Synopsis

It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’s night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.
 
In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?
 
As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.

Review

Much as I love Agatha Christie, modern cosy mysteries can be a little dull and unrealistic. Perrin has managed to pay homage to the queen of crime whilst also finding a modern balance and layering it with a touch of the macabre to appeal to those who like it dark.

Told in dual timeline, which is a nice touch, we see Annie trying to unravel a puzzle set by her great aunt: who murdered her? It’s such a unique concept and allows us to sleuth along with the characters. Yes our MC makes poor decisions; yes readers need to suspend belief, but it doesn’t matter because it’s a gentle drama with a few darker elements that really elevate the story.

The diary entries are perhaps a little too detailed; most teenage girls are unlikely to record every single piece of dialogue, but appreciate artistic licence is needed to tell the story. Perhaps I missed it but I would also have liked a bit more information on when Frances and Ford got married and their life together as it was missing – perhaps we’ll find out more later in the series. I also enjoyed the nods to Heathers, charity shop treasures and gothic horror.

Narration is good, although perhaps a different voice for Frances would have enhanced the experience somewhat.

Overall a strong start to the series and no doubt this tiny village will have more secrets and bodies than Midsummer…

Thanks to Quercus and NetGalley for the audiobook. Opinions my own.