Review: How To Seal Your Own Fate | A Visit to Good Books
A murderous sequel that takes us back to an English estate, and a very not-murderous visit to a bookstore on a sleepy New York street
A few weeks ago, I reviewed the first book of this series- How to Solve Your Own Murder. I’d recommend checking it out first, and if you haven’t read it yet and are planning on it, maybe skip down to the bookstore visit because I don’t want to accidentally spoil anything!
Publisher’s description: Present day: Annie Adams is just settling into life in Castle Knoll when local fortune teller Peony Lane shares a cryptic message only hours before being found dead inside the locked Gravesdown Estate. Annie has no choice but to delve into the dark secrets of her new countryside home in order to find out just what Peony Lane was trying to warn her about, before her brand new life comes crashing down around her.
1967: Teenage Frances Adams, Annie’s great aunt, 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 killed most 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?
As Annie and Frances investigate two new mysteries spanning decades, they’ll unlock the next level of secrets held in Castle Knoll’s dark heart.
There’s a lot of books I’ve been reading lately that are…good. They aren’t hitting that reading high where I need to tell everyone I see about them. But they are solid.
This was another one of those. It was good. It didn’t change my life, but it was a nice, cozy mystery in a pretty setting and I liked it.
I had a hard time getting into the first half of it. I read the first book in the series a few months ago, but it might as well have been years ago because I struggled to remember all the characters and their connections to each other. There’s a whole towns’ worth of secrets I was supposed to remember from the first book, and I didn’t do a great job at retaining them.
And while I was lost and bumbling around, I knew I was missing key pieces of the new mystery that was evolving. If I didn’t have so many Libby holds that suddenly came through at once (now I’m on that three week deadline for these books) I may have reread the first few chapters again.
However eventually I sorted it out, and I did love the mystery. I like how throughout the book they made connections, think they’ve resolved who the murderer was, and then suddenly their theory is proved wrong and the investigation moves in a completely different direction. There were so many twists and turns and I gave in, certain there was now way I could solve the murder before the characters did.
I also liked the main character and her journey with thoughts of “who am I and what should I do next? Am I wasting time here?” I felt it was relatable and I always appreciate when thriller/mysteries bring in a human element to the chaos.
I did expect a little bit more from the ending, but it wasn’t bad. I can’t say they really “solved the case” but instead the characters just happened to be in the middle of events as they revealed themselves. It wasn’t dramatic but was wrapped in a nice little bow and I was fine with it. And I loved getting to spend more time in the world of Castle Knoll.
My rating : 3.75/5
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Good Books (Cornwall, NY)
This week I stopped into this fresh indie bookstore in the heart of Cornwall. I absolutely loved the separate rooms, including an adorable kids' room in the back, and open, neutral layout.
Good Books is a family-owned bookstore that opened in 2023. Their focus is on community building and encouraging open conversations. And of course, stocking their shelves with…good books.
As always, thanks for reading! I’d love to know what books you guys are diving into this week. Let me know and we can discuss below!