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Ernest Cunningham #2
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect
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.
How can you find a killer when all the suspects know how to get away with murder?
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.
How can you find a killer when all the suspects know how to get away with murder?
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 17, 2023
5640 people are currently reading
156140 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 10,536 reviews
December 14, 2023
IT’S BETTER THAN THE FIRST BOOK.
IT’S BETTER THAN THE FIRST BOOK.
IT’S BETTER THAN THE FIRST BOOK.
I DON’T KNOW HOW IT’S POSSIBLE, BUT IT’S FREAKIN BETTER THAN THE FIRST FREAKIN BOOK!!!
EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT IS THE BEST WHODUNNIT I’VE READ IN YEARS.
That’s the review. That’s all you need to know. The sequel to JBC TOP 10 pick EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE is so damn good. Like, shockingly good. As in, I had sky-high expectations in the wake of the first book, and somehow this book managed to blow them out of the water.
The sequel is set shortly after the events of the first book, as Ernest Cunningham -our acerbic and 4th-wall breaking main character- attends an Australian Mystery Writers’ Conference on a famous luxury train. However, when the keynote speaker is murdered, Ernest and his mystery writer cohorts must solve this puzzle box mystery before one of them is the next victim.
I’m still shocked that Stevenson somehow manages to one-up his previous book, elevate the stakes, introduce readers to more devious backstabbing characters, and execute twist upon twist upon mind-boggling twist. I am still in awe of how the author managed to tie all of the subplots and mysteries together at the end in a truly memorable way.
EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT officially hits bookshelves…January 30th, 2024. Plenty of time for you to catch up on the first book (if you haven’t already).
IT’S BETTER THAN THE FIRST BOOK.
IT’S BETTER THAN THE FIRST BOOK.
I DON’T KNOW HOW IT’S POSSIBLE, BUT IT’S FREAKIN BETTER THAN THE FIRST FREAKIN BOOK!!!
EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT IS THE BEST WHODUNNIT I’VE READ IN YEARS.
That’s the review. That’s all you need to know. The sequel to JBC TOP 10 pick EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE is so damn good. Like, shockingly good. As in, I had sky-high expectations in the wake of the first book, and somehow this book managed to blow them out of the water.
The sequel is set shortly after the events of the first book, as Ernest Cunningham -our acerbic and 4th-wall breaking main character- attends an Australian Mystery Writers’ Conference on a famous luxury train. However, when the keynote speaker is murdered, Ernest and his mystery writer cohorts must solve this puzzle box mystery before one of them is the next victim.
I’m still shocked that Stevenson somehow manages to one-up his previous book, elevate the stakes, introduce readers to more devious backstabbing characters, and execute twist upon twist upon mind-boggling twist. I am still in awe of how the author managed to tie all of the subplots and mysteries together at the end in a truly memorable way.
EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT officially hits bookshelves…January 30th, 2024. Plenty of time for you to catch up on the first book (if you haven’t already).
October 28, 2023
Ghastly.
February 9, 2024
A great follow up, continuing the gimmick of the first book but adding a whole new cast of characters to keep things fresh. The meta nature of this is something I love; our narrator is actively writing the book that we're experiencing, referencing us as the reader and what we might be expecting from his sequel. There are plenty of moments to be surprised, not only at the reveal of the culprit, but also all of the connections Ernest makes as our amateur sleuth.
Mystery sequels aren't always for me, but this one was a good time! *An early copy was kindly provided by the publisher.
Mystery sequels aren't always for me, but this one was a good time! *An early copy was kindly provided by the publisher.
May 14, 2025
It all starts because of a 1 Star review on Goodreads.
Because...obviously.
And much like the first Ernest Cunningham book, the title says it all.
Well. Not all.
But everyone on the train is a suspect.
This time around Ernest and Julia (why, yes! they did get together!) board a train as part of a group of writers doing a bit of PR. Things happen. Murder-y things.
And that makes everyone on the train a suspect.
Is the mystery good? Yeah.
But it's all the meta stuff for me. And that's going to be hit or miss with some readers.
I love cozy mysteries, and having a narrator talk to the reader like Ernest does was a win in my book.
I also have to admit, as someone who has been using Goodreads for well over a decade, all the references to the site made me smile.
Now, just who is Homes and who is Watson?
And just whose story is this?
Well. That's what Ernest has to figure out.
If you enjoyed the first book, I think you'll like this one.
Recommended.
Because...obviously.
And much like the first Ernest Cunningham book, the title says it all.
Well. Not all.
But everyone on the train is a suspect.
This time around Ernest and Julia (why, yes! they did get together!) board a train as part of a group of writers doing a bit of PR. Things happen. Murder-y things.
And that makes everyone on the train a suspect.
Is the mystery good? Yeah.
But it's all the meta stuff for me. And that's going to be hit or miss with some readers.
I love cozy mysteries, and having a narrator talk to the reader like Ernest does was a win in my book.
I also have to admit, as someone who has been using Goodreads for well over a decade, all the references to the site made me smile.
Now, just who is Homes and who is Watson?
And just whose story is this?
Well. That's what Ernest has to figure out.
If you enjoyed the first book, I think you'll like this one.
Recommended.
![Profile Image for s.penkevich [mental health hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1735525095i%2F6431467._UX200_CR0%2C11%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
August 10, 2024
Climb aboard the murder train for a meta-mystery of mayhem, misdirection and *checks notes* murder in Benjamin Stevenson’s Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect. Accidental author Ernest Cunningham is trainbound, riding high on the success of his memoir and dodging the due-dates of his follow-up novel on his way to a crime-writing festival when he finds himself yet again amidst a nightmare of bloodshed. Hijinks ensue. But a train full of people who plot out killing sprees and clues is bound to solve this locked-door mystery, right? This snarky, self-aware novel, a follow-up to his bestselling Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, is witty and waggish though the ending does remind me of those moments in Project Runway when Christian Siriano admits an idea is good but the execution is “overworking the fabric.” Still this is a charming whodunnit with some good twists where even goodreads reviews show up as a clue that is ultimately an investigation into murder tropes and narrative reveals as much as it is the crime at hand. But what is a desperate crime-writer to do in such circumstances?
‘If one of the six of us was to die right now, you'd have five suspects who all know how to get away with murder.’
This was the recent read for my book club and I wasn’t sure how jumping into the second novel of a series would go, but Ernest—the fictional author of the book written by Stevenson—insists this can be a starting point as long as it gives enough context to make you still want to read the first novel later (his in-world publisher only seems to give advice ‘via the marketing department’). You can certainly enjoy this without having read the first and the marketing dept apparently did well because now I do want to read the previous book. There’s a charming coyness here with the narrator addressing the reader rather directly, telling the story while also commenting on his own approach to constructing the mystery of it for maximum “mystery novel” vibes.
