Definite proof that a sequel can be better than the original.

While I enjoyed the first one (the writing, the quirky characters and the cleverness) I hated the relationship between Ernest's "wife" and Ernest's brother (who's wife was also there) it just felt so incestuous. Yes, I know it technically wasn't, but IT FELT LIKE IT TO ME, OKAY?

I didn't get that "icky" feeling with this one thank goodness. There are a lot of characters (as I listened to the first part on audio, it was hard to keep straight) but when you do get them straight, it all makes sense in the end.

The writing is clever and I love the way the author includes the reader.

It was so fun boarding the train to tag along on this witt-astic adventure in "Everyone on This Train is a Suspect!" The author/narrator/character voice of Ernest Cunningham is one that engages the reader and keeps them involved in the writing/story-telling/mystery-solving process with every turn of the page.

Benjamin Stevenson has gifted us with an incredibly witty, head-scratching murder mystery that takes place on the Ghan as it traverses Australia. I could not wait for each opportunity to be able to read this book and seat myself alongside the other passengers in the dining car, sipping my beverage of choice, as the drama unfolded with each turn of the page. Each piece of the story fit together masterfully!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC! I had so much fun reading this book!

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone was one of my favorite books last year, and I’m a sucker for a sequel. This one did not disappoint!

What I liked best was the fact that it had a different feel than the first book but was still really good. Where the first felt just a smidge more like a thriller (blizzard conditions, no power, creepy isolated mountain retreat, etc.), this one felt slightly more like a cozy mystery but with more gore!

I’m notoriously bad at guessing the culprit and did not in this one either, but it was a fun ride to work out the various mini-mysteries-within-the-mystery. Without adding spoilers, there is a really clever use of the plot device of having Ern provide the rules of writing a mystery novel towards the end, which turns those rules on its head. It’s all very meta and fun to have a book about writing a textbook mystery then veer off course for a bit and poke fun of itself.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions are my own.

4.25 stars out of 5, rounded down to 4 stars.

I read this galley the same week I read the galley for Anthony Horowitz‘s forthcoming “Close to Death” from the Hawthorne and Horowitz series. Again I saw how important having racially diverse characters is in a novel where many characters are referred to by either their first or last name interchangeably. I had no problem keeping everyone clear in “Close.” With this novel I found myself too often searching the book to figure out who was being referred to. It’s important to note that it is not up to the reader to keep track of all the characters if the author is referring to them by multiple names and making them all white. Thank you for the ARC.

Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

Benjamin Stevenson's last novel was one of my favorites in 2023, and I am so happy that I loved this one just as much! This book lived up to the hype! While the beginning was a little slow for me, it definitely picked up. I loved the main character breaking the fourth wall. The twists and turns were so fun, and I could not put this book down. I hope there is another Ernest Cunningham book! I can't wait to recommend this one to patrons.

The Ernest Cunningham books are an interesting phenomenon because primarily they seem to be mysteries enjoyed by people who don’t read a lot of mysteries.

As someone who does read a lot of mysteries, I mostly think they’re overhyped. The story and the characters are, essentially, fine, but they don’t stand out from the multitudes of mid mysteries floating around out there.

I always think fourth wall stuff is interesting at least in theory, but in practice it gets irritating if it’s used too much, and in these books it pretty much never stops. Some of the meta jokes are funny, but mostly they just feel ceaseless.

There seems to be something appealing about these books to many, especially those outside of typical mystery enthusiasts, so mostly I think all of this is probably a matter of preference. The schtick here just doesn’t appeal to me.

That said, plot-wise I thought this was much better structured and executed to the first book, and I always find the author’s notes and acknowledgements charming in these, which makes me want to root for Stevenson to do well as a writer even if I can’t be his biggest fan.

(Thanks to @marinerbooks #gifted.) 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗜𝗦 𝗔 𝗦𝗨𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧, the second Ernest Cunningham novel from author Benjamin Stevenson, publishes on Tuesday. If you read and loved 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘏𝘢𝘴 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦, you’ll feel the same about this one. If that wasn’t the book for you, I’d skip it.⁣⁣
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Similar to Ernest Cunningham #1, this has a group of people more or less trapped together when murders occur. Like the first, Ernest is our snarky narrator and pompous “writer” of the book. This time he’s recounting the events that occurred at a writer’s festival on a train traveling across Australia. From the start we know that two people were murdered, but how and who did it are the mysteries Ernest is slowly unveiling for the readers.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
I looked back on my review of the first book, and really I could use it right here…same, same: “𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳-𝘵𝘩𝘦-𝘵𝘰𝘱, 𝘌𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘦. 𝘈 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵.”⁣ Like I said, same, same.⁣
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On a more positive note, the publishing/writer angle in this story was fresh and that kept me invested. I actually enjoyed most of the journey. That being said, I think this is my last go around with fictitious mystery writer Ernest Cunningham. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson (Ernest Cunningham, Book 2)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 335 / Genre: Cozy Mystery

When someone dies during a mystery writers convention onboard a train, crime fiction novelist Ernest Cunningham isn’t the only one certain he can unmask the murderer and get a new book out of it. This locked-room Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery is just delightful.

