“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.

Train travels are romantic. Sure, there are overcrowded trains people board through the open window, as there is no way to fight the crowds of passengers trying to enter using the doorway, and those can hardly be called "romantic." But there are other trains, seen in luxury travel ads, with people sipping champagne and contemplating the beautiful landscape.

Such a train is "The Ghan," the Australian train that passes through the desert wilderness, traveling four days to Adelaide and offering unforgettable views. However, in "Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect" by Benjamin Stevenson, passengers experience something they wish to never encounter – a murder.

Six writers are invited to participate in an unusual writers' conference on the train. Ernest Cunningham, who wrote just one book, "Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone" (the first installment of the Ernest Cunningham series), has also been invited, or at least he thinks so, not suspecting other reasons for him being there. When the most obnoxious writer is murdered, other writers try to solve the puzzle before the train arrives at its destination. They all have good reasons and skills how to commit murder. Ernest turns out to be a great amateur detective, and, as the mystery is written as a personal narrative, we follow his adventures sprinkled with humorous commentaries and unexpected turns.

I'm a big fan of such mysteries. Ernest's character is young, a bit goofy, but very observant and intelligent. Like other amateur detectives, he has a knack for getting into trouble. I wish the rest of the characters were better developed. Still, perhaps there needed to be more time to go into the secondary characters' depth: as I mentioned, there are six writers, a literary agent, a fan, and Ernest's girlfriend. Lots of characters! The novel is primarily action-driven, but eventually, we get the taste of psychological twists when we gradually learn more about the characters. The author references – often in a humorous way – the rules of a good mystery, especially the cozy kind, and we see how it was influenced by other "train mysteries," especially Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express." I hope it will be made into a movie, with all the visual advantages of pictures. It's a great ride!

Pub Day Review🚂
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Thank you @harperbooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy! This was such a fun murder of the oriental express inspired book! Overall I really enjoyed the characters and following the return of Ernest from the first book! This was such a fun, quirky, character driven read that you will just devour!
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QOTD- what is the setting of your current read?
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Summary; When the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society invited me to their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide, I was hoping for some inspiration for my second book. Fiction, this time: I needed a break from real people killing each other. Obviously, that didn’t pan out.
The program is a who’s who of crime writing royalty:
the debut writer (me!)
the forensic science writer
the blockbuster writer
the legal thriller writer
the literary writer
the psychological suspense writer
But when one of us is murdered, the remaining authors quickly turn into five detectives. Together, we should know how to solve a crime.
Of course, we should also know how to commit one.
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#everyoneonthistrainisasuspect #benjaminstevenson #bookreview #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofig #bookish #booklover #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #bookobsessed #booknerd #bookworm #bookwormsunite #readersgonnaread #readmorebooks #readersofig

I loved the perspective of this book! I really enjoyed how we would get just enough information but that the fourth wall would also occasionally be broken so that we were talked directly to. I also appreciated that there was just enough information related to the first book so that you knew it was a sequel but not so much that it couldn't also stand alone just fine.

We read a lot of books about murder. After so many, the darkness can become a bit much. It's nice to have a change of pace every now and again. And that's why we've enjoyed both books in this series by Benjamin Stevenson, particularly Everyone on this Train is a Suspect. It is a fresh voice on a locked room mystery, a voice that is fun, witty, yet still a little dark. The mystery is interesting, and keeps you guessing, and there certainly are enough murders (they are even listed for you at the beginning of the book!). But the narrative voice adds more to the tone and shape of the book than many other books we've read recently. We're already looking forward to the next one!

"If one of the six of us was to die right now, you'd have five suspects who all know how to get away with murder."

Ernest is on a train traveling through Australia, taking part in a writer's panel, which turns into a cat fight, which turns into - SURPRISE! - a murder mystery.

This one was not as much fun as the first book in the series, mainly because not everyone has killed someone, AND you can't beat family reunions for drama (and dramatics). The mystery itself rates three stars, but the great quips about authors, writing, book reviews, and, yes, even Goodreads, raise it one star.
Enjoyable.

And, in the end . . .

"Watching them wrestle with the body, I realized that it doesn't matter how many names on how many spines of how many books you have, sometimes your legacy boils down to meat in a black plastic bag."

Amen.

Stevenson has done it again - and better this time, IMO! What a clever, enjoyable mystery. This was a cool setting, in that, while it’s been done a million times before, it felt very fresh. The writing was spectacular - I adored all the references about writing and writers, and every joke about how sequels never live up to the original made me snort. And the plot was so intricately woven that, while it was possible to figure it out, it was challenging, which made me want to keep trying (there are so many twists on twists that I figured out a few but still got to enjoy being surprised right up until the end!)

A big part of the charm of these books is the MC is just so personable, and he continues to be incredibly relatable in this story. His guidance makes the experience of trying to solve the mystery just very fun. Apologies to Ernest that I want people around him to keep dying, but I do - I want a hundred more of these book so I can keep playing detective!

Thank you to Mariner Books and Netgalley for the ARC of one of my first five star reads of 2024. Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect is out today!

"𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘴: 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘺𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴: 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘯."


Benjamin Stevenson is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. ❤️

This Ernest Cunningham series is just so, so unique because it's written entirely in first person, like the author/narrator is speaking directly to you. You're inside their mind and it's like you're watching everything happen through their eyes.

And I LOVE that I never truly know how it's going to end. I literally spent the last 2 hours of this book with my mouth just hanging open 😅

Seriously, BRAVO! 👏🏻 1,000 stars!

Thank you so much to @marinerbooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this review!
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The follow-up to Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone finds Ernest Cunningham promoting his book at an Australian writer’s festival. He can’t help but think that writing true crime is easier than fiction and hopes to find inspiration for his next book on this trip. When one of the writer’s dies, Ernest is determined to find the killer. Is it murder or just his overactive imagination and desire for a book plot? Surely, writers who excel at writing murder mysteries can solve one? But could they also get away with murder? These books are so fun in how the narrator breaks the fourth wall. At the beginning of the book he tells you the killer’s name will be mentioned 106 times (but this includes aliases). Periodically he stops and tallies names that have been mentioned to keep you hooked and looking for the twist. I love these little plot breaks and hope that Ernest has many more adventures!