Ernest tells us he will be entirely in earnest in his delivery. There’s a rather amusing set-up here that the previous book was Ernest’s memoir and recounting fact where he was a rather unreliable narrator but he has promised his publisher a second book which is to be a fiction novel, this novel, and insisting on being ‘a reliable narrator.’ As is often the case, the people who are loudest about being truthful tend to do so in order to deceive and the playfulness of this story comes from the ways Ernest tells the truth, but framed in a way that misdirects you from putting together the ultimate reveal at the end. Which is fun with clues such as mentioning he will say the killers name ‘exactly 106 times,’ and long discourses on the “rules” of telling a detective novel.
While reading this, I spent a lot of time thinking about the aspect of this novel as a self referential examination-by-way-of-narrative. Not that this is anything new and the postmodernists have long written novels about the act of the novel in order to explore the clockwork of narrative or act of reading a book, but I’ve noticed this meta-narrative style has been recently popular when setting its sights on the mechanisms of genre. Books like How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe or, more recently, Emily Henry’s satirical look at romance tropes in Book Lovers have highlighted the thematic blueprints of their respective genres in order to look more deeply into the elements that define each genre. This is the narrative heart to Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect, with Ernest discussing the book in progress as just that: a book to be examined and each sentence picked apart to understand its function in the overall story. The book is self-aware of itself and its tropes and it makes for a rather interesting discussion on how a story like this is set up and why.
We all expect twists in a detective story and Stevenson certainly delivers here. The plot performs these surprise acrobatics through a reframing of what we already know, though some of it does feel a bit contrived at the end with the twists more focused on subverting tropes or winking at the reader with a bit of a “gotcha” on technicalities. It is rather fun and I enjoyed how it is aimed as a gag on narratives, and we see how the real detective investigation here is into the mysteries in mystery novels more so than a standard detective solving a murder. Its less a whodunnit and more a “howdunnit” on mystery writing.
This was quite the fun little ride. Fast paced yet very conversational (and snarky) in tone, its a novel that teases expectations and invites the reader to theorize and pour over all the narrator’s little hints and elbow nudges to see if they can get to the solution before the big reveal. Is our narrator as honest as he tells us, who wants these mystery writers dead, and did McTavish even need that face to begin with? Everyone On This Train Is a Suspect indeed, including you, dear reader. I’ve got my eye on you.
3.5/5
‘If one of the six of us was to die right now, you'd have five suspects who all know how to get away with murder.’
This was the recent read for my book club and I wasn’t sure how jumping into the second novel of a series would go, but Ernest—the fictional author of the book written by Stevenson—insists this can be a starting point as long as it gives enough context to make you still want to read the first novel later (his in-world publisher only seems to give advice ‘via the marketing department’). You can certainly enjoy this without having read the first and the marketing dept apparently did well because now I do want to read the previous book. There’s a charming coyness here with the narrator addressing the reader rather directly, telling the story while also commenting on his own approach to constructing the mystery of it for maximum “mystery novel” vibes.
‘That’s why I’m talking to you like this. I am, you may have realized, a bit chattier than your usual detectives in these books. I’m not going to hide anything from you. This is a fair-play mystery, after all.’
Ernest tells us he will be entirely in earnest in his delivery. There’s a rather amusing set-up here that the previous book was Ernest’s memoir and recounting fact where he was a rather unreliable narrator but he has promised his publisher a second book which is to be a fiction novel, this novel, and insisting on being ‘a reliable narrator.’ As is often the case, the people who are loudest about being truthful tend to do so in order to deceive and the playfulness of this story comes from the ways Ernest tells the truth, but framed in a way that misdirects you from putting together the ultimate reveal at the end. Which is fun with clues such as mentioning he will say the killers name ‘exactly 106 times,’ and long discourses on the “rules” of telling a detective novel.
While reading this, I spent a lot of time thinking about the aspect of this novel as a self referential examination-by-way-of-narrative. Not that this is anything new and the postmodernists have long written novels about the act of the novel in order to explore the clockwork of narrative or act of reading a book, but I’ve noticed this meta-narrative style has been recently popular when setting its sights on the mechanisms of genre. Books like How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe or, more recently, Emily Henry’s satirical look at romance tropes in Book Lovers have highlighted the thematic blueprints of their respective genres in order to look more deeply into the elements that define each genre. This is the narrative heart to Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect, with Ernest discussing the book in progress as just that: a book to be examined and each sentence picked apart to understand its function in the overall story. The book is self-aware of itself and its tropes and it makes for a rather interesting discussion on how a story like this is set up and why.
We all expect twists in a detective story and Stevenson certainly delivers here. The plot performs these surprise acrobatics through a reframing of what we already know, though some of it does feel a bit contrived at the end with the twists more focused on subverting tropes or winking at the reader with a bit of a “gotcha” on technicalities. It is rather fun and I enjoyed how it is aimed as a gag on narratives, and we see how the real detective investigation here is into the mysteries in mystery novels more so than a standard detective solving a murder. Its less a whodunnit and more a “howdunnit” on mystery writing.
This was quite the fun little ride. Fast paced yet very conversational (and snarky) in tone, its a novel that teases expectations and invites the reader to theorize and pour over all the narrator’s little hints and elbow nudges to see if they can get to the solution before the big reveal. Is our narrator as honest as he tells us, who wants these mystery writers dead, and did McTavish even need that face to begin with? Everyone On This Train Is a Suspect indeed, including you, dear reader. I’ve got my eye on you.
3.5/5
December 20, 2023
Ernest Cunningham returns in book two with another clever metafiction mystery.
I really enjoyed the train/locked room setting and set-up of a 50th Australian Mystery Writers Society festival. The train is packed with the who's who of crime writers ( 7 in all, including Ernest).
I thought the premise was fun, but with so many characters and discussion about who the murderer was, who had motive, who had opportunity, misdirection, etc AND Ernest's commentary on every situation, it became a lot of work! I was more in the mood to just read and follow some crumbs.
I wanted to finish and find out who the murderer was, but wasn't in a hurry to flip any of the pages to get there. I will read the next, but hope the author goes for "less is more" as this one was a bit drawn out.
Thanks to EW for my ARC. Pub date 10/17/23
I really enjoyed the train/locked room setting and set-up of a 50th Australian Mystery Writers Society festival. The train is packed with the who's who of crime writers ( 7 in all, including Ernest).
I thought the premise was fun, but with so many characters and discussion about who the murderer was, who had motive, who had opportunity, misdirection, etc AND Ernest's commentary on every situation, it became a lot of work! I was more in the mood to just read and follow some crumbs.
