I had such fun reading this old fashioned style murder mystery. Written in first person, it feels like the narrator, mystery author Ernest Cunningham, is actually talking to you. This is a sequel to Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone (which I haven't read YET, so this works as a stand alone). Set aboard the Ghan, a train that runs through the Australian desert, it features seven mystery writers who are invited to a writers retreat, but only five remain alive. You can tell the author doesn't take himself too seriously, it reads very tongue in cheek. There are plenty of twists and morally grey characters, so everyone appears to have a motive for the murders that take place. Overall it's clever and entertaining, with a shocking climax, and an ending that left me with a smile on my face. If you enjoyed Knives Out or Murder on the Orient Express, this is for you. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for a gifted copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I did not read the first book in this series yet, and I feel like that impacted my experience. While it was referred to often, I also had some things spoiled for me. There were so many characters in this book that I had a hard time following who was who. I think I enjoy the writing style, however sometimes it seemed forced and trying too hard to be quirky.

If you read and enjoyed “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone” then get ready for more meta-fiction from our hero Ernest Cunningham in ”Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect”, another homage to golden age mysteries from Benjamin Stevenson.

The action takes place soon after Ernest’s last escapade with a serial killer, which he managed to turn into a best-selling novel (true crime?). Ernest has been asked to attend a special Australian Mystery Writer’s Festival’s 50th anniversary celebration, which is being held on the Ghan, a train ride that bisects Australia from Darwin to Adelaide. He brings along his girlfriend, Juliette from the last book, and he is only one of seven mystery writers who are attending the conference. The remainder of the writers span the gamut of the genre and include the forensic specialist, the legal thriller writer, the snobby literary author, the psychological suspense writer, and of course the blockbuster author, who’s the real draw for the festival and also the one person everybody hates. In addition we also have a larger cast of characters, from fan club presidents to literary agents (including Ernest’s agent who is pressuring him to earn his advance) to publishers to everyday fans.

For anyone who has ever read a mystery set on a train, you know that the stage is set for a brief introduction to everyone and a chance to learn that they all have secrets. In homage to “Murder on the Orient Express” among others, the first murder takes place at night and the victim is the one who’s been asking for it from the start of the trip, the bestselling author. We have all of the standard items from a train mystery: overheard snippets of conversations, people caught in the hallways for various reasons, drunk characters saying too much and acting out of sorts, and of course hidden pasts, secrets, and identities. Even Ernest isn’t free from suspicion, after the author gave him a horrendous review and people think he is murdering just to get ideas for his second novel.

Ernest once again takes the role of amateur detective and tries to figure out who the killer is, in spite of the fact that everyone on the train is an expert at crafting murders! With the discovery of a second victim and a personal crisis at hand, will Ernest be able to solve the case before the final station?

If you enjoyed the first book you will definitely like this one as well. Mr. Stevenson knows how to break the fourth wall while keeping the action moving, he challenges the reader and plays fair while crafting a modern take on a golden age mystery. Plus he’s very funny as well, so don’t take this too seriously.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Mariner Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I was so happy to see that Benjamin Stevenson is back at it with book #2 - I am a big fan of his unique writing style and closed in mysteries.

Synopsis: 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. It's a program is a who’s who of crime writing royalty, but when one of them is murdered, the remaining authors quickly turn into five detectives. How can you find a killer when all the suspects know how to get away with murder?

My thoughts: Benjamin Stevenson is always a fun read! His writing is clever and hilarious and his schtick of having Ernest talk directly to us readers is brilliant. On this expedition, Ernest has writers block up until the first murder drops, something that feels so true to Ernest. The opening of the book directly mentions the rules for writing a sequel, and in a humorous way looks at some of the expectations readers can have of them. This is the beauty of Ernest - his love of rules and the mentioning each them during a book.

Packed full of misdirection and twisting surprises, it’s easy to get lost in Stevenon’s smooth and distinct prose. Everyone on this Train has obvious similarities to Orient Express and yet, it's a genius and wildly satisfying new take on the classic whodunit.

Rumor has it book that HBO has bought the film rights to Benjamin Stevenson's Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. I look forward to seeing it and reading book #3 of Ernest Cunningham.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Mariner books for bringing us into Stevenson's world. Its a fun and interesting place to be.

⭐️ Ghastly


Jkjk… I found that this sequel was not quite as delightful as the first - I was really in love with Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. The humor and breaking of the fourth wall was wholly new and inventive. So, the sequel - to me - couldn't quite live up I think.

But this was another good story full of humor, complex characters, good twists (not too many). It is really a fun "golden-age" feeling mystery and I hope for more in this series from Benjamin Stevenson.

Although I didn't read the first book, I did enjoy the humor and wordplay in this one. I especially thought that the solving the mystery hinging on the "Oxford comma" was clever. Entertaining and a salute to Agatha Christie.

