I went into this a little blind and I’m glad I did. The writing was intelligent and gave me the same vibes as Glass Onion.

This book has a high body count for something that’s so lightly and cleverly written. With lots of fourth-wall breaks, this story was fun and engaging in a way that very easily kept me turning the pages. I can see how the writing style and the way the book is set up might not be for everyone, but it was definitely for me.

A family reunion turns murderous in the humorous mystery set in a remote Australian mountain resort.

This book has the premise to be an engaging mystery. Unfortunately, it is very wordy. While descriptions are necessary and work to spin the best of stories, too much of a good thing can be detrimental. I struggled to keep reading as lengthy explanations and descriptions overpowered the story line. It was exhausting. I stopped reading about half way through the book.

Ernest Cunningham (Ern/Ernie) is the narrator of this entertaining whodunit involving a family where everyone has killed someone!

The Cunningham's have gathered for a family gathering at a ski resort. It will be the first time Ernie has seen his brother, Michael since his testimony sent Michael to prison for 3 years. Awkward! But wait, there is more! Ernie's wife is now with Michael. Awkward! There is a huge snowstorm, and a man has been found dead in the snow. Awkward! How did he die?


This family is an interesting one. As Ernie tells readers in a conversational manner, that besides being killers, they all have secrets! He makes observations on them and provides little tidbits about their lives and what he thinks of them. No one knows the dead man, or do they? That is what Ernie wants to find out. Using Ronald Knox's 10 Commandments of Detective Fiction, he sets out to solve the case.

This was a unique, entertaining and clever whodunit which kept me turning the pages and doing my own detective work. I enjoyed how Ernie said things would happen in 89 pages, keeping his editor happy and alluded to things happening in the future. He teases readers while sticking to the rules.

Clever, Entertaining and well thought out!

This book was a fun mystery. The narrator, Ern, is a writer who writes books about writing mysteries. And then he writes his family's "true" murder mystery. I found the narration of the book fun and it drew me right in from the beginning. I only suspected the actual murderer at the very end just before "the big reveal". It reminded me a lot of the movie, Clue, which has always been one of my favorite movies. 4⭐️

All of the advance hype sucked me into this book...and made me finish it. I did enjoy the characters, narrative style, and remote setting. But honestly, the back story and crime was overly confusing. Maybe I don't read enough mysteries to appreciate this book but I wasn't a big fan.

While not a craft book, this is a must read for aspiring mystery writers. The author is talented, clever, and presents a solid character driven mystery that is full of humor and twists.
I started this book in print and devoured the balance in audio in one sitting. I found the narrator, Barton Welch, to be excellent. Where I struggled initially in print with a bit of head-hopping in the dialogue, Welch clarified and made it easy to follow.
I did not see the end coming, even though the author guides, recaps, and leads the reader. I found myself clapping at the end of this book. This book is the perfect blend of classic and modern writing, humorous and suitable for a broad audience.
I will certainly consider other titles by Stevenson and other Aussie writers.

There was SO MUCH to this book. So many characters, so many tiny details that were easy to miss, so many large details that you couldn’t miss (yet had zero relation to the overall plot), and because of all of this, it had SO MUCH confusion.

There were so many characters and they all were essential to understanding the plot. I found myself having to re-read sections, because I had no clue who was speaking. This gets annoying, eventually.

I didn’t enjoy the overall plot to this story, it was boring, in my opinion. The ending seemed very rushed. Ern solved the whole mystery in a matter of .5 seconds. Seemed so unrealistic. Some things were obvious, but most were so far-fetched based on the little info readers got. There is no way he could have solved and wrapped the mystery up that quick.

**Hey, Alexa, play “Anti-hero” by Taylor Swift.** It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem. It’s me. But for real, I just don’t think I personally enjoy these types of mysteries.

Thank you Netgalley and Mariner Books for the arc of this book, in exchange for my honest feedback!

This story had me hooked from the start. Even the name of the book had me wanting to read the book. The summary is so simple, but I was immediately interested. Everyone in Ernest Cunningham's family has killed someone, including himself. He would rather kill more people than attend a family reunion hosted by his aunt, but he reluctantly goes only to become engrossed in a mystery involving everyone in his family who has killed someone.
My favorite part of the story was Ernest's POV. I enjoyed how he was writing the story from memory and would even add in little clues or quips in his writing. The story, even though dark in nature, had humor and fun. The author made sure to keep the reader interested in the story by leaving little cliffhangers in certain areas, but not so much that it felt repetitive. The little clues helped me try to figure out the mystery along with the author and I felt the reveal wasn't obvious enough for one to figure it out early.
I would certainly recommend this book for fans of mysteries, humor, and detective novels.

Liked the tone and clever writing style. Found it original and entertaining. The actual plot, found it confusing. Overall 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Well this was a new take on a murder mystery book!

