always missing.
She did win an exceptional inheritance for her heavy work, so good for her.

↠ 3.2 stars

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

[megs_bookrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

**3.5-stars rounded up **

Annie Adams has had her presence requested at a meeting hosted by her wealthy and reclusive Great-Aunt Frances. Annie doesn't really know Great-Aunt Frances, so the invitation stirs up some anxiety, but also a lot of intrigue.

Unfortunately, by the time Annie arrives to the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, where her Great-Aunt lives, Frances is already dead; murdered.



In a way, it almost seems fitting. Frances was a woman literally obsessed with her own death for close to 60-years.

This began in 1965, at the local fair, when a fortune-teller predicted Frances would be murdered. Disturbing, sure. The prediction also included clues as to how it would happen. Frances, unsurprisingly, had a hard time living her life without seeing connections to those clues everywhere.



Most of the long-time residents of Castle Knoll were well aware of Frances's preoccupation with her impending murder, and they have a lot of opinions on that and her.

Annie is thrust into this world, where everyone seems to know a lot more about her Great-Aunt than she does. Now it's up to Annie to solve the murder first; there's an inheritance on the line, and of course, her Great-Aunt's legacy and reputation.



How to Solve Your Own Murder was a fun an engaging mystery. It was the exact tone I needed at the time I picked it up just prior to Thanksgiving holiday.

The slow-build and seamless back-and-forth between the past and present perspectives were exactly what I needed to take my mind off real life stressors.

It felt cozy and thoughtful, though I did struggle at times to keep track of some of the characters. With this being said, it's still a very fun story featuring a likable new amateur sleuth, Annie, who I'm looking forward to getting to know even more as the series continues.



As mentioned above, this story does have both past and present perspectives. The past perspective follows Frances as she receives her fortune and the events that follow shortly thereafter. Our present perspective is of course, Annie.

I thought the way Perrin presented both of those perspectives was really well done and I did enjoy both equally. I thought it was layed out in a way that allows the Readers to piece things together in a natural way.

I also loved the quaint village atmosphere, my absolute favorite setting for a mystery. I feel like as the series continues, we'll get to know the villagers more and that slight confusion with who's who will go away.



I'm so excited to continue on with this series. I'm not sure what the plan is for it, but I think this was such a solid 1st-book and I know that the 2nd-book will be just as exciting. Annie is already a character I can't wait to meet again.

Thank you to the publisher, Dutton, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can't wait for more Annie and the Castle Knoll Files!!!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

reading vlog: https://youtu.be/B3t-xN1vC1w

a really solid debut murder mystery!! i enjoyed a lot of elements of it (small quaint town, the layers of clues etc) but felt that some elements of it were just a bit too ambitious and didn't stick the landing

[Christopher · Rating 1 out of 5]

A novel so cataclysmically dreadful that it calls into question the entire state of the book publishing industry. How is it that someone so inept and unqualified for writing a novel suddenly rockets to a success spanning the Atlantic?

It would take a book the length of the very book in question to document all of the instances of lazy, clumsy writing and faulty construction here. Other reviewers have done a good job (none of the dialogue rings true; the main character, a supposed whiz detective handles the alleged murder weapon with her bear hands, contact with which, she believes, kills her great aunt; all of the characters share way too much information with each other considering the central conceit of the novel, that it's a competition; characters have huge emotional leaps that would take weeks/months but are metabolized in a matter of seconds; scenes contradict the very next scene, diaries contradict the very person who just read them...on and on and on - nearly every sentence doesn't hold up under scrutiny, this on top of the drab utilitarian quality of the prose itself) on that front.

But you can't blame Perrin. She writes kids books and decided she wanted to write one for adults. She simply can't. She writes kids books.

The people we can blame are the prestigious imprint that elevated this piece of utter crap to international attention, a publicity blitz (Jimmy Fallon has a book club?! WTF?! Who gives a shit what he reads?!), a deal that assures Perrin can publish more of these in a series (my god...it's already a series...), and a movie deal the instant it's released.

How in the hell could something like this have made it through? You hear about scrappy young novelists rejected who have to hit the desk and try again, rework their ideas and turn out something else. And these were great writers. Who saw this come across their desk and said: "Yeah - I'll bite"?

