How to Solve Your Own Murder

A Novel

By: Kristen Perrin

Narrated by: Alexandra Dowling, Jaye Jacobs

Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

A Jimmy Fallon’s Book Club Finalist for 2024

AN INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A GMA Buzz Pick!

One of Amazon's Top 10 Best Books of April, One of Jimmy Fallon's favorite books for Spring 2024, The Top LibraryReads pick for March 2024, A Publishers Marketplace 2024 BuzzBook

Named most anticipated by: Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, BookRiot, BookBub, The Nerd Daily, Shelf Reflection, Novel Suspects, Borrow Read Repeat, The Everygirl, The Scout Guide, The Real Book Spy

For fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club, an enormously fun mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate.... Now it's up to her great-niece to catch the killer.

It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’s night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.

In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?

As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.

©2024 Kristen Perrin (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"How to Solve Your Own Murder is a masterclass in the art of mystery. Kristen Perrin crafts a beguiling puzzle from sharp prose, compelling characters, and an irresistibly intricate setup. One of the best and most satisfying mysteries I've ever read." —Elle Cosimano, New York Times bestselling author of Finlay Donovan is Killing It

“Debut novelist Kristen Perrin has done the impossible in delivering readers a quintessential English murder mystery with a fresh, unconventional approach. Idyllic country village? Check. Amateur sleuth? Check. But a fortune teller's grim prediction coming true sixty years later? Now that makes for an enthralling tale. There's no shortage of entertaining, well-rounded characters in this charming and multilayered whodunit, a perfect shelf companion alongside reader favorites like Agatha Christie, Richard Osman, and Nita Prose.” —Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary

“I so enjoyed this smart, original murder mystery. It's filled with curious characters and takes place in the most gorgeous setting–the mysterious Castle Knoll–and sucked me in from the very first pages. I think fans of Richard Osman will love this one.” —Beth O’Leary, author of The Flatshare

An interesting twist

This is a fast moving story that will hold your interest. It’s b superficial but keeps you guessing. It’s enjoyable.

Great Debut

I was hooked from the get go! Definitely adding this author as a must read from now on!

Great premise and set up but meh

For one the narrator does an excellent job performing this story. I really loved the English countryside setting. The story itself though started to get pretty farfetched about a third of the way through. The character development didn’t keep up with the plot points, making dramatic moments feel unbelievable or flat. Without spoiling anything, if I were staying in a huge manor house and a man I knew jumped out of the wardrobe and grabbed me, I wouldn’t be able to carry on normal conversations with him for 100 more pages. Just saying.

Super-clever page-turner

Loved both story & narration. The premise is a smartly executed twist on the classic, British country estate cozy mystery with modern updates, the addition of a “ticking clock” element (a common writing device used to create or augment a story’s suspense) with an inheritance/ fortune at riding on it and the original “twist” of a character attempting to solve their own murder before it happens.
It’s the kind of story that could have been a disaster if done poorly, but —as seen here—is fantastic when done well.

It’s a great listen and I highly recommend it, especially for Agatha Christie/golden age/British country estate mystery type fans.

Clever, well written

I found the narrators to be fantastic, and this story to be really enjoyable and well written. I feel every mystery gets SO ridiculously hyped or hated now. Was this the most explosive mystery ever? No. Was I bored and not enjoy it? No way. I agree with an earlier review that the characters can get a bit confusing at first, but I wouls still highly recommend this book.

Wonderful book, couldn’t put it down

This was a wonderful book, a surprise finding of a new author I did not know before. The story and mystery masterfully developed. I like audio books but I think I will get a hard copy of this book as well. Looking forward to reading the author’s other books.

I like the back in time/present time jumps

It was interesting and the protagonist wasn’t annoying. When she was doing something stupid she knew it was, but couldn’t think of anything else. Although the detective was described as handsome the writer did not go on about his build, or eyes or whatever every time he was with the protagonist.

It’s hard to pinpoint/ it’s just a great story!

I had just returned an audiobook-something I’ve only done twice in all the years I’ve been a member. I found this title and couldn’t finish it fast enough. It’s a great story!

An enjoyable book

Clever entwining of character development, plot elements and timing blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

Enjoyable Old Fashioned Mystery

I enjoyed the main character, who had that exact balance of moxie, intelligence, and likeability.