Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone has an old school who done it mystery feel to it. The reader needs patience while reading (or maybe that's just me lol), it's like being handed all the pieces to a puzzle but having no picture as a guide to fit them together. But once the pieces are in place you see the image and can appreciate the story. While it is indeed well-written, I thought the writing style to be a bit odd. It's likely a me thing, but the sentence structure didn't flow well for my comprehension and I found myself having to reread sections frequently. Coupled with the author periodically addressing the reader through out the story, I never was really able to settle in comfortably while reading. I did enjoy the plot and the ending when things were pieced together felt like a great a-ha moment. I'm sure fans of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie will feel quite at home reading this novel.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

Very fun book! I was hooked from the beginning. A writer as the main character made this very meta. I was wondering how it all would come together and when the library announcement happened (of course in a library for atmosphere) I loved the reveal!

first-in-series, dark-humor, Australian-author, Australia, family-dynamics, reunion, narrative, relatives, relationships, dual-time-frames, snarky, situational-humor, verbal-humor, murder, mystery, mystery-writer, investigation, snow-season*****

Too much fun! I laughed myself sillier! And the mystery was great, too!
The (probably) family of manslaughter perpetrators is having a Cunningham family reunion at a resort in the Australian Snowy Mountains when an unknown body is found on the property. Throughout the tale Ern relates that he is applying Roland Knox's "Ten Commandments of Detective Fiction" (1929) and proclaims himself to be a self-published writer of how-to-guides. "I write books about how to write books". Ern is still on the outs with the rest of the family because he testified at the trial of his brother some time ago (Michael hit the man with the bag of money with his car but was not responsible for the GSW), so that scenario adds even more to the fun.
I requested and received an EARC from Mariner Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

So this book received a lot of pre-publishing hype and I was excited to receive an ARC from the publisher. The hype is deserved in that it feels fresh and it is definitely entertaining. I would describe it as a cross between a locked room mystery and a crime novel. It is a locked mystery because the family in the title is stuck during a snowstorm at a ski resort where they had gathered for a reunion on the day of the release from prison of the main character's older brother, Michael. Why he was incarcerated is revealed in the first pages of the book so it isn't a spolier but there is more to that story. The family holds a grudge against the MC because he testified against his older brother causing him to go to prison. However the morning after their arrival at the resort, a man is found dead in the snow in very strange circumstances. Nobody knows the identity of this man but it's clear that a killer is on the loose. The structure of the book is what really sets it apart. The main character is a writer who writes guides for aspiring mystery writers so in telling his family story it sets out not to infringe his own writing rules, which are the rules of "golden age" mysteries. For example, he promises his audience (us) that everything he says is true and he is not an unreliable narrator (the pleague in current mystery writing). He sometimes tells us things that are to be revealed later (and if you read the ebook you have links to those pages). So there is a lot of jumping around in timelines. There are two mysteries that of course are related: the gruesome killing at the ski resort and the mystery related to Michael incarceration three years prior (involving a bag full of money) and his and the MC's dad death many years before. Because of the timeline jumps I found a bit difficult sometimes to follow the timeline in the past and to understand what exactly had happened, I thought it could have been a bit more clear but it all works in the end. The ending is classic deduction a la Sherlock Holmes, something you couldn't have guessed on your own but that is still satisfying. All in all I recommend Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone as something different from your run-of-the-mill mysteries and thrillers. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had such very high hopes for this book. I’ve heard many good things about it, and thought what an intriguing premise. However, this one gets the dreaded 1 star from me. I promised an honest review - and that is why I needed to go with that rating. The writing style is that of a middle school student - not a complicated mystery being revealed. Throughout the entire novel the narrator narrates a story about himself while speaking within the narration to the reader. That was very distracting as a reader. Rather than telling the story, he ends up telling a story about the story and it turns into a bunch of rambling distraction babbling. Again, it’s a great premise - how does everyone in a family kill someone or someone’s. I think this could actually lead to an interesting sub genre, but the writing style deflated the whole novel for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the read.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Many thanks to @netgalley and @marinerbooks for the advanced copy! This one is set to come out January 17!

I loved this laugh-out-loud mystery with vivid characters and a wacky premise. I was HIGHLY entertained, eager to see how it would come together, and here 110% for the ride.

First, the characters. Well-developed and completely distinguishable from each other. Each of them morally gray but that made me enjoy them that much more. (Warning: there are quite a few to keep track of.) Ernest, the narrator, was a complete delight as he routinely broke the 4th wall and addressed the reader. I love a quirky character and he fit the bill.

The mystery. This is not a thriller; it’s a slowish-burn, cozy mystery. There were layers to it and it unraveled nicely. I must say I was taken aback at some of the reveals and I was pleasantly surprised with the ending.

The description likens this one to Knives Out (and having just watched it, I’m adding Glass Onion also.) Highly entertaining, brilliant cast of characters, and snarky mystery-solving. You really don’t want to miss this!

Many Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy to read and review with my honest opinions.

The title drew me in, the synopsis sealed the deal. I was sure I would love this one as it seemed to have everything I normally want in a good "murder" mystery. I will say that I appear to be in the minority on this review so don't let my review discourage you if your initial feelings are good.