You can even read it in the acknowledgments - it was just a series of disconnected chapters, loose threads. Someone saw the scraps of multiple stories and suggested stitching them into this Frankenstein's monster. The flashbacks were all clearly a different book and she is just stitching two ideas together to make a full novel.

All the essential hallmarks of garbage genre fiction that tops the NYT bestseller lists are here. The most awful trend now is a narrative that suddenly jumps to a past storyline every single time a new development in the core story occurs. Authors are faking the manipulation of time that's so essential to good narrative. It seems complex when all it does is frustrate the progress of the novel by way of taking up space and padding out a weak idea.

The familiar convention of flashbacks, the trappings of douchey, drippy recurring series characters, the assurance you can continually stay in a given state of narcotized escapism, the comfy-coziness of genre markers that assure you that everything will be taken care of and well-ordered by the time you come to a nice and tidy (and cute!) conclusion unlike your miserable life at the office. All these things that then get elevated by all of the booktok accounts, the people who mysteriously are given all the ARCs of these dreadful things so they can "Squeeeeee!" all over GoodReads and get clicks on their incomprehensible YouTube channels where they unbox stacks of books you'd never even dream of reading. The top 3 or 4 reviews on here being great examples - these people have thousands of followers, you have to scroll forever to get a real person. A human centipede of content creation...Look at Nilufer's review here: "easy-to-engage protagonist." WTF is that? "I'm not going to need to flex any interpretive muscles for this one!" This review is a book report that "beckons me" to hurl. Who is clicking 'like' on this crap (how does this person have 50K followers?!)?! I can understand wanting to turn off and unwind but does it have to be pure crap?

This book is what we should expect from a whole generation of readers raised solely on a diet of YA novels - this is the pap that they'll produce when they become writers themselves. Self-published garbage that people compulsively read because it has all the right, predictable beats so they can just relax and turn off because god it's enough already! Amazon's platform for mass publishing garbage into the cloaca of the Kindle Store has created a market of people who are willing to write thousands of pages of trash for a mere pittance and willing to read and elevate the voices doing the same thing. The publishers are willing to follow Amazon's cue and make the average no-talent self-publisher believe that they too could come out with a big ticket work - something that will justify their position in the creative economy. They'll be able to one day say they're a writer rather than a "content creator."

The publishing industry is, with books like this, assiduously at work creating a bovine reading public. I find it insulting to think that some executive at a company read 20 pages of this and said, yeah, they'll eat this up. Just like the big Hollywood studios, they don't want to take chances and want to put their chips on the sure thing, the readers you can count on because Amazon has pretty much laid waste throughout. Rather than trusting the audience to be smart enough to enjoy and seek out good, entertaining, serious work from time to time, they are encouraging our baser instincts. Driving is getting worse, every day is like the first 45 minutes of "Beau is Afraid," so people are desperate to fly into some sort of escape that will give them the comfort so sorely missing in their lives. So they are encouraging our descent to the bestial with these little *murder mysteries* designed to appeal to the aspiring podcaster twerp in all of us. Oh they're all aspiring writers who love true crime? Lets shovel their own shit back into them with a character who is an amateur sleuth who may or may not fall in love with the sexy silver fox town detective and who is, of all things! an aspiring novelist who also writes mysteries and thinks this equips them with the skills to solve real mysteries (or not? like...is she a writer or not? she says she's working on her "latest novel" but it seemed like she hadn't successfully been published yet - but so what?! that ambiguity reflects the reality of the readers' lives as would-be-novelist-true-crime-podcaster-article-writer-romance-devourers).

Does this stack up against even Agatha Christie's worst story? No. But I assure you Perrin has probably received more money in the last two months for this one dreadful door stop that Christie did in her whole writing life (don't @ me, I don't care if it's wrong). Book publishers need to go back to mercilessly tossing this garbage into the trashcan. They have a responsibility to the broader reading public. They're looking for the familiar when the breakout success is always something that resists easy compartmentalization into set forms and genres (or, dear god, microgenres). Them feeding back to GoodReads exactly what GR nominates as the best - fan fiction for fans writing fan fictions. You too could strike it rich! Keep grinding on your crappy vampire-crime-erotica-thriller-meetcute-whatever.

