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!

Thank you to Netgallery for giving me an early release copy of Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson, this book will be available for purchase on January 30th of 2024.

Everyone on This Train is A Suspect has lot of characters for us to learn about, while I was grateful for the time to be properly introduced to all of them I thought the start of the book was rather slow. I wasn’t a fan of any of the characters but still enjoyed the way that they were being written.

The story doesn’t really pick up for me until the first murder. The first murder method was rather anticlimactic,I thought the character reactions to someone literally dropping dead were poor. At the trains next stop, they literally just relaxed and drank, I think I expecting some of the characters to act just a little shaken up at the event that transpired. It doesn’t help that Ernst does something with the love interest (can’t state for spoilers) during this time that just makes the reactions seem even more unnatural.

The second murder was more interesting to read, the investigation was attention grabbing as the clues came together and the murderer was revealed. The ending was satisfying but the story just felt like it was trying to do too much, the constant forth wall breaking was annoying as I just wanted to follow the story,( it made it less immersive) the romance while sweet was unnecessary, and the writing was complicated to follow at time with how many clues/motives were involved.

I haven’t read the first book in this series but this book can be read as a standalone, there are brief mentions of the first book in here, I think Ernst mentions a body count of eight for the first book but there’s little to no mentions traumas following the evens of the book.

Benjamin Stevenson’s fast-paced and funny mystery Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect takes readers on a deadly ride aboard a luxury train.

After the success of his memoir about escaping a murderer in his own family, Ernest Cunningham is excited to appear as a panelist during the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society crime-writing festival aboard The Ghan, a famous luxury train. Ernest is looking forward to meeting the other panelists, all established authors, and is hoping that the trip will help end his current bout of writer’s block.

As the trip gets underway, Ernest finds that some of the writers are unhappy that he’s been invited and that the other panelists may know more about each other than they let on. When another writer suddenly dies, Ernest sets out to prove that it was murder and to unmask the killer. If not for justice, then for inspiration for his next book. Complicating his investigation, though, is the fact that all the other writers have spent years researching and writing about murder—and how to get away with it.

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect is a delightful locked-room mystery that is rife with references to classic detective fiction. What sets this novel apart, though, is Ernest’s unique voice and humor as he walks readers through the story. The text is Ernest’s completed manuscript that chronicles the deadly events aboard The Ghan, and he’s clear from the beginning: Someone was murdered on this trip and he’s laying out the facts as faithfully as possible. Can readers solve the case before he did? Mystery fans will find lots to love, including Ernest’s early clues (the killer’s name appears exactly 106 times in the story) and references to Ronald Knox’s 10 Commandments of Detection Fiction. You don’t have to be a genre fan to enjoy this novel, though. A consistently enjoyable narrator, Ernest is funny, self-deprecating and relatable.

This is the second installment in the Ernest Cunningham series, following Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. (Yes, the memoir that earned Ernest a spot on the writing festival is a real book.) But it’s not necessary to have read that book before diving into this one; Ernest reveals no spoilers, writing that his publisher wouldn’t be pleased with him if he did. Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect is a meticulously plotted and enjoyable mystery that lives up to the high standards set by Stevenson’s first mystery.

I was looking forward to the sequal to his book-Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like this one was as great of a story as the first. I had a hard time following this one. There seemed to be a lot of characters and it was hard to keep track of them. I am not sure I will be recommending this follow up.

Thoroughly enjoyable, even better than the first in the series. Ernest is such a captivating protagonist, with all his foibles making him that much more relatable. This mystery isn't as convoluted as the first one and allows the reader to get to know the characters more and really enjoy the unraveling of the clues. Looking forward to seeing what comes next!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

I will read anything by this author. His background as a comedian is apparent, and his books read like the 1985 movie Clue, which is a high compliment—lots of action and over-the-top characters who make for a fast-reading story. While reading Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone gives context, the sequel is enjoyable as a standalone. The only downside was that I could not keep track of all the characters. The narrator does a beautiful job of spelling them out, but while the first book had familiar relationships to guide the plot, I had to backtrack to figure out who was whom.

Quick recap without spoilers:
Picking up where the first novel left off, Ernest is traveling to a literary festival on a train touring the outback of Australia. Written from the first-person narrative, the reader knows there is a murder, this book is a “true crime” account of what occurred, and the narrator is a self-proclaimed trustworthy narrator. A colorful cast of writers and readers fills the pages until the narrator ties all loose pieces together.

Agatha Christie fans seeking more of her escape room-type whodunits will find pleasure in Stevenson’s lively, latest crime mystery thriller.

In “Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect,” the second addition to the Ernest Cunningham series, author Ernest Cunningham believes the train ride to the 50th Australian Mystery Writers Society festival with his girlfriend, Juliette, will be a relaxing time to write and interact with fans, publishers and other notable authors.