The time "jumps", the overly snarky remarks by most of the characters, too many characters...so many characters and the narrator's general attitude just didn't do it for me. I didn't want to finish, I had to push myself to finish but I did because when I agree to do a review of an advance copy of a book, I will complete my end of the deal. Plus I kept thinking that maybe the ending will make me happy that I pushed through, sadly it only confused me. I will say that I did like the premise of the book being written by a person who writes books on how to write mystery books, so there's a positive.

Overall, I just ended up disappointed and I'm sorry that I don't have more good things to say about this one.

I see this book all over bookstagram for a reason!

So unique! I loved this book!! Highly recommend it. The writing and plot were great!!

Absolutely awful! Horrible writing, a basically non-existent story line and no character development make this a hard pass

This book is very different from my usual reads but I found it so entertaning.

We meet Ernest Cunningham, author of crime fiction. He explains to us the 'rules' and declares himself a reliable narrator. Is he? Time will tell.

The opening lines of this book sucked me in immediately.

The Cunningham family is a very interesting bunch. They are brought together at a ski resort for a famliy reunion. Ern's brother Michael is getting out of jail after serving 3 years for murder. Ern help put him there. The family is salty about that.

The weather takes a turn. A dead body (not a Cunningham) turns up. An officer arrives. Then Micheal and Erin (Ern's estrange wife) arrive. An investigation ensues.

Each chapter is related to a member of Cunningham family and Ernest tells us who each one of them has killed. There are many deaths - some intentional murders, some accidents.

This book had both humor and mystery, and both were well done. Ernest laid out all the clues to know whodunnit, but in such a sneaky way that I was definitely fooled.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an ARC of this book!

This was a really fun and enjoyable read. I loved the narration style and the format. The story kept me guessing and made me want to keep reading. It was a solid mystery and had some surprises. It gave me definite Knives Out and Clue vibes which was the best. The perfect wintry story to read.

Ernest is estranged from most of his family after testifying against his brother Michael in a murder trial. Michael, after a shortened sentence, is finally getting out of prison after three years, and the family – Ernest included – is gathering at a ski resort for a reunion and celebration. But then a dead body turns up in the snow. And it won’t be the last corpse to crash the family reunion.

I really enjoyed this mystery. Ernest, the narrator, main character, and mystery novel expert, tells you up front he’s a reliable narrator and he doesn’t like how modern mystery novels “cheat,” but he’s not exactly 100% straightforward either. While he’s true to his word about telling you what he figured out at the time he thought of it, He’s more deliberate about context and backstory. He feeds you little bits of truth in his own time, sometimes early and sometimes late, in a very deliberately twisty way to keep suspense. The book is cleverly written, funny at times and emotionally impactful at others, and had several twists that I never saw coming. I very much recommend it.

CW: strained family relationships, cheating, suicide

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone is the first book in the Ernest Cunningham mystery series written by Benjamin Stevenson. I discovered the author both on NetGalley and via the top 2023 books to read per Goodreads. It might have been on a Goodreads Choice nominee too, so I decided to give it a chance. What a fun book! I loved the way the story is told; Ernest is an author of books that tell mystery authors how to write books the right way (think Golden Age of fiction rules about murder mysteries). He clearly tells us from the beginning about ~8 family members and how they've all killed someone. But in the first few chapters, everyone seems to kind and gentle. Then the bombs begin to drop! And the author breaks the wall between readers / writers to basically partially spoil the book in a really fun way... by giving just enough clues that are twisted and truthful but misleading all at the same time. For all those reasons it was 5-star book... but the plot did get in its own way a few times when trying to explain backstory and the convoluted history between several characters both current in the story and already dead in the past. For those reasons, I had to knock a bit off... but still a solid read and I cannot wait to check on the second book coming out in 2023, which takes place on a train where everyone is a suspect!

The author has such a quirky writing style, giving away clues but not revealing them in the way you think. It was just such a masterful mystery, and I highly recommend to anyone who likes solving a crime... or 2.

I really liked the vibe of this whole book. It’s a classic murder who dun it with a locked family in a blistering snow storm kind of mystery. The narrator is a member of a complicated family who writes books. His ton was funny, sarcastic, and conveyed the message of family over everything well. I liked the characters and the setting. The pace was also quick. However, the actually mystery was layer upon layers that were difficult to follow. It was convoluted and in the end there was so much information dumping that the overall twist got bogged down with all of the little mysteries along the way. Still, it’s very entertaining and witty. I just wish the twists would have been more fleshed out.

Honestly, I'd heard so much hype about this book, I didn't know what to expect.

Overall, I loved Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone! It was quirky, fast paced, dripping with clues, sarcasm, and dead bodies, and most definitely kept me guessing until the end.

I especially loved the tone of this book and that I was never really dulled by details to the point where I was reading diagonally in some parts - which sometimes happens with more predictable thrillers. Peppered with rules for writing murder mysteries throughout, this book made me feel like no detail was accidental and like I had to pay attention to stay on course. I liked that! It felt like a challenge!

