Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect was my first ever “whodunnit” style read and I was pleasantly surprised. At first, I must admit, I considered DNFing it due to what I felt was a very slow start. BUT! I am SO GLAD I stuck it out. The plot grew and morphed into a dizzying web of clues, speculation, and humor. What a wonderful introduction to the murder mystery space. I hadn’t realized until I already started it that this is the sequel to the first Ernest Cunningham story, Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. Thankfully you did not need to have read the first go thoroughly enjoy the second. Now the first had made its way up my TBR list.

Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy ♥️
I just read this book, and it was lit! It’s about a bunch of random people on a train, and one of them gets murdered. This journalist dude, Gabe, decides to solve the crime, and you get to join him on the investigation. It’s like a real-life Clue game, and I loved it!

The plot is hella twisty, and Stevenson knows how to keep you guessing. You’ll suspect everyone on the train, even the nice old lady, and that’s the best part. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, BAM! New evidence pops up, and you’re like, “Wait, what just happened?!”

The characters are all super shady, and I mean that in a good way. Gabe is a cool protagonist, and his journalist skills make the investigation feel legit. The other passengers are all hiding secrets, and it’s up to you to figure out their motives.

Being on a train adds to the suspense. It’s like you’re trapped with the killer, and that’s freaky as hell! The story also explores some deep themes, like how everyone’s got secrets and how far people will go to keep them hidden..

“Everyone on this Train is a Suspect” is a wild ride, and I’d totally recommend it. If you like solving mysteries and don’t mind some serious plot twists, read this book! It’ll keep you on your toes, and the ending will blow your mind.

Ernest Cunningham is a writer who just chronicled surviving what happened to his family, that being lots of deaths. He’s now searching for subject matter for book 2 when he goes on an author’s event on a train in Australia. The subject becomes apparent when an author dies and this get fairly chaotic from there. You can’t help but like Ernest and the book is entertaining.

"Sequels aren't always a disappointment..."
AGREED.
This was yet another entertaining read. The sarcasm and quippy lines always hit perfectly for me. I felt like I was given just enough information to feel fairly confident in my assessment of the murderer... only to be wrong, yet all the information and links to the killer still made sense. It's no fun when the murderer is an obvious or seemingly random choice. This book however, is fourteen hundred tons of fun.
I'm officially committed to reading anything Benjamin Stevenson writes.
Excited for more adventures with Ernest and to reread via audiobook, the next time around.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the eARC

After loving Everyone in my Family, I was so excited for Ernest’s return. Combined with the nod to Murder on the Orient Express quickly piqued my interest. While I didn’t love this one as much as the first, I continue to be impressed with the author’s wit and intricate plots. Ernest’s voice makes the audiobook my recommended mode of reading, though reading may lend itself to better success at solving the murder (though I’m curious if anyone could actually put all the pieces together).

This was a pretty good book. Love how it was a standalone even though it was book 2 as I haven't read the previous one. It's a very cosy whodunnit and the locked room atmosphere added to it. I did think it was dragging in a few places but overall a nice read

Benjamin Stevenson had brought back Ernest Cunningham to solve another mystery in this sequel to Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. In this scenario, Ernie has been invited by the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society to be a party of their crime writing festival aboard the Ghan, a train that travels between Darwin and Adelaide. Ernie is hoping for inspiration for his next novel and he certainly gets it as what was supposed to be train ride full of spectacular views and literary fun, becomes a horror express! A popular but licentious and egocentric mystery author is murdered. Another person is killed with a pen that a publishing house gifts to their writers. With a train full of mystery writers, agents, editors, and fans, just about everyone is a suspect!

The beginning of the book meandered with Ernie’s musings; it felt like it wasn’t going anywhere. Ernie’s personality was one dimensional and annoyingly flippant; there wasn’t much emotional depth to his character. Once the first murder occurred, the story kicked into high gear and found its groove. Ernie starting displaying a sense of pathos, and the reader got a better sense of the many layers of his personality. Ernie felt very insecure being around the more established mystery writers. With his first book, the events just happened; he wrote about the real events that were occurring around him. Having to write a fictional mystery was quite difficult for him. I also liked the dynamics between Ernest and his girlfriend Juliette when he started questioning her which made her feel like a suspect.

Instead of the Orient Express traveling through its exotic locations, we have the Ghan which takes the reader through the Australian landscape. The author excels with his description of the Coober Pedy opal mines, and Ernie’s almost tragic encounter with these environmental curiosities. Some other appealing aspects of this novel include the concept of mystery writers knowing how to get away with committing a murder. The author also has great fun satirizing the publishing industry. The author proves once again that punctuation makes a difference. In his previous book, it was a period that helped solve the mystery; this time it’s a comma that is the key. If you can make it to the first murder, you’ll find plenty of enjoyment in this mystery that starts out slow, but gains momentum and accelerates into an exciting conclusion.