I wanted to finish and find out who the murderer was, but wasn't in a hurry to flip any of the pages to get there. I will read the next, but hope the author goes for "less is more" as this one was a bit drawn out.
Thanks to EW for my ARC. Pub date 10/17/23
February 8, 2024
Not to be TOO on the nose with the theme this book centers around, but this literary train was a little slow to get moving and definitely took the scenic route, but it finally built up enough steam to make it a decent trip overall!
Ernest Cunningham is back after the murderous events of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone having written a successful book about it, and is now attending the 50th Australian Mystery Writers Society festival with his girlfriend Juliette aboard a train ride through the desert. With him are six other well-known authors, a couple publishers and a number of fans there to interact with their favorite authors.
I won’t rehash the whole plot, but suffice it to say it takes inspiration from Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, only with Ernest playing the Poirot-role as murder inevitably takes place. If the train was leisurely chugging along at this point - and it was - it definitely started powering down the tracks a bit faster after this! Luckily, by the time the book approached its destination, I was having a lot more fun!
It’s a little hard for me to rate this. I did like it - especially after my library hold on the audio came in and I added in listening to it about halfway through. For me, this series just works better on audio, due to Ernest’s humor and fourth-wall breaking narrative style. When I was just reading it, I found it harder to maintain my attention and enthusiasm. I also don’t hate, but don’t love locked-room mysteries, so the audio provided the extra zing I needed.
I did miss Ernest’s crazy family this time around - these publishing world characters weren’t as fun for me, and the train setting ironically wasn’t as dynamic as the snowy ski-lodge of the first book. Having said that, I really enjoyed the final reveal and watching Ernest put the pieces of the murder mystery puzzle together. I also loved the epilogue(s). Very clever! I’d say this was at a solid three stars until the second half, where the pace and fun picked up, allowing me to end on a satisfying note!
All-in-all, I didn’t like it quite as much as the first book, but I don’t regret taking this trip one bit!
★★★ ½
Thanks to Mariner Books, NetGalley and author Benjamin Stevenson for the digital ARC to honestly review and my library/Libby for the audio. It’s out now.
Ernest Cunningham is back after the murderous events of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone having written a successful book about it, and is now attending the 50th Australian Mystery Writers Society festival with his girlfriend Juliette aboard a train ride through the desert. With him are six other well-known authors, a couple publishers and a number of fans there to interact with their favorite authors.
I won’t rehash the whole plot, but suffice it to say it takes inspiration from Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, only with Ernest playing the Poirot-role as murder inevitably takes place. If the train was leisurely chugging along at this point - and it was - it definitely started powering down the tracks a bit faster after this! Luckily, by the time the book approached its destination, I was having a lot more fun!
It’s a little hard for me to rate this. I did like it - especially after my library hold on the audio came in and I added in listening to it about halfway through. For me, this series just works better on audio, due to Ernest’s humor and fourth-wall breaking narrative style. When I was just reading it, I found it harder to maintain my attention and enthusiasm. I also don’t hate, but don’t love locked-room mysteries, so the audio provided the extra zing I needed.
I did miss Ernest’s crazy family this time around - these publishing world characters weren’t as fun for me, and the train setting ironically wasn’t as dynamic as the snowy ski-lodge of the first book. Having said that, I really enjoyed the final reveal and watching Ernest put the pieces of the murder mystery puzzle together. I also loved the epilogue(s). Very clever! I’d say this was at a solid three stars until the second half, where the pace and fun picked up, allowing me to end on a satisfying note!
All-in-all, I didn’t like it quite as much as the first book, but I don’t regret taking this trip one bit!
★★★ ½
Thanks to Mariner Books, NetGalley and author Benjamin Stevenson for the digital ARC to honestly review and my library/Libby for the audio. It’s out now.
January 30, 2024
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!
A comma saves the day!”
No one knows just how difficult it is to write a second book more than Ernest Cunningham. In the follow-up to Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone, Ernest is given a $100,000 advance to write a Fiction novel. Given that his first book was in the True Crime Memoir genre (as he literally survived the harrowing events described), this is shaping up to be quite a challenge. However, Ernest needs a break from murder because he is suffering from his own survivor’s guilt.
He and his girlfriend Juliette, whom you might remember as the former owner of the mountain resort, attend the Australian Mystery Writer’s Festival’s 50th Anniversary celebration. It takes place on the Ghan, a famous train from Darwin to Adelaide, a route that bisects the desert in Australia. Ernest has been asked to be a special guest and presenter during the four day trip.
“Seven writers board a train. At the end of the line, five will leave it alive. One will be in cuffs.”
When someone is murdered, Ernest and the other passengers become detectives. Which writer will crack the case? The author of legal thrillers, psychological thrillers, forensic procedurals, literary fiction, or true crime?
And…Will Ernest finally have the inspiration he needs to write his book?
Everyone on This Train is a Suspect was one of my most anticipated reads this year, and it is just as fantastic as the first book in the series! Ernest is as intrusive as ever, providing clues and spoilers along the way. Did you know that the murderer’s name is mentioned 106 times?! Despite this clue and Ernest’s intermittent tally, I did not guess the murderer! The plot is brilliant and very well executed. Bravo Mr. Stevenson! 👏
If you are a fan of metafiction, Agatha Christie, or locked room mysteries, you will love this series. I highly recommend it!
5/5 stars
Expected publication date: 1/30/24
Thank you to Edelweiss and Mariner books for the ARC of Everyone on This Train is a Suspect in exchange for an honest review.
A comma saves the day!”
No one knows just how difficult it is to write a second book more than Ernest Cunningham. In the follow-up to Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone, Ernest is given a $100,000 advance to write a Fiction novel. Given that his first book was in the True Crime Memoir genre (as he literally survived the harrowing events described), this is shaping up to be quite a challenge. However, Ernest needs a break from murder because he is suffering from his own survivor’s guilt.
He and his girlfriend Juliette, whom you might remember as the former owner of the mountain resort, attend the Australian Mystery Writer’s Festival’s 50th Anniversary celebration. It takes place on the Ghan, a famous train from Darwin to Adelaide, a route that bisects the desert in Australia. Ernest has been asked to be a special guest and presenter during the four day trip.
“Seven writers board a train. At the end of the line, five will leave it alive. One will be in cuffs.”
When someone is murdered, Ernest and the other passengers become detectives. Which writer will crack the case? The author of legal thrillers, psychological thrillers, forensic procedurals, literary fiction, or true crime?
And…Will Ernest finally have the inspiration he needs to write his book?
Everyone on This Train is a Suspect was one of my most anticipated reads this year, and it is just as fantastic as the first book in the series! Ernest is as intrusive as ever, providing clues and spoilers along the way. Did you know that the murderer’s name is mentioned 106 times?! Despite this clue and Ernest’s intermittent tally, I did not guess the murderer! The plot is brilliant and very well executed. Bravo Mr. Stevenson! 👏
If you are a fan of metafiction, Agatha Christie, or locked room mysteries, you will love this series. I highly recommend it!
