Ernest Cunningham has returned. Who doesn't go into a sequel of a beloved book without a healthy does of trepidation? I certainly do. But do not fret, Everyone on This Train is a Suspect hits it out of the park securing my admiration for author, Benjamin Stevenson. He has done the impossible. Book Two has lived up to Book One, Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone.
Ernest Cunningham, the accidental solver of crimes, once again is besieged with dead bodies and a seemingly impossible book to write. This outing has Ernest on a touring train which is hosting an annual Book Festival. Sounds good except for the attending authors have history with one another and a great disdain for the work of Ernest. Ernest is insecure in his place amongst his literary heroes and experiencing writer's block at the same time.
When one of the author's is found dead, Ernest once again is forced to break the 4th wall of writing to bring us, the readers, into his world. And, his world is an amazing plot and twists and clues that all neatly come together for a smash ending and epilogue. All of this is to say, Ernest is one of my favorite characters out there and he just gets better.

Thank you to Mariner Books and Netgalley for access to an early e-copy. All opinions are my own.

huge thanks to netgalley & mariner books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolute joy! I'm so happy with this sequel and it really cements Stevenson's Ernest Cunningham series as one to watch. You've definitely got to read the first one. While the mystery here isn't connected to the mystery in Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, Ernest's narrator voice is so specific it is worth the introduction. So definitely go read that if you haven't already. I can wait.

Okay, now that you've read the first book we can continue. One of my favorite facets of the first book was the way in which, underneath the novelties of the narrator style and some very funny writing, there was an emotionally resonate story about how Ernest connects with his family and experiences grief. I love that Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect continues that and, without being overly beholden to the previous book, naturally considers how he would have been impacted by the events depicted there. (I kind of want the next book to somehow be about Ernest going to therapy...)

Similar to the first, this is a mystery through and through. There's a lot of affection for the genre here and for writing in general. (I was especially amused by the references to Goodreads!) If you are a reader that enjoys trying to puzzle out a mystery, I think you'll like a lot of the elements in this series, especially this book. I typically don't try to puzzle it out, but found myself pulled into coming up with theories and trying to fit the various pieces into place.

I would easily recommend this. I will definitely get the next in the series. This is one of those series that will become the frame of reference for books published in years to come. As an aside - I also think the audiobook is probably really cool to read. Get that Australian accent really coming through!

What a trip (pun fully intended!). I may be one of the few readers left on Earth who hasn’t read Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, but that fact did not hinder my enjoyment of Stevenson’s second work of meta-fiction. With delightful callbacks to the Golden Age of mysteries, this is a delightful and playful romp through a locked room mystery. The characters are nicely realized, and the author shows a real flair for painting a scene. There were moments where I was sure I was on the Ghan alongside him! I would highly recommend this read, even if you haven’t Stevenson’s first work. I’m certainly thankful I was approved for this ARC from Mariner Books – not only did I enjoy the read, but I’m pretty sure I discovered one of my new favorite authors!

Loved it and amazing as a follow-up, feel the author navigated and regarded it as a sequel in great ways. The self-aware style remains on point (and if you haven’t read book one yet, you should), it’s almost annoying how insightful the commentary is on people, books, and the story itself. The few sentences on authors, popularity/sales, and talent/authenticity was particularly apt.

And it’s also wildly entertaining. The cast of characters filled in a variety of writer/publishing caricatures, but in a good and thoughtful way. The interactions are varied degrees of fun, funny, frustrating. I could guess some things but I also just wanted to see it play out and discover all the hows and whys.

I only had a couple issues which I won’t detail since it’s all spoilers but boiled down to the genre tropes we saddle on women. It’s still far superior to most murder-mysteries I’ve read and I highly recommend this series. I am a huge fan and can’t wait to see if another believable addition can be added to this series. I hope so.

CW: Mentions of child molestation and adult rape. Murder and death. Violence.

This was a fun read! I did struggle to keep all the characters straight, but it eventually sunk in. I was not able to guess the murderer, even with all of Ernest's clues ;)

The premise was great while the execution proved confusing. As I read this book I thought, more of a draft for a screenplay than a book so I wasn’t surprised that the earlier title by this author, which I didn’t read, was picked up by HBO. I didn’t care for the narrator, the number of suspects confusing. I know it was purported to be like an Osman book however except for the attempt at “breezy” writing ✍️ don’t see the comparison. Definitely didn’t live up to the hype.

This is a fun read -- I enjoyed the sort of 'meta' view of mystery writers trying to solve a murder mystery and the narrator very overtly & conscientiously following the recipe or format for this -- and his snarky but clever tone. I hadn't realized that this was the 2nd in a series when I started it, and though the narrator emphasizes that several times, I don't think it makes too much difference whether you've read that one first.

This reminded me of the Anthony Horowitz (Hawthorne & Horowitz) series a bit in the way the author inserts himself/a first person narrator along the way.

The writing was very clever and continually amusing to read -- lots of astute yet humorous observations -- about his Uncle Andy, whose job is to grow grass on football fields: "He is, suitably to his profession, a man often trodden on." and "Holidays are, after all, mostly extracagant charades with which to justify an addiction."

