Kristen Perrin’s How to Seal Your Own Fate: Twisting mystery
How to Seal Your Own Fate, the second title in Kristen Perrin’s Castle Knoll Files series, is a very twisty mystery. But does it live up to its predecessor? Read my full review.
Publication: Quercus Books, March 2025
Genre: Mystery, Crime-Detective, Historical Fiction, Romance, Drama
How to Seal Your Own Fate Publisher Synopsis
Castle Knoll Files, Book 2
Annie thought the murders were over.
She was wrong.
It is autumn in Castle Knoll and Annie Adams is busy settling into her new home. She doesn’t find Gravesdown Hall particularly cosy, especially since she found two dead bodies there over the summer. What’s more, ever since she arrived in the village, Annie has had the creeping sense she’s being watched.
Lonely, and desperate for some company, Annie starts talking to a stranger she meets in the grounds of the estate. The striking old woman introduces herself as Peony Lane, the fortune-teller who predicted Great Aunt Frances’ murder all those years ago. And now she has a fortune to tell Annie.
Desperate not to fall into the same trap as Frances, Annie flees Peony Lane, refusing to hear any of her grim predictions. But she can’t outrun Peony for long, as hours later she finds her, dead on the floor of Gravesdown Hall, a ruby-hilted dagger plunged into her back.
But who killed the mysterious fortune teller and why? And can Frances’ library of evidence help Annie solve the case?
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My Review
Kristen Perrin’s How to Solve Your Own Murder was a particularly fresh, clever and contemporary take on the amateur sleuth mystery novel. I really enjoyed its dual timeline construct and use of journal entries, the complexity of the underlying mystery, and the burgeoning character relationships. So I was excited to see how this would translate into a series with the publication of Book 2, How to Seal Your Own Fate.
Firstly, I do not recommend reading this second book as standalone. Initially I found it tricky to regain my bearings regarding the many different character connections and histories. And, since this story starts up relatively soon after the last novel ends, it refers to many events in it.
Secondly, while Perrin utilised journal entries and employed a dual timeline construct just as she did in the first novel, this did not feel quite as revelatory, or indeed necessary, the second time around. Rather than the story leading, at times I wondered whether this overly complicated (rather than clever) mystery was in part moulded to fit this novel construct. The red herrings felt less robust. There was less humour. Suffice to say, my lofty expectations set by Book 1 were not quite met.
Having said all this though, I must stress that the vivid scene depiction and strong evocation of time and mood are captivating once again. The rural village idyll of Castle Knoll and Annie’s inherited new home Gravesdown Hall that Kristen Perrin has conjured up are settings plausibly ripe with history and secrets.
Ultimately, I flew through How to Seal Your Own Fate in only two days, so clearly I was entertained. I simply found the relationship development in both timelines more compelling than the sleuthing elements this time around.
My Rating
Story 3 / 5 ; Writing 4 / 5 — Overall 3.5
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* My receiving a pre-release e-copy of How to Seal Your Own Fate from the publisher for review purposes did not impact the expression of my honest opinions above.