“How to Seal Your Own Fate” is a worthy sequel to Kristen Perrin’s debut novel, “How to Solve Your Own Murder.” The main character, Annie Adams, has now inherited not only the grand estate of Gravesdown Manor in the scenic, idyllic village of Castle Knoll, England, but also the millions of pounds that accompanied it. She inherited all that as a result of solving the murder in the first book. Annie now lives in the manor alone and is often lonely. But very quickly, trouble comes knocking on her door.
Actually, Annie runs into trouble while walking on the grounds of her estate. And the trouble that sparks the murder(s) in this novel comes in the form of a senior woman named Peony Lane. We learn in the prologue that Peony Lane is not her real name, although it is the name she has used for most of her life. Whatever mysterious revenge Peony was delivering at the start of the novel becomes what Annie is determined to uncover—because shortly after encountering Peony Lane on her property, that same fortune teller is found dead inside the manor house.
Annie must uncover what happened decades ago, and her most important tools are the same tools she used in the first novel to solve that murder: Aunt Frances’s diaries and her extensive files filled with secrets of the townspeople, family, and friends. But some of the files are missing, and there are many suspects who might have had access to them. There are also some missing diaries, and Annie wonders what information lies in those missing memoirs.
As with the first book, the narration alternates between Annie’s first person narrative and excerpts from Frances’s diaries. The distinction is made crystal clear by dating Frances’s entries and using italic fonts for those chapters. Between the two narratives and the plethora of characters, Perrin effectively keeps us confused as to who might have committed the crimes. There are even, by the end, surprises regarding who was actually murdered and when.
Perrin adroitly maneuvers the plot to keep the suspense at maximum levels, she keeps throwing curveballs that we aren’t expecting, and she reveals information about the characters that we certainly would never have guessed. All in all, this is a well-crafted murder mystery that builds on the first novel and definitely opens the door for the sequel. Those who have been charmed by the small, picturesque town of Castle Knoll and its very British small-town inhabitants, and by Annie Adams herself—a very likable and determined young woman—will be pleased that the adventure continues.
This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.