But as the saying goes with assumptions … It’s only fitting that on the way to the event, a death takes place. Stevenson’s clever and twisty novel takes inspiration from Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express.” He weaves an intoxicating murder mystery puzzle where, as the title reveals, everyone is a suspect, and the writers on board attempt to use their collective fictional knowledge in the crime genre to catch the killer.

Benjamin Stevenson has got to be one of my top five authors. His style of writing (the combination of mystery & humor) is what I had been looking for. I love that he is able to tell a story that’s has already happened and is currently happening simultaneously (that’s a skill). Also, this book deserves its credit because sequels tend to be a hit or miss and this was definitely a hit! I CANNOT wait for more. I received this book as an arc in exchange for my honest feedback.

Benjamin Stevenson is brilliant. I love his writing style and the banter between characters. He is fast becoming one
of my go to mystery writers. He enraptures me and doesn't let go until the very end.

What a fun mystery! I had a great time figuring out who did it right along with the author and even had some laugh out loud moments. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of this ARC.

First off let me say a big thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book because second; this was AMAZING!

I did not have high expectations for this one. I really enjoyed the 1st book but, like Ernie says, sequels are tough. And yet this one surpassed its predecessor.

I loved the writing style/the voice of Ernest and what he goes through mentally after the events of book one. I loved the setting of the posh train combined with a writers festival. And I loved how Benjamin Stevenson lays everything out there for us to make our guesses and I still had no clue!!

I can’t say enough good things about this book. Just know that it combines all my favorite things into one. Trains, writers, and the oxford comma.

Right off the bat, I have to say this book is a winner. A sequel to Benjamin Stevenson’s previous book Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, this book doesn’t disappoint. Not. At. All. This time the setting is an opulent train traveling for four days from Darwin to Adelaide with a gaggle of mystery writers and enthusiasts on board for the Australian Mystery Writers’ Festival. Among the participants is Ernest Cunningham, the protagonist and survivor of a series of murders that took place at a remote ski lodge. After writing a book about the events, Ernest is desperately trying to develop his next mystery novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed Everyone on This Train is a Suspect. It is filled with interesting characters, great dialogue, and a well-plotted, locked door mystery – a bit reminiscent of Agatha Christie. The pace is good, with descriptions that make the story, the train and the characters come alive. This author has written a mystery that is imaginative, creative, and unique and it kept me engaged to the very last page.

I must say, I’m quite impatient for the next book to appear. Thank you, Mr Stevenson, for writing such an enjoyable book! NetGalley provided an advance copy.

What a delight!

The second installment of Ernest Cunningham’s amateur sleuthing adventures is possibly more fun than the original. This time, Ern (and partner) find themselves hurtling through the stark emptiness of the Australian outback on a luxury train chock full of authors bearing all manner of personal agendas and grudges… of course, MURDER ENSUES! Ernest, in his self-effacing way, bumbles through, contending with relationships hiccups, family annoyances, and the second-book-slump along the way.

The story somehow manages to be both full of surprises and hilariously predictable, in large part to Ernest’s narration, which splendidly over-explains every salient detail in this send-up of golden-age locked room mysteries. Sure, you end up solving the mystery well before the “de-noo-moh”, but that’s the point. Ernest is taking you along for the ride, egging you into the role of amateur sleuth for yourself.

Sure, this isn’t great literature, but that’s also the point. This book was meant to be enjoyed, meant to take you out of your own world and plop you into Ernest’s farce of a deductive game. It's endearingly humble, unapologetically ridiculous, and absolutely a success.

EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT (ERNEST CUNNINGHAM #2)
BY: BENJAMIN STEVENSON

A book is only a book until its read.

This is the first time that I have been aware I was reading Meta-Fiction which in basic simple terms means self reflective fiction where the narrator inserts him/her into the narrative. Which is exactly what I got in this excellent locked room/box mystery. I didn't read the first one in the series because I hadn't known about it around the time it was published. I'm thinking about reading it in the future. This is number two in the Ernest Cunningham series or it could be a just a sequel, however it can easily be read as a standalone because the story is completely different according to the synopsis of both of them. It seemed possible that this talented and well read author Benjamin Stevenson may decide to continue due to my interpretation of how this ended. I hope that there is more of this series to continue, since I really loved the main character whose name is Ernest Cunningham who is also a writer.

This takes place on a train called the Ghan that travels through Australia from Darwin to Adelaide. It seemed to me to travel through quite a bit of the desert. You can't help but love Ernest who has written one book as he narrates this narrative in the voice of the first person in a warm conversational style. As I said above since this is Meta-fiction he inserts himself into his storytelling as one of the main characters. He starts off as telling the reader that he is writing again from his cabin on the train. With his prior book that he wrote he is trying to reach a balance between not rehashing his backstory boring the readers who have already read his prior book versus confuse the new readers by leaving too much out. He informs the reader that he solved a series of murders in addition to writing his first novel.