To find the whole world marshaled behind this book, lifting it up, this world that has become so skeptical about taste is to know that the world of publishing is relenting in its task. Instead of forming and developing public taste, Random House has decided, in an exploitative manner, to cash in on the familiar, easy, and self-congratulatory. So don't blame Perrin - she's just a talentless hack. But why should everyone be stumbling over themselves to make us believe she isn't?

[giada · Rating 2 out of 5]

How To Solve Your Own Murder is a double narrative tale of aspiring sleuths: tasked with the responsibility of solving her great aunt’s murder in order to inherit her entire estate (as well as the house her and her mother have always lived in), Annie Adams finds herself in the middle of a sixty year old story, in a village she’s never known, where secrets abound and an old woman’s grudge could very well destroy a whole community.

The book flies by really quickly, and the double narrative device, with Annie’s story in the foreground in contemporary times and her great aunt Frances’s diaries in the 1960s, helps in giving the sense of urgency thanks to well placed cliffhangers.

The premise sounded really fun, but right as the situation is established I found myself in disbelief: the humble and forgiving woman of the 1965 diaries has really become so jaded and secluded from her own community that she’s willing to let it die unless a niece she’s never even met solves her murder (which at the time of the will being written hadn’t even happened yet, of course)?

This same problem of unbelievable and barely consequential logic leaps reverberates throughout the novel, as clues fit together into a tapestry just as well as a forced jigsaw puzzle.

The writing is a bit clunky at times, the fortune the whole plot is driven by is a jumble of words - which would be fine when it comes to the realism of it, I guess, but for me and the people that have to read it countless times in the novel it becomes a bit of a mess. I suppose that should teach everyone a lesson in looking for signs anywhere just because they’re found in cryptic sentences.

The novel felt a bit too descriptive (I lost count of how many Get Ready With Mes we get), with the narrator of choice (either Annie or Frances) explicitly telling us what they were thinking at any single time in a way that felt a bit too fabricated, especially because you can tell when either of them is withholding information in order to create another end of chapter cliffhanger. Also the tongue-in-cheek joke of the murder mystery writer solving the murder mystery of someone obsessed with a murder mystery of her own while we are reading said murder mystery - with all the references to typical murder mystery novels and films: that’s too much, reel it back a little. Did you see how annoying it was to read the words “murder mystery” so many times in a row? At a certain point any attempt at metanarration becomes a sad cliché, and it happens soon.

Another final remark: Frances and Annie’s voices read exactly the same, they don’t feel like characters of their own (does any character, actually? they all feel pretty twodimesional to me), and even worse, the narration sixty years in the past could have very well been set in contemporary times and I would have barely noticed a difference - they speak in the exact same way as the people in 202x (whichever year this book is set in). Also it’s set in England but doesn’t feel British - a quick research told me the author is American, so keep that in mind - there is nothing particularly telling about it, but I did get an uncanny valley feeling about it and had to check.

The plot also reminds me of another recent murder mystery novel with a fortune teller and a surprise inheritance plot with the double narrative of hidden diaries, even though it’s a bit darker in tone: The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware.

I’m very sad I ended up giving this book a low rating, even though I came to it with an open mind. It still works for the very occasional crime reader or for someone in need of an airport book, but if you’re in search of the next Great Mystery Novel then I’d advise to look elsewhere.


Access to the ARC acquired thanks to NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

At the Castle Knoll Fair in Dorset in 1965, a prediction from a fortune teller dictates Frances Adam’s life. She is told her “future contains dry bones“, a grim prophecy indeed, or should that be Grimm? Frances spends many years taking every precaution she can to prevent an untimely demise. Sixty years on in the present day, Annie Adams, Frances‘s great niece is trying to become a mystery writer. She is summoned to Frances‘s lawyers in Castle Knoll to discuss the considerable estate and fortune. Annie travels to Dorset as requested, and along with other potential beneficiaries, she is taken to Gravestone Estate, Frances‘s mansion and grounds. There they find her dead. Has she been murdered exactly as foretold sixty years ago or is it natural causes? Initially, the authorities decide she has died a natural death, but further examination proves that she has indeed been murdered. Annie has already decided she needs to detect, however, she is presented with a very good reason to sleuth when Frances’s will is read, and she only has a limited time to come up with the goods. The story alternates between the present day and the past via Frances’s journal which gives us a good idea of her personality and the shenanigans of the late 1960s.

