I didn't realize this was the third book in a series when I requested it, so whoops! Even with that, it was easy to follow and I didn't feel like I was lost.

I really enjoyed the cheekiness of this book! It was fun and self-aware, a great holiday romp. I also loved the setting, and learned some things about Australia. Overall, a fun book, would recommend if anyone wants a cozy Christmas mystery.

This is the third book I have read in this series and I really enjoyed this Christmas Novella. Ernest is off again to solve an impossible murder. His ex wife has been accused of killing her live in boyfriend. He is sure she is innocent and sets out to prove it. The suspects are all part of a magic show appearing at a local resort. When the magician is killed on stage during a trick he has two impossible murders to solve. I really enjoy the characters and the mystery is not easy to solve. There are lots of suspects but I was able to figure out the who did it. Like the other two books there is lots of humor. The book is short so it makes a perfect Holiday read. This series should be read in order. Enjoy

I enjoyed Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. It was a 5 star book for me, One that I highly recommended and gave as Christmas gift. The sequel was not as good. However, I didn't let that stop me from picking this up. A Christmas version! I was very excited.

Unfortunately, this time I wasn't able to finish this book. I had to put it down about halfway through. It felt forced to fit a mold of what worked before. I didn't connect and found myself finding other things to do at night (like scrolling my phone) instead of picking up my book. After a month and barely 50% though, I took it as a sign to put it down and move on.

Though this book is short, it certainly packs a punch. With each of Stevenson's books in this series I find myself knowing that these are books that I will want to re-read and will feel urged to share with the readers in my life. I always find myself drawn to Christmas books around the holidays and this is certainly one I will re-read again and again.

Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret by Benjamin Stevenson is a cozy holiday mystery novella. This is the 3rd novel in this series.

Ernest finds himself on a murder case... but this time, it's his ex's wife's current partner.

It was a fun and clever read full of holiday vibes

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an a-arc!

This was a fun holiday novella to continue Ernest’s mystery solving! Ernest is asked to help when his ex wife’s partner is murdered, and she looks like the most likely suspect. Erin is mostly confident that she is innocent, but there are some parts of the night that she can’t remember..why is why she enlists Ernest to be on the case. As Ernest investigates the victim’s associates, friends, and others, more suspicious things continue to happen, and Ernest must solve this mystery before more people die.

This was an enjoyable short read! I do appreciate that there’s not anything too impactful that happens to any of the major characters, in fact a lot of the main characters of the series don’t make an appearance besides Ernest. That way, the reader has a choice if they want to read the novella or not, without missing any major plot points. If you like the other books in the series, I would recommend giving this one a go as well!

Thank you to Mariner Books for the eARC.

Man, I love this series. Ernest is such a storyteller. I love how these books are basically written as if they were journal entries; Ernest telling us the story after the fact.

Another murder, another mystery to be solved. This one was super enjoyable—funny, with some hilarious dialogue and inner monologue, and ridiculous murders.

While yes, this was about MURDER, the story felt light and festive for the holidays, somehow. As long as Ernest keeps solving crimes, I'll keep reading about them.

This is a fun short Christmas novella narrated by ERnest again. It is the third book in the series.You could read it without reading the previous books but I recommend reading them To get to know the characters and not have the previous mysteries spoiled. This is a fun Christmas Special.

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson is a holiday treat that delivers all the wit, charm, and clever plotting we’ve come to expect from the Ernest Cunningham series—just in novella form! This time, Ernest is solving murders using the rules of Golden Era mysteries and holiday specials, and the result is as hilarious as it is engaging.

Perfect for a lazy holiday day, this festive mystery has all the humor and fun of the full-length entries, wrapped up in a shorter, fast-paced package. If you’re a fan of clever whodunits with a side of holiday cheer, this one’s a must-read!

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret
By Benjamin Stevenson
Publication Date: October 22, 2024
Publisher: Mariner Books

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
(Rounded Up To 5⭐)

📚MY REVIEW:

I wanted to read a fun holiday mystery this month, and Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret absolutely fulfilled that holiday wish! This is one of those old school mysteries, with a plot like Knives Out or one of your favorite episodes of Murder She Wrote, but with a holiday theme that is perfect for this Christmas season.

This is the third book in the Ernest Cunningham mystery series. Because I haven't yet read the first two books, I wondered if I'd feel lost. While this book mentioned the first two mysteries in the series, it didn't affect my understanding or enjoyment of the book at all. This one can definitely be read as a standalone.

While Ernest always enjoyed reading good ol' murder mysteries, he never expected to keep finding himself unwittingly in the middle of trying to solve them. And yet, here he is once again, when his ex-wife Erin requests his help after she's accused of killing her boyfriend - and has no memory of doing so.

I really enjoyed the way Ernest spoke to the readers, offering little nudges and morsels of clues as he told the story and detailed how he solved this murder mystery. Even with all little bread crumbs, I didn't figure this one out in real time as I read. Sure, after he shared how he figured it out, I thought back and remembered when and how he tried to nudge me to the correct conclusion.... But I didn't get there. The plotline was fun, the clues were laid out brilliantly, and Ernest's deduction skills were fantastic in this festive mystery.

