"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.

I have been eagerly awaiting Everyone on This Train is a Suspect since last year's Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. It was, hands down, my favorite mystery novel of 2023. It was highly satisfactory, a clever and inventive take on the tropes inherent in "Golden Age" mystery fiction, with a fair amount of violence mixed in for a more modern audience. Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an advance reading copy.

This time, our "hero," Ernest Cunningham, has been invited aboard The Ghan, a legendary and lavish train traveling through the Australian Outback from Adelaide to Darwin. It's a very different setting from the previous book, the snowy mountains of New South Wales, but just as dangerous in an Australian high summer. The reason for the trip is the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Australian Mystery Writers Society. Ern's actual crime book about his family has done very well, and Elizabeth (his girlfriend we met in the prior book) is along. Elizabeth, too, wrote a book about their experiences.

The train is full of mystery fiction luminaries, primarily the Scots writer Henry McTavish, whose next book is the end of a long-running and very lucrative series. The rest of the train comprises a motley crew of lesser writers, agents, rabid fans, warring publishers, and one very "literary" writer who is above it all. The connections between these disparate characters run deep and are only sometimes cordial. The first murder comes as no real surprise, but as others pile on, Ern sets out in his own fashion despite the danger.

There are a lot of characters in this book, and I found them easy to lose track of. They did not seem quite as well drawn as Ern's family. Still, I recommend this book highly because of Ern's distinctive and snarky voice. He needs to have more regard for his personal safety, or he will not be around for long. There is quite a twist at the end, related by Elizabeth, that I did not see coming!

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.


I absolutely loved this book! Benjamin Stevenson has a way of mixing thriller and humor all in the same book. This is my second from this author (I highly recommend Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone) and again, he did not disappoint. There are a lot of characters to keep up with, but it reminded me of Agatha Christie's mysteries. A true who-dun-it. He had me guessing the whole way through and looking back, the clues were there, I just missed them. I can't wait to see what this author does next.

A fun, creative mystery that pays homage to Agatha Christie, but goes beyond with even more fun and adventure. A group of writers who represent many types of genres, is on a train together enroute to a crime writing festival. There is a murder, and everyone has their own idea about how to solve it. Meanwhile, of course, the danger closes in! Great title I look forward to recommending.

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson is an oddly put together book and I just couldn't get interested in the story due to the style of writing. I had to quit about one third of the way through. Can't recommend.

🚂 + 🔪 + 📝 + 🕵️

This is the second book in the Ernest Cunningham mystery series. The story takes readers on a thrilling ride aboard the iconic Ghan train in Australia, where a gathering of crime writers turns deadly. Full of suspense and intrigue, truly a fun read.

Funny, unusual, with lots of twists. Didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the first one but that is a very high bar to clear. I will recommend to others.

It has a very unique concept in the narrator is actively writing the book as we’re experiencing it, and he talks directly to the reader throughout. I’m not sure I loved that. While I did love the story and did want to know who the killer was (and I was totally shocked when it was revealed!); I was distracted by all the commentary to the reader. I felt like it took away from the actual whodunit mystery. So, while I didn’t love this book; It wasn’t a bad read at all – it’s just middle of the road for me. (A lot of reviewers really loved the book so you should definitely give it a go and see for yourself!)

I was super excited for this book because I thoroughly enjoyed the novelty of the first one. However, this second book just didn't grab me. There were a huge number of characters to keep track of and they weren't developed particularly well. I appreciated the humor to a point, but sometimes the jokes fell flat, and it became more annoying than funny. And really--who would answer their cell phone while standing on the hood of a speeding vehicle preparing to jump onto a moving train?! Choosing that particular moment to make a tenuous connection between two cases felt too contrived and utterly ridiculous.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the eARC and thank you to Mariner Books for the physical ARC of Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect, the follow up to one of my favorite reads of 2023: Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone.

