Another amazing well written and page turning mystery written by Benjamin Stevenson. Love that it was set on a train and the individual plot lines for each character. Splendid!

This is it. This is my favorite book of 2024. How Benjamin Stevenson was able to one up his first book, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, I truly will never know, but this is proof that second books can in fact be just as phenomenal. Sophomore slump?? We don’t know her.

The pacing, the characters, the snarky semi-fourth wall breaking “let me let you inside my head and prep you for what’s down the line while also not telling you a damn thing” uniqueness that is Stevenson’s writing is brilliant. I shouldn’t have been surprised to learn he is a comedian because this has stage performance written all over the page in the absolutely best of ways.

This book won’t be for everyone. It’s like a reluctant Poirot meets the Scooby Doo Gang meets a Wes Anderson film. If you liked Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series I think this one is for you!

This one was a fun time. I went into this with no expectations, I didn't even fully read the synopsis just because it sounded like a book that was so up my alley, and I wanted to go in blind. As a fun who-done-it, I think this book really did well. The mystery and plot were properly convoluted and whacky, just like I'd hoped. I don't mind the meta-ness of it all, I thought that was a fun tongue-in-cheek method of going about the whole novel.

The only thing that leaves a bad taste in my mouth is how the women were treated in this book. I know there was a running theme between Juliette and Ernest about him only ever including her as part of "his" story, but that was pretty much the case for most of these women.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Lisa, who was *assaulted* but pretty much spent her time being called a floozy for reasons against her control; Brooke who was an just a superfan until it suited the plot for her to be different; Juliette, who, despite her protests otherwise, is only ever Ernest's support in the book; Simone, who is rude and kind of awful (but it's okay because feminism); and Harriet who, threw her life away in defense of a man. And all while Ernest pats himself on the back throughout the novel about being a stand up guy by doing the bare minimum and just not being awful.

SPOLIERS END


If you're willing to go into this one just trying to enjoy a locked-door mystery, I think this can still be really fun. However, a lot of what was revealed in the last 20% to keep the plot moving and the reveals coming just could have been done a bit better. I think I will still read books by this author in the future.

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect is an interesting take on the Murder on the Orient Express and although it is a fun ride, it has it downfalls.

The first issue I had with this book was the writing style. I was a bit fearful because it was essentially Ernest explaining how a murder mystery novel works, and I feared that it was going to feel like a lecture through the entire book. Luckily, I ended up not completely hating the writing style and liked how it added a bit of intrigue because Ernest would give you breadcrumbs of what is to come thus you had to continue reading to understand the comment made.

Besides the writing style, I felt like the amount of characters was a little hard to keep track of and that the plot felt lackluster until a bit over halfway through the book. With that being said, when Ernest begins to fully understand the murders and begins putting all the pieces together, the novel gets really good and becomes unputdownable,

I did have a few issues with some of the tropes that were presented throughout as one pertains to a rape. This trope felt unnecessary and just felt like it was thrown in for shock value.

Overall, I think this is a fun journey that offers a more innovative way of telling a murder mystery. It might take some getting used to at first, but if you are willing to stick through the dry portions of this novel, you will find that you ended up reading a really fun murder mystery inspired by Agatha Christie.

Thank you NetGalley!

I just can’t get behind the writing style of this book. It doesn’t work for me, I like stories to paint a photo by describing the scene not talk at me and tell me what to see. I also don’t like the 4th wall breaks, it doesn’t work for me in book form.

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect is a locked-room (train) mystery from Benjamin Stevenson.

"The Australian Mystery Writer's Society is holding their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan - the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide. When one of them is murdered, the others turn into detectives - because surely crime-writers can solve a crime.
But they can also get away with one..."

This is a murder mystery but Stevenson puts so much humor into every situation. The characters are over-the-top, but in a good way. There are lots of writer stereotypes - this fels like a book that writers would get a kick out of.
I like how Stevenson uses the motion of the train to move the story along. There are a lot of characters so you have to pay attention.
The final reveal is a wild scene (longer than you would think) There are several twists and turns including a surprise appearance by the killer.
Another book to add to your Spring/Summer reading list.

4.5 stars The second book in the Ernest Cunningham series was even more enjoyable than Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone! And apparently, the first book is becoming a tv series on HBOMAX.
So Ernest has published his first true-crime book and been invited to a mystery conference/festival that is taking place on a lux train (the Ghan). He is having difficulty in completing his second novel, however, mostly because the second novel is to be fictional. What Ernest needs is a murder so that he can solve the mystery! Luckily, famous mystery author-extraordinaire Henry McTavish does him the favor of dying and Ernest is on his way to proving this was, indeed, murder. Hence, all the people on the train are suspects. You're going to love this second novel!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for this e-arc.*

EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT by Benjamin Stevenson (Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone) takes place while several writers, including narrator Ernest Cunningham, travel by train (called the Ghan) from Darwin to Adelaide, Australia. With varied expertise and styles (literary, legal, forensic, thriller), they form a panel discussing mystery writing for several devoted fans. It is a luxurious adventure until one of them is killed and the others transform into "wannabe detectives." The writing is often humorous: "besides, there are too many clues in this chapter to skip over even the seemingly innocuous dialogue." And Stevenson succeeds in maintaining suspense, once again alerting readers to some mystery writing rules (including a second death) and managing to use the killer's name, as promised, exactly 106 times. EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT was a LibraryReads Selection in January and received starred reviews from Kirkus ("punctuated by snarky dialogue, murder, and a zillion inventive misdirections") and Publishers Weekly ("brilliant and creative"). Enjoy this puzzling whodunit; after all, "a book isn't a book until it's read."

