How to Solve Your Own Murder, Kristen Perrin’s adult fiction debut is a fresh and contemporary treat for bonafide mystery lovers. Read my full review.
Publication: Quercus Books, March 2024
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Historical, Drama, Romance
How to Solve Your Own Murder Synopsis
Perfect for fans of Knives Out and Only Murders in the Building.
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?
Book Review
How To Solve Your Own Murder is a distinct cut-above your average entertaining murder mystery.
In this, her adult fiction debut, 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. Annie in the present engages in some fantastically funny banter and simmering tension (romantic and otherwise) with the entertainingly varied ensemble cast that’s brimming with depth and heart.
In addition to the myriad clever twists, turns and reveals woven into How To Solve Your Own Murder, Kristen Perrin’s almost literary writing style is something I enjoyed immensely.
Emily and Rose each take one of Frances’ arms again and continue to browse the fair, but things are quieter now, as if the day has been stuffed with cotton wool. The sun is still blazing, and ale still flows from kegs in pop-up tents. The air is sticky with burnt toffee and the faint smell of smoke, but Frances’ footfalls have become heavy and purposeful.
Each setting and scene depicted is vivid and the sense of time, place and mood is always strong.
Mum’s house sits miserably at the end of a posh row of terraces like Halloween attending a garden party.
How To Solve Your Own Murder is quirky without being kitsch, and evocative without feeling heavy. I recommend it unreservedly.
Plus, there’s a clear story path for us to revisit the characters in the future, and the fact that the publisher has already named this Book 1 of the The Castle Knoll Files series indicates that is likely to happen. Sign me up for Book 2!
My Rating
Story 4.5 / 5 ; The Writing 4.5 / 5
Where to get your copy of How to Solve Your Own Murder
Bookshop US Amazon Booktopia AUThis title is featured in my Top Picks of the March-April 2024 New Fiction List.
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More How to Solve Your Own Murder reviews
“Fresh, unconventional . . . charming and multilayered.”— Sarah Penner, author of The London Seance Society
“The pace is quick, the red herrings are plentiful, and Annie’s growth from timid wannabe writer to confident sleuth is beautifully rendered. Combining elements of Agatha Christie, Anthony Horowitz, and Midsomer Murders, this is a richly entertaining whodunit from a promising new talent.”—Publishers Weekly
“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
About the Author, Kristin Perrin
Kristen Perrin is originally from Seattle, Washington, where she spent several years working as a bookseller before moving to the UK to do a master’s and a PhD. 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. How To Solve Your Own Murder is her debut adult novel.
* My receiving a pre-release copy of How to Solve Your Own Murder via Netgalley for review purposes did not impact the expression of my honest opinions.
This article How To Solve Your Own Murder: Kristen Perrin’s vivid puzzler was originally published on Booklover Book Reviews.