I especially liked the setting onboard The Ghan, a luxury train that travels down the center of Australia—you know there’s a new entry on my bucket list now!

The casual friendly tone of this book definitely put it in the cozy mystery category and made it a delight to read. While this is Book 2 in the Ernest Cunningham series, you don’t need to read the first one to enjoy this book. The first one does give you more of an introduction to Ernest and his now girlfriend Juliette and is a fun read in itself, but you can jump into this one just as easily.

Thank you, @NetGalley, @MarinerBooks, and @StevensonExperience for the advanced copy. I loved it!

“Sometimes a second go at things is exactly what you need.” - I enjoyed this 2nd Ernest Cunningham novel so much more than the first. I found it easier to follow and more clever. The pacing was engaging and the characters were intriguing. Everyone on this Train is a Suspect, is a brilliantly fun whodunit!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Set shortly after the events of the first book and publishing his first book, Ernest Cunningham attends an Australian Mystery Writers' Conference on a luxury train. Hoping to get inspiration for his next book, Ernest didn't necessarily anticipate the keynote speaker getting murdered. With a train full of murder mystery writers, Ernest along with his fellow writers are determined to figure out Whodunnit. Once again breaking the 4th wall, we join Ernest as a reliable narrator as he tries to outwit the murderers and all the other masters of crime along the way.

If you enjoyed his first book Everyone in My Family Has Murdered Someone than you'll enjoy the sequel. While the books are two separate stories, it's best to read them in order otherwise this one will spoil parts of the first story.

I'm still in awe of how Stevenson is able to keep track of all the plot lines and twists and ties them together so seamlessly. This gave me all the Murder on the Orient Express vibes and I loved being a part of the train ride.

I think I enjoyed the first book more than the second, and I think that has to do with listening to the first and reading the second. The audiobooks are just *chefs kiss* and I missed getting to listen to this fast past story. I still enjoyed this one, but I think I got lost in the weeds a bit with all the people, motives, and history, so it just wasn't a 5★. Still really enjoyable and I love Stevenson's nod towards Agatha Christie and other classic mystery writers!

Everyone On This Train is a Suspect is out now. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.

Ernest is invited to a crime writers’ festival along with several other well-known authors. Excitement over being aboard the Ghan, a famous Australian train, and hoping for inspiration for his next book – and a break from real-life crime – he accepts the invitation, despite feeling a bit out of place. But when one of his fellow authors is murdered in a classic locked-room scenario, with no law enforcement presence until the train’s next stop, Ernest is compelled to investigate the death.

I really enjoyed the first book and this series and am happy to say that this book was just as good. Although there weren’t as many deaths (in as many different ways) as in the first book, the circumstances here made up for those missing pieces. The authors on board the train each have a motive for wanting the victim dead, and being crime writers, they all know how to conduct an investigation...and how to get away with murder. There were so many red herrings in the story that I gave up trying to figure out who was responsible until things became much more clear near the end of the book. I would not have guessed the ending, but it was a satisfactory conclusion.

I hope this series continues, as I look forward to reading about Ernest’s next adventure :)

Benjamin Stevenson's sophomore novel in the incredibly delightful Ernest Cunningham series continues to entertain as much as Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, if not more so.

This time around, we find Ernest on a train full of fellow mystery writers attending a literary festival and of course, there is a murder or two. Along for the ride is his now girlfriend Juliet, whom readers will remember from the first book. Although it helps to have read the series in chronological order to understand background and character quirks, such as Andy's profound idiocy, it is not necessary, and this book can be read as a standalone novel as enough recap is given to get the gist of where Ernest's head is at.

What I love about Ernest is that not only is he a reliable character, but that he is a perfectly normal human being. His powers of deduction are no better or different than anyone else who is able to pay attention to details. In fact, I figured out some of the big reveals early on but was excited to see how everything played out and of course, be confirmed to be correct in my assumptions.

Along with quirky characters, the plot moves swiftly and the writing itself is quick and witty. I read this in a couple of sittings but could have easily read it in one. My only complaint is that there is very little diversity in his cast of characters, and I would like to see a bit more inclusion in future books.

For fans of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone and lighthearted mysteries where the reader actually stands a good chance of figuring out the murder along with the narrator or detective. I can't wait to see what deaths await Ernest in future installments.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Benjamin Stevenson for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for a copy of this book.

Rating: 3.5/5

This is a fun mystery that keeps you guessing all the way though! I'll start by saying that the writing style of this book is pretty unique and not for everyone. It's written from the perspective of our fictional author Ernest Cunningham. Similar to the first book, Ernest finds himself at the wrong place at the wrong time... or the right place at the right time depending on how you look at it.

While I had fun, I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book. I think it's just because I had a hard time keeping the characters straight because sometimes they were referred to by their first name while other times (most of the time) it was the last name. I guess because I had a hard time connecting with the characters it did start out a little slow moving.

With this being said, if there was a third book I would definitely read it. If you liked the first book in this series, then you'll enjoy this one!

***Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the eARC copy of this book. My opinions are my own. This book came out yesterday!***

This mystery is the follow-up to “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.” Instead of being at a winter resort, this time its on train excursion across the deserts of Australia.

You may remember from my last review that this series breaks the fourth wall and Ernest our main character talks to his readers and “wrote” the book, “Everyone in my Family…”. So in this volume, Ern is again “writing” this book about what happened to him on this train.

After the success of Ern’s first book, he is invited to be a part of a crime-writing festival that will take place on a days-long trip on a fancy train. Five other authors are also invited. Ern is the debut author who wrote non-fiction. The other authors specialize in forensic science, legal thrillers, and psychological suspense among sub-genres. When one of the authors dies, Ern attempts to use his peers’ particular skills to figure out who did it.

Of course there is the obvious connection to Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express,” but Ern tells us straight off that his story isn’t of the locked-room variety, because the rooms don’t have locks. So even though the books are similar in vibe, I found them to be very different in actuality.

I enjoyed this SO much! And I hope this series keeps going, because I thought this was better than the first and that so rarely happens. The mystery is so well developed and I thought the premise was really clever.

I discussed in my prior review that I didn’t like the chattiness in the first book. By that I mean Ern stopping the story to talk to his reader. That is still present throughout this book, but it didn’t bother me this time at all. So either I got used to the device or Stevenson incorporated the device in a way that I appreciated more. I’m leaning towards the latter.

I recommend reading the series in order because there is a lot of character development in this book that directly ties back to the first book.

Ernest Cummingham survived his first bloodbath (chronicled in the first book, Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone) and is has published a book about the experience. He is now on a train that is traveling across Australia, The Ghan, with other writers, going to a mystery writer's conference. He jokes that someone will have to die for him to be able to write another book, and what do you know, that starts happening. All the writers on the train have their own specialties (forensics, law, etc) so he gets them all to join together to solve the murder. All while on a moving train. This one is very comedic and jokes a lot about mystery and action tropes. The author was a standup comic before he wrote mysteries, and it shows.

I liked this book, especially the last quarter of it, but I again struggled with too many characters that were interchangeable. I had a lot of trouble staying with this, even though I know the conclusion would pay off. I liked the comedy and the playful tone, but after a while it did annoy me some. Thankful, it was reined back in. I liked this book, but I'm not sure I need more of this in the future. The train setting was a high point and I loved how it was a locked room mystery but then had a tilt to it. Clever book, but it knows it.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Just as good as the first! Ernest Cunningham has such a unique, distinct voice. Love the breaking of the 4th wall!

Thoroughly entertaining. Witty, fun, sarcastic. If you liked Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone, you will like this. The author writes this book about writing a book. It is a locked train mystery that ultimately has two murders and provides the fodder for the author to write the book. As in the previous book, the author breaks down the wall between himself and the reader to pull us along in his cat and mouse mystery using intellect, wit, and sarcasm. The narrator has a fun voice and you can't help but get caught up in the action. Overall, just a fun book. Highly recommend.

Really enjoyed this book.
I read the first one and it was good. But this one is so much better. It kept me reading. I didn't want to put it down. And I didnt know how it would end until it did.
Some nice twists and turns.

Well, one of my most anticipated books for 2024 did NOT disappoint and I didn’t even remotely figure it out. Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect was everything I hoped it would be. I loved loved loved Everyone in my Family Killed Someone and this sequel takes us to a literary festival on a train attended by our favorite criminal minds author, Ernest. The style of this book is the same where Ernest narrates the elements of a criminal thriller novel while also being in the middle of a murder scene on the train. This book was absolutely hilarious - such dry wit that had me cackling. It is beyond clever in how the story is told with Ernest’s narration and how it all unfolds with so many plot twists and red herrings and the quirkiest, most entertaining characters. I may even like this book more than the first.

After surviving his (literally) killer family reunion, Ernest Cunningham wrote a book about his experiences. A year later, he’s dating the owner of the resort where the reunion was held and recovering from some of his worst wounds. Ern also has a contract to write a mystery novel. The fiction part is stumping him so far, though.

When he is asked to participate in a crime writers’ festival on board a famous train, the Ghan, that runs north to south in Australia, Ern is kinda hoping for a new murder to happen to jump-start his writing. Well, not really. But hopefully he can get some inspiration surrounded by other murder mystery writers and fans.

The Ghan takes several days to make its way between Darwin and Adelaide and runs through a lot of desert. So when a murder does happen on the train, to a prolific and popular writer roundly hated by his fellow writers, the train essentially functions as a “locked room.” The suspect pool is small and there’s nowhere for anyone to go given the remote location.

This second book “written by Ern” is just as entertaining as the first, Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. I thoroughly enjoyed the style of the writing, all the little asides Ern puts in about how murder mystery novels are supposed to be written. The mystery is good, too, though I read it probably more for the humor. I do think the mystery was more wide-ranging and complex in the first book, though. Doesn’t much matter because it’s still fun. I’ll keep reading as long as Ern keeps finding himself surrounded by murders.