Publication – 26th March 2024 – Quercus Books
Frances always said she’d be murdered.
She was right.
In 1965, seventeen-year-old Frances Adams was told by a fortune teller that one day she’d be murdered. Frances spent the next sixty years trying to prevent the crime that would be her eventual demise. Of course, no one took her seriously – until she was dead.
For Frances, being the village busybody was a form of insurance. She’d spent a lifetime compiling dirt on every person she met, just in case they might turn out to be her killer. In the heart of her sprawling country estate lies an eccentric library of detective work, where the right person could step in and use her findings to solve her murder.
When her great-niece Annie arrives from London and discovers that Frances’ worst fear has come true, Annie is thrust into her great-aunt’s last act of revenge against her sceptical friends and family. Frances’ will stipulates that the person who solves her murder will inherit her millions.
Can Annie unravel the mystery and find justice for Frances, or will digging up the past lead her into the path of the killer?
I can’t express how much I loved and enjoyed this novel. It’s a gripping and smart debut that kept me completely captivated and that deserves five stars and more.
The protagonist is Annie Adams. Recently made redundant, she’s dedicating her time writing her first novel while living with her mother in her great-aunt’s house in Chelsea. Annie has never met her great-aunt Frances, but she’s heard all about her and the fortune she was told when she was 17 years old predicting her own murder. Frances then spent the next sixty years trying to figure out who her murderer could be, living in a constant state of fear and paranoia.
Annie is taken by surprise when she is summoned to Castle Knoll, Frances’ estate, to discuss a change in her will. And things become more intriguing after Frances is found murdered in her own home and her will states that the entire estate will be left to the person who will solve her murder within a week. Her competition is Saxon, Frances’ nephew on her husband’s side, who believes that the estate should be rightfully his, and detective Crane, who partners with her to share information about the case.
Annie is convinced that Frances’ murder could be linked to the disappearance of her friend Emily sixty years earlier and never solved. As Annie reads Frances’ diary, she gets to know her great-aunt and she is determined to seek justice for her. A big estate, a long list of suspects, a toxic friendship, and a village full of secrets keep Annie busy as she receives death threats and the clock is ticking to solve the murder.
How to Solve Your Own Murder is a fast-paced and unputdownable debut and I can’t wait for its sequel and more adventures and murder-solving for Annie!!!
A huge thank you to Quercus Books and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this fantastic novel.
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. She’s passionate about books and loves working on projects that have a mystery at their heart. Her debut murder mystery for adults, HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER, is released in March 2024 and will be translated into over 18 languages. Her middle grade series, ATTIE AND THE WORLDBREAKERS is available in German, Polish, and Dutch. She lives with her family in Surrey, where she can be found poking around vintage bookstores, stomping in the mud with her two kids, and collecting too many plants.
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I enjoyed this too! I really hope they commission a series 🙂 x
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On Goodreads is described as the first of a series so I am keeping my fingers crossed! 😊
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