Even though this book felt reminiscent of Clue, Knives out and other old timey whodunits that we all know and love, it was original, and its tone and originality kept me flipping the pages quite quickly. I think I read the book in 2 sittings.

I am a fan of the thriller genre for me, this book felt like a departure of what I know and love, in a way that made me excited about thrillers again. I will definitely be checking out Stevenson's other titles and hand selling this book. A gripping spin on a thriller is exactly what I needed to kick off my reading year right.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Canada for a a digital advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Mariner for the opportunity to read and review this title. Such an fun romp! Our narrator is Ern Cunningham, gathering with his family for the first time in years for a reunion at a winter resort. Ern's day job is writing books about writing mysteries, and he shares his insider knowledge as the mystery of the dead man found on the mountain the morning after his arrival.

The pacing is well done, the mystery unfolds beautifully. The characters feel real, their relationships and struggles are grand but human. The author balances humor and pain exquisitely. Plus, it is a darn intriguing mystery told from a very different perspective.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone is possibly one of the best book titles I’ve come across. It’s not beautiful, but boy, does it catch the eye and make you wonder what kind of family this could possibly be. Mobsters? Serial killers? Particularly accident prone people? And then the synopsis itself produces more intrigue and the voice of our storyteller, Ernie.

Ernie is the unfortunate victim of his family’s ire since he sent his brother to prison and isn’t looking forward to the family reunion at a ski lodge in the mountains of Australia. I for one never think of Australia as a place that gets enough snow to warrant a ski lodge or winter sports, but it certainly does. Ernie arrives just before a snowstorm really begins to hit and the family drama begins immediately. I don’t want to spoil the plot, but I will say that as the story progresses Ernie reveals more and more information about his past and each of his family members. You begin to learn how each is a killer and it does complicate the fact that someone was murdered in a most unusual manner right by the lodge. Of course I began to wonder which family member might have killed this man that no one seems to recognize since they are all apparently capable of killing. 

While the story does focus on solving who murdered this stranger in the snow, it’s ultimately about unraveling this family’s turbulent past. None of the characters are particularly likable, though one naturally feels favorably inclined toward Ernie, as he is the one narrating the story. Remarkably, none of the characters are overtly evil people either. They’re mostly just normal, with a variety of problems, past traumas, and resentment.

It was interesting to see how the story unfolded and how the murder was solved in the end. This was an entertaining read that kept me on my toes, but ultimately I didn’t love the story quite as much as I loved the title. I did like how the author made the past relevant to present day events in the story and I even liked the Ernie’s somewhat quirky way of almost breaking the fourth wall by pointing out to the reader that certain things would happen on page XX or reference something and then say we hadn’t gotten there yet. It was entertaining and rather than being spoilery it made you ponder how such a thing would come to be. Overall, this was engaging and provided a fun exploration of a family’s dirty secrets revealed one by one.

While I wouldn’t call this a cozy mystery, it sure was a lot of fun to read! Not only was it funny, but very clever with its clues and twists so it was very hard to figure out. I was slightly disappointed with the end, but I think that was more on me, and not the ‘twist’ at the end.

Ernest was a great narrator with a very reflective and funny perspective of his very dysfunctional family. I loved that he is a writer of how to books, mostly about writing. He has written a book on how to write mysteries which he lets you know right off the bat. The book starts off with a list of rules on how to write a mystery, which even though it dates back to the thirties, is still used by many writers today. Ern often breaks that fourth wall and talks directly to the reader, often with insights as to what is going to happen later in the story. Many of these insights were amusing. His interactions with his family were also at times quite hilarious, but also disturbing.

The other characters in the story were all quirky and fun, even when they were behaving badly, like most of the family members were. I loved them all. There were a couple of characters that weren’t family in the story and they were surprisingly fun too.

The setting of a remote Australian ski lodge was perfect for this story, and gave it the feel of a locked room mystery. Especially as they become stranded by a snowstorm. The manner in which the murders were committed was also quite original and not one I have come across before.

I won’t go into the plot too much as you really need to go into it not knowing very much about it. The family drama is of course what sets everything in motion, and you learn very slowly throughout the story, just how everyone is responsible in some way for someone’s death. The plot catches you right from the start with its wry humor and interesting characters and you will keep turning those pages until the end.

If you love mysteries, especially those that feel a bit like a game of Clue, then this is one you want to get on your TBR. It is a lot of fun, and a little bit dark, but the twists will keep you guessing until the end.

"𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘷𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳."

I REALLY tried hard to get this in at the end of 2022, but I just ran out of time - so here we are, FIRST BOOK OF 2023!

And it absolutely did not disappoint!

I'm a huge fan of murder mysteries that I can't figure out who the killer is right away! And this book is written in such a unique way, where the narrator/author has knocked down the 4th wall completely, and talks directly to the reader throughout the book!

If you're a fan of Knives Out and/or Clue, you'll love this book!

𝘾𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙞𝙤 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙜!

Thank you Benjamin, @marinerbooks, @netgalley and @penguinbooksaus for this ARC in exchange for my review!