If you're a fan of whodunnit mysteries as much as I am, you simply MUST read this book. Reading it during the holiday season is especially fun and I highly recommend it! A merry thanks is due to NetGalley, Mariner Books, and Benjamin Stevenson for this advanced e-book in exchange for my honest review.

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Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret is another home run by Benjamin Stevenson. I read the digital ARC and purchased the audiobook once it was published. The author set up our whodunit as an advent calendar for this Christmas themed holiday novella, so we knew exactly what to expect as the story unfolded. It was cleverly planned out, and, as always, Ernest was charming, witty, and fun. I highly recommend this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Benjamin Stevenson for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up

Another hit from Benjamin Stevenson! The Ernest Cunningham stories have quickly become my favorite series. I love the meta murder mystery aspect and the quick, witty writing and narration. I cannot get enough of these books!

A big thank you to NetGalley, Mariner Books, and Benjamin Stevenson for the advanced copy in exchange for my review.

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson was an interesting read. It was slow but I enjoyed the writing, plot points and characters.

This was an easy read written in a light-hearted manner even with two murders and six suspects and the narrator getting shot. It is by far my favorite of the three books the author has written. The ending is rather clever in its choice of how the murderer is revealed although the actual culprit is not surprising nor is it meant to be. A fast read for a late December afternoon.
3.5 Stars

Our favorite reliable narrator is back, dropping clues and dry humor as he counts down the days to Christmas and until he solves the latest murder plaguing the Cunningham family. This time it's Ernest's ex-wife, Erin, who's in trouble--in jail, accused of murder her wealthy boyfriend. And she sure looks guilty, covered in his blood, but Ernest is determined to find the real killer--and before the new year. With a theater full of suspects, a magician who loses his head, and a real-life and metaphorical advent calendar of clues, he has his work cut out for them.

I love this series so much. Stevenson (and Ernest) have such a unique, fun, fourth-wall-breaking voice that it really draws me in and keeps me engaged throughout. Neither book two or this one, three, reach quite the level of snark and boundary breaking as the first, but the mysteries themselves feel cleaner and more intriguing. This mystery may actually be my favorite of the three, quite clever all around and full of holiday cheer. The one thing that throws me off is whether this is a true book three or a novella. I thought it was a novella, as the hardback is quite thin and it took me about half as long to read as his other books, but it's branded as book three and not book two-point-five. So if it's supposed to be full length, I guess I'd complain that it's short. But that's also not a reason not to read it--because it's great, and probably a favorite of the year.

Thanks to the publisher for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

This is the third book in the Ernest Cunningham Mystery series. While I encourage you to read the series from the beginning because they are delightful, you can jump right into this festive mystery, which features an advent calendar without feeling lost. Each book has a self-contained mystery and although there are recurring characters with relationships to the protagonist, that really doesn’t come into play much in this Christmas novella.

In this story, Ernest receives a call from his ex-wife requesting his help to solve a murder since she has been incarcerated for the deed. Ernest ends up investigating a magician and his entourage of plentiful suspects. When another murder occurs in the midst of his investigation, the situation becomes even more complicated.

As with the other books in this series, I found the story humorous and entertaining. Ernest is such a fun character to lead the reader through a murder investigation. This story had a lot of characters for such a short span and I might have preferred for it to be a little more in depth and drawn out, but that’s typical of most holiday books in my experience. It was a fun installment for the series and if you’re a fan I’d recommend it for a light mystery to read during the season.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mariner Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

I can't resist an Ernest Cunningham novel! Stevenson should call the next one "Everyone Wants to Read This Book".

I love a good theme, and the Christmas theme is especially potent in this book. Despite the fact that the characters are suffering from an intense Australian summer, everything feels very cozy, and the entire mystery is Christmas-related. The murderee writes the word "Christmas" in his own blood, each chapter is labeled with a star 1-24 as if it's an advent countdown, and the events take place in mid-December.

Overall, I had fun with this one. I thought the plot was intriguing and the narrator as funny as ever. My only qualms are that I think the killer was not super obvious (could be a me problem) and that the beloved cast of characters from previous books does not appear. However, in Ernest's rules of Christmas specials at the end, he does mention that not every character has to appear, so I'll give that to him.

Thanks, NetGalley, for this copy in exchange for honest feedback!

Super interesting book! I did not read the first two and felt like it worked as a stand alone and I was able to follow along with the narrator and side characters just fine.

What fun!!!! A murder mystery advent calendar is what I never knew I was missing in my holiday season. While I find it hard to remember that Australia is warm during Christmas (so readers adjust yourself), this was still appropriately festive and a really fun time. Told with his trademark charm and sass, this is another feather in Stevenson’s cap.

This was a fun quick read for the beginning of the holiday season. Ernie is up front about his "holiday special" and relays that it could be read as an advent calendar with 24 chapters. Inventive, but I barreled right through it because it was so entertaining. The sense of fair play is on display as always, as Ernie heads to another part of Australia to help his ex-wife Erin clear her name of her long-time partner's death. Lyle was the head of a successful non-profit that helped rehabilitate drug users. The story is full of quirky characters and a reveal worthy of a Columbo episode.