Ratings3
Average rating4.2
Annie Adams is caught in a new web of murder that spans decades, returning us to the idyllic English village that holds layers of secrets.
Kristen Perrin is back with the second novel in her Castle Knoll series.
Present day: Annie Adams is just settling into life in Castle Knoll when local fortune teller Peony Lane crosses her path and shares a cryptic message. When Peony Lane is found dead only hours later inside the locked Gravesdown Estate, Annie quickly realizes that someone is out to make her look guilty while silencing Peony at the same time. Annie has no choice but to delve into the dark secrets of Castle Knoll in order to find out just what Peony Lane was trying to warn her about, before the new life she’s just begun to build comes crashing down around her.
1967: A year has passed since her friend Emily disappeared, and teenage Frances Adams finds herself caught between two men. Ford Gravesdown is one of the only remaining members of a family known for its wealth and dubious uses of power. Archie Foyle is a local who can’t hold down a job and lives above the village pub. But when Frances teams up with Archie to investigate the car crash that claimed the lives of Ford’s family, it quickly becomes clear that this was no accident—hints of cover-ups, lies, and betrayals abound. The question is, just how far does the blackness creep through the heart of Castle Knoll? When Frances uncovers secrets kept by both Ford and Archie, she starts to wonder: What exactly has she gotten herself into?
Featured Series
2 primary booksCastle Knoll Files is a 2-book series with 2 released primary works first released in 2024 with contributions by Kristen Perrin.
Reviews with the most likes.
How to Seal Your Own Fate sees the welcome return of amateur sleuth Annie Adams.
A few months have passed since Annie solved the mystery of her great aunt's murder. She is now living in Gravesdown Hall, but life in Castle Knoll is very different to her previous life in London. It's quieter, and lonlier. Then one day, whilst out for a walk, Annie meets Peony Lane, the fortune teller who gave Frances Gravesdown her chilling fortune. Suffice to say Annie's life is far from quiet following that encounter. 🗡
Once again the story is told across two timelines, from two POV's: the present day from Annie's POV, and the 1967 timeline from Frances' POV, through entries from her diary. 🗡
I enjoyed How to Seal Your Own Fate more than its predecessor. There were a lot of twists and turns, and try as I might, I failed to guess the killer. 🗡
How to Seal Your Own Fate is a well paced, entertaining, cosy mystery. I would however recommend that you read How to Solve Your Own Murder first, as it will provide context for events mentioned in this sequel, and because many of the characters return. 🗡
Many thanks to Quercus and Netgalley for my digital edition.