The beginning of this book is a little slow going. Maybe I would even go so far to say the first half. But once it picks up, it’s great. I never quite catch all the clues that Ernest does, but are you really supposed to? The Oxford comma is the best though!

Ern Cunningham is back! This time he's managed, luckily enough, to come upon another set of murders.

The book immediately had me hooked and not just because it was set on a train. It had an interesting cast of characters where I suspected everyone at one point or the other which is how a great mystery should be done. It was even funnier than the first book.

I love how genre-savvy and meta the book is but I wish Ern stopped telling us how honest he was or informing us about the page numbers. Other than that and some plot points involving his personal life, I had a lot of fun reading it.
Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Mariner Books for the e-copy!

The sequel was very aligned with the voice of the first, however I find our MC/narrator to be whiny and annoying. He has zero credentials criticizing everyone else. Probably won’t be ready any further from him.

5 stars! adventurous, funny, lighthearted, mysterious, fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

Every bit as funny, twisty, thrilling as the first Ernest Cunningham novel. Maybe even better! I enjoyed how different this was from most mysteries I’ve read. I really hope EC comes back for a third book!

This started out a bit slowly and I honestly almost set it aside, however it more than delivered in the reveal of the killer. I love how Stevenson not only created this intricate world in which Ernest plays amateur detective but also peoples it with so many secondary characters. I am also enthralled with all the layers found here from the ways firecracker was incorporated to the little clues dropped about the killer being named 106 times. Ernest picking apart the genre and trying to hold himself to specific word counts as he told “his story” made this much more fun than reading a regular detective novel. I’ve already recommended the first book to several friends and I am delighted that the sequel lived up to the first.

This is the second installment in the series, and it was so much fun! Just like in the first book, we get all of the witty banter and the narrator feeling as though you are friends just having a chat about things.

This book follows writers on a train who end up getting killed one by one, and I must say that this was so much fun. I would go into it with as little knowledge as possible, as this makes it even more fun and enjoyable to read. I highly recommend, especially if you liked the first book!

A phenomenal follow-up that doesn't fall prey to the sophomore slump -- if anything, it's better than the first book in the series. I love the narrator's wry and knowing metafictional tone. I love the execution and subversion of classic mystery tropes, a trick that Stevenson flawlessly achieves once again. Another deft storytelling device that I adore is the constant flow of "spoilers" that do nothing to lessen my shock when the twists and resolutions come. For example, even though the reader knows how many times the perpetrator's name is mentioned in the book, searching for that character's name gives a different number of results -- but the number given in the book is still correct! Mind. Blown. I would compare these novels very favorably to Anthony Horowitz's Hawthorne series, except that I like and respect Stevenson's protagonist(s).

Again, there are some minor places where realism is stretched when it comes to injuries. "Could they really do all that if they were that injured?" I said aloud to myself at one point. I expect this trope to continue and not go uncommented on in future Ern Cunningham mysteries, which I'm very much looking forward to. It's a good reminder that the books are fiction because the world otherwise feels so real! I almost started googling for news articles when I was done.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed the first book, but really struggled with this one. I am hoping the series ends here. To me, some of the appeal of book one was how unique it was. At this point, it’s losing me. I think this book was well written, but it drug on at times. The end reveal was a bit of a mess as well to be honest.

A group of mystery writers attending a literary festival aboard a train find themselves scrambling to solve a real crime when one of them ends up murdered. The direct to reader narration is fun and like the first in the series, the mystery is very clever and smartly plotted. Sadly, this one just doesn’t have the same magic that made the previous book so special.

I started reading this book and felt as though I was missing something. I was! Apparently this is the second in a series. I will go back and read the first book and then hopefully this one eill make more sense!

Everyone on The Train is a Suspect – Benjamin Stevenson January 30, 2024
Mariner Books


Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for a complimentary copy of this novel! This Book is a sequel to Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.
Ernest Cunningham along with a handful of other mystery writers receive invitations to attend the Australian Mystery Writer’s Conference that takes place on a high-end luxury train, the Ghan; traveling from Darwin to Adelaide, Australia across the desert. When the keynote speaker, McTavish drops dead, Royce, a “forensic pathologist” and one of the invited mystery writers, comes to the conclusion McTavish was poisoned. So now, Ernest and the rest of the writers (but mostly Ernest) work together to find out who is the killer. However, they all have a good motive. Who had it in for McTavish? Who invited these specific mystery writers to the conference and why? Will they find out the killer before another possible murder may take place? Read this fast-paced sequel by Benjamin Stevenson to find out!!!

This sequel was even better than the first!!! 5 stars!!! It was spectacular in an oddly satisfying sort of way! And every time I see a blue scarf, I will think of this novel! (PS: I think the Ernest Cunningham series would make a great movie or series!!!)