IT’S BETTER THAN THE FIRST BOOK.⁣
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IT’S BETTER THAN THE FIRST BOOK.⁣
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IT’S BETTER THAN THE FIRST BOOK.⁣
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I DON’T KNOW HOW IT’S POSSIBLE, BUT IT’S FREAKIN BETTER THAN THE FIRST FREAKIN BOOK!!!⁣
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EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT IS THE BEST WHODUNNIT I’VE READ IN YEARS.⁣
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That’s the review. That’s all you need to know. The sequel to JBC TOP 10 pick EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE is so damn good. Like, shockingly good. As in, I had sky-high expectations in the wake of the first book, and somehow this book managed to blow them out of the water.⁣
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The sequel is set shortly after the events of the first book, as Ernest Cunningham -our acerbic and 4th-wall breaking main character- attends an Australian Mystery Writers’ Conference on a famous luxury train. However, when the keynote speaker is murdered, Ernest and his mystery writer cohorts must solve this puzzle box mystery before one of them is the next victim.⁣
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I’m still shocked that Stevenson somehow manages to one-up his previous book, elevate the stakes, introduce readers to more devious backstabbing characters, and execute twist upon twist upon mind-boggling twist. I am still in awe of how the author managed to tie all of the subplots and mysteries together at the end in a truly memorable way.⁣
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EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT officially hits bookshelves…January 30th, 2024. Plenty of time for you to catch up on the first book (if you haven’t already).

Ernest Cunningham returns in Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect. Once again, our totally reliable narrator, finds himself in a situation where folks are being murdered. This time, on a luxury train celebrating the 50th Australian Mystery Writers Society festival.
Ernest, of course, is the “author” of Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. His agent has gotten him an advance to write a second book - a novel, this time. But he’s got a colossal case of writer’s block.
If you don’t like books where the main character breaks the fourth wall, steer clear. The whole book is addressed directly to the reader, The humor is here in spades. But there’s also pathos. Ernest is suffering from both imposter’s syndrome and survivor’s guilt. He also learns to recognize his own egotism.
I adore this style of writing. The author taunts the reader, daring us to “count the number of times the murderer’s name is mentioned”, to figure out the clues. And in the end, telling us a “comma will save the day.” Or this: “So I thought I’d pause here and give you, you know, one last chance to put your guesses in. This page is the last page where you get to brag about figuring it all out before I do.” I was not one of those that figured it out ahead of Ernest. So, I’ll give big kudos to Stevenson for a brilliant resolution.
I will admit to having to google what “meta fiction” was, having seen the phrase numerous times in other reviews about this book. So, yes, it’s a parody and a “self conscious narrative.” OMG, it took me back to my major in Semiotics. I’m showing my age. But regardless of what you call it, I love that Stevenson has found a way to take the golden age “locked room mystery” and totally bring it forward to the current day.
My thanks to Netgalley and Mariner Books for an advance copy of this book.

*3.5 stars rounded up*

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect is the sequel to Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone and we follow Ernest on another murder mystery. The train is full of authors for a reading festival and one of them ends up dead. Ernest is writing the book from the past as a character in the story and the narrator so he knows the ending. He has a lot of witty remarks and clues sprinkled throughout the book as he talks to the audience.

I enjoyed this book but I don't think it was as good as the first one. I really loved the first one but this one fell a little flat for me. I feel like it dragged on a bit and it was not as witty and funny as the first book. I did enjoy the literary aspects of this book as it talks a lot about publishing and the book world. I also loved how Ernest was a character but also the narrator who was talking to the audience. It was witty and fun.

I would still recommend this book to anyone looking for a murder mystery that is a bit different and fun. I really enjoyed the first book but this one was not as good unfortunately. There were still a lot of fun clues and jokes sprinkled throughout and I had a fun time reading it.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Mariner books for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

You may remember that I stumbled on Benjamin Stevenson's Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone last year and I just loved it! You can find my review of it here:

https://nostalgicitalian.com/2023/02/24/book-recommendation-everyone-in-my-family-has-killed-someone/

I have been waiting a long time for the follow up sequel - Everyone on This Train is a Suspect. Thanks to the good folks at NetGalley and Mariner Books, I was able to read an advance copy of it. It did not disappoint.

The main character of the book is again Ernest Cunningham. In this sequel, he has had great success with his first book (Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone) and comes face to face with some authors who are, well, much better known than he is. Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

Ernest Cunningham returns in a deliciously witty locked room (train) mystery.

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, and 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?

It is just as entertaining as the first book. Ernest will, as he did in the first book, keep you abreast of things that you need to know. He offers up hints as to what is coming, etc. That was one of the things that I loved about the first book.

We see a bit of insecurity in Ernest this time around. He is the newly successful writer who is now among all of these other writers and he feels that he really doesn't belong. He feels that way because he really didn't come up with the story he wrote, he just wrote down what he experienced. He didn't actually come up with the plot. He feels these other authors are way above his level of writing.