This has a good premise and and a great Christieque setting for the unfolding drama. It’s very much in the vein of a Queen Agatha cozy mystery with murder and mayhem on the agenda. There’s plenty going on in a packed plot with odd characters, inheritance issues, riddles, games, and challenges, there are numerous suspects to say nothing of the original prediction which hangs over Frances‘s life and dictates her actions. The detecting race against time that Annie is engaged in reveals numerous potential motives, also secrets by the truckload with accompanying lies, alongside threats and betrayals. It’s a long list in fact, which perhaps makes the plot more complicated than it needs to be. I do like the competitive race against time idea as it does give an edge to the storytelling, which inevitably leads to a path of danger at every return.

Apart from a somewhat overcrowded plot, there are lots of characters to get your head around, some are not especially interesting, but also not very well developed. Whilst I admire Annie’s persistence, she’s not in the same calibre as say a Miss Marple and although she doesn’t have a bad nose for detecting, she does need to rein in her enthusiasm which will mean she’ll make less unwise decisions.

Overall, the cozy mystery genre is a packed market place these days, and whilst this is an engaging read has the author done enough to stand out in the crowd?? However, if you like cozy mysteries it is worth checking out.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Quercus Books, for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

[JustJJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

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Publication date: March 26th 2024! (Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!)

Rating: 4 stars

Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Despite the simplicity of this design, I love the vibrant, eye-catching colours used. I also like how the gothic text font and illustrations convey the mystery/thriller genre of the story.

Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The picturesque writing style smoothly creates an atmospheric narrative and setting. Alternating chapters between past and current events are also skillfully used to deliver crucial backstories and add to the building tension across the story.

"that’s the thing with lies. They’re much easier to believe when it’s an idea you like."

Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Past teenage drama and a present race against time due to inheritance drama made this an intriguing murder mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie. The secrets gradually revealed throughout the story created a sense of tension and danger that led to a gripping climax, even with some convent plot devices.

Main character(s): 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Annie Adams’ kind yet clever personality made her character engaging and easy to like. Besides this, her methodical approach to the mystery and gradual paranoia brilliantly added to the tension in the story and made it easy to root for her. I only wished her character had experienced more growth or complexity.

"If you are trying to corner a killer, the odds of getting yourself killed in the process skyrocket."

Secondary characters: 🌟🌟🌟
Although the secondary characters were introduced in gentle waves, I struggled to keep track of the large cast throughout the story. Only the characters involved in past events seemed to have strong, complex personalities, which made them somewhat memorable.

Narration & Audio: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Alexandra Dowling and Jaye Jacobs do a great job narrating this audiobook as they enrich the atmosphere of the story and use natural vocal inflexions. However, there were some weird, long pauses, and the character voices could have been stronger.

"You can play without a plan, but you’ll probably lose."

In short, ‘How to Solve Your Own Murder’ is a clever, drama-filled whodunit that had me guessing until the very end! I would recommend The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman for another amateur murder mystery.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Solve Your Own Murder is a tremendously enjoyable double murder mystery with a delightful cast of characters. It can't quite be called a cozy – there's at least one (non-explicit) sexual adventure and some swear words sprinkled in here and there – but it's pretty dang close. There are two timelines at play in this story, with the narrative switching back and forth between the present day (where Annie Adams is attempting to solve her Great-Aunt Frances's recent murder) and the 1960s (to Frances's teenage years when her close friend disappeared under mysterious circumstances). Flashbacks are a mixed bag for me and I don't always enjoy them, but in this case I actually found Frances's storyline slightly more entertaining than Annie's.

The characters in this novel were all mostly likable, which was refreshing. Even the bad guys were less evil-y than expected … well, except for the murdering, of course. I found the plot to be fairly plausible (at least as much as these types of things can be) and suspenseful, and I can honestly say that I had no idea who the murderers (both past and present-day) were until the big reveal. The setting is fantastic, as I'm a huge sucker for almost any book that involves an English manor house and this one is no exception.

