When Frances had her fortune told as a teen, she was told she'd be murdered, a prediction she takes seriously for the rest of her long life, making her a somewhat suspicious and isolated person. In fact, her great niece has never even met her and is extremely surprised to be summoned by Great Aunt Frances' lawyer to discuss changes to her will. This fun premise quickly becomes bogged down with too many characters, all of whom interact with each other, sometimes in two timelines. In addition, characters' rationales and motivations are often nonsensical or poorly explained. The narrative contains at least two glaring logical errors - one in the teenage writings of Great Aunt Frances (when she refers to wisdom she gained about relationships, presumably much later in life) and another when Annie neglects to use her phone to take photos of diary entries she does not have time to read (even though she did with another clue a few chapters earlier). Frances and her two friends are supposed to be very close but Frances' diary paints a different picture. Other elements of the narrative are never explained. Perrin's writing style is easy to read and may appeal to casual readers who are able to overlook the inconsistencies in this jumbled mess of amateur investigating. ( )

Annie lives with her artist mom at a home that's owned by her Great Aunt Frances, whom Annie has never met. But when Great Aunt Frances summons Annie and others, including her lawyer, to her estate for a meeting, they anticipate a change in Frances's will. What they don't expect is for Frances to be murdered, and for the fortune she received 60 years ago to apparently come true. Frances's will stipulates that Annie or the nephew, Saxon, must solve the murder before the local detective in order to be named her heir. Annie finds herself intrigued by the mystery - and all the gossipy files Frances kept on everybody - and starts investigating.

A fun mystery that is drawing some comparisons to "Knives Out", which does match its quirkiness but which is probably better executed. How to Solve Your Own Murder is Perrin's adult debut, and does have a few issues to work out. I never really understood the point of having the fortune and whether it was real or a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy as Frances interpreted everything through its lens. The back and forth between Frances' diaries from her teenage years in the '60s and Annie's investigation made for good pacing, and the characters were all intriguing. We're kept a little bit in the dark of all that Annie figures out so the reveal is a bit Agatha Christie-like where everything comes together at once and the murderer confesses. If you like cozy mysteries set in a small English town, this one is worth a library borrow at the very least. ( )

When 3 young girls attend a country fair and hear their fortune, Frances is shocked to hear that hers includes murder. Her friends Emily and Rose tell her it is silly. But, Frances takes the fortune to heart and lives her life according to the prediction.
Her great niece, Annie Adams, is called to hear changes to Great Aunt Frances's will, but when she arrives, she finds that Frances has been murdered, fulfilling the prophecy. Annie is determined to find out what happened to her aunt. What she uncovers is years of secrecy and a jealousy that was murderous. ( )

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

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

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

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

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

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

The character development feels deeply authentic, with both narrators, instantly engaging. I found both women’s unique spark and persistence highly appealing. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2024/03/how-to-solve-your-own-murder-kriste... ( )