This was quirky, fresh, funky, fun and oh so different than anything else I’ve ever read. I do think it was a tad on the long side, but all in all I was entertained and enjoyed myself.

Holy. Shit. That’s about all I can say about this book. It was the last book I read in 2022 and I spent about half an hour trying to explain it to my sister and husband but still didn’t do it Justice. So many twists and turns. Pretty sure I said, “What the hell!?” Multiple times. 100% recommend!

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. The narrator tells you from the beginning that all people in his family have murdered before. And then proceeds to go through each family member while also coinciding with a current date crime - Could have been way shorter and gotten the point across. Just couldn’t engage in it. Ending predictable and also way too drawn out. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Our protagonist, Ernest (aka Ern or Ernie) Cunningham, writes self-published books on how to write crime fiction, using the Golden Age author Ronald Knox’s mystery-writing commandments. Now Ernie has been imperiously summoned by his Aunt Katherine (who reminds me a little bit of Bertie Wooster’s Aunt Agatha) to a family reunion at a ski resort. Murder ensues.

All pretty straightforward sounding, but this is an unusual book in a lot of ways. Ernie speaks directly to the reader many times, generally making snarky observations about how he is following the mystery-writing rules in describing what happens during this deadly family reunion. The ski resort is in Australia. Sure, if you’re Australian you know there are ski resorts in southeastern New South Wales, but it’s not normally how the rest of the world thinks of Oz.

Each chapter advances the plot through the blizzard that traps the family with what soon appears to be a killer with a to-do-in list. Ern also fills the reader in on how each of his family members became a killer. Not a calculating, cold-blooded way; more of a stuff happens way. It’s just that stuff seems to happen to every member of the Cunningham family in ways ranging from unfortunate to outlandish.

Author Stevenson constructs a clever, complicated plot, and I was amused by the way Ern keeps pointing out what he’s doing to ensure his recounting abides by Ronald Knox’s rules. This is an entertaining twist on the traditional mystery form.

An interesting concept but I was not as thrilled with the execution. Of course I did continue reading to see whodunnit.

It should be a joyous Cunningham family reunion at a ski resort way up in the mountains. Micheal is finally getting released from jail after killing a man but for Ernest or Ernie or Ern seeing his brother again could bring up their complicated past. As the one who called the police on Michael, he is not sure how he will be received at this gathering. While the Cunninghams all gather there is someone out there who would like to put an end to them. But the Cunninghams are no ordinary family, you see, everyone in their family has killed someone so they won’t go down easily.

This is my last review of 2022 and I’m glad I am ending it on a fantastic book. My favorite movie growing up was Clue and this gave me a lot of those vibes. Ern, the narrator, is no ordinary narrator he actually writes books on how to write mystery books. He knows the rules and lays it all out there for the reader. He talks directly to the reader and makes you feel like part of the mystery. I was trying to solve and decipher clues right with him. I’m not a good detective though and was shocked at the reveal. Ern, was able to put everything together and make it seem effortless. There was a lot “oh yeahs” from me at the end. If you like whodunnit books like me, this is a must read!

In "Everyone", Stevenson plays with the Detection Clubs rules for a "fair play" mystery. In essence, the writer is required to disclose all of the clues that are available to the detective, and no tricks of the supernatural, obscure poisons or science, or architecture are allowed. In this carefully constructed story, the author tells us in advance when the deaths will occur, and tells us where the clues were hidden before the "reveal".

Although the book is a tad too self-conciously clever for an enthusiastic 5* rating, I was impressed with the engineering required to make all of the moving parts fit together, and I'll happily recommend it for fans of the puzzle mystery genre.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I read this after seeing that Karin Slaughter made a comment about it and she's one of my favorite authors. It did not disappoint! I was hooked from page 1!

I was mindlessly scrolling through NetGalley one day looking for some ARCs to apply for when I came across Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone and just the title had my attention. Then the blurb pulled me in even more. So I was super excited when I got the email telling my I had been approved for receiving the ARC!

The title pretty much sums up the blurb, except that the story takes place during a family reunion at a ski lodge. Now let's jump straight into the review. This book me had from the beginning. I can't necessarily say why, because it would take away one of the main points of the story (which makes reviewing really hard!). The ending gave me a Clue vibe, but I still hadn't figured out whodunnit! This is probably why I love mysteries so much. I love trying to figure it out, even though I rarely do!

And I honestly loved reading this from the narrator's POV. He was self-reflective and funny and I was never bored during this book. It was also fun to try and figure out how everyone had killed someone while also trying to figure out all the other mysteries throughout the book.

Overall, I gave Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone ⭐⭐⭐⭐. Benjamin Stevenson may have just become one of those authors that I read their whole backlist!