5/5 stars
Expected publication date: 1/30/24
Thank you to Edelweiss and Mariner books for the ARC of Everyone on This Train is a Suspect in exchange for an honest review.
December 17, 2023
Ernest Cunningham returns in Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect. Once again, our totally reliable narrator, finds himself in a situation where folks are being murdered. This time, on a luxury train celebrating the 50th Australian Mystery Writers Society festival.
Ernest, of course, is the “author” of Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. His agent has gotten him an advance to write a second book - a novel, this time. But he’s got a colossal case of writer’s block.
If you don’t like books where the main character breaks the fourth wall, steer clear. The whole book is addressed directly to the reader, The humor is here in spades. But there’s also pathos. Ernest is suffering from both imposter’s syndrome and survivor’s guilt. He also learns to recognize his own egotism.
I adore this style of writing. The author taunts the reader, daring us to “count the number of times the murderer’s name is mentioned”, to figure out the clues. And in the end, telling us a “comma will save the day.” Or this: “So I thought I’d pause here and give you, you know, one last chance to put your guesses in. This page is the last page where you get to brag about figuring it all out before I do.” I was not one of those that figured it out ahead of Ernest. So, I’ll give big kudos to Stevenson for a brilliant resolution.
I will admit to having to google what “meta fiction” was, having seen the phrase numerous times in other reviews about this book. So, yes, it’s a parody and a “self conscious narrative.” OMG, it took me back to my major in Semiotics. I’m showing my age. But regardless of what you call it, I love that Stevenson has found a way to take the golden age “locked room mystery” and totally bring it forward to the current day.
My thanks to Netgalley and Mariner Books for an advance copy of this book.
Ernest, of course, is the “author” of Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. His agent has gotten him an advance to write a second book - a novel, this time. But he’s got a colossal case of writer’s block.
If you don’t like books where the main character breaks the fourth wall, steer clear. The whole book is addressed directly to the reader, The humor is here in spades. But there’s also pathos. Ernest is suffering from both imposter’s syndrome and survivor’s guilt. He also learns to recognize his own egotism.
I adore this style of writing. The author taunts the reader, daring us to “count the number of times the murderer’s name is mentioned”, to figure out the clues. And in the end, telling us a “comma will save the day.” Or this: “So I thought I’d pause here and give you, you know, one last chance to put your guesses in. This page is the last page where you get to brag about figuring it all out before I do.” I was not one of those that figured it out ahead of Ernest. So, I’ll give big kudos to Stevenson for a brilliant resolution.
I will admit to having to google what “meta fiction” was, having seen the phrase numerous times in other reviews about this book. So, yes, it’s a parody and a “self conscious narrative.” OMG, it took me back to my major in Semiotics. I’m showing my age. But regardless of what you call it, I love that Stevenson has found a way to take the golden age “locked room mystery” and totally bring it forward to the current day.
My thanks to Netgalley and Mariner Books for an advance copy of this book.
January 30, 2024
3.5 stars ⭐️
For some reason, I initially had a hard time getting into this one. Maybe, I should have waited for the Audible, because that format really worked for me, with the first book in the series.
Ernest Cunningham survived a serial killer in book one, and lived to write about it-penning his novel, “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone”.
The book earned him an invitation from the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society to join them aboard the Ghan, the famous train that runs between Darwin and Adelaide. He was hoping for some inspiration for his second book-Fiction this time-as he needed a break from real people killing each other.
Obviously, that didn’t pan out.
Still playing by Ronald Knox’s Ten Commandments of Detective Fiction, written in 1929, this will also be a “fair play” mystery, where the narrator will be RELIABLE, and if you follow the clues, you may solve the crime.
Here is your first clue: the killer’s name will be used 106 times.
There will be six writers on the Ghan- 5 will become “detectives” and one will be the murder victim.
Can you figure out who is who? I didn’t.
Here is one more clue to help you out-with both the first case, and now this one, the case is solved by a piece of punctuation. Last book, it was a full stop. This time, a comma saves the day.
Good Luck solving this very CLEVER crime! 🕵🏻♀️
AVAILABLE NOW
Thank You to Mariner Books for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!
For some reason, I initially had a hard time getting into this one. Maybe, I should have waited for the Audible, because that format really worked for me, with the first book in the series.
Ernest Cunningham survived a serial killer in book one, and lived to write about it-penning his novel, “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone”.
The book earned him an invitation from the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society to join them aboard the Ghan, the famous train that runs between Darwin and Adelaide. He was hoping for some inspiration for his second book-Fiction this time-as he needed a break from real people killing each other.
Obviously, that didn’t pan out.
Still playing by Ronald Knox’s Ten Commandments of Detective Fiction, written in 1929, this will also be a “fair play” mystery, where the narrator will be RELIABLE, and if you follow the clues, you may solve the crime.
Here is your first clue: the killer’s name will be used 106 times.
There will be six writers on the Ghan- 5 will become “detectives” and one will be the murder victim.
Can you figure out who is who? I didn’t.
Here is one more clue to help you out-with both the first case, and now this one, the case is solved by a piece of punctuation. Last book, it was a full stop. This time, a comma saves the day.
Good Luck solving this very CLEVER crime! 🕵🏻♀️
AVAILABLE NOW
Thank You to Mariner Books for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!
March 6, 2024
4.5 stars! Not quite 5 stars and it's the same rating I gave the first book, which was my number 1 book of 2023 (I had no 5 stars that year) but Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone was the closest it could get. I had high hopes for the sequel and this one did not disappoint. It was more of what I loved about the first book while also doing some new and creative things to keep it relatively fresh. This series has so far engaged with me in a way that most other mysteries don't, and it's one of my favourite things about this author's work.
November 24, 2023
"If you think you don't already know the rules to writing a murder mystery, trust me, you do. It's all intuitive. Let me give you an example. I'm writing this in first person... First person equals survival. Apologies in advance for the lack of suspense when I almost bite the dust in chapter 28.
The rules are simple: nothing supernatural; no surprise identical twins; the killer must be introduced early on (in fact, I've already done that and we're not even through the first chapter yet, though I expect you may have skipped the prelims) and be a major enough character to impact the plot. That last one's important."
An unusual voice, an utterly self-conscious and somewhat unhelpful narrator, Everyone on This Train remains me of Dear Committee Members and the The Thursday Murder Club series. Once I adapted to the voice, I enjoyed it a great deal until the ending which, pun intended, went a bit off the rails.
"Out. Out. Out!' Aaron ushered us into the corridor and shut the door. 'I can't believe you're making me say this, but could you not play games around a dead body?'"
