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.

Another literary thriller from Benjamin Stevenson. This time a group of writers attend a book festival on a train crossing the Australian continent. No one is who he/she claims to be and is hiding secrets. There is much animosity displayed before two bodies end up murdered. Ernest Cunningham using first person narration draws the reader in, making the reader feel part of the plot. This is the second of the Ernest Cunningham series and is as equally satisfying as the first. Allusions to mystery writers and writing a fair mystery are again included. The tale is twisty and erudite. I look forward to the series continuing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read prior to publication.

DNF @20%

The writing style was heavyhanded and obnoxious from the start. I should have given up after the prologue.

This one took me a minute to get into because there were a lot of character intros at the beginning. I stuck with it because of the humor and because I loved his last book. So happy I did. This picked up steam and kept going. In the end, I absolutely loved it and would definitely recommend it to our customers. Thank you for the great read!

A year after the events of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, Ernest Cunningham is once again thrust into a murder mystery at a secluded locale. This one, though, is mobile. The train setting is classic and a fun way to explore Australia on board the iconic Ghan. A bit more romance in this one, as Ernest and Juliette are officially a couple. Both have written books about what happened at the Cunningham family reunion a year before at the ski resort, but Ernest is the one who gets an invite to speak at a mystery convention on board the train. He thinks it'll be a great way to come up with ideas for his new book. Boy, does it. Like the first adventure with Ernest, the characters around him are colorful and varied. There's a bunch happening plot wise that all ties up neatly at the end. I'm looking forward to Ernest's next adventure.

Once I read that Benjamin Stevenson is/was a comedian, the writing style of this book made sense.

If you're looking for something juvenile that doesn't necessarily take up too much brain space, Everyone on This Train is a Suspect was a great read. It alludes to the great detectives created by phenomenal writers but makes no attempt to measure up (which I appreciated).

It's kind of cheeky in how it's written which could be a good thing if that's your style. In the world of theatre or film, he broke the fourth wall. I don't necessarily love that style in books.

Stevenson knows how to craft an unputdownable locked-room mystery. This was a real treat: twisty, compelling, and laugh out loud funny.

I think these books might be written to appeal specifically to me. I just love a classic, omniscient narrator murder mystery! I love it when the detective/narrator tries to trick me but has to do it in a clever way because they have promised not to lie. I love it when published authors write books full of jokes about authors and publishing! To me this is literature.

I was one of those who loved Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone. I found the quirky first-person narration and breaking of the fourth wall to talk directly to readers unique and engaging. The second book in the Ernest Cunningham series carries on this style and is a fantastic homage to Murder on the Orient Express.

Ernest is on a train across Australia as part of a multi-author book tour promoting his first book, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, and with the caliber of authors in attendance, he is suffering a bit from impostor syndrome. It doesn't help that he has a case of writer's block about his next book. That is, until there is a murder on the train, and Ernest works to discover the truth amidst lies and secrets that tie the travelers together.

This is a fantastic locked-room mystery with lots of twists and turns. It is one of those books where you suspect everyone and no one. Ernest's self-deprecating humor amid murder and chaos makes him a fun protagonist to root for, particularly as he addresses the reader directly throughout the novel. There are a lot of characters in this book, and a couple of times, I found myself scrolling back to remember where we had met the characters and what we already knew of them. You get a handy train map as part of the book, a helpful reference throughout as Ernest discovers clues in this throwback to a classic whodunnit.

Thank you to @netgalley @harpercollins and Benjamin Stevenson for the opportunity to read this book before its publication in exchange for my honest review. You can grab a copy on January 30, 2024.

Ernest is back with another murder, or two, and he's giving us a refresher on the proper rules of the murder mystery novel!

What I like the most about this series is the fact that it is unlike any other book I have read before. Ernest's asides really make you feel like you are a part of the story and helping to solve the crime. It took a little while for it to get going, but from the 50% mark it was a wild ride. While book 2 did not hook me as easily as book 1, I still enjoyed the writing and will always pick up another book narrated by our fearless hero.

Another fun, fair-play, Agatha Christie style mystery with our friend Ernest Cunningham. Since the last book, Ernest has become a bit famous among authors and joins some colleagues on a train trip/meet and greet. Ernest has a bit of imposter syndrome and worries that he isn't a real writer because he's only written about his own near death experiences. Luckily, he'll have more to write about as more near death experiences await him.

There are lots of clues for the attentive reader. Most interestingly, the author reveals early on how many times the killer's name will be mentioned, so the reader is welcome to keep track throughout.

Thank you to LibroFM and NetGalley for advance copies of this mystery. I eagerly await a third.

Off-beat mystery set on a train in Australia that is the setting for a literary festival on wheels. Our narrator is struggling to write his second book and hits the jackpot, so to speak, when a murder is committed on the train during the festival. Murder and also a bunch of other crimes, connections to past crimes, secrets that included crimes, and just about everything else related to crimes. Told in the first person, our struggling writer that now has his second book because of all these crimes narrates a murder mystery full of quick dialogue, clever clues, odd characters and much fun for the right reader.

A good sequel. I liked the setting. Very haunting to be stuck in the middle of a desert on a train with a killer. I love the insights into other books and their themes. It is so true and I didn't realize the patterns until this book pointed them out. I look forward to seeing if and where the next book goes.

Just when I thought that Benjamin Stevenson’s debut was the most fun and creative mystery I’ve read in a long time, he goes and completely outdoes himself! If you enjoyed Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone, then buckle up - you’re going to love this one even more.

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect once again features author Ernest Cunningham as our entertaining narrator, breaking the fourth wall and providing his signature dead-pan commentary as he tells the story of the most recent murder case that he found himself in the middle of. This story begins with a group of mystery/thriller authors that are invited to be featured guests at a writer’s festival that just happens to be taking place on a train riding through Australia. It’s not long before someone is murdered, and Ernest and the other authors jump in to help solve the case - they’re all experts in murder in a sense, which may certainly help their detective skills, but may also mean that they’re capable of being the perfect killer. Just like in his first novel, Ern interjects throughout the story to offer his two-cents and additional clues along the way, yet still manages to totally surprise readers with the ending.

Just like his first novel, this book was twisty, clever, creative and just brilliantly executed! The tight plot was one that was easy to become quickly immersed in, and while the last 15-20% was a bit of a wild ride, I was there for every twist that came along and was almost surprised at how easy it still was to follow. Each character had their own unique personality, which made the larger cast of characters never feel overwhelming. I loved every single plot twist and was completely satisfied with the ending - once I saw where things were going, it was so fun to go back to see what clues led us there and what I did or didn’t pick up on along the way.

All in all, this was just a gosh darn fun book to read, and certainly one that I’ll be recommending to many different types of readers for the sheer entertainment value it brings. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Benjamin Stevenson and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The first half of this book moved a little slower than I would have liked. There are also a lot of characters and I found it hard to keep up with who was who. This was also a “sequel” and I have not read the first book, so I don’t know if that led to some of my thoughts about it. The second half did pick up and I enjoyed the part of the story that finally got to the “who done it.”