More on Australian train travel:
https://www.journeybeyondrail.com.au/journeys/the-ghan/

Fun from start to finish! The way this series is written is brilliant. I'm a big fan of meta fiction and having a fictional author writing about solving a murder while also giving us mystery solving tips and writing tricks is probably the most fun I've had reading a mystery. This series is an automatic purchase now. Loved it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Benjamin Stevenson for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect coming out January 30, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I was shocked I received this book! The first book is really popular and I loved it. But I think I loved this book even more! It definitely had Murder on the Orient Express vibes. There were a lot of characters and I really enjoyed a lot of them. I think the book was complex and really made you think about whodunit. I thought the main character speaking to the audience, the readers worked really well for this type of story. It made it more interactive and held my attention. I’m definitely excited to see the show adaptation of the first book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys whodunit stories!

Ernest Cunningham is back in EOTTIAS with another quirky and fun, mystery who-dunnit that will leave you guessing right until the end!

I absolutely flew through this one - I really enjoyed the characters and the setting. I’m always a sucker for a locked room/secluded location mystery so a modern twist on Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express was so much fun!

I love the interactive banter with the reader that the author includes in these books. He tells you you’ve already met the killer, we say the killers name X times - can you figure it out?! I never do!

Ratings: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins and Mariner Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Benjamin Stevenson - 5 glowing stars!

Ernest Cunningham, star of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, is back! He was invited to be part of the 50th anniversary of the Australian Mystery Writers' Society, taking place on the famous Ghan train which travels through Australia. After the success of his first book and under contract for his second, Ernest is suffering from writers' block. He thought maybe this trip would give him an idea, one that wasn't steeped in reality as his first was. But then there was a murder on the train.

I adored Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone and thought this one was even better! I love how Ernest narrates the story, talking directly to the reader, encouraging us to figure things out. However, if you can solve all these mysteries, you are a genius along with Stevenson! But you will have so much fun along the way. Plus, this story involves writers, and all things books. It's perfection and highly recommended that you pick this one up as soon as possible!

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
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Ernest Cunningham has had a really rough go of things recently, which you would know if you have read his book “Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone”. Now Ernest is traveling on a cross country train and trying to enjoy his trip. Andrea then someone dies.
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What I loved:
-Both of these books are just lots of fun, some excellent dry humor, and tricky murder mysteries. I thoroughly enjoyed both of then and hope that there are more to come!
-Even though there are a LOT of characters with their own back stories, the story was told in a way that made it easy to keep track of everything and follow along.
-Ernest gives us clues throughout and tells us to remember things because they are important and I still raised my eyebrows at some of the reveals!
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5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I think these books are both brilliant, real “firecrackers” if you will, peerless and unputdownable.

The wit and fourth-wall breaking of 'Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone' had me excited about a sequel. This book seems to break the fourth wall even more, with the narrator guiding the reader along in solving the murder mystery, spelling out what will happen next. I loved it. Imagine Deadpool, if he were genuine human being who was nicer, telling you a classic murder mystery. I enjoyed the humor aspect of it, and the way that it still felt grounded in reality. This book is perfect for anyone tired of the same old mystery stories with the same old tropes but still wants to stick with the genre. It works well as a standalone or a sequel, both new and old readers can enjoy it, though I imagine if you start with this one you'll immediately pick up the first one. I'm looking forward to more from Benjamin Stevenson, but after that final twist, I'm not sure what to expect.

I'm a sucker for this kind of meta 4th wall-breaking writing style, including the ultra genre-awareness of explaining the rules at the beginning and then pointing out exactly where they come into play during the book. An enjoyable locked-room type of mystery with an ending that made sense and characters that were interesting. If you hated the writing style of the first book in the series, then this one is not for you either. But if you liked it - I highly recommend the follow-up!

This fun mystery is a sequel to Everyone In My Family Has Killed Somebody, though it can be read as a standalone. The conceit of the first novel was that the narrator, Ernest, was an expert on mystery books who was writing a non-fiction account of some crazy stuff that happened to his family. In this book, Ernest is invited to a mystery writer festival which is taking place on a long train ride through Australia, where of course someone turns up dead.

Once again, there’s lots of snark, talk about mystery book conventions, and plenty of breaking the fourth wall to talk to the reader. But also a fun mystery with both plenty of surprises but also that makes sense once revealed. A really enjoyable and original series, and if a third book gets written, I’ll be there!