It wasn't really so much a page turner, as a bumbling, funny, clever meander and play on the 'locked room' mystery - I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Another five-star read! I loved Benjamin Stevenson’s book “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone” and was so excited to receive this one. His style of writing may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but that’s likely only due to the fact that some people don’t appreciate wit and humor, which is seen throughout his books. He is an auto-buy author for me!

Sequels aren’t always disappointing, Ernest! The first book hooked me with a unique premise you could spot from the title and kept me with so many amazing things I wasn’t expecting, but this—although following a more “typical” mystery/thriller formula—kept me interested through Ernest’s narration. That’s not to say the rest of it wasn’t amazing, but I think that the constant fourth-wall-breaking and Ernest dropping hints and call-backs every couple of pages is what made this so addicting!

The mystery was well-written, the characters were all incredibly frustrating and intriguing at the same time, and, as always, LONG LIVE THE OXFORD COMMA!

A sequel to EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT - this is the second installment of the Ernest Cunningham murder mystery series. What a fun book this was!! An absolute delight. Ernest Cunningham is back and looking for inspiration for his next book - but whoa, someone gets murdered on board the train. Who did it? Who can be trusted? At this point, everyone on the train is a suspect. Loved all the twists and turns and had a blast with this book. I definitely recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an eARC in exchange for this review / honest opinion.

Thanks so much to Mariner Books and NetGalley for this eARC! I loved Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, so I was very excited for book 2! I felt like Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect started a little slower, but the ending had me reading as fast as I could. It has the same humor and crazy twists we all loved from book 1! I just love the unique way these “locked room” mysteries are written. Count me in as a permanent Benjamin Stevenson fan!

Ernest Cunningham survived a serial killer, and wrote a book about it, which leads him to getting invited to from the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society crime-writing festival on a train. Ernest excepts hoping for some inspiration for his second book, however, ends up embroiled in another murder.

The book is written with a unique style, where Ernest gives a step-by-step narrative with many clues that still left me guessing who the murderer was. Overall, I enjoyed the humor, but it did take me a while to get into it.

I received this advance review copy from NetGalley & the publisher for my honest review.

You know how it's basically a rule of law that a sequel is ALWAYS disappointing?! Well, throw that rule right out the (train) window because Benjamin Stevenson's EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT, the second installment of the Ernest Cunningham murder mystery series, surpassed ALL my expectations and was a ABSOLUTE DELIGHT! Let's start off with the basics of the book:

Ernest Cunningham is back and just as cheeky as ever as our 4th-wall breaking detective, This time however, he is fresh off the publication of his first book and invited to attend the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide. Ernest is on the hunt for inspiration for his next book (which he's planing to be fiction after all the action in the first book!) and is hoping that time spent in the Australian outback with a panel of fellow crime-writers will provide just that.

He gets more than he bargains for when fiction turns into a reality and one of the authors is murdered on-board. Together Ernest and the other authors try to band together to become detectives, but soon realize that even though they have the knowledge to crack the case, they also all have the knowledge to commit and cover up the crime. So the question begs itself - which author is capable of murder? The author of legal thrillers, psychological suspense, forensic science, literary fiction, or true crime? With ample motivation, big egos, and even bigger secrets, it turns out that everyone on this train is, in fact, a suspect.

I LOVED all the twists and turns this book takes, and was impressed by how it all weaves together in a memorable way. I personally am a fan of Ernest 'leveling the playing field' and breaking the 4th-wall, and thought the admission that the murder's name was mentioned 106 times in the book at the beginning was especially fun as it was tallied up throughout the book. And the ENDING. I don't want to spoil too much, but I will reveal that the case is solved with a comma. And yes, you did read that right.

EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT by Benjamin Stevenson is out January 30th, 2024, and you'll definitely want to get your hands on a copy!
I want to thank NetGalley and Mariner Books for an DRC in exchange for my review!

Wow!! I loved this! I didn’t think a sequel could be as good, but somehow this one is even better!

We have our lovable narrator, Ernest, back for this book and he has somehow gotten stuck in a situation again where he finds himself locked in with a body and a murderer. This time it’s with a bunch of crime writers and readers, who are all potential suspects with motive.

The comic relief is this book is so good. The plot was fantastic and I loved the characters this time even more than the first book. But what I loved the most is the way Ernest is talking to you and giving you clues and tips the whole time, like you are his crime-solving partner.

This is a sequel, but you don’t necessarily have to read the first one to read and enjoy this one. But, it does help understand a few returning characters better. Plus they are both amazing!!

Thank you Mariner Books and NetGalley foe the advanced copy of this book. :)

Admittedly, I had not read the first book of the series prior to reading this one. I suppose if it was Star Wars or John Wick, I would have immediately realized I was drowning in confusion and immediately sought resolution by consuming the lead tome of the series. Stevenson does a great job, however, of ensuring one doesn't have to do this. Granted, more of that "between the lines" wit and (potentially) plot points are available to the wise reader who knows well enough to start counting with the number one, but Stevenson wisely ensures this isn't required by telling the reader, literally telling the reader, this isn't required. Crisis averted. Don't thank me, thank your local literary agent and the wise publishers behind them.