The narrator is Ernest Cunningham, a former pamphlet writer who wrote short pieces on how to write (one of the ironies of the book, of course, being that he hadn't ever written one), until a series of real-life murders befell him. He made the jump to pro leagues, published his 'true-life account' as a book (the first book in this series) and subsequently signed a lucrative contact for a fictional murder mystery. Alas, poor Ernest is suffering from writers' block; fiction is hard.
The plot starts off when Ernest and his girlfriend Juliette are invited to a writers' mystery event, held on a cross-country train (shades of Agatha Christie). Seven murder mystery writers, their various professional connections, and fans all give Stevenson the opportunity to skewer publishing, writers, fans, and the mystery genre. As someone who prefers more sincere narrators, at times it felt excessive. The trick, I discovered, was to accept that Ernest was basically an amusing ass and to realize that no matter what befell him, much like the protagonist of Dear Committee Members, he would probably deserve it.
"His eyes were slightly bloodshot. If I'm honest, he looked like he was coming down off something, and not just a high horse."
I mean that in the nicest possible way, of course, because a lot of the time he is bitingly hilarious; I didn't actually hope he will get murdered. It is just that I learned to embrace the tone by genuinely letting go of any stakes in the outcome.
"I recognized it as the same look Juliette gives me every time we reverse out of the driveway at home. That's not sexist, by the way; I refuse to be the male protagonist who makes snide remarks about his girlfriend's forgetfulness. I mention it because it's a plot point."
I did enjoy the commentary on the industry. I thought the Stevenson did a great job with Ernest's voice although bringing in compassion sooner could make him more nuanced. I do think there could be a little more smoothing out for readers who haven't read the first book, as Earnest makes frequent reference to events as if the reader is in the know.
Stevenson also uses a couple of narrative devices that initially make it challenging to understand what's going on. The book starts with a Program for the (fictional) Australian Mystery Writers' Festival, then a Prologue, which consists of an email from ECunningham, followed by a Memoir, which is the overt commentary about writing a mystery. Oh, and a map of the train and car is included, which I appreciated. The program/email weren't particularly helpful, because I didn't actually know if any of these people existed, and if we were going the reality-based fiction direction, or the strictly-imaginary type. It was excessively confusing, particularly with formatting, and I suspect starting with the Memoir would have been more than adequate.
Overall, entertaining, and once I boarded the train, I found myself excited to pick it up again. In my mind, a bit of tweaking at the engine and caboose and it'd be a five-star ride.
Many thanks to NetGalley for my advanced ereader copy. All quotes are subject to change in final publication but I think give a nice flavor of the voice. And of course, all opinions are my own.
The rules are simple: nothing supernatural; no surprise identical twins; the killer must be introduced early on (in fact, I've already done that and we're not even through the first chapter yet, though I expect you may have skipped the prelims) and be a major enough character to impact the plot. That last one's important."
An unusual voice, an utterly self-conscious and somewhat unhelpful narrator, Everyone on This Train remains me of Dear Committee Members and the The Thursday Murder Club series. Once I adapted to the voice, I enjoyed it a great deal until the ending which, pun intended, went a bit off the rails.
"Out. Out. Out!' Aaron ushered us into the corridor and shut the door. 'I can't believe you're making me say this, but could you not play games around a dead body?'"
The narrator is Ernest Cunningham, a former pamphlet writer who wrote short pieces on how to write (one of the ironies of the book, of course, being that he hadn't ever written one), until a series of real-life murders befell him. He made the jump to pro leagues, published his 'true-life account' as a book (the first book in this series) and subsequently signed a lucrative contact for a fictional murder mystery. Alas, poor Ernest is suffering from writers' block; fiction is hard.
The plot starts off when Ernest and his girlfriend Juliette are invited to a writers' mystery event, held on a cross-country train (shades of Agatha Christie). Seven murder mystery writers, their various professional connections, and fans all give Stevenson the opportunity to skewer publishing, writers, fans, and the mystery genre. As someone who prefers more sincere narrators, at times it felt excessive. The trick, I discovered, was to accept that Ernest was basically an amusing ass and to realize that no matter what befell him, much like the protagonist of Dear Committee Members, he would probably deserve it.
"His eyes were slightly bloodshot. If I'm honest, he looked like he was coming down off something, and not just a high horse."
I mean that in the nicest possible way, of course, because a lot of the time he is bitingly hilarious; I didn't actually hope he will get murdered. It is just that I learned to embrace the tone by genuinely letting go of any stakes in the outcome.
"I recognized it as the same look Juliette gives me every time we reverse out of the driveway at home. That's not sexist, by the way; I refuse to be the male protagonist who makes snide remarks about his girlfriend's forgetfulness. I mention it because it's a plot point."
I did enjoy the commentary on the industry. I thought the Stevenson did a great job with Ernest's voice although bringing in compassion sooner could make him more nuanced. I do think there could be a little more smoothing out for readers who haven't read the first book, as Earnest makes frequent reference to events as if the reader is in the know.
Stevenson also uses a couple of narrative devices that initially make it challenging to understand what's going on. The book starts with a Program for the (fictional) Australian Mystery Writers' Festival, then a Prologue, which consists of an email from ECunningham, followed by a Memoir, which is the overt commentary about writing a mystery. Oh, and a map of the train and car is included, which I appreciated. The program/email weren't particularly helpful, because I didn't actually know if any of these people existed, and if we were going the reality-based fiction direction, or the strictly-imaginary type. It was excessively confusing, particularly with formatting, and I suspect starting with the Memoir would have been more than adequate.
Overall, entertaining, and once I boarded the train, I found myself excited to pick it up again. In my mind, a bit of tweaking at the engine and caboose and it'd be a five-star ride.
Many thanks to NetGalley for my advanced ereader copy. All quotes are subject to change in final publication but I think give a nice flavor of the voice. And of course, all opinions are my own.
April 23, 2025
“Thank God we’re (crime writers) just inventing it! If one of the six of us was to die right now, you’d have five suspects who all know how to get away with murder.”
The premise of Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson is exactly that - one of the authors at a writer's festival happening on a train is murdered and everyone else on the train is a suspect, including all the other writers who've done their research on how to get away with murder. Ernest Cunningham, one of the invitees for his book Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, tries to solve the mystery by banking on the individual expertises of all the writers, work on his next book, inject some romance into the proceedings, and also (less importantly) manages to defend his use of adverbs and learn to pronounce denouement.
If you think you don’t already know the rules to writing a murder mystery, trust me, you do. It’s all intuitive. I’m writing this in first person. First person equals survival. The rules are simple: nothing supernatural; no surprise identical twins; the killer must be introduced early on and be a major enough character to impact the plot. To prove the point, I’ll tell you that I use the killer’s name, in all its forms, exactly 106 times from here.
