How to Cheat Your Own Death

Castle Knoll Files #3

by Kristen Perrin

From the gritty streets of 1960s Soho to the lofty galleries of present-day West London, two interlocking mysteries decades apart unfold in this latest instalment in the award-winning, New York Times bestselling Castle Knoll Murder Mystery series

Some secrets are deadlier than others

1968: Frances Adams is loving her new London life, and she’s stepped into a world of glamour thanks to her new friend, Vera Huntington–a magnetic socialite as mysterious as she is provocative. Vera dances around London like she owns it, taking Frances with her.

Present day: When Annie Adams heads to London to visit her famous artist mother, Laura, the last thing she expects to find is a dead body. Least of all for it to be Laura’s new protégée, left in an alley with her heart surgically removed from her chest.

Annie is no stranger to murder–after all, she’s solved a few already. And something about this case feels familiar. She’s read about one just like it in the journals of her late great aunt Frances, whose friend Vera was killed in the 1960s in the exact same way.

As Annie investigates, threats pile up on Laura’s doorstep, and it soon becomes clear that she’s next. With her mother’s life on the line, can Annie find the killer before it’s too late?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Thriller

342 pages, ebook

First published April 28, 2026

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

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I need to talk about this series because it has completely taken over my reading life and I'm not even sorry about it.

How to Cheat Your Own Death pulled me in from the first chapter and didn't let go until I'd devoured the whole thing in one sitting. Annie heads to London expecting some quality time with her artist mother Laura. Maybe some gallery hopping, maybe some overpriced wine. Instead she gets a dead body in an alleyway with its heart surgically removed. Classic vacation, really.

But here's where it gets creepy: Annie recognizes this murder. She's read about one exactly like it in her great aunt Frances's journals from the 1960s. Same method. Same surgical precision. Sixty years apart. My skin was crawling.

The dual timeline thing continues to work like absolute magic. Frances in swinging sixties London, swept up in the orbit of Vera Huntington, this impossibly glamorous socialite who dances through Soho like she owns the city, is everything I want from historical fiction. Smoky jazz clubs, dangerous secrets, fashion that makes me wish time travel existed. And then we snap back to present day Annie piecing together how a murder from her family's past is somehow connected to the body cooling in a London alley. The way these storylines weave together genuinely impresses me every single book.

Now let's talk about what I'm REALLY here for: Annie and Detective Crane. Their partnership. Their banter. Their obvious feelings for each other that neither will fully acknowledge. I am rooting for these two disaster humans so hard it's embarrassing. And this book? This book turns up the heat because the murder victim happens to be Crane's ex girlfriend. Who also maybe broke his heart. Who also maybe stole some money. The drama! The tension! The loaded silences! I was eating it up with a spoon.

Peony Lane's prophecy hanging over everything, "without its beating heart, your family will fall one by one," had me genuinely stressed. And when Laura calls Annie to say someone left an actual heart on her doorstep? I gasped out loud. On public transit. No shame.
The mystery kept me guessing way longer than I expected. I figured out the "who" before the "why," but the twists still landed and there were a few moments where I had to put the book down just to process. Ella Perrin knows exactly how to plant clues without making you feel stupid for missing them, which is harder than it looks.

What I love most about this series is that it never feels like it's running out of steam. Three books in and the stakes keep climbing, the relationships keep deepening, and Frances's journals keep revealing secrets that somehow stay relevant decades later. The London setting added this sharp, glamorous edge that felt different from Castle Knoll without losing the cozy murder mystery vibe I fell in love with.

And that ending? I won't spoil it but the cliffhanger left me staring at my ceiling at 2am trying to figure out where Ella Perrin is taking us next. The kind of ending that makes you want to shake the author gently and ask when book four is coming because the wait is going to be painful.

Huge, massive, cannot overstate it thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for sharing this historical mystery that just keeps getting better with every installment. I'm so grateful for the early copy in exchange for my honest review, and honestly, they couldn't stop me from shouting about this series if they tried.

