Final Rating:
Date of Completion: 23/02/2024
Published by: Quercus
ISBN: 9781529430097
Cover:
Despite the simplicity of this design, I love the vibrant, eye-catching colours used. I also like how the gothic text font and illustrations convey the mystery/thriller genre of the story.
Writing:
The picturesque writing style smoothly creates an atmospheric narrative and setting. Alternating chapters between past and current events are also skillfully used to deliver crucial backstories and add to the building tension across the story.
that’s the thing with lies. They’re much easier to believe when it’s an idea you like.
Storyline:
Past teenage drama and a present race against time due to inheritance drama made this an intriguing murder mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie. The secrets gradually revealed throughout the story created a sense of tension and danger that led to a gripping climax, even with some convent plot devices.
Main character(s):
Annie Adams’ kind yet clever personality made her character engaging and easy to like. Besides this, her methodical approach to the mystery and gradual paranoia brilliantly added to the tension in the story and made it easy to root for her. I only wished her character had experienced more growth or complexity.
If you are trying to corner a killer, the odds of getting yourself killed in the process skyrocket.
Secondary characters:
Although the secondary characters were introduced in gentle waves, I struggled to keep track of the large cast throughout the story. Only the characters involved in past events seemed to have strong, complex personalities, which made them somewhat memorable.
Narration & Audio:
Alexandra Dowling and Jaye Jacobs do a great job narrating this audiobook as they enrich the atmosphere of the story and use natural vocal inflexions. However, there were some weird, long pauses, and the character voices could have been stronger.
You can play without a plan, but you’ll probably lose.
In short, ‘How to Solve Your Own Murder’ is a clever, drama-filled whodunit that had me guessing until the very end! I would recommend The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman for another amateur murder mystery.
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