How to Cheat Your Own Death, Kristen Perrin
How to Cheat Your Own Death, Kristen Perrin
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How to Cheat Your Own Death

Author: Kristen Perrin

Narrator: Alexandra Dowling, Jaye Jacobs

Unabridged: 9 hr 14 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 04/28/2026


Synopsis

From the gritty streets of 1960s Soho to the lofty galleries of present-day West London, two interlocking mysteries decades apart unfold in this latest instalment in the award-winning, New York Times bestselling Castle Knoll Murder Mystery series

Some secrets are deadlier than others

1968: Frances Adams is loving her new London life, and she’s stepped into a world of glamour thanks to her new friend, Vera Huntington--a magnetic socialite as mysterious as she is provocative. Vera dances around London like she owns it, taking Frances with her.

Present day: When Annie Adams heads to London to visit her famous artist mother, Laura, the last thing she expects to find is a dead body. Least of all for it to be Laura’s new protégée, left in an alley with her heart surgically removed from her chest.

Annie is no stranger to murder--after all, she’s solved a few already. And something about this case feels familiar. She’s read about one just like it in the journals of her late great aunt Frances, whose friend Vera was killed in the 1960s in the exact same way.

As Annie investigates, threats pile up on Laura’s doorstep, and it soon becomes clear that she’s next. With her mother’s life on the line, can Annie find the killer before it’s too late?

About The Author

Kristen Perrin is originally from Seattle, Washington, where she spent several years working as a bookseller before immigrating to the UK to do a masters and PhD. Her debut murder mystery, How to Solve Your Own Murder, is the first book in the Castle Knoll Files, and has been translated into more than twenty languages. The book was also a Good Morning America Buzzpick, was featured on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and has been a New York Times, Indiebound, USA Today, and Der Spiegel bestseller. She lives with her family in Surrey, England, where she is hard at work on more books in the series.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Nilufer on May 01, 2026

Okay, I need to talk about this series because it has completely taken over my reading life and I'm not even sorry about it. How to Cheat Your Own Death pulled me in from the first chapter and didn't let go until I'd devoured the whole thing in one sitting. Annie heads to London expecting some qualit......more

Goodreads review by James on March 06, 2026

Loving this series!!! Each book revolves around a murder that happened decades ago and somehow comes back to haunt people in the present time. A great-niece reads her aunt's journals and discovers strange connections to a woman who was once so fearful of being murdered it got her murdered. Witty. St......more

Goodreads review by mimi (depression slump) on January 19, 2026

Forget what I said about How to Solve Your Own Murder and How to Seal Your Own Fate; KP is back with the latest Castle Knoll novel, and she’s stepped up in her game. No, but really. Idk if she's read the feedback or if she just decided to go in a different direction, but my (and many others p......more

Goodreads review by Oscar on May 13, 2026

A solid installment in this series.......more

Goodreads review by AndaReadsTooMuch on April 06, 2026

I was skeptical. Third books on the same plot line in a murder mystery have a tendency to go wonky. Kristen Perrin broke the curse. Not only is the third book absolutely enthralling, it's so exciting that I ate it up in one sitting. The plot thickens, this time it’s the final fortune. The one that b......more


Quotes

“Blending the character-focused storytelling of Jane Austen and the clever sleuthing skills of Agatha Christie, the Castle Knoll series is perfect for fans of Julia Seales, Alan Bradley, and Robert Thorogood.”Booklist (starred review)

“Ingenious plotting and a menacing atmosphere make this irresistible.”—Publishers Weekly

“Perrin handles the twin narratives deftly, giving careful attention to each and permitting their connection to develop richly… And she draws a vivid picture of London, both past and present.”—Kirkus

"Kristen Perrin's How to Cheat Your Own Death is a delightfully twisty ride through London's art world, past and present, that bubbles with sparkling prose and sly humor. If this is your first Castle Knoll Murder Mystery, you'll be racing to savor the others!"—Rachel Ekstrom Courage, New York Times bestselling author of Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery

"Slip into glittering London nights steeped in fame and fortune, art and artifice. Perrin threads two immersive timelines together with a ribbon of fate, creating one crackling mystery that ripples through generations. How To Cheat Your Own Death is the most riveting chapter yet of Annie and Frances’ story."—Ande Pliego, USA Today bestselling author of You Are Fatally Invited

“A delicious mystery with a clever plot and real emotional depth.”—Sarah Harman, author of All the Other Mothers Hate Me

"With dual timelines, clever twists, and a delightful cast of characters to root for (and suspect), How to Cheat Your Own Death is pure cozy mystery fun!"—Olivia Worley, author of So Happy Together

“Swinging London in the 1960s makes a stylish backdrop for this cleverly braided reunion of Frances and Annie, both solving crimes in the backstabbing world of art. Deft brushstrokes of romance, family drama and clashes with the old guard make this a perfect picture of modern murder.”—Christina Lynch, author of Pony Confidential

“A modern master of the genre, Kristen Perrin breathes new life into cozy crime. You will be hooked from page one of How to Cheat Your Own Death, which weaves the vibrant art world of present-day London with the glamour of 1960s Soho into an intricate and enchanting dual mystery. Each Castle Knoll book is a slice of pure murder mystery joy.”—Kelly Mullen, author of This is Not a Game

"How To Cheat Your Death by Kristen Perrin is an elegant blend of history, family secrets, and suspense. Perrin masterfully weaves a dual-timeline mystery that's both clever and emotionally resonant. The story is rich with atmosphere, layered red herrings, and a slow-burn romantic tension between Annie and investigator Rowan Crane that kept me turning the pages. With evocative writing and a twisty plot that ties past and present together in surprising ways, this novel is a captivating exploration of legacy, love and the lengths we go to uncover the truth."—R.L. Killmore, author of A Cinnamon Falls Mystery

“The pacing is pitch-perfect, with each chapter answering questions posed in the alternating timeline. The appealing characters are easy to spend time with as How to Cheat Your Own Death dishes up plenty of twists and potential suspects, with clues along the way that cleverly mislead, but ultimately propel readers toward the surprising, but satisfying, conclusion. Highly recommended.”Historical Novel Review