I had such high expectations for this book; it has a delectable concept-a train full of crime writers on their way to a prestigious conference, and then the murders start. Stevenson is hilarious and adept at profiling self-involved authors, and there are so many red herrings they could fill a mystery publisher’s fish shop. As in the first book in this series, the narrator is Ernest Cunningham, the author of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, a best selling account of Ernest’s harrowing experiences with a serial killer. Ernest has been invited to this gathering of seasoned authors on the basis of this work and now, is suffering with ferocious case of writer’s block and on a deadline for his next book. The big draw of the event and the star of the gathering is the famously reclusive Henry McTavish, a literary nova known for his legendary novels featuring Detective Morbund. Publishers, fan club members, and plus ones round out the cast of characters who bring a Christie/Clue like atmosphere to the setting accompanied by their many bottles, mugs, snifters and wine glasses . The tongue in cheek irony and deadpan satire of the tropes and conventions of mystery fiction are front and center, with Ernest, shepherding us though every one of them, repeatedly, including a running tally on how many times the potential killer’s name is mentioned in the book (the magic number is 106). This is great fun until it becomes a joke that goes on too long. I also found Juliette, the mostly selfless romantic partner of Ernst, rather annoying in her constant pandering to his doubts and obsessions. Juliette does develop a bit of a spine as the narrative develops, but by then I was past caring. There are also so many references to Stevenson’s first book, cloaked in the guise of his narrator, that it becomes a prerequisite in order to fully grasp this book. Some surprising twists and turns pop up at the end, but for me, the train derailed halfway through the journey. My thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books.

The best one word review I can think of ( to go along with the infamous one star review in this novel) is: FUN.

This was a wild (train) ride of a thriller, but so different from anything else in this genre. Stevenson has such a unique “meta”’narrative with the Ernest Cunningham books, and as an avid thriller reader, it’s fun to see one that doesn’t take itself so seriously!

Fair, twisty mystery. Engaging, if slightly angsty, hero. Excellent secondary characters. Great setting. Sly, metafictional narrative, with an affectionate wink. Satisfying as a straight up mystery, but also a lot of fun as a commentary on the genre.

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect is a worthy follow up to Everyone in this Family Has Killed Someone. The same wit and 4th wall breaking is present, and Ernest remains a favorite character. While I felt like the action took a bit too long to get started, I still enjoyed my time getting to know the new characters. I am so happy that this is a series that is going to continue.

Not to be TOO on the nose with the theme this book centers around, but this literary train was a little slow to get moving and definitely took the scenic route, but it finally built up enough steam to make it a decent trip overall!

Ernest Cunningham is back after the murderous events of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone having written a successful book about it, and is now attending the 50th Australian Mystery Writers Society festival with his girlfriend Juliette aboard a train ride through the desert. With him are six other well-known authors, a couple publishers and a number of fans there to interact with their favorite authors.

I won’t rehash the whole plot, but suffice it to say it takes inspiration from Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, only with Ernest playing the Poirot-role as murder inevitably takes place. If the train was leisurely chugging along at this point - and it was - it definitely started powering down the tracks a bit faster after this! Luckily, by the time the book approached its destination, I was having a lot more fun!

It’s a little hard for me to rate this. I did like it - especially after my library hold on the audio came in and I added in listening to it about halfway through. For me, this series just works better on audio, due to Ernest’s humor and fourth-wall breaking narrative style. When I was just reading it, I found it harder to maintain my attention and enthusiasm. I also don’t hate, but don’t love locked-room mysteries, so the audio provided the extra zing I needed.

I did miss Ernest’s crazy family this time around - these publishing world characters weren’t as fun for me, and the train setting ironically wasn’t as dynamic as the snowy ski-lodge of the first book. Having said that, I really enjoyed the final reveal and watching Ernest put the pieces of the murder mystery puzzle together. I also loved the epilogue(s). Very clever! I’d say this was at a solid three stars until the second half, where the pace and fun picked up, allowing me to end on a satisfying note!

All-in-all, I didn’t like it quite as much as the first book, but I don’t regret taking this trip one bit!

Ernest Cunningham is attending a crime writers festival. He is among the crème de la crème of crime writers and he’s hoping for some inspiration for his next book. And he’s praying that nobody is murdered on this excursion. But as we know, not everyone’s prayers are answered the way they want. Which means one of the crime writers dies. Was it murder or was it natural causes? If it was murder, how is Ernest gonna figure out who it is when most of the suspects are well equipped with how to get away with murder??