Ernest Cunningham speaks directly to us as he boards a train hosting the Australian Mystery Writers' Festival in Benjamin Stevenson's novel Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect. This first person narrative breaks all the walls as Ern outlines the "rules" for credible mysteries and walks us through his own adventures on the train, that include, of course, murder.

It's clever, it's cheeky, it's funny. It's a blatant attempt to advertise Ern's prior book, Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. Very meta. A successful attempt, as I've added it to the TBR pile.

My thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC.

This was entertaining and fun. I read it for the wordplay and interesting characters and situations. I realized that, while I enjoy mysteries, the "whodunit" aspect isn't my favorite part. I don't really want to keep track of slippery clues and red herrings and "oh you missed that ha ha" details. I'm more interested in "whydunit"!

This was still a really good book, and I look forward to more titles from this author.

Everyone on this train is a suspect" by Benjamin Stevenson offers a classic whodunit experience with a unique setting aboard a train. The plot twists keep you guessing, and the characters are intriguing enough to hold your interest. However, the pacing occasionally feels sluggish, and some of the reveals lack the punch expected from a thriller. Overall, it's an entertaining read, but it falls short of being a standout in the genre.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this new mystery novel by Benjamin Stevenson. Stevenson does a great job weaving humor into all his lines and presents the reader with an interesting cast of characters, led by a protagonist with a distinct narrative voice.

Just the title of Everyone on This Train is a Suspect makes it pretty clear what the plot will be about—a murder is committed on the Ghan, a real life train that takes passengers across the length of Australia, and Ernest, the lovable mystery author from Stevenson’s first book in the series, is the only one who can solve it. Stevenson does a great job setting up the chain of events in this murder mystery and brings them all together for a satisfying finale.

Despite the fact that I had not read the first book in the series (though now I want to!), I instantly fell in love with our protagonist. He has such an endearing sense of humor and I especially enjoyed it when he breaks the fourth wall and makes specific references to the fact that we are reading a book. Stevenson is very clever when he does this, so he makes sure to do it often (as he should!). I liked the supporting characters as well, though some more than others. The author presents the reader with a well rounded group of suspects for our amateur sleuth to investigate. I love locked room settings for mysteries, and this one is no different. Fans of Agatha Christie will be very pleased. Stevenson captures the chaotic yet orchestrated energy of an Agatha Christie novel and uses her plot devices well. I really enjoyed the ending and felt that Stevenson did a great job of tying up all the loose ends.

Readers should not go into this book expecting a gruesome murder mystery or action-packed thriller. This book is more cozy than shocking. It’s mostly lighthearted with a few dark themes scattered throughout. The dialogue is fast paced but the action is somewhat mundane for most of the book, though it does pick up towards the end. A criticism I have to give is that some of the characters were not very compelling and I found myself honestly forgetting who certain suspects were by the time the ending came along. I wish Stevenson had spent more time developing some of the underused characters instead of spending so much time fleshing out others. Readers may also find the beginning a bit slow, but I guarantee it does pick up towards the middle.

Overall, this is a great book for fans of old school locked room murder mysteries. It has a wonderful blend of humor and intrigue that’s sure to please even the most discerning fans of Agatha Christie.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson is a clever and witty murder mystery that pays homage to the classic whodunit genre while adding a fresh and modern twist. The novel follows Ernest Cunningham, a true crime podcaster who is invited to a crime-writing festival on a luxury train along with five other famous authors. However, when one of them is killed, the remaining writers become suspects and detectives in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Stevenson's novel is a meta fictional delight that pokes fun crime fiction, cliches, and the egos and rivalries of the literary world. The characters are well-drawn and distinctive, each representing a different subgenre of crime writing and offering their own theories and methods of solving the case. The plot is fast-paced, it keeps you guessing!

The train setting is atmospheric and claustrophobic, creating a sense of tension and suspense.

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect is a brilliant and entertaining mystery that will appeal to fans of Agatha Christie, Anthony Horowitz, and Richard Osman. It is a novel that celebrates the art and craft of crime writing, while also challenging and subverting it. It is a must-read for anyone who loves a good puzzle and a good laugh.

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson was an intriguing toungue in cheek closed circle mystery. I enjoyed the first book in this series, book two was even better. As a huge fan of this genre, I appreciate the pacing and sequencing of this read as well as the quirky characters. I hope there is a book 3 because I am planning to continue the series.