***NetGalley ARC review ***

Thank you, NetGalley and Mariner Books, for the opportunity to review the January 30, 2024 release of Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect. I didn't realize this was the 2nd in a series, so I read it as a standalone ARC, which worked just fine. I am a lover of mysteries, and grew up reading Agatha Christie, and this is a modern version of that genre.

This book is written in a unique style with 1st person narration by the protagonist, Ernest Cunningham, who is a mystery writer. As such, when he is sequestered aboard the Ghan train, along a famous route in Australia (here's a link if you want to understand how this is IRL considered one of the world's great train journeys https://www.journeybeyondrail.com.au/... ), he takes it upon himself to solve a murder that occurs among a gathered group of writers. It is kind of like Murder on the Orient Express, where there are webs of relationships and history among the passengers that are parceled out to the reader throughout the book. I did not guess the ending!

There are a lot of clever literary references, like the use/non-use of the Oxford comma to help solve parts of the crime, which was fun. The tone of the book is lighter and the author/protagonist states that there will be no shenanigans like ghosts or unknown twins involved in the story lol. One problem I had was that I felt there were too many characters, referred to at times by full name, first name or last name, making it even a little harder to keep track of them, their back story, and connections to other passengers.

Overall, this was a decent read, but not sure I would read a future #3 in the series. 3 stars.

Sequel to Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. This time, Ern is on a train traveling the length of Australia while on a book tour for mystery writers, the perfect setting for murder...and for a bunch of writers to play detective. This was much like the first book in that it was a nod to Golden Age mysteries (although *not* a 'locked-room mystery' as none of the rooms on the train had locks) with a lot of self-awareness of how to behave in such a novel. Ern encourages the reader to solve the murder alongside him, which made me feel more engaged in the story and somewhat challenged by the narrator, rather than made to feel like I was not supposed to guess at some big twist that is obvious from the start. I loved the first book, and the sequel was not a disappointment. 4.5 stars rounded to 5.

gonna be so honest. i love the ernest cunningham stories. i love the tone and the commitment to golden age mystery structure. i must confess, most modern murder mysteries rely far too much on a series of improbable twists and unreliable narrators and a determination to trick or obfuscate information from the reader. where's the fun in that? anyway. very glad this series doesn't do that. hope for many more entries in the future.

3.5 stars

The premise of these clever mysteries by Benjamin Stevenson is that an author named Ernest Cunningham writes books about real murders he's helped to solve. Cunningham's first book, 'Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone', is about homicides that occurred during a family reunion at a mountain resort. Ernest subsequently got a contract to write a fictional mystery, but he developed writer's block and could barely pen a word.

Cunningham was then invited to be a featured author at the 50th annual "Australian Mystery Writers' Festival" which took place on the Ghan, the luxury train that travels from Darwin to Adelaide, a distance of 1,850 miles. As it happens, travelers were murdered during the journey, and Ernest got to write another book. Cunningham relates this tale in 'Everyone On This Train is a Suspect', a narrative of the harrowing trip.

Early in the book, Cunningham introduces the festival's featured writers, who are:

Henry McTavish - the Guest of Honor and author of the popular Detective Morbund series. McTavish likes his tipple and he likes the ladies.

Ernest Cunningham - author of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, about a serial killer. Cunningham is our narrator.

Lisa Fulton - author of a legal thriller called The Balance of Justice, published two decades ago. Lisa is just now writing her second novel.

SF Majors - author of gripping thrillers that have been optioned for Netflix and Broadway. Majors is the host of the festival.

Alan Royce - a former forensic pathologist who writes the Dr. Jane Black series. Royce is desperately trying to get a blurb from Henry McTavish, hoping to raise his profile and increase his sales.

Wolfgang - award-winning author of literary fiction who uses only one name. Wolfgang is a snob who looks down on authors who write genre fiction, which includes all the other writers at the festival.

Cunningham also describes other people on the train, including his girlfriend Juliette; his agent Simone; a publisher called Wyatt Lloyd; a McTavish superfan called Brooke; the journey director Aaron; the barista/bartender Cynthia; literary fans Jasper and Harriet Murdoch; several book club ladies; and more. Thus there are plenty of characters who might be either victim(s), killer(s), or just passengers.

Cunningham explains right off that he adheres to the rules of 'Golden Age' mysteries, such as: nothing supernatural; no surprise identical twins; the killer must be introduced early on; the killer must be important to the plot; no obvious truths must be concealed from the reader; and so on. Ernest sticks to the rules, but in a rather tortured fashion.

After crimes start occurring on the Ghan, far from populated areas, with no police nearby, Cunningham decides HE should investigate. So Ernest examines crime scenes; looks for evidence; questions people; develops theories, etc. Ernest is clever and insightful, the story is full of twists and turns, and it's all very entertaining. It's also fun to follow the journey of the Ghan, with off-train excursions to the Katherine Gorge; the underground township of Cooper Pedy, where opals are mined; and the red center of Australia, Alice Springs.