I couldn’t wait for this book when I saw it was being published! And it didn’t disappoint! I was determined to figure out who the killer was but it alluded me! This felt very much like an Agatha Christie book! From the murder being committed on a train, to all the clues I missed, and to the epic reveal at the end. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ernest Cunningham is back, people. The protagonist to "Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone" is attending a mystery writers conference ON A TRAIN when the keynote speaker is murdered. As writers of many murders, everyone on the train is a suspect, since they have researched the art of murder so well. I LOVED EIMFHKS and this book is even better. I had such high expectations and every single one of them were exceeded.

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect was a really entertaining and quickly paced read. I have not read the entry in this series, but I certainly will after reading it's sequel. I love how it feels like Ernest is sitting next to me telling me this crazy story about his life. Recommended.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

Ernest Cunningham has been given a 100k advance for his first fiction book after his bestselling book about his own horrible experience with murders. He has been having a hard time with writing and goes to a mystery festival that takes place on a train with his girlfriend Juliette.

“Seven writers board a train. At the end of the line, five will leave it alive. One will be in cuffs.”

When the first writer dies, Ernest and his fellow writers become detectives on the case. It's a perfect opportunity for these mystery writers to use their knowledge of their genres to their advantage. Who will be the one to crack the case?

Everyone on the Train is a Suspect was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it delivered. This was a great follow up to the first book and didn't fall into the sophomore slump. I love metafiction and Ernest Stephenson continues to execute. The fresh cast of characters was great to keep you on your toes.

When Ernest accepts an invitation to join a crime writing festive taking place aboard a train, he thinks he will finally have the opportunity to work on his new book (fiction this time). Things naturally do no go as planned. A murder takes place on the train and given that everyone in attendance is a crime writer, they all should be capable of solving a crime. Unfortunately, they all also know how to commit one and maybe even get away with it. All the authors start playing detective but how do you know who to trust when everyone is a suspect.

A 4 star rating and every bit of it is earned. If you liked Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, you'll enjoy this one as well. It's silly, unrealistic, and so much fun while still being a mystery that's interesting to see get solveD.

Ernest is back...and struggling to write a fiction follow up to his memoir, "Everyone in My Family is a Murderer". Stuck on a train trip with a bunch of other insecure authors, he is hoping to find some inspiration. But luckily, or not so lucky depending on who you ask, there might be another mystery for him just around the bend.

***

I had no idea this was a sequel, but boy was I delighted to find out there was another Ernest mystery for me to dive into! What a fresh perspective on the mystery genre, while delightedly referring and showing reverence to the old guard. This is one of those reviews that is so hard to write because I feel the way Stevenson writes these books are genre invigorating. Nothing totally game changing, just a really pleasant edition to the mystery genre that is fun and fresh!

Absolutely for fans of Anthony Horowitz. Do not go in with any expectations, and you definitely do not have to read the first in the series.

Murder seems to follow Ernest Cunningham wherever he goes. Australian Mystery Writers’ Society has invited him to travel aboard the Ghan, an elite train journey between Darwin and Adelaide, in Australia, he’s hoping for some much needed inspiration for his next book. Once onboard everything goes awry quickly. When a prominent author turns up dead, everyone is a suspect. After all, everyone has a motive. Ern quickly goes into detective mode hoping to use his findings in his new book. When a second murder occurs, there’s even more material…but will Ern solve the case before there are more deaths or, will he himself be in peril? Another fun and witty locked room mystery by Stevenson. One that will have you riding the rails from start to finish. Thank you to Penguin and NetGallery for an ARC of this book.

I started 2024 by reading Stevenson's superb "Everyone in My Family," so it is fitting that the first book I read in February is the follow-up "Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect." It did not disappoint. Our narrator Ernest has achieved some success with his first book and has been invited to a Crime-writing festival aboard a luxurious train. Lots of suspects in this locked-room mystery. This is meta-fiction that works with Ernest giving clues along the way. I loved the take on the publishing industry, rabid fans, jealous authors, etc. I did suffer some confusion with keeping all the characters and their motives in mind, and because of that, I am rating this book a 4-star. But it is a fun book that I highly recommend, and I definitely hope there is a third book. It is best if you read the books in order.

Second in this mystery murder series is better than the first!

This book is filled with wry humor, cryptic clues, sardonic asides; it's quite witty and clever. At times I laughed out loud as the author in the story writes his first-person account of a trip he takes on a train. This isn't just any old train, it's the luxury Ghan, and on board are writers, publishers, agents, reviewers, and fans who are attending the Australian Mystery Writers' Festival.

The fictional author is none other than Ernest Cunninham who had made his true crime debut writing about the murders that took place during his family reunion. His book sold well, but his agent wants him to take a stab at writing fiction. He's on this train with his girlfriend, Juliette, whom he met at the resort where the family reunion was held. They plan to attend all the of the panels, workshops, and discussions while Ernest works through a bit of writer's block. Lo and behold, one of the more famous authors is murdered and finally, Ernest has the inspiration he needs for a book.