This who-done-it literary murder mystery is a better synopsis or plan than the actual execution of it. It certainly wasn’t predictable and I didn’t see the end coming. I liked the side characters more than the main character. They are all very interesting and a complex mix of personalities that certainly creates interesting dynamics and relationships. If you’re looking for a book where you can guess the ending this isn’t it. Some of the clues are so obscure that it isn’t possible to put it all together the first read through. The fact that the main character does it is a bit ridiculous as the entire time it is made very clear he isn't a detective, has no training or education in solving crimes or mysteries, and yet somehow he solves it. That was a bit far-fetched but not awful. I think I might’ve enjoyed it more if I’d read the first one as the main character was kind of annoying to me. I didn’t really care about him or the romance involved with his girlfriend but that’s okay. It didn’t take over too much of the book. I loved how the entire mystery hinged on the Oxford comma but, also, if you don’t know what that is then the entire mystery is unsolvable for you.

I did love this - although not nearly as much as Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. Ernest Cunningham is back and for those of you who were wondering by the end of EIMFHKS, he and Julia are now a thing (now yes, now no, now yes.....). Julia is, as always, the "straight man" to the rest of the novel's vaudevillian characters.

Our oblivious <i>schlemiel</i> of an MC, hops a trans-continent train wreck of a journey across Australia, as a guest (or guest of a guest) at an elite writer's convention. There is a heavily laden cast of characters, some of whom have aliases too, and although Cunningham warns us of this at the get-go, it felt like a shell-game where I found it impossible to keep my eye on the ball. Everything, of course, is all neatly tied up in a bow in the penultimate scene where all suspects gather in the dining car and <s>Poirot,</s> er <b>Cunningham</b>, proceeds to reveal who is/are the murderer/s and who are culprits of numerous other crimes.

There are two trademark nail-biting scenes toward the end of the novel. Both are exciting and hilarious. There is also much of Ernest's continued bungling humor throughout, but all the rest of the characters (save Julia) are even bigger schlemiels so he comes out smelling like a rose.

I'd like to read more of Ernest's exploits but with a slimmer cast of characters and a little more substance earlier on in the novel.

Many thanks to both NetGalley and Edelweiss, I requested an ARC from each and both came through! I loved the book and recommend, especially for those who are already familiar with the characters of Ernest and Julia.

Ernest Cunningham is back! After finishing his memoir he is invited to join a few other mystery authors as the headliner for a writer's trip across the Australian desert. Ernest is feeling pressure from his editor to crank out another book and looking for content... and then murders start happening.

Similar to his first, I loved the wit included in this story. There were a few moments where I felt the story lulled temporarily, but this was certainly a slow burn with all the fun twists and turns included in a Benjamin Stevenson book. Can't wait for his next!

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

Ernest Cunningham is on another adventure, which means another murder. Ernest is on a luxury train celebrating the 50th Australian Mystery Writers Society Festival. He is hoping to find inspiration for his next book since he has a serious case of writers block. Then someone dies and Ernest finds himself trying to solve the case...again.

This is a locked room style book, but of course on a train. Ernest often breaks the fourth wall and sometimes it can be a little much, but other times I find it enjoyable and funny. Overall, I liked his first book a little better but still enjoyed reading this one and am excited for Ernest's next adventure.

This was a perfectly fine sequel. The mystery plot was really well done but I think the narrator-schtick got a little tiring. It's a style people love though so I know it will find it's audience. Maybe that's you, reader! It's worth giving a try.

"Everyone on This Train is a Suspect" is a work of metafiction in which Benjamin Stevenson satirizes writers' ego-driven personalities; the desperation of authors to obtain glowing blurbs and complimentary reviews; and the trite conventions that mar B-grade mysteries. Stevenson's book is set on a luxurious train whose passengers include invitees to the "Australian Mystery Writers' Festival." Ernest Cunningham, with one true crime book to his name, is in attendance, along with novelists who have had varying degrees of success during their careers.

The guest of honor is the obnoxious Henry McTavish, whose Detective Moribund series is extremely popular. McTavish is an alcoholic with a reputation for inappropriate behavior around pretty young women. In addition, we meet a host of other characters, and Ernest previews what we can expect: two murders, an assurance that he is a reliable narrator, and a brain teaser that may help particularly sharp individuals to figure out the solution.

The downside is Cunningham's tendency to overwhelm us with copious and confusing information. Neither the killings nor their resolutions are all that compelling, and the finale is so silly that it is clearly an attempt to mock the ridiculous twists and turns that are de rigueur these days. On the other hand, the author nicely captures the beauty and vastness of the Australian desert. In addition, he includes humorous scenes along with more serious passages, so we get plenty of laughs to offset the tale's darker themes. Readers who are willing to put up with lengthy exposition may be entertained by this spoof of clichéd whodunits.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Mariner Books for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

This murder mystery is a convoluted mess. The denouement can cause whiplash. The author attempts to send up mystery cliches in a clever way, but I found the execution tedious. I did not enjoy this. And one final annoyance, the author makes constant references to the first book in the series and the audiobook even ends with an excerpt of that book. It has the same trying-too-hard- to-be-funny tone as this second book. No thank you.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.