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[Dee (short hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded down. I do enjoy this series, but this latest installment was weaker than the first two. First off, we have a setting change away from quirky "Castle Knoll" itself & into London. We're still working (sort of) on one of Peony Lane's killer fortunes, but the mystery was told in a way that made it seem far more complex & convoluted than it really needed to be. We still have Aunt Frances though, back in the swinging sixties with some college chums (and enemies) and that was the best part for me. MC Annie's relationship issues with both of her parents and her growing feelings for Crane, just felt like a hot mess! 👎🏼💔😩 Glad it ended with the next sequel set-up, returning back to Castle Knoll and on to the next fortune, so I'll give it that one to pick back up & hope this is just a one-off!🤞🏻

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loving this series!!! Each book revolves around a murder that happened decades ago and somehow comes back to haunt people in the present time. A great-niece reads her aunt's journals and discovers strange connections to a woman who was once so fearful of being murdered it got her murdered. Witty. Strange. Intriguing. Well-plotted. Memorable characters. A few poignant moments. It's the kind of book you can truly let yourself wander and appreciate the differences between yesteryear and today. A welcome change to a standard modern thriller or cozy mystery; this series brings a bit of both with a panache of honesty about saying and doing the things you believe in.

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

Forget what I said about How to Solve Your Own Murder and How to Seal Your Own Fate ; KP is back with the latest Castle Knoll novel, and she’s stepped up in her game.

No, but really.
Idk if she's read the feedback or if she just decided to go in a different direction, but my (and many others people) biggest problems with her narration are gone, and just like that this cozy mystery delivers what promised: a compelling investigation with a dual timeline, more pieces of Aunt Frances’s life, a will-they-won’t-they romance, and a purpose to our FMC.

For every little detail I could point out as “feeble”, there's the remainder that, in Annie’s world, it has been only like six months since it all began, but I had to wait three years to see her finally doing something with her life other than talk.
And that made her less annoying in my eyes, like a reprimand that the author knows what she's doing.

Also, this is the first time one of these novels ends with a hint at the future, and it's also the first time I'm actually excited about it.

↠ 3.5 stars

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

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid installment in this series.

[Trisha]

I love this series!! AND THE COVER REVEAL TODAY! GORGEOUS!

I can't wait to read this!!

* ARC Rec'd! Thank you!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

[AndaReadsTooMuch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was skeptical. Third books on the same plot line in a murder mystery have a tendency to go wonky. Kristen Perrin broke the curse. Not only is the third book absolutely enthralling, it's so exciting that I ate it up in one sitting. The plot thickens, this time it’s the final fortune. The one that belongs to Annie. And it’s a doozy. Her mom has a huge secret and the hunky Detective Cane has some bones rattling around in his closet too. My favorite parts have been the glimpses back into Frances’ diary with all the juicy details. A murder, so many secrets, and some dangerous psychology in play with a long list of suspects. Two murders for the price of one!

This was fabulous and you know your girl loves a cliffhanger ending! Grab this one when it hits shelves April 28!

Huge thank you to Dutton and Kristen Perrin for the gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[marita lazarus · Rating 4 out of 5]

update: I first read this book from NetGalley

but I juts finished listening to it on audio, and in the beginning it was slow, but I loved hearing the voices coming through for me. I love this series.... old family secrets, red herrings and layered plots make this book enjoyable. What does a death in the 1960s,written in aunt France's journals, a murder have to do with a similar present day murder,

Loved the audio

This is my second book in the series and I like it better than the first. almost 5 stars except the beginning was slow for me.

[Karina Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️ i love kristen perrin! I think this might be my favorite in the series so far 👀 i loved that she changed it up and had it set in london instead of castle knoll, and that we got a lot of new characters! I also really enjoyed the suspense of this one and I thought it was a really compelling mystery. Also! Detective Crane. I cant write more because I know Olivia is gonna read this review but trust.

[Sarah's Reading Nook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written, fascinating, and evocative! This 3rd installment in the Castle Knoll series is probably my favorite so far! The way the author seamlessly weaved together dual timelines and dual narrators was even more impressive than the previous books in the series. There was a twist I didn’t expect. The ending lent itself to another in the series being written and I'm here for it! 😍🙌🏻

[Sakina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️

I am so pleassssssed with how this third book turned out!

I excitedly anticipated the first book of this series and had such a fun time book clubbing with my best friend. Leading to me eagerly anticipating the second book of the series to unfortunately be pretty disappointed- but this is not a review of the first or second book! Moreover, just to emphasize how weary but curious I was for the third book in this series.


And gosh how happy am I to say I f*cking LOVED IT !!!! This has taken the gold for me in this series by far. Everything that disappointed me about the second book for example: Frances’ journal entries being extremely lackluster, Crane and Annie having a murder to solve that I didn’t really even care about. It just honestly dragged for me, so slow.

This book was the complete opposite, I loathed putting it down and when I had to, I yearned for it. Frances’ entries and era were so fun and formative. Connecting so many things for both the past and present timelines. Annie and Crane’s team mystery solving was fine- I definitely would’ve opted in to reading just Frances’ reflections, but A & C’s plot were interesting enough but at times felt like filler. Maybe that’s because the chemistry happening between Frances & Ford was everything and Annie and Crane had none….