I enjoyed the unique writing style. For instance, the way the m.c talks to the audience does give a private I voice to the story. The story was intriguing in the beginning however I felt it got a bit slow with little to nothing happening over 30% of the book. I didn’t find the actions or description's of the characters were a setup for the suspect list. It just felt like characters doing regular day to day things (drinking coffee meeting talking etc) with the narrator feedback. When the m.cs wife went on a tour I kinda wished I went with her. The story dragged and I was hoping for a little bit more suspense and mystery. The reaction of the m.c and he’s wife to the murder was such as it was an opportunity for him. I didn’t feel any fear considering they are trapped with a potential murder on a train. In my opinion if the author got to the point or to the murder that is and the setup was a little darker it would have been a more atmospheric, eerie captivating story. Author has great ideas just needs a little bit more excitement.

My Rating: 5/5 stars

Thanks to Mariner Books and Netgalley for an early copy of this book to review!

My Thoughts: I read the first book in this series and absolutely fell in love with the author’s writing style. When I came across the sequel in Netgalley I desperately wanted to get my hands on it. It’s told in a first person point of view, and the narrator is telling us the story after the fact. I love books that are within books. The narrator, Ernest is hilarious in a sarcastic witty way. I’ve found myself laughing out loud multiple times.

Something else I love about this book is the rules it goes by and how it feels like a classic mystery. There aren’t crazy paranormal plot twists, just realistic ones that are still extremely twisty. I haven’t been able to guess the ending yet! I can’t wait to continue reading in this series. I think lovers of a classic mystery will love this book. And you should check out Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone before reading this one. That book was absolutely amazing!

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3 1/2 stars out of 5)

This book releases January 30! Thanks to @netgalley I was able to take this Agatha Christie-like whodunnit mystery on vacation with me! I powered through the first book in this series on audio, but I enjoyed this ebook format much more!

What I liked:
•the narrator’s sense of humor and sarcasm. I definitely laughed out loud a few times. Murder, mystery and comedy?
•the narrator hinted often at who the suspect(s?) might be. So gets you thinking.
•the opening 1/3 and closing 1/3 of the book were the best parts for me and kept my attention.
•the setting on The Ghan Train in Australia. Google it! https://www.journeybeyondrail.com.au/journeys/the-ghan/

What I didn’t like:
•way too many characters for me to keep track of. I had to take notes and use the kindle lookup feature often.
•I never really could guess who did it, because I didn’t really get to know all the characters well enough.
•Again with this book much like his last, it was a novel about the process of writing a book, but the book was the story we were reading. Again…the broken 4th wall, and occasional “this isn’t fiction, it’s real life” comments rub me the wrong way.

If you’re a fan of Agatha Christie or big cast mysteries, then read both this author’s books!

Book 4 of 2024
Read January 17-27

If you enjoyed the first Ern Cunningham book, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, rest assured that this book is even better! If you have not read the first, you can enjoy Ern’s second experience with real-life murders, but I recommend reading the first book first to get better immersed in Ern and his background, although our narrator is careful to avoid spoilers.
The setup for this series is clever, and author Benjamin Stevenson makes the most of it. As the author of several books on how to write mysteries, narrator Ern Cunningham is an expert on techniques for solving crime and for knowing how to presenting details to a reader to challenge the reader’s own crime-solving skills. In this book, he describes attending a mystery writers’ conference being held on a train traveling through Australia from Darwin to Adelaide. When an apparent murder occurs, there are a number of “experts” to help with the investigation, or maybe hinder it if they are the murderer!
Although Ern is certainly serious about solving the crime, the book does not hold back on the wry humor. My first smile came at location 85 when the mystery authors are introduced and one of the books is titled My Lab Partner is a Serial Killer. Then as he introduces the book, Ern says that his writing a second book is good news for readers who wanted more but more unfortunate for those who had to die so he could write it.
It is common for a mystery book to contain certain tropes and challenges to the reader, but Ern makes them explicit and drops specific hints and challenges to the reader. There are touches like an alert that he will use the killer’s name exactly 106 times during the rest of the book, a hint that a comma will be helpful in solving the case, and a comment that having a drink with bestselling Scottish mystery author Henry McTavish later in the book will serve as an inspiration.
Ern is more than a narrator, though. He is also a character, and I warmed to him and his reactions to the violence around him. His personal life is also affected by the events, because he has brought an engagement ring on the trip and planned to propose to his love Juliette. The atmosphere is not exactly conducive to romance.
Another interesting but low-key aspect is the trip through the Australian desert, a part of the world most readers know nothing about.
But what about the murder aspect? This part of the book is done as well as one would expect from a knowledgeable narrator like Cunningham and had lots of interesting twists. I confess, though, that he lost me and I found the ending very clever but a bit unsatisfying. I admit that Ern was writing from life and could not tailor events to make his book easier for the reader to solve…. Maybe he should consider fiction!
I received an advance review copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher.