While I loved the first book in this series, I found Everyone on This Train is a Suspect to be lackluster and a little slow going.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback. An excellent sequel! I hope to see more of Ernest and Juliette in the future.

This is book 2 in the Ernest Cunningham series and I did not read book 1. Ernest narrates this book and he starts out with an overall view of the story. 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. This was an okay read for me, I think if I had read book 1, Everyone in my family has murdered someone, I might have enjoyed more.

I did not read Stevenson’s first novel though I think that I may now do so. That was, however, in no way a handicap to enjoying this title with recurring narrator Ernie.

This book strikes me as an, at times, humorous homage to the classic mysteries of authors like Agatha Christie. As in Murder On the Orient Express (though Ernie says it should be Murder IN the Orient Express), a group is assembled and isolated, there is mayhem and much to solve. As an added twist/bonus, many of the story’s characters are mystery authors and that adds to the fun.

There is much to enjoy in this entertaining story. Many thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

This book was published in January 2024

Not my favorite, but it was better than the first book. More fast paced, which I think is key in these locked room style mysteries.

Okay, it makes sense that a comedy writer wrote this! This was a fun rump, a meta commentary on writing too. I haven't read the previous book, but found this one fun.

I liked this book much more than the first in this series, but I didn’t love it. I enjoyed that it took place on a train, it was a unique setting. And I enjoyed the twists and the ending was unexpected, but there were a lot of characters and at times it seemed a little unorganized.

Loved book 2! Perfect train mystery. Looking forward to the next installment of "Everyone" adventure!

I was intrigued by the premise going into this book and it came highly rated by some Bookstagram accounts that I follow. Although I didn’t know that this was the second book in a series, it didn’t detract from the story in any way. I enjoyed the characters and found it to be a delightful, quick read. I will definitely have to go back and read the first.

Thank you to Benjamin Stevenson, Mariner Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book for an honest review.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

4.5 stars

Last year the first book in this series was one of my top ten reads of the year (Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone). I had sky high expectations for this book after loving that one so much so I'm happy to say I really loved this book too. It wasn't as perfect as the first one (which is mostly impossible since that one was set during a snowstorm which you know by now is one of my absolute favorite types of settings) but it was still really enjoyable. The things that I loved from the first book like Ernie talking directly to us as the reader and the love for the mystery genre in general were all present in this second book too. But what made this book really fun was the setting of the book on the train which felt very much like an homage to Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. The mystery in this book was fun and kept me guessing - there were laugh out loud moments - and it was just a really fun read overall that has me itching to see what this author comes up with next! This series is fast becoming a personal favorite and I truly hope that we get more books featuring Ernie in the future. 4.5 stars but rounding up on Goodreads.

If you are a mystery lover, this series feels like a must read! Start with Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone - I definitely think that you should read these in order. Plus, you'll know pretty quickly if this is the author and the way he writes is for you. I'm just over here singing his praises at this point. Highly recommend!

I read the first book in this series and I enjoyed this one even more. This one picks up after the previous book. Ernest has written a best selling true crime book based on those events and has been invited on a mystery writer convention on a train. There is another murder of course and he sets out to solve it. I enjoyed the Australian setting and the characters. The mystery was good with plenty of suspects. I found this book even funnier than the first. This series should be read in order. Enjoy

This is a decent follow-up to Stevenson's first book. We are back with Ernest Cunningham. He is even more meta in this book as he has now achieved literary success with his first book, Everyone in My Famly Has Killed Someone. Now, Ernest is on a train with an author event. He has brought his girlfriend along. Of course, one of the authors winds up murdered and Ernest is bent on figuring out who did it....especially as it may help with the writer's block he has experienced. The difference here is that there are others wanting to do the same.

There is an entire cast of characters in this one that adds to the entertainment factor here. Everyone has bought into the meta-mystery concept. Ernest still brings the reader in and gives them clues to see if they are able to figure things out before he reveals them. Stevenson does a great job of giving you just enough to keep you guessing and wondering who the culprit is.

All in all, this is a good follow-on. It loses some of the newness that the first book had but is still entertaining enough for the reader. I enjoyed the train setting as it really turns into a locked room mystery. The book read slightly slow for me but I'm glad I stuck with it as there is a good payoff in the end. I will be keeping an eye out for the next Ernest Cunningham mystery.

tl;dr
Strong (possibly better?) follow-up to the first book (although first book knowledge not necessary), with more signature meta-commentary, twists, and a solid mystery.

Thoughts
Ernest Cunningham is back, once again tripping over unfortunate circumstances and the corpses that come with them. In a role reversal from the previous book, Ernest is now one of many murder mystery authors, and probably the least qualified of the bunch, but he brings back his signature self-aware writing style and collection of adverbs to sassily, wittily, and sometimes accidentally, uncover a murderer. I previously enjoyed the energy and style of the first book. The sequel doubles down on that mood - heaping on the meta commentary about the "fair play" mystery. If you liked it the first time around, you'll like it this time too, probably even more. One bit of meta foreshadowing in particular, is extremely effective in its blatant-ness, and I applaud the author for leaning into it. Combine that with a blunt but honest look at The Industry, and you've got another fun mystery on your hands. If I had any complaints, they would be the same as the first. Ernest remains entirely un-earnest, with high emotional walls that make it difficult for a reader to care about him or the stakes involved. Two books in, it's clear this is purposeful, but it can have an alienating effect, and I can totally see this not being everyone's cup of tea. If you liked the first book, jump on it! If you haven't read the first book, but this sounds interesting, there aren't any major spoilers, and you can start here if you like.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for a review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!

Loved this! I really enjoyed the first book in the series and liked this one even more! The mystery kept me on my toes the whole way through and I was also very emotionally invested the character's relationships as well. I can't wait to see where the series goes next.

Benjamin Stevenson's Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect, a sequel to Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. Each of them is a memoir written by the lead, Ernest Cunningham, who shares tips on writing mysteries with readers as he recounts murder and mayhem.

As a result of his first effort, this debut author has been invited to join the Australian Mystery Writers' Society crime-writing festival. It's held aboard the Ghan train between Darwin and Adelaide, 'an opulent hotel on rails.'

Ernest gives his readers a preview of the crimes to be committed, from 'murder, attempted murder, rape, stealing, trespassing, evidence tampering, conspiracy, blackmail' to headbutting and improper use of adverbs.

As expected, there are regular red herrings and many twists and turns of plot, but the truth does come out at the end.

This is the second in a series and is even better than the first and thats saying a lot! A very clever locked-room style mystery with lots of fun and interesting characters and one of the most unreliable narrators you will ever meet. I am really excited for the next book in this series. I highly recommend!

I stopped reading this book after reading 39% of it. So, why did I give it three stars? Because I can honestly say that what I read of the book wasn’t actually bad. I think the author has a lot of talent as a writer and there were parts of what I read here that I thought were wonderfully written.

However, something was missing for me. The story just didn’t grab ahold of me the way I wanted it to. I tried multiple times to enjoy it and kept telling myself, “maybe you’ll start loving it soon.” However, that unfortunately didn’t happen for me. I’d read a chapter or so, sit the book aside, and then several days would pass before I wanted to pick it up again. Then, in the last couple of chapters I read, I found myself starting to skim a lot - which told me that it was time to stop reading it.

Not every book is for every reader and I suppose this one just wasn't for me.

Again, I didn’t stop reading it because I thought it was bad. In fact, I think this author is talented enough that I’d happily try another book by him some day.

Just the first book, this one also did not disappoint.

I love the first person narrative and the unfolding of the plot. Definitely not Agatha Christie but you won't put it down either.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Mariner Books for giving me the opportunity to read this!

Oh, what fun it is to be back into the mind of Ernest Cunningham! I absolutely devoured the second book in this series, and I just can't get enough! It is possible that this one was even better than the first. I found the characters to be a bit more interesting, and loved the journey that Ernest takes the reader through to get to the answers. I personally enjoy the breaking of the fourth wall with the narrator talking directly to the reader. It made it super fun and entertaining. I truly could not put this book down. I am certainly looking forward to reading more in this series, and I am honored to get the chance to read this book! This is one that I will definitely recommend to all my friends.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.