The overarching mystery itself was enjoyable to hypothesize about. The characters were all interesting enough but didn’t overshadow the most entertaining/ essential ones. Loved how art centered -gallery openings, the university settings, metropolitan life as a woman. The subtle and large exposures of classism and sexism that are ruling powers in the art world and beyond. Intellectuality as a theme…. Chef’s kiss.

So many things.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, thank you NetGalley & Kristen Perrin for the early copy!!! People are def going to enjoy.

[Mindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)

Annie is still sorting through her great-aunt Frances’s journals and files when she’s pulled into another mystery, this time outside of Castle Knoll. After Annie’s mother calls to say that an animal heart has been left on her doorstep, Annie rushes to London only to discover her mother’s new apprentice dead in an alley. Suddenly the questions start piling up. Is Annie’s mother the killer’s next target? Who is leaving the animal hearts? And what exactly was the apprentice involved in before her death?

Some thoughts:

- I was initially worried when I realized most of the story would take place outside of Castle Knoll because I thought we’d lose a lot of the charm and familiar characters from the first books. Thankfully, we still get some Castle Knoll moments early on, and more importantly… Rowan is absolutely still involved.
- Rowan’s connection to the victim and the mysterious phone call he received before her death gave him a very natural reason to join the investigation, which I appreciated because I need that tension between him and Annie to keep building.
- The dual timeline narrative with Frances’s journals continues here, and I think it worked much better this time around. The past and present felt more connected and easier to follow.
- After feeling a bit disappointed by the previous book, I was really happy to see this one return to what worked so well in the first installment. Book two felt overly convoluted with too many characters and storylines happening at once, but this felt much tighter and more focused.
- The ending was fantastic and gave us a little more insight into Rowan, which only made me more excited for where the series is headed next.

Overall, this was a really fun mystery and a strong return to form for the series. Definitely left me eager for the next book.

[norah · Rating 3 out of 5]

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=3.25

summary: another mystery ft. gruesome deaths and ppl getting their hearts cut out and left on doorsteps and art drama and switching between 1960s diary entries and present day POVs and a haphazardly executed romantic sideplot

thoughts: I liked this! pretty run-of-the-mill for this series, which tends to be the same level of Pretty Okay! across the board, but I am intrigued by a particular element introduced in this book that will inevitably cause drama in later novels. basically this series gets the job done, it scratches the itch, people are murdered and then the mystery is solved and there’s an interesting structural element with the POV changes and intergenerational relationships. fun!

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25. Castle Knoll Files series - book 3. What’s not to love about this English murder-mystery series! It’s a must read for me so I’ve been keeping up, and this 3rd series book is not set in Castle Knoll, but inside London’s academic and art scene. Love that change up! This tale starts off with a bang and is way more faster-paced. We have a 1968 murder combined with another (copycat to a “T”) in the present, that weaves into this mind-boggling, twisty tale of family secrets with a conclusion that totally blindsided me. But wait, theres at least one more installment coming our way. Can’t wait. This is so entertaining. Pub. 4/28/26

[Meredith Schorr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series and how it manages to keep Frances and her diary front and center even three installments in without feeling forced. The setting in this one changed from Castle Knoll to London, but many of the players remained the same. I particularly enjoy the continued slow-burn development of the relationship between Annie and Crane! Looking to seeing where it goes next.

Thank you to Negalley and the publisher for my complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hit and quite possibly my favorite book from this cozy dual timeline mystery series!

This one had me glued to the pages trying to work out all the clues between the paintings, murder (present day and in the past), and how they connect with Annie’s fortune as well as Frances’s past.

This book was a bit more high stakes, which I loved, and we got so much more backstory into Frances and Ford (hallelujah!!!) and some well deserved development in the relationship between Annie and Crane (her calling him by his first name?? Oh my 😉). The ending had me on the edge of my seat and I’m so excited for the next book, I have a feeling is going to be Rowan Crane-centric and I’m so sat 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc and thank you to Dutton for the gifted finished copy!

[Hannah Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so happy to receive an ARC of this book because I absolutely love this series. I still love the series but this one held my interest a tad less than the first two. I love the dual perspectives between Annie and Frances. The ending hints at meaning more about Crane in the next book which will be exciting, but this one felt almost like a stepping stone in the grander scheme of the series story as opposed to being a strong story of its own standing, it that makes sense. I would say 3.5 stars but rounding up, I’m still excited to read the next one.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a good series! I love the way the author writes. We are back with Annie, her mother, Rowen Crane and Annie’s fortune from Peony Lane over shadowing her. I love how it flops back and forth from present day to the 1960s. Definitely seems set up for more and I’m here for it!