You will remember, having read the first book, that Ernest is very direct and speaks to the reader about the rules of writing detective novels and he's a stickler to following them. He points out the obvious and also throws in some tantalizing hints of what the reader should be figuring out. It's all great fun and he invites the reader along on his mission to out the killer and solve the case.

I enjoyed this one so much more than the first. May be because I do love trains and the Ghan is unique. I'll definitely look for more titles by Benjamin Stevenson in the future as I love the style of the writing and the way he tells a story in this unique way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner for the e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

I think folks who enjoyed Stevenson's first novel will also enjoy this one. That said, though, I don't necessarily think a reader NEEDS to have read the first book to be able to understand this one. It could help, but there is enough "catch up" info to help the reader along. This book is a closed room mystery (well, mostly, and the "room" is heading down train tracks) that connects with one of the most popular contexts for recent thrillers - the world of publishing. It is well done for what it is, but I never felt especially invested in the story, and I sometimes felt that the author was trying to hard to capture the "cleverness" of the first book in this one. All in all, a decent read, but nothing particularly compelling.

Just like his first book - Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone - Stevenson's new mystery is a combination of classic Agatha Christie Golden Age mystery + contemporary locked room mystery. Things I loved:
* The way he let's you in on writer 'secrets' - he tells you the 'rules for mystery writing'and he lets you know whether he's stuck to them or taken liberties.
* The humor - the dark humor adds an intriguing quality to a literary style that is often filled with the most serious of serious.
* The continuity from 1st book - normally, in successive books, a main character/detective in a mystery series seems completely healed/unaffected by the previous tragedy, but Ernest is deeply affected and talks often about the murder in his first book.
* Did I mention the humor?
* The plot (and plot twists) - the author is SO GOOD at creating little suspicions that make you think someone might be the one, and then it turns out- completely logically, haha - that Ernest has discovered and solved a different (but also important) mystery about them.

After reading and loving EIMFHKS, I was nervous for the second. This one definitely lives up to my love of the first, and now I'm itching for a third.

In a delightful combination of modern Golden-Age-Mystery, tribute to Dame Agatha Christie's "locked-room mystery" MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, and Sequel to EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE, our intrepid main character, Ernest Cunningham, is unexpectedly included in an Australian Mystery Writers' Festival, held on a luxury passenger train traversing the extensive Australian desert.

In a feat of literary accomplishment, Ernie as first-person Narrator plots out the mystery, uncovers the characters and side characters, and ultimately reveals the truth, in a rather spectacular and dangerous conclusion.

Everyone On This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
Rating: 4.5 stars
Pub date: 1/30

This book is so good! I loved Stevenson’s first book, Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, and couldn’t wait to dive into his new one. This is a locked train murder mystery that combines the charm of Agatha Christie's classics with a modern twist.

The story unfolds aboard the Ghan, the iconic journey from Darwin to Adelaide, where an Australian Mystery Writers’ Society festival turns into a crime scene. The diverse cast of crime writers and readers, each with their unique expertise, becomes a team of detectives when one of their own is murdered. The debut author, forensic science expert, blockbuster writer, legal thriller author, literary writer, and psychological suspense writer must put their skills to the test.

I love Stevenson's writing style, and his witty narrative had me hooked from the start. Ernest attempts to apply the rules of fiction to solve the real-life crime, and the locked train setting added an extra layer of intrigue, making the story both captivating and entertaining.

This hilarious murder mystery seamlessly blends the expertise of the characters with the challenges of solving a crime within the confines of a train. As a reader, it was fun to try to piece together the clues as the story unfolds with suspense, humor, and a touch of nostalgia for classic whodunits.

Overall, this was a great read, especially for fans of the genre. Stevenson has written another page-turner that is sure to be a hit. My only regret is that I haven’t listened to the audio yet, which I’m sure is just as incredible. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Mariner Books for my complimentary advanced copy.

Before I had even finished the opening chapter of Benjamin Stevenson’s Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect I took a break long enough to buy a copy of the first book in the series. (Actually bought both the ebook as well as the audio versions of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.) That’s right this book is a sequel, the second book in the Ernest Cunningham series. And I knew right from the start, with Ernest’s 4th wall breaking, talking directly to the reader, Deadpool style, that this book had the humor and style I was going to love. And I was right. While he does tease information about that first story, you don’t need to have read it to enjoy this one nor does he ruin the story of the first book by revealing too much about it. As the title suggests, this adventure is a murder mystery taking place on a train, with most of the main characters being other mystery-ish writers. What would have already been a highly entertaining mystery is only enhanced with the way this story is told, the running commentary is just so much fun. Benjamin’s humor really clicked with me and I only hope I enjoy the first book as much as I did this one. I’d like to thank Mariner Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RSX5YZSFVHFWN/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv