“How to Solve Your Own Murder” by Kristen Perrin is a cozy ‘Agatha Christie-like’ mystery that kept my interest and was a pretty fast read. Annie Adams has an eccentric great-aunt who has spent her entire life trying to solve her future murder. Unfortunately, the great-aunt is murdered despite all of her efforts… It seems like a strange plot – but works really well and gives a unique twist to this mystery novel.
Annie is summoned to Castle Knoll, a rambling English estate, to meet with her wealthy Great Aunt Frances. Annie has heard all kinds of stories about this strange relative, but has never met her. In 1965, when Frances was a teenager, she had her fortune told. That fortune predicted her murder! Frances was obsessed with the fortune and spent the next 60 years writing her suspicions in diaries and keeping murder boards in order to solve the mystery of her future murder. (And most of the townspeople think she was crazy.) Unfortunately, despite her efforts, Frances is found . . . murdered! Due to stipulations in the will, Annie must solve the murder within the week in order to receive any inheritance. But the suspect list is LONG and the facts are very confusing.
Who did murder Frances? And why? And will Annie solve the mystery within the week?
I really enjoyed “How to Solve Your Own Murder” because it was fun to try to decipher the clues along with Annie. The chapters alternate between Frances’s diary entries and Annie’s real-time actions. Give the book a few chapters to catch your interest because keeping the characters straight is a little confusing at first. I was very surprised when the actual killer was revealed! This novel is a GMA Buzz Pick, a Jimmy Fallon Book Club Finalist and is on Amazon’s Top Ten April Books list as well.