I've had lots of time to read over the last 24 hours since I've had the house to myself (a rare luxury!), but it still says something that I finished this book in under a day. Annie isn't quite Hercule Poirot (my favorite literary detective of all time), but it was still an entertaining read with a novel storyline and charming characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

[Dee (in the Desert) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 solid stars. I really enjoyed this “cozy style” mystery set in two timelines (mid-60’s & now) about Annie & her great-aunt Frances who was murdered many, many years after a fortune teller predicted it back when she was in her teens. I enjoyed the village setting, the manor house and secondary characters too and the shorter chapters kept me flipping pages. Will watch for more from this author.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Your future contains dry bones. Your slow demise begins right when you hold the queen in the palm of your 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.”

Be wary of fortune tellers that predict your future. At least for Frances, this is what she should have done. Especially when this fortune was given to her at a young age, and she decided to spend the rest of her life trying to figure out who was going to be her murderer. And then…

She ends up murdered.

So, how do you solve your own murder, if you are dead? Well, you leave it to your great niece, Annie Adams. Sixty years later, when Frances succumbs to the prediction, Annie now is faced with trying to find the truth, and hoping she doesn’t end up in danger, herself.

The story is engaging and there are many clues that keep readers guessing as they try to decipher them.

But what Frances did to Annie…

No inheritance unless she solves her murder. What? Why put her in danger, and in a position to learn how eccentric and unlikable her Aunt Frances really was? Will this inheritance really be worth it in the end?

And, was Aunt Frances truly as bad as everyone made her out to be?

The book takes readers back and forth through the past and present. We see glimpses of young Frances through her diary.

The character development feels authentic, with both narrators engaging and appealing, in their own way. As well as allowing us to enjoy how well the ensemble cast works, and give us glimpses of many credible suspects.

Will readers be able to guess the person responsible before the anxious-making climax?

In many ways this mystery is fun, quirky, entertaining and cleverly told.

Stay with it…after all, who did murder Frances? You really want to know, right?

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a fantastic book. It completely drew me in and had me totally eager to solve the murder... someone predicted her death 60 years in advance, and the poor woman lived in fear her whole life. Nearing old age, she decides to set some traps, knowing the killer will strike soon. Which family member of friend had a grudge they couldn't let go? Chapter by chapter, I kept thinking... this is a 5-star book... I'm loving the mystery, the suspense, the drama. And as the details drew to a close with the extended family and the secrets from 60 years ago, things looked highly promising. A second body is found, and a mysterious disappearance is solved, but who would go to lengths to keep anyone from finding out so many years later? Had me until the end, and then it teetered a bit on not strong enough for all the previous drama and scenes, so it's more like a 4.5 star-book. Still totally worth reading! Can't wait to see more from the author too.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really needed to DNF this book, but it was so easy to read that I decided to finish it for the sake of finishing it. It tried too hard to be like Agatha Christie, and I was bored from start to finish. The story was weak and so was the storytelling. The plot would’ve had more draw for me if the focus had been on Rose and Emily’s psychological makeups, but rather, the emphasis was on the parallel competition the characters all had of trying to solve the mystery while many of them also were trying to misdirect their own guilt/perception of guilt. Snooze.

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

A likable young woman finds herself in a contest to solve the murder of an estranged relative. A murder that we foretold nearly 60 years ago. This was a very entertaining read. Annie Adams goes to Castle Knoll to meet her great aunt for the first time and unfortunately is one of the people to discover that Frances is already dead. Can she solve the murder in a week and win the fortune? Is she the "right daughter?" There is much at stake and secrets abound. Annie has possession of the diary Frances was keeping when she first had her murder foretold. I enjoyed the diary entries interspersed between chapters giving Annie's experiences in the present. I would definitely like to see what happens in Book 2!

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the best time reading this! It was just cozy but not cutesy, lovely, and felt like a comfy old episode of Midsomer Murders. I will def continue in this series to see what other dirt Frances dug up before she got hers

[Meagan✨]

This looks interesting. Hoping for the best🤞 Krysta threaten helped me pick this one out💖

✨Thank you to NetGalley, the Author and Penguin Group Dutton for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review✨

[caleigh]

update: alright. i’m dnfing again.

look, like the description says, if you like knives out, i think you have a good chance of liking this – it’s a cozy-ish mystery that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

before you ask, yes. i have seen and did enjoy knives out.

it’s not the plot of this that’s keeping me from getting farther than 40%, it’s the execution.

the first thing i noticed was that the book doesn’t move along at a pace i’ve come to expect from mysteries. then again, i don’t read cozy mysteries for this exact reason. i like high stakes and keeps-me-on-the-edge-of-my-seat twists n turns, which is something that cozier books don’t give.