The plot and the character arcs fulfill the promise made by this premise and kept me hooked enough to finish the book. I particularly enjoyed Stevenson's style of writing as he emulates the Golden Age mysteries, but with his own breaking-the-fourth-wall flippant humor. Ernest's (Stevenson's) perspective in describing the setting and all the players involved initially was good, but his arc from a disinterested detective to an active player who stood to lose a lot as the stakes got higher was more satisfying!
I will point out that one inadvertent mimicry is the curious coincidence that both cases are solved by a piece of punctuation. Last year it was a full stop. This time, a comma saves the day.
I generally enjoy writers and actors breaking the fourth wall, if subtly done. There was quite a lot that worked in this book, like the little pronouncement about the comma at the beginning of the book. I will admit I kept a look out for suspicious commas and maybe even errant semi-colons.
I also see the point in making sure that the killer is a major character and has enough of an on-page presence. What I did not enjoy was keeping an active tally of the number of times each character was mentioned! Not to forget the number of writers on the train at any given time. The rules followed by the Golden Age mystery writers were to promote one purpose: To allow the reader the satisfaction of deducing the killer on their own, based on everything written that far. This constant counting of the number of times any given name appeared in the book did not promote any rational or logical thought towards figuring out the mystery and kept detracting from the reading experience.
However, we soon get to
The De-noo-moh, not Dee-now-ment (duh)
“I have to go through everyone’s motives and alibis publicly,” I said. “It’s basically a requirement of the genre.”
“Does it usually take this long?” All the crime writers in the room said simultaneously: “Yes.”
🌟🌟🌟
The rating for this book is 3 1/4 stars, rounded down to 3 stars as some of the clues given by the author while breaking the fourth wall annoyed me.
[3/4 star for the premise and the whole book; Half a star for the character arcs; One star for the plot/ story arc; Half a star for the world-building and description; Half a star for the writing - 3 1/4 stars in total.]
Quiz: How many adverbs do you spot in this review? 😉
The premise of Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson is exactly that - one of the authors at a writer's festival happening on a train is murdered and everyone else on the train is a suspect, including all the other writers who've done their research on how to get away with murder. Ernest Cunningham, one of the invitees for his book Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, tries to solve the mystery by banking on the individual expertises of all the writers, work on his next book, inject some romance into the proceedings, and also (less importantly) manages to defend his use of adverbs and learn to pronounce denouement.
If you think you don’t already know the rules to writing a murder mystery, trust me, you do. It’s all intuitive. I’m writing this in first person. First person equals survival. The rules are simple: nothing supernatural; no surprise identical twins; the killer must be introduced early on and be a major enough character to impact the plot. To prove the point, I’ll tell you that I use the killer’s name, in all its forms, exactly 106 times from here.
The plot and the character arcs fulfill the promise made by this premise and kept me hooked enough to finish the book. I particularly enjoyed Stevenson's style of writing as he emulates the Golden Age mysteries, but with his own breaking-the-fourth-wall flippant humor. Ernest's (Stevenson's) perspective in describing the setting and all the players involved initially was good, but his arc from a disinterested detective to an active player who stood to lose a lot as the stakes got higher was more satisfying!
I will point out that one inadvertent mimicry is the curious coincidence that both cases are solved by a piece of punctuation. Last year it was a full stop. This time, a comma saves the day.
I generally enjoy writers and actors breaking the fourth wall, if subtly done. There was quite a lot that worked in this book, like the little pronouncement about the comma at the beginning of the book. I will admit I kept a look out for suspicious commas and maybe even errant semi-colons.
I also see the point in making sure that the killer is a major character and has enough of an on-page presence. What I did not enjoy was keeping an active tally of the number of times each character was mentioned! Not to forget the number of writers on the train at any given time. The rules followed by the Golden Age mystery writers were to promote one purpose: To allow the reader the satisfaction of deducing the killer on their own, based on everything written that far. This constant counting of the number of times any given name appeared in the book did not promote any rational or logical thought towards figuring out the mystery and kept detracting from the reading experience.
However, we soon get to
The De-noo-moh, not Dee-now-ment (duh)
“I have to go through everyone’s motives and alibis publicly,” I said. “It’s basically a requirement of the genre.”
“Does it usually take this long?” All the crime writers in the room said simultaneously: “Yes.”
🌟🌟🌟
The rating for this book is 3 1/4 stars, rounded down to 3 stars as some of the clues given by the author while breaking the fourth wall annoyed me.
[3/4 star for the premise and the whole book; Half a star for the character arcs; One star for the plot/ story arc; Half a star for the world-building and description; Half a star for the writing - 3 1/4 stars in total.]
Quiz: How many adverbs do you spot in this review? 😉
October 31, 2023
We all need an Ernest in our lives. Yes, I have great affection for this character; this reliable narrator who saves the day thanks to a comma.
I love Ernest's voice, it feels very original how he narrates the story. Just a perfect sequel: the plot twists, the not so... delicate deaths, how all characters hide something, the secrets that are unmasked and that final cover.
—•—•—•—
Todos necesitamos un Ernest en nuestras vidas. Sí, le tengo mucho cariño a este personaje; este narrador confiable que salva el día gracias a una coma.
Me encanta la voz de Ernest, se siente muy original como narra la historia. Simplemente una secuela perfecta: los giros en la trama, las muertes no tan... delicadas, como todos los personajes esconden algo, los secretos que se desenmascaran y esa portada final.
I love Ernest's voice, it feels very original how he narrates the story. Just a perfect sequel: the plot twists, the not so... delicate deaths, how all characters hide something, the secrets that are unmasked and that final cover.
—•—•—•—
Todos necesitamos un Ernest en nuestras vidas. Sí, le tengo mucho cariño a este personaje; este narrador confiable que salva el día gracias a una coma.
Me encanta la voz de Ernest, se siente muy original como narra la historia. Simplemente una secuela perfecta: los giros en la trama, las muertes no tan... delicadas, como todos los personajes esconden algo, los secretos que se desenmascaran y esa portada final.
November 10, 2023
Ernest is back, this time on a train, and there has been a murder....
Poor Ernest can't get a break. People seem to be murdered around him. Coincidence? The Australian Mystery Writers’ Society has invited Ernest and other authors onboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide. It's a time for networking and for Ernest, hopefully it will provide him with inspiration for writing his second book.
When one of the authors is found dead on board, fingers get pointed as everyone on board is a suspect. Who wanted him dead the most?
This is a locked room/locked train mystery with Ernest telling readers what is happening and what his thoughts are. I struggled with this book initially. I kept looking for other books to pick up and read. I enjoyed Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone more than this one. I was invested in the story enough to want to know whodunit. I enjoyed how Ernest broke things down at the end and exposed the motives and secrets of the other authors. I did not see the reveal coming at all. That was a shocker.
