With a unique premise and plucky, likable main character, How To Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin is a strong start to what is sure to be a popular new cozy mystery series for many.
Note: this review is based on a Digital Review Copy I received from Dutton (Penguin Books) via Edelweiss.
A synopsis:
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?
The unique premise I mentioned is that Frances knew she was going to be murdered – a fortune teller had told her so when she was just 17. But without knowing the when or who or how of her murder, Frances spent her whole life amassing clues that might point to the truth. When she’s found murdered decades later, those clues help a ragtag cast of characters race to solve the mystery, with her vast wealth and estate as the prize.
How To Solve Your Own Murder runs in parallel timelines as Annie immerses herself in Frances’ diary, written during the years following the visit to the fortune teller and later the disappearance of Frances’ friend Emily Sparrow. The two timelines intertwine pretty seamlessly, but the cast of characters got so bloated I had to keep a running list of each person, their relation to any others, and their potential motives, secrets, or crimes. Annie leads them all with intelligence and charm, but I have to say, many of the characters blend in with each other and more than one of the tangents felt confusing or unnecessary by the end.
I also wanted more consistency and sophistication in the writing; some moments felt shallow or juvenile in their execution, while others felt genuinely intelligent or witty. As a whole, though, the book was a fun read and I want more for – and from – Annie as the Castle Knoll Files series continues.
BOOK:30 