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A review by thenovelstitch
How To Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
While How to Solve Your Own Murder didn't completely resonate with me as reader, it had all the ingredients of a book I should have loved. Dual timelines, a mysterious murder at a wealthy estate, a group of frenamies, and a question of inheritance. Unfortunately, the book didn't captivate me the way I was hoping it would. However, just because it didn't capture me doesn't mean that it was bad in any way!
Annie Adams is shocked to find out that she is a sole inheritor of his great aunt Frances estate, which it worth millions. Annie is uncertain how she came to be the inheritor, and not her mother, of a woman she has never met. Annie set's off to the countryside to meet with this Great Aunt and to confirm the changes to the will. Unfortunately, her aunt is mysteriously killed. Upon her death, her lawyer confirms that in the event of her unnatural death, whoever solves the mystery of her killer inherits the estate. Annie is now set against various family members, community members and a real jerk of a real estate developer as she sets out to find the murderer.
I enjoyed the premise and I thought the plot was clever. I liked the variety of the characters and feeling like you couldn't trust any of them, not even Annie. However the dialogue felt stilted to me and I didn't find myself believing in any of the character's relationships to one another. In essence, I could tell I was reading the whole time and never got lost in the story. The plots points felt weak or unbelievable more times than not and by the time I got to the final reveal I just felt so over the story. I never want to end a book like that, so it's disappointing when I do.
I've mentioned this before in my review of The Sirens by Emilia Hart, but I hate when authors write journal entries as full blown narratives. No one writes pages of prose and dialogue in their journals, recounting every detail of a gathering or experience. I would rather the author just make dual POVs and timelines, instead of trying to convince us we are reading a teenager's journal that reads like a book. I don't think the journal was that necessary of a plot point to the greater story and could have easily been scrapped and reshaped.
While this book wasn't for me, and I likely won't continue reading the rest of the series, it doesn't mean the readers that will love it aren't out there! This book is a charming, cozy, mystery and I think anyone looking for that would enjoy it.
Annie Adams is shocked to find out that she is a sole inheritor of his great aunt Frances estate, which it worth millions. Annie is uncertain how she came to be the inheritor, and not her mother, of a woman she has never met. Annie set's off to the countryside to meet with this Great Aunt and to confirm the changes to the will. Unfortunately, her aunt is mysteriously killed. Upon her death, her lawyer confirms that in the event of her unnatural death, whoever solves the mystery of her killer inherits the estate. Annie is now set against various family members, community members and a real jerk of a real estate developer as she sets out to find the murderer.
I enjoyed the premise and I thought the plot was clever. I liked the variety of the characters and feeling like you couldn't trust any of them, not even Annie. However the dialogue felt stilted to me and I didn't find myself believing in any of the character's relationships to one another. In essence, I could tell I was reading the whole time and never got lost in the story. The plots points felt weak or unbelievable more times than not and by the time I got to the final reveal I just felt so over the story. I never want to end a book like that, so it's disappointing when I do.
I've mentioned this before in my review of The Sirens by Emilia Hart, but I hate when authors write journal entries as full blown narratives. No one writes pages of prose and dialogue in their journals, recounting every detail of a gathering or experience. I would rather the author just make dual POVs and timelines, instead of trying to convince us we are reading a teenager's journal that reads like a book. I don't think the journal was that necessary of a plot point to the greater story and could have easily been scrapped and reshaped.
While this book wasn't for me, and I likely won't continue reading the rest of the series, it doesn't mean the readers that will love it aren't out there! This book is a charming, cozy, mystery and I think anyone looking for that would enjoy it.