Although I enjoyed this book, I didn't love it. Most are enjoying this book more than I did, please read their reviews as well.
Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
Poor Ernest can't get a break. People seem to be murdered around him. Coincidence? The Australian Mystery Writers’ Society has invited Ernest and other authors onboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide. It's a time for networking and for Ernest, hopefully it will provide him with inspiration for writing his second book.
When one of the authors is found dead on board, fingers get pointed as everyone on board is a suspect. Who wanted him dead the most?
This is a locked room/locked train mystery with Ernest telling readers what is happening and what his thoughts are. I struggled with this book initially. I kept looking for other books to pick up and read. I enjoyed Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone more than this one. I was invested in the story enough to want to know whodunit. I enjoyed how Ernest broke things down at the end and exposed the motives and secrets of the other authors. I did not see the reveal coming at all. That was a shocker.
Although I enjoyed this book, I didn't love it. Most are enjoying this book more than I did, please read their reviews as well.
Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
March 25, 2025
**3.5-stars rounded up**
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect is the 2nd-installment in the Ernest Cunningham Mystery series.
I read the 1st-book in this series, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, immediately preceding this one. I listened to the audiobook for both and absolutely loved the experience. Barton Welch, as Ernie, is bloody brilliant!
In this story, Ernie is now a published author, having written a book following the events of the 1st-novel. He continues directly addressing us, the Readers, so his recognition that he wrote about the events we read in the first book is all very meta. It makes these stories stand-out.
Ernie has been, in a way, invited by the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society to their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide. He accepts, hoping something will happen aboard that could inspire ideas for his next book -- fiction, this time.
There are five other crime writers attending as part of the festival, in addition to Ernie. One of them ends up dead. After that happens, the remaining writers do what they do best, they investigate the crime.
There's so much experience amongst them, they should be able to figure it out. Of course, this logic also works the other way. They are all students of crime. They can solve it, but they could also probably commit it; and well.
The train setting of course makes one think of Murder on the Orient Express. It was such a lovely doff of the cap to that classic, even bringing solid Locked Room Mystery vibes.
I loved having all the various writers, all thinking they have the expertise to figure everything out, bumbling around together, sleuthing it up left and right. At times it was utter chaos and I was delighting in every minute of it!
I'm a huge fan of this series. I think Stevenson has maintained such a sense of fun within these mysteries. They're so clever and charming.
As with the 1st-book, I did feel like things got a little muddled towards the end, but honestly, I didn't really care. I love Ernie Cunningham and I'm a devotee of this series for as long as it runs. Bring 'em on, Stevenson!
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect is the 2nd-installment in the Ernest Cunningham Mystery series.
I read the 1st-book in this series, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, immediately preceding this one. I listened to the audiobook for both and absolutely loved the experience. Barton Welch, as Ernie, is bloody brilliant!
In this story, Ernie is now a published author, having written a book following the events of the 1st-novel. He continues directly addressing us, the Readers, so his recognition that he wrote about the events we read in the first book is all very meta. It makes these stories stand-out.
Ernie has been, in a way, invited by the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society to their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide. He accepts, hoping something will happen aboard that could inspire ideas for his next book -- fiction, this time.
There are five other crime writers attending as part of the festival, in addition to Ernie. One of them ends up dead. After that happens, the remaining writers do what they do best, they investigate the crime.
There's so much experience amongst them, they should be able to figure it out. Of course, this logic also works the other way. They are all students of crime. They can solve it, but they could also probably commit it; and well.
The train setting of course makes one think of Murder on the Orient Express. It was such a lovely doff of the cap to that classic, even bringing solid Locked Room Mystery vibes.
I loved having all the various writers, all thinking they have the expertise to figure everything out, bumbling around together, sleuthing it up left and right. At times it was utter chaos and I was delighting in every minute of it!
I'm a huge fan of this series. I think Stevenson has maintained such a sense of fun within these mysteries. They're so clever and charming.
As with the 1st-book, I did feel like things got a little muddled towards the end, but honestly, I didn't really care. I love Ernie Cunningham and I'm a devotee of this series for as long as it runs. Bring 'em on, Stevenson!
February 2, 2024
After his family’s deadly reunion, Ernest Cunningham publishes a true crime novel recounting the treacherous events of that weekend. Following its publication, his agent seals the deal on a second book. This time, however, they want a fiction novel. A brand new world for Ernest, he realizes that he needs a little inspiration. Hopefully, his invitation to the Australian Mystery Writers’ Festival will be just what the doctor ordered.
Taking place aboard the famed Ghan train, which runs through the desolate Australian outback between Darwin and Adelaide, Ernest settles in with his girlfriend Juliette in their luxurious cabin. Before he knows it, however, ill will has raised its ugly head amongst the invited writers. After all, in the small world of the who’s who of crime fiction, there’s plenty of secrets hidden in the history amongst the invited few.
Shockingly, however, within only twenty-four hours, one of their party is dead. It seems to Ernest that he’s back in his role of amateur detective. This time around, though, he’s got five crime writers to assist. Running the gamut from eagle-eyed psychological expert to legal scholar, together they should know how to get to the truth. Granted, that expertise could also be of some assistance to help one of them kill.
True crime writer. Forensic science wordsmith. Classic mystery bestseller. Legal thriller author. Psychological suspense scribe. And, last but not least, literary penman. Between them, they all hold the skills to get away with murder. Surely one of them can also work out who perpetrated the terrible crime. After all, they’re on a train in the middle of nowhere. It’s only a matter of time until someone else could be killed off as well.
Holy cannoli! What a fun, humor-filled book! After reading (and loving) Everyone in My Family Is a Murderer, I just knew that the sequel, Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect had to be at least equally brilliant. After all, the snarky narration and nod to Golden Age classic mysteries made the first one a definite hole in one. What I wasn’t prepared for, however, was how I would love this one even more. How is that possible? Well, read on, my book besties…
First off the characters were simply divine. A mix of clever and obtuse, unlikeable and engaging, as a whole, the cast won me over hook, line, and sinker. Throw in the fact that the dialogue was giggle-worthy in the extreme, and, well, I don’t know who wouldn’t fall in love with this book. But, in the end, it was Ernest as narrator that made this one sing. Breaking down the locked room mystery into its requisite parts, it gave me ample opportunity to solve the deftly layered puzzle. Did I succeed? Happily, not a chance.