Ernest has been invited to attend the 50th anniversary for the Australian Mystery Writers' Festival which he is attending with his girlfriend named Juliette and he will solve murders on this outing. I wish that I had read his former book called, "Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone." I did really enjoy this more as I got towards the end because there are murders that happen and I couldn't for the life of me figure out who the murderer was. There are about six writers and many other characters that are secondary and I couldn't figure out how the many secondary characters were relevant, but by the end I did say to myself WOW!

There's one writer murdered and the other writers try to solve the crime aboard the Ghan chiefly Ernest is the one to take the lead. Everybody it seemed at one point had a motive but in the end Ernest figures out how, why and who the murderer is and I guarantee that this mystery is not one that most readers can figure out all of the above. I appreciated how well written this one was after I finished it. The title is perfect for this caper.

Ernest is hoping that being immersed in four days of literary conversations on this comfortable, luxury opulent hotel on rails will spark some ideas for writing his second book. The four days and three nights is going to offer an extravagant setting for a literary festival with stops that make it a world-renowned tourist destination. The train length ran close to a kilometer. This came highly recommended to me from another Good Reads friend. One aspect towards the beginning I think it was Ernest was highly disappointed by getting a one star rating on a review of his former book. Their is a lot of humor infused into this story so it really delivers a great unsolvable mystery to readers, but also a down to earth mystery author with great detective skills with self deprecating humor.

Publication Date: January 30, 2024

Thank you to Net Galley, Benjamin Stevenson and Mariner Books for generously providing me with my wonderful eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#EveryoneonThisTrainIsaSuspect #Benjamin Stevenson #MarinerBooks #NetGalley

Well, Ernest is back at it. If you don’t know, this is the sequel to Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone. I do wish I would have reread the summary of the first to refresh my memory a bit because I forgot a lot but one thing I didn’t forget was Ernest’s dark humor. It makes these books so fun all while he is trying to solve a crime while the crime is actually taking place around him. It’s an interesting format and I will definitely continue to read this series if more books get released.

I was disappointed in this as a follow up to the first novel. I knew what to expect, but had a very tough time getting through this one and couldn’t wait until I was finished.

This sequel to Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone finds new author Ernest attending a small writing festival on a trans-Australian train. He's there with a few other crime writers, hoping to get some inspiration for a second novel — preferably one that isn't inspired by a spate of real life murders, which is how he got the idea for his first book. Unfortunately, with a train full of crime writers and their fans, these are just the sort of people to know how to creatively commit a crime, and sure enough, murder soon appears on the festival agenda.

I didn't read the first book, but that's not exactly required for this one. The characters and plot are interesting, and I honestly would have loved this book if it wasn't for the fourth-wall-breaking that kept taking me out of the story. It's very meta — a book that's from the point of view of an author who's writing a sequel to a popular debut murder mystery — and that in itself isn't unheard of or irksome. But the wink-and-nod "this is how you plot a murder mystery novel with word count markings for twists" and "this is how many times I'm going to mention the killer's name" and "hey, this is where we are on the word count and the number of times I've mentioned each character's name" breaks only served to distract from the otherwise compelling novel.

This year I've promised myself to stop being quite so liberal with my four and five star reviews. I'm a reader and I love to read everything even things I don't particularly enjoy, because I really enjoy expanding my knowledge and my imagination. That being said, the five stars I am giving this book is 1000% deserved.

This is the second book with Ernest as our protagonist that I've read {and exists} and I am already hoping there will be more. It's so hard to review mystery novels because you don't want to give away anything, I don't like giving away even one little part of the plot because then it will change the way you read this and I don't want to influence that so here is my attempt at a review with absolutely not even close to a spoiler.

Ernest is both likable and insufferable at the same time. I love how in this book he's schooled by multiple women, and it's pointed out that while he's a nice guy he definitely has some learning to do in regards to feminism. Ernest's voice is unique and makes me laugh out loud occasionally which is fun in a mystery novel. I also really appreciate that at least in my opinion the foreshadowing and our clue building was obvious enough that I could follow along, I read this as an ebook and it was very easy to highlight things and refer back to them when things popped back up later in the novel.

I also really love the setting of this novel, basically 100% on a train, in a rural setting (traveling across the middle of Australia), and I find it one of the top three all time settings for mystery novels so it does have that going for it as well.

I think this author is so unique in the way he lays out his novel by giving you word counts even as to when significant milestones will happen. I love that he makes it out to be our narrator, narrating after the fact and telling you in his world 'true events'. I find it endering and unique. I've never read a book that did this before and I am loving it.

I also really appreciate that there was more than one twist. We keep thinking that we've gotten to the last one, and then there was literally another giant twist at the end. I enjoy being surprised by mystery novels, and it does not happen very often, so I really appreciate it very much when it happens multiple times in one novel.

This author is going straight to my auto buy list and I will for sure read more in this series, and I will definitely be checking out any of their other books as well.

A huge thanks to Benjamin Stevenson and Mariner Books for providing an e-ARC for my review purposes. This did not influence my review in any way.