tldr: i wish this was marketed as a cozy mystery

other than that, the writing wasn’t really working for me. it gave sort of watered down freida mcfadden? maybe if she wrote more relaxed thrillers? and if you know me, you know that i don’t love freida’s writing in the first place.

but i know a lot of people do! it is really easy to read and makes the book go by pretty quick, regardless of the plot or genre.

really, this is all just a case of it’s not the book, it’s me. i know plenty of people who would love this and i would 100% recommend it if anything i mentioned is up your alley.

thank you to netgalley & penguin group dutton for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

–
dnfed this the first time around but i’m feeling nice today so let’s try again 🤝🏼

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A “who done it” mystery. 🕵️ Told on duel timeline. 🥸

[NZLisaM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Castle Knoll is a tiny English village full of secrets – past and present!

Castle Knoll, Dorset,1965 – At the local Country Fair a psychic’s ominous fortune predicting 16-year-old Frances Adams murder causes a dark cloud to settle over a fun day. When part of the fortune comes to pass, and one of her best friend’s goes missing soon after, Frances is convinced her life is in danger and that someone in Castle Knoll is going to murder her. She becomes obsessed with solving her own murder, before it’s too late…

Chelsea, London, 2024 – Annie Adams receives a letter from her Great Aunt Frances’ solicitor, inviting her to Castle Knoll to discuss her inheritance. Annie has grown up hearing stories of her reclusive, rich, mysterious relative, fixated on solving her own murder, and is curious and excited to finally meet her. But she arrives at her Great Aunt’s country estate, only to discover Frances’ body. Someone has finally murdered her, just as foretold. But who? And why now? Annie is determined to pick up where her Great Aunt left off and solve Frances’ murder once and for all.

I award How to Solve Your Own Murder 4.5 stars. It is the first book in the Castle Knoll Files series, and I’d characterise it as a small-town cosy (cozy) mystery with two crimes to solve to get to the truth, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg in this village where everyone is hiding something. The premise and title were the two things that really drew me to this novel and I’m happy to say that it more than lived up to my expectations. There were some shocking twists – the one at the 49% mark and its implications had me reeling, but unfortunately for me it was at this point that Christmas preparations got in the way of my reading, and it was several days before I was able to pick up the book again. The rest of the novel was worth the wait though. Even though the main mystery was wrapped up more than satisfactory by the close of this book I was left with several unanswered questions regarding other secrets. However, having now read the book blurb for How to Seal Your Own Fate, I’m convinced my dangling questions will be addressed either in the next instalment or later on in the series.

As mentioned in my synopsis there are two timelines to keep track of – the present-day storyline narrated by Annie in the first person, and italicised diary entries written by 17-year-old Frances beginning in 1966. There is also a prologue set the day of the Castle Knoll Country Fair, 1965. I enjoyed both the present and past storylines, and all the characters were distinctive and unforgettable. There were a lot of characters, relationships to one another, and village secrets to keep track of though – it’s a mystery with many layers and threads where you really have to pay close attention because every little thing counts. I really hope I’m approved on Netgalley for How to Seal Your Own Fate (pretty please Penguin Group Dutton) as I’d really like to read these two books close together if I can, because even by the release date of the 27th March 2025, I’m bound to have forgotten some things. Regardless, I’ll be continuing this series.

How to Solve Your Own Murder really impressed me, and I’m excited to revisit Castle Knoll’s as soon as possible. So happy to have discovered another mystery series to add to my collection.

[Jefferz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel like the synopsis for Kristen Perrin’s How to Solve Your Own Murder does it no favors by comparing itself to Knives Out, Thursday Murder Club, or selling the murder mystery concept in general due to the murder mystery investigation being one of the weakest aspects of the novel for me (more flair and quality is needed to make such a bold claim). As a fan of true crime documentaries and the murder mystery genre, I was excited to read this based on the stellar premise of a character spending their life trying to solve their own murder before it occurs. I was also encouraged to pick this up as it was voted 2nd place for Jimmy Fallon’s upcoming bookclub. Unfortunately the actual execution, attention to details, and pacing left a lot to be desired (1.5 rounded down).

From the get-go I was unimpressed with the characterization and dialogue as well as the story’s details. Following an excellently foreboding prologue where Frances receives her grave fortune that kickstarts the titular concept, the book’s pacing and interest lost me. Despite being 366 pages, I felt like I was reading empty pages with little value or importance to either storylines revolving around Frances’s childhood or Annie’s rediscovery of her distant grand-aunt. A lot of the content is dialogue-heavy with some of Annie’s introspective thoughts weaved in. Perrin's descriptions tend to also focus on mundane aspects that don't enhance the material such as the manner in which Annie gets ready in the morning or makes observations that other characters have already implied. The dialogue overall also felt lackluster, generic and surface-level that sounds repetitive and basic. This is made all the more obvious as Perrin throws at least 10 new characters at Annie back to back with very little time to establish who is who or for the reader to care about them. One particularly laughable quote is the following:

Oliver Gordon finally makes it across the threshold, and he’s magazine gorgeous. If anything, he’s a little too put together, in that “dress for the job you want” sort of way.

There is no elaboration as to why Oliver is gorgeous, put together, or stiff other than the fact that the author says it’s so. This becomes a common trend with Annie describing people in ways with no context or details that show why she feels a certain way. The large cast of characters quickly become a problem when they’re described with so little detail as the story involves three different generations, couples, and their descendants/family members spanning the ages of 16-70+. The dialogue’s weakness is also quite obvious due to how similar each character speaks and acts. Despite the variety of ages, economic/social backgrounds, and careers of the characters, they all somehow sound alike. There is a particular scene between Rose (age 70+) and Beth (aged 20-30) where they both talk similarly to how Annie speaks (20’s) which is not only age inappropriate, but also unfitting considering Annie was raised in the urban city of London while the others were from the rural countryside. On that note, had the book failed to repeatedly mention Castle Knoll's proximity to London, I wouldn't have known this story even took place in England based on the dialogue choices and lack of English mannerisms (Annie calling her mom Mum isn't going to cut it). The book also utilizes a split-perspective narrative between Annie in the present and Frances 60+ yrs ago in the 1960’s. Yet despite the gap in years and the different characters, Annie and Frances quickly blend and sound like the same person. At its best, some characters come off as standard trope archetypes like the rich woman obsessed with class or the humble elderly gardener looking after the historic estate. At worst, they’re forgettable and are difficult to distinguish who is who.

I’m personally more than willing to overlook weak character work for this genre if the murder mystery and investigation is good; sadly it wasn't. Annie and Frances don’t really do any “investigation”. Rather, Annie talks to someone who gives her a random theory, she runs with it, and then realizes it was clearly wrong. Annie spends the entire book basically suspecting people based on stories or experiences told to her by the residents of Castle Knoll but does almost no critical thinking or discovery of her own (as they say, she is a head-empty character). This is my least favorite style of murder mystery story as it feels like the story is just running off of random red herrings instead of providing real clues for Annie or the reader to piece together. Worse, what little investigating and official work we do see is incredibly unrealistic and comically implausible. As the town coroner, there is no world in which Saxton would be assigned Frances’ autopsy as a family member and potential beneficiary which is a blatant conflict of interest. When the autopsy is actually done by Dr. Owasu, it somehow only takes four hours to complete (that’s ignoring the official out-processing time that takes weeks) including full blood work and a minor toxicology analysis. Detective Crane breaks so many basic protocols that I couldn’t tell if he was meant to represent the police force or a personal investigator. The book clearly intends for him to be police but his actions and work are so off from basic protocols that I laughed in disbelief (the amount of endless evidence tampering Annie and other characters do right in front of his face). There so many gaps in logic and plot holes, it’s almost imperative to turn off your brain to enjoy the story which defeats the purpose of a mystery novel.

The pacing is another area that felt poorly executed and likely contributed to my apathy to the story. Up until the 50% mark where a major plot-twist and related crime is unveiled, I was left wondering where the pages went as it felt like nothing happened. The reveal of the culprit is crammed into about 20 pages along with the timeline and explanation of how it was done, but it’s handled in such a lackluster after-the-fact kind of way. Worse, the killer’s motivation is somehow both shallow with a groan-worthy monologue, yet also doesn’t make sense when they elaborate on their intentions. The details of Emily’s disappearance in the 1960’s makes even les logical sense particularly in the manner of the crime.

You’re meant to believe that a few buckets of water and a floor drain is enough to somehow clean up an entire murder scene involving a revolver shot to the head done in a very short time frame. Also a body is hidden in a trunk that somehow does not produce any odors or fluid as the body decomposes for years as the trunk itself breaks apart (there are details that show the trunk’s casing is eroding with holes present). The trunks is placed in a basement (not a vault or something that’s airtight) and a room where Annie’s mother uses as a makeshift art studio for years. The explanation and logic is so poor, I almost would’ve preferred it to be left unspoken and left to the imagination.

The core concept of solving Frances’ murder started out promising but gradually devolved into an illogical and ridiculous mess. (this is not a spoiler and something revealed 20 pages in) Predicting her impending murder, Frances changes her will at the last moment to exclude her relatives and leave her estate to the one who solves her murder. She does this in an effort to match the fortune of “daughters are the key to justice” yet allows her nephew Saxon to participate who is not a female or her actual child? Or if this is a test to see if Annie is the chosen daughter, why even involve other parties? Mr. Gordon who is assigned to carry out the investigative competition to win her estate involves the police as a 3rd party and backup should no one solve the crime, but the very nature of the game causes endless potential inconsistencies and breach of protocols for the police and Detective Crane. Oliver, who is tasked and affiliated with the 3rd party police team, also does nothing of value except causing confusion and chaos. In hindsight his character contributes nothing to the story and slots into the same role that Detective Crane does as both an investigator and as a handsome male, except with less of a presence and impact.

Where this novel had a lot more potential is if it maybe stuck more to the story of Annie rediscovering her Grand Aunt Frances’ life that she never knew. Annie reliving Frances’ experiences and meeting her friends that are still alive 60-70 years later had a lot of promise. There are glimpses of what could’ve been, for example when Annie meets Pastor John, one of the last characters she encounters in the present after reading about him in Frances’ diary. Annie’s Mom Laura and her estrangement from her relatives in Castle Knoll could’ve also been explored in the epilogue rather than the two paragraph summary given instead. There's a loose theme of toxic friendships heavily implied in the 1960's friend group, but the lack of details and last minute plot-twist involving one of Frances' friend makes this feel element feel muddy and convoluted.

Had these element of the story been stronger, I might’ve not been so harsh on the rest of the book’s weaker elements. However as it stands, I’m not sure who this book is really for. The murder mystery is too mediocre to recommend for fans of the mystery genre but the huge cast of characters, their relations to each other, and split timelines are too complex and confusing for the casual comfy reader. In my opinion, the character work and dialogue are too weak for those who would empathize with Annie or Frances (not that I can see that happening as Annie suffers from the dumb amateur investigator to such an extreme, no wonder everyone writes her as a fool) yet the story gets progressively more absurd for those just interested in the plot. Apparently this novel is the start of Perrin’s Castle Knoll Files series, though it’s yet to be announced whether the next book will be a direct sequel or the series will take an anthology approach. Either way, I will not be joining (unless the potential cinematic adaptation heavily edits the source material).

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the moment I immersed myself in its pages of "How to Solve Your Own Murder", I was drawn into a world where time bends and secrets lurk around every corner.

What truly captivated me was the ingenious way the story unfolds through dual timelines. We switch seamlessly between Annie's perspective in the present and Frances' diary entries from the past, creating a tapestry of suspense and intrigue. It's like we're detectives alongside the characters, piecing together clues and racing against time to uncover the truth.

I have to confess, this book had me hooked from the very first page! The adrenaline-fueled plot kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly flipping through the pages as I raced to unravel the mystery of Frances' ominous prophecy. It was a pulse-pounding experience that left me craving more with each turn of the page.

But it's not just the plot that's so captivating – it's the depth of the characters and the intensity of their relationships that truly stole my heart. The bond between Frances and her friends is portrayed with such raw emotion and authenticity, adding an extra layer of excitement to the story.

In the end, "How to Solve Your Own Murder" is a wild, exhilarating ride that will leave you breathless and begging for more. With its gripping plot, unforgettable characters, and heart-stopping twists, it's a book that's impossible to put down. Kristen Perrin has crafted a masterpiece of excitement and intrigue, and I'm thrilled to have been along for the ride!