I enjoy murder mysteries more than any other genre. Box checked. I enjoy just enough clues to be able to solve the mystery myself. Check. I enjoy witty dialogue, interesting characters, and a plot that doesn't confuse more than entertain. Check, check, and check.

I do not enjoy being made to feel unintelligent, unobservant, or a first time murder mystery reader. For these reasons, Stevenson's style is not for me. He evidently appeals to a wide audience, as his books sales clearly indicate. He also writes for the seasoned pro, the amateur sleuth, and the monday morning quarterback of whodunnits. The established success of this series alone is evidence enough for one to conclude he knows what he's doing.

And I LOVE tongue-in-cheek comedy. Understated, overstated, can't get enough. But this was just...too much. Quite possibly, the most self-aware murder mystery I've ever read. Just a little (and by a little, I mean an awful lot) too self-aware.

I am glad we were told that ghosts as murderers are against the rules. I hate that.

Special thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this entertaining novel.

LOVED LOVED LOVED!!!
I loved Everyone in my family has Killed Someone and I was so excited to see the Ernies' story continue! Written just like the first book, Everyone on this Train is a Suspect is witty, suspenseful, funny (plenty of LOL moments!) and held my attention from the first page!! Loved how Ernie is telling his story to the reader directly, making me feel like he's talking directly to me in the same room. He is a special character and I can't wait to see and hear more of him!! Highly recommend!!!!

The follow-up to Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone brings back amateur sleuth and mystery writer Ernest Cunningham in a witty locked-room whodunnit!

Ernest is on a crime-writing festival aboard a train that crosses part of Australia with other mystery writers when a murder occurs. All the suspects know how to solve a crime, but they also know how to get away with murder.

This was one of my most anticipated 2024 reads, and I loved every minute of it! There are nods to Agatha Christie and other Golden Age Mystery writers, with the murder occurring on a train ride being just the beginning. Ernest abides by Ronald Knox's famous Ten Commandments of Detective Fiction. But these books don't take themselves too seriously, which is fun, and Ernest often breaks the fourth wall. He addresses the reader directly and often humorously with his observations and self-deprecation, even pointing out the strictness with which he is following Knox's commandments. Yet, Stevenson writes his mysteries so cleverly that while he may have Ernest point out the rules to you with one hand, he keeps you guessing with the other.

There is a reasonably large suspect pool of writers, agents, etc., with years of history, rivalries, and secrets. The mystery is solidly plotted and well-paced, with a few red herrings and twists. Ernest is an incredibly likable sleuth who addresses the reader conversationally and is not afraid to admit when he's made a mistake or incorrect assumption or things did not go to plan. It's like sleuthing with a funny best friend who keeps it real and performs all his own stunts. An entertaining page-turner!

Mystery lovers, don't miss this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the #gifted eARC.

Whew this book took me a minute. I struggled getting into it the first 3-4 chapters. I think it had to do with so many characters being explained to me at the beginning. I waited a couple days and dug back into the story. It was a good read once I got into it. Your locked door mystery told by a first person narrator. I did not figure out the killer in the end (sigh). Apparently my detective skills weren’t quite up to par. . Overall a solid 3.5 rounded up to 4 for me.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my e-ARC!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
❤️ read and loved Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
🕵🏻‍♂️ love a “fair-play” mystery
🇦🇺 have ever wanted to explore Australia from a train
🚂 are a secret ferroequinologist

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

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.

How can you find a killer when all the suspects know how to get away with murder?

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

Wow! This book was beyond incredible! While I sadly haven’t been able to read book one yet, I was easily able to catch on to what Ernest was up to in his next adventure. The writing style was a bit odd for me at first because I don’t read a lot of first person, but I quickly became accustomed to it and fell into the story! So many parts had me laughing out loud and I would have highlighted them all had I been reading a hard copy ARC. All I can really say is, grab this mystery! It’s fun, fresh, and full of humor!

This book was an absolute delight - a modern take on a Golden Age mystery with a fourth wall breaking narrator, who is aware, not only of all the rules of good fairplay detective novel, but also that he is writing a sequel. "My publisher tells me," he writes. "that sequels are tricky. There are certain rules to follow, like doling out backstory for both those who've read me before and those who've never heard of me. I'm told you don't want to bore the returnees, but you also don't want to confuse the newbees by leaving too much out...My publisher also warned me to work in enough tantalizing references to the previous book that readers will want to buy that one also, but not to spoil the ending. She calls that "natural marketing."

Well, as one of those "newbees" who has not yet read the previous novel, it worked. If it's half as fun as this one, it's worth a buy, and I ordered it as soon as I put this one down.

Stevenson does a great job playing with the cliches of the genre, while also creating something that is very much it's own book - set on a long train journey that doubles as a mystery writers' convention, with each author specializing in the main subgenres - psychological mystery, forensics, blockbuster, memoir, legal thriller, etc. Our narrator (memoir) promises a completely fair play novel, and it is - in the very literal sense, but he's not above playing a few tricks on the reader.

An absolute great time. Highly recommend.