Once again, Benjamin Stevenson has written an incredibly clever, meta, and entertaining mystery! This book is just as good as the first one! I love the humor, the plotting, the reveals, it all makes sense and he still manages to surprise you! This was brilliant and Stevenson has solidified himself as one of the great mystery writers of our time. I absolutely loved this and highly recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery.

I enjoyed this book! The first one was great and this follow up delivered as well. It had that same signature wit and strong setting, and seemed to move a little faster than the first one. The mystery felt a little less complex, which in a way wasn’t bad because I found the first book’s reveal to be a bit confusing and convoluted. It seemed like the character development wasn’t quite as rich as in the first book, but it still kept me interested and turning the pages. Ernest is a fun character to come back to and I’ll look forward to seeing what comes next from this author!

Wow, where to begin. I finally read Everyone in my Family has killed someone and loved it. I read this and you know how some sequels aren't as good as the original. I feel this book topped the first. Absolutely loved it!!! The way the book is narrated is great. It's like you are on the train with the author in real time.

If you enjoyed knives out movie you will enjoy this author!

This book was just as good as the first one! The narration and writing style is so fun and unique, and it holds your attention all the way through, even in what might be considered slower parts of the plot in traditional mysteries or thrillers. I do not want the Ernest Cunningham universe to ever end!

I enjoyed Everyone on This Train as a Suspect more than Everyone In My Family Has Killed Somebody!

Both books have a comic tone and a very strong narrative voice that breaks the fourth wall. Sometimes it was a lot, but there were some very funny digs and jokes that crime fiction fans will pick up on.

I think the locked room mystery aspect of Everyone on This Train is a Suspect was my favorite part, as well as the fact that most of the characters were crime writers or semi writer-adjacent (agents, fans, entourage, organizers).

Finally, I have traveled around Australia, and the Ghan is as famous there is the Orient Express was in Agatha Christie's time. I could have used ever more train atmosphere, but it was still a lot of fun.

Recommend for fans of comic mysteries and self-referential narrators.

First thank you to mariner books and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: Ernest is back as an author trying to write his sophomore book when offered a chance to join a literary festival on a train crossing Australia. However when a murder happens on a train full of mystery writers. Everyone becomes a suspect.

What I liked: Ernest is one of my favorite characters of all time. His dark humor and wittiness are so perfect. I love how he gets himself into situations and then gets himself out in great fashion. These books have such layers with the mystery but other personal dimensions occurring at the same time. I think this was even better than the first book as I love the other writers and Ernest reaction to them. Of course he did have some interactions with his family and his former book. He does write a great locked room mystery

Everything I loved about Benjamin Stevenson's previous novel, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, is why I found this one hard to read. It is Just.Too.Similar to the earlier one. The self-conscious narrator is annoying. The revealing of which pages the murders occur, while clever in one novel, seems a bit twee in this one. I am fairly certain that I'm in the minority here, and the book will sell quite well. But for me, the whole repetition doesn't work.

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect is a clever and oddly funny book. As I was reading it I felt like it would translate well to a series on Netflix or Apple+. Having said that, it wasnt a page turner I HAD to get through and couldnt put down. I read it in bits and pieces over a couple of weeks. I couldnt dive all the way in and embrace the story like I could with the author's last book - Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone! I love the fact that the main character, Ernest Cunningham, who earned his fame through publishing the account of the murders in Everyone in my Family...., is on his way to the Australian Mystery Writers' Festival when writers start to turn up dead. This poor guy (kind of). Death definitely follows him! Ernest's account and play-by-play is funny, but I also found myself getting bored by Ernest towards the end. Overall I liked the book, but didnt love it like I did Stevenson's previous story. Perhaps that was the problem. I may have been expecting too much.

I absoultely loved this book! I enjoyed this one more than the first one and I hope that we get more Ernest Cunningham books! I loved how meta this book was and how the narrator invites the audience to be part of the story.

If you are a fan of Knives Out and Clue then this book is for you! It was a little heard to keep track of all the players but still really well done!