[Melissa Hummel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series! I enjoy how the author weaves two murders separated by time. I feel like the author is good at weaving the two stories well, while keeping us interested in both. I like that this one gave us a little more insight into Crane, and I am looking forward to seeing how that fortune plays out. This is a solid cozy mystery, and I am glad I have added it to my rotation.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

[Lily Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honet review. This is the best in the series thus far, in my opinion. I feel like Perrin's writing improves with each installment. Occasionally, the dialogue is slightly unnatural feeling, but otherwise, I feel like it felt more seamless than the first two. I was wondering where Annie and Crane's sleuthing would take them next, and this was unexpected, yet totally plausible. Worth a try if you weren't in love with the first two!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it bad that I don’t care how many people have to keep dying in order for me to live in these books?

I am absolutely obsessed with this series and I think this is my favorite yet. I love the world of Castle Knoll and its quirks, but taking that unique country vibe and bringing it to London was amazing. I liked that this mystery had a lot of moving pieces that all fit together - we had two highly competent detectives on the case, after all.

One downside of advanced reader copies is that I now have to wait LONGER to return to Castle Knoll. Because I’ve got some questions for Annie and Rowan Crane that I DEMAND ANSWERED.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kristen Perrin, and Dutton for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Jamie Loves Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I absolutely adore this series and this was another great installment. I really love the characters especially Frances and Ford in this series. Watching their relationship grow was even more satisfying than Annie and Rowan.

Perrin does really great job creating two stories in one book that is interesting and captivating, This book wasn't quite as great as the first two but it still was really well done. I didn't find the mystery quite as interesting and Annie was a little grating to me at times.

I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries. This one does it well and I really love the romance subplots in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for this advanced Vader copy my review is voluntarily my own.

[Daffodils_and_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to get back to the Castle Knoll Murder Mystery Series with this third installment. How to Cheat Your Own Death lived up to my every expectation of mystery, tension, and wit. The story ended on a cliffhanger that leaves me in anticipation for a fourth book to come.

Thank you to Dutton for a gifted copy of the ebook.

[Angel]

Thank you to Dutton for this Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, I chose to DNF this title at 30%. While I will say, this CAN be read on its own, I went into this book without having read the first two books in the series, and I do suspect that affected my [lack of] connection to the characters and overall momentum of the plot.

The novel carries a distinct cozy mystery vibe/whodunnit with similarities to Agatha Christie–style storytelling. However, I struggled with the alternating timelines and shifts between past and present, which did not always flow seamlessly for me. At times, it was difficult to settle into the rhythm of the narrative. The plot did feel solid (ish), but not enough to captivate me fully. And I had sort of anticipated how some of the twists might potentially look.

That said, I do believe this would be a wonderful entry point for readers who are just beginning to explore the cozy mystery genre. Its classic structure and approachable tone make it accessible, particularly for those who enjoy traditional mysteries without overly dark or graphic elements.

Ultimately, this one wasn’t the right fit for me at this time, but I can absolutely see it resonating with the series’ established audience and newer cozy mystery readers alike.

The third installment in the Castle Knolls Files series will be published on April 28, 2026.

[gottalottie · Rating 3 out of 5]

much better than the last one, the dual timeline worked

[Angela Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up for Goodreads

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️ I was glued to this!! Happy I guessed at least one of the many intricate twists.
Love this series so much. Already need the next…because Crane bffr

[Hillary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cozy as a good chair, a warm blanket, and a rainy day. But, like, with disembodied meat sacks all over the place.

[Jordan Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe my favorite of the series so far?!? The format continued to be exquisite, and I was loving the parallels between the two narratives. Such a good mystery, and I am SO intrigued by what the next one might hold and SO distraught that I have to wait another year for it.

[Caylee Guy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars
eARC provided by NetGalley

This was my favorite of the series so far. I enjoyed the mystery aspect a lot and the story was easy to keep up with! The twist was really well done and made a lot of sense! I will say this world keeps growing and it was done well in this book! My biggest issue with this story was the will-they-won't-they of the romance has now been dragged out too far for me. Also we have these big moments just for it to all kind of get thrown away. It is clearly too set up for the next book but I just felt like we could have started setting up this mystery in an earlier book so that this book we could have actually learned more.