I'm a fan of Golden Age mysteries and I liked the book. My major quibble would be that the plot is over-convoluted and hard to follow in places. Still, if there's a third book in the series, I'd probably read it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Benjamin Stevenson, and Mariner Books for a copy of the book.

This was delicious. It feels odd to describe a book this way, but the narrator was so unlikable but understandable in his writing slump and sel-centeredness, I wouldn't say that this is a book with strong character study or in depth rationale and development, but the twist was something I definitely did not anticipate, despite the hints you're given throughout. A splendid read for folks who want a thriller-comedy.

This is a perfect palate cleanser between darker mysteries or thrillers. Ernest takes you along for a ride on a train and kind of holds your hand while helping you try to solve the murder. He does things like tell you right away how many times the murderer's name is mentioned, gives you a rough outline of the of the book, and his "rules" for writing a good mystery (which he references several times throughout the novel).

While technically a sequel I don't feel like you would need to have read the first book. A few things from the first are referenced but not really any spoilers.

This was fun and I liked how the author broke that "fourth wall." I hope we get more adventures with Ernest!

Do you like laughing? Do you like having fun? Do you have even the slightest inkling of the concept of a “golden age mystery” and think you may enjoy a novel that simultaneously beautifully embodies and pokes fun at the genre?

Read this book. Buy it for a friend- literally any friend, because any person will love this book. Do it. Now.


Okay, so this is the second in the series. I do recommend reading first one, “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone”, before this one. You don’t have to in order to enjoy it, but I think you’ll appreciate it so much more with the context of book 1.

The narrator of the book you are reading is also the author of the book you are reading (Ernest Cunningham) who is not the actual author of the book.

Ernest used to write about the rules of mystery novels and sold the booklets to aspiring authors online until he published his first book “EIMFHKS” based on real events of his life wherein he is snowed in with his family at a resort and a killer is on the loose.

Now Ernest is a proper author and he is invited to be a guest on an exclusive mystery writers book festival hosted on, you guessed it, a train.
Once again Ernest gives you the rules. He spells out the details, he gives you hints, and I bet you still won’t guess it.

But even if you DO guess it, that’s only one small piece of the joy of EOTTIAS, the majority of my happiness comes from how original, funny, and tongue-in-cheek the story is. And if you are a huge literary fan and stay up to date with new releases and influencers etc this one takes the meta and those jokes to the next level.


A+ good times. Must read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not sure how many “guy stumbles upon a bunch of murders” are plausible but I sure hope we can suspend belief for another few installments.

I loved Everyone in My Family Has Killed someone. It’s hard to find FUN murder mysteries. What a pleasant surprise to find that there was a sequel and that it makes sense.

I enjoy the narrative style. The breaking down of the story actually makes it harder for me to piece things together than most mysteries. There’s just so many clues that I can’t figure out how everything fits. And I like that! So not only are these witty and entertaining but they leave me guessing until the end.

If there’s more, I’m in.

I'm still not much of a fan of murder mysteries, and yet I enjoy Ernest Cunningham's self-aware, mildly insecure and self-effacing narrator voice so much that I absolutely tore through this sequel to Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. If anything, that voice is even more pronounced in this sequel, where Ernest ends up on a themed murder-mystery outing — kind of a literary convention held on a train across Australia — where the other authors seem to be judging him and implying he doesn't belong there, an accusation he can't shake either.

The meta aspects here are stronger too. Ernest is struggling to write a second book to follow up the "memoir" Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. This time, he's supposed to produce a novel, something he has no experience with, even though he self-publishes "how to write a mystery novel" guides. So to explain the process, he walks us readers through the format, in terms of how many words should be used to introduce the players and the crime, when in the book the inevitable second murder should take place, etc. And then someone on the train dies, and he shows us how this book fits those rules.

For an even higher-difficulty run at the "fair play" mystery, he not only tells us how many times he's going to use the murderer's name in the book, he keeps a running count going throughout. He's basically daring readers to reach the conclusion before he does.

All of which might seem a bit twee if this wasn't a clever murder mystery in its own right, full of colorful characters and notable motives, with overheard screaming fights and secret character connections and even a fake-out mid-book dry-run on the "detective assembles everyone to reveal the murderer" trope. And of course it's rife with references to Murder on the Orient Express.

I'm not sure how Stevenson could work a third book into this series unless he pulls a "author was actually the murderer himself" gimmick on us, given that it might be seen as a bit unlikely for Ernest to be ground zero at a third set of killings. But for the second set, it feels like Stevenson set himself at a higher level of difficulty — more tropes, more self-awareness, more playing around with the unlikeliness of it all, more gimmicks for the audience, plus starting over with almost completely new characters — and openly acknowledging it, with apologies for people who were hoping for a series of cameos. And then he nailed it. This was a fun, lively read, the perfect thing to take to bed during a freezing winter.