How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin on April 29, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Amateur Sleuth, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Cozy / General, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths
Pages: 320
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Kristen Perrin delivers an even stronger mystery in How to Seal Your Own Fate, the second book in her Castle Knoll series. This one hooked me from the start—and I ended up liking it even more than the first.
Right away, the story sets an eerie tone when fortune teller Peony Lane gives Annie Adams a cryptic warning. Hours later, someone murders Peony, and all signs point to Annie. Someone clearly wants her out of the way. Determined to clear her name, Annie starts digging—and uncovers more than just a motive for murder. The deeper she goes, the more Castle Knoll’s hidden history starts to unravel.
Meanwhile, in 1967, Annie’s great-aunt Frances Adams investigates a deadly car crash tied to the wealthy Gravesdown family. With help from Archie Foyle, she pushes past the village’s polite smiles and digs into a decades-old cover-up. The two timelines run parallel, and Perrin makes both feel urgent, twisting them together in a way that’s clever and seamless.
I loved watching Frances and Annie approach their investigations so differently, yet uncover secrets that connect across generations. Just when you think the pace might slow, Perrin throws in a reveal that propels everything forward. The theme of long-buried secrets keeps the tension high, and the way the story unfolds feels both smart and satisfying.
If you’re into dual timelines, small-town secrets, and twisty mysteries, this book is a must-read. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough—and I already can’t wait for the next Castle Knoll mystery.