Now, his publisher wants another book from him. We learn fairly quickly that he has - nothing. No idea, no story, no nothing! Well, that is until one of the authors is murdered. The events that unfold on the trip come together and wind up being this story.

Once again, I was guessing right up to the end. Benjamin Stevenson does such a wonderful job in keeping you guessing. I love that we get the thoughts of Ernest and how he speaks directly to the reader at times. How it all plays out and how it all comes together is like wrapping a Christmas present - everything falls into place and it is tied up with a nice ribbon on top. 

I loved it just as much or more than his first book. I truly hope that there might be another book in the future. I enjoyed this so much!

Thanks again to Net Galley and Mariner books for allowing me to read such a wonderful mystery!

This was so good! I think it was even better than the first book and I had a hard time putting it down. I was bummed when it was over. I hope the series continues.

What I found fun about this book was that it read like a nonfiction book. It was written in first person, but it was written in a way that made it seem like the author was the protagonist. I also loved the witty writing style. It kept me entertained and engaged the whole time.

I love the twists and how it kept me guessing the whole time.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I randomly picked up Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone earlier this year (yes I was late to the party), so I immediately jumped at the opportunity to request an ARC of Everyone on This Train is a Suspect. There is something so refreshing about Benjamin Stevenson's writing -- it is not stuffy or formal or overly verbose -- and the protagonist Ernest Cunningham is just the right amount of self deprecating. I was initially worried that it may read too much like Murder on the Orient Express, but those worries were unfounded. Overall, I thought it was a great storyline/setting and am looking forward to Ernest's next book (hopefully)!

After loving "Everyone in my Family has killed someone," I immediately requested the ARC for this book and I was not let down at all. One of the things that I love the most about the way that Benjamin Stevenson writes is that he consistently "breaks the fourth wall" and invites the reader into the story, in a sarcastic way that feels incredibly real. I loved this book so much

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect opens with so many mentions of sequels and how the book is sequel, etc, that I almost gave up bothering since I didn't read the first book. However, I pushed on, determined to read it, until the list of things to expect in the story included a rape. No thanks. What era are we in that the author is probably going to use a throw away rope scene as a plot point. Gross.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this Advanced Readers Copy of Everyone on this train is a suspect by Benjamin Stevenson!

I was a huge fan of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, so I was THRILLED to have the opportunity to read Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect. In this book, Ernest has been invited to a writer's festival taking place on a train. He's signed on to write another book to follow up his first hit, but he's struggling to find a story. But it seems like the story has come to him when one of the authors is murdered on the train, and Ernest finds himself deep inside another investigation...

While this didn't hit in quite the same way as the first book, I really enjoyed entering Ernest's world again. I love the unique break-the-fourth-wall style and would be happy to see this series continue - though I'm not sure how many more people can die around Ernest before it starts to get weird.... :)

EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT is a fresh take on the Golden Age Murder Mysteries and a fitting homage to the locked-room mystery queen, Agatha Christie.

Looking for inspiration for his second book, author Ernest Cunningham heads out on a cross-country rail adventure with mystery authors, members of the publishing industry, and fans for the Australian Mystery Writers Society. When a murder (or two!) takes place, Ernest seeks find the culprit within this group of passengers familiar with the murder in the pages

Ernest is a snappy narrator who breaks the fourth wall speaking directly to the reader as he provides commentary on the most recent set of murders he finds himself in the midst of. The story told in second perspective really grabbed my attention and was a modern spin on the classic mystery. Ernest makes astute observations about the detective fiction and the tropes/”rules” for writing a formulaic story true to the classic genre.

Readers will be entertained as we are invited to play along and attempt to solve the mystery with the vague yet clever cues Ernest provides. While this is the second book in the series it easily reads as a standalone. I haven’t read EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY IS DEAD and had no difficulty picking up book 2. I couldn’t get enough of Ernest and look forward to reading his next murderous mis(adventures).

READ THIS IF:
-You enjoy classic locked-room mystery with a modern twist
-A quick-witted narrator grabs your attention
-Stories set in the publishing industry spark your interest

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: January 30, 2024

Many thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After I unofficially declared “Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone” my favorite book of the year way back in March, I was so excited to get an advanced copy of Everyone on this Train is a Suspect and it did NOT disappoint. I love the way these books are written so much - I need Rian Johnson to make this series his next adaptation project. Fans of classic mystery novels will absolutely love Ernest Cunningham! All the stars!!

Thank you to Mariner Books + NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I did not read Stephenson’s debut, so I walked into this novel with no knowledge of the first book or how Ernest’s mind works. I quickly fell in love with the narrator’s quirks and foibles (don’t ask him for romantic advice), and I genuinely enjoyed his commentary.

I took off one star because there were a good deal of references to book one in the series, almost to the point where I considered dnfing it because I wasn’t getting the allusions to the earlier work.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.