As for the plot, Stevenson’s newest work was just as action-packed as the first in the series. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of sleuthing by not only Ernest, but the rest of the group of crime fiction writers, making the very modern mystery an intriguing amateur detective whodunnit. On top of that, both the adrenaline-fueled climax and apt conclusion were perfectly spot on. So much so that I first gasped and then laughed in the very last chapter. Even better, everything was tied up with a neat, little bow slash happily ever after. Well, sort of in regards to that final assertion…
While reminiscent of Agatha Christie, this addictive and unputdownable novel didn’t take itself quite so seriously. Just the same, this metafiction tale was a shining success as twist after twist and lies piled upon secrets exposed a well-written and thoughtfully laid out plot. Complete with one heck of a memorable dénouement that flawlessly resolved multiple subplots, I was utterly blown away. After all, it will take me awhile to get over the superbly done first-person narration and finely drawn parody. All in all, Stevenson’s clearly done it again, so be sure to grab your copy today. Rating of 5 stars.
Thank you to Benjamin Stevenson and Mariner Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DAY: January 30, 2024
Scroll down for my potentially plot spoiling trigger list.
Trigger warning: poisoning, mention of: stabbing, rape, fatal train versus bus accident, plagiarism
Taking place aboard the famed Ghan train, which runs through the desolate Australian outback between Darwin and Adelaide, Ernest settles in with his girlfriend Juliette in their luxurious cabin. Before he knows it, however, ill will has raised its ugly head amongst the invited writers. After all, in the small world of the who’s who of crime fiction, there’s plenty of secrets hidden in the history amongst the invited few.
Shockingly, however, within only twenty-four hours, one of their party is dead. It seems to Ernest that he’s back in his role of amateur detective. This time around, though, he’s got five crime writers to assist. Running the gamut from eagle-eyed psychological expert to legal scholar, together they should know how to get to the truth. Granted, that expertise could also be of some assistance to help one of them kill.
True crime writer. Forensic science wordsmith. Classic mystery bestseller. Legal thriller author. Psychological suspense scribe. And, last but not least, literary penman. Between them, they all hold the skills to get away with murder. Surely one of them can also work out who perpetrated the terrible crime. After all, they’re on a train in the middle of nowhere. It’s only a matter of time until someone else could be killed off as well.
Holy cannoli! What a fun, humor-filled book! After reading (and loving) Everyone in My Family Is a Murderer, I just knew that the sequel, Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect had to be at least equally brilliant. After all, the snarky narration and nod to Golden Age classic mysteries made the first one a definite hole in one. What I wasn’t prepared for, however, was how I would love this one even more. How is that possible? Well, read on, my book besties…
First off the characters were simply divine. A mix of clever and obtuse, unlikeable and engaging, as a whole, the cast won me over hook, line, and sinker. Throw in the fact that the dialogue was giggle-worthy in the extreme, and, well, I don’t know who wouldn’t fall in love with this book. But, in the end, it was Ernest as narrator that made this one sing. Breaking down the locked room mystery into its requisite parts, it gave me ample opportunity to solve the deftly layered puzzle. Did I succeed? Happily, not a chance.
As for the plot, Stevenson’s newest work was just as action-packed as the first in the series. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of sleuthing by not only Ernest, but the rest of the group of crime fiction writers, making the very modern mystery an intriguing amateur detective whodunnit. On top of that, both the adrenaline-fueled climax and apt conclusion were perfectly spot on. So much so that I first gasped and then laughed in the very last chapter. Even better, everything was tied up with a neat, little bow slash happily ever after. Well, sort of in regards to that final assertion…
While reminiscent of Agatha Christie, this addictive and unputdownable novel didn’t take itself quite so seriously. Just the same, this metafiction tale was a shining success as twist after twist and lies piled upon secrets exposed a well-written and thoughtfully laid out plot. Complete with one heck of a memorable dénouement that flawlessly resolved multiple subplots, I was utterly blown away. After all, it will take me awhile to get over the superbly done first-person narration and finely drawn parody. All in all, Stevenson’s clearly done it again, so be sure to grab your copy today. Rating of 5 stars.
Thank you to Benjamin Stevenson and Mariner Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DAY: January 30, 2024
Scroll down for my potentially plot spoiling trigger list.
Trigger warning: poisoning, mention of: stabbing, rape, fatal train versus bus accident, plagiarism
October 24, 2024
I have a love/hate relationship with this author. Well, maybe that is a bit extreme. I enjoyed his debut novel, “Trust me when I lie,” but I only thought his “Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone” was okay. I didn’t think it was bad, and it was not enough to stop me from picking up this book. But let me just say, I wasn’t chomping at the bit to read it, either.
This is a story about a mystery writer taking a train trip with other mystery writers on their way to a mystery writers festival in Australia. And, one of the mystery writers is our “reliable narrator.” Let’s just say there are a lot of mystery writers in this story.
And, as I was reading it, I actually found myself putting it down a few times and reading other books in-between.
Why?
Because I also found myself bored.
Why?
Because as much as I love a train trip storyline, (especially one that will give a scenic view across the desert of Australia) {which I have never been and would love to go}, the author, plays a supposedly “reliable narrator” that was much too talkative, offering way too many characters to keep track of, and his “fair-play mystery” just became a bit too much for me. Phew! I know, quite the run-on sentence!
I realize I am probably an outlier here. I get it. There are a lot of Benjamin Stevenson fans out there. So, please take in other reviews. Don’t just rely on me.
I can appreciate that he utilizes his “reliable narrator” voice to give us some relevant clues like…
“It’s a staple of mystery novels that, just before the murder happens, certain conversations are overheard in the deep of night. This is to be the case here.”
And… “This may be a surprise, but everyone survives the night.”
Oh goodie. We got a reprieve. We are 108 pages into a murder mystery with no murder. Those of us who are waiting for this murder we keep reading about…well, where is it?!
“And then he died.”
Well, there you have it. Page 111. Is that a spoiler? Shame on me, if so. But I don’t think so. The author has been leading us to this point all along from the beginning. A murder was eventually going to occur. But goodness, so anticlimactic? Or is that the author’s intention? And the joke is on readers?
Of course, we don’t know the perpetrator. Or the motive? Will our “reliable narrator” reveal that to us eventually, too? Or, will he take us down twisty, dark aisles on this train ride through relentless conversations with other eccentric and conceited mystery authors, too?
And, to add to readers “pleasure” will more authors die? And/or, will there be a surprise twist at the ending? I leave it to readers to decide if you want to take this train ride to find out!
3.5 stars rounded down.
This is a story about a mystery writer taking a train trip with other mystery writers on their way to a mystery writers festival in Australia. And, one of the mystery writers is our “reliable narrator.” Let’s just say there are a lot of mystery writers in this story.
And, as I was reading it, I actually found myself putting it down a few times and reading other books in-between.
Why?
Because I also found myself bored.
Why?
Because as much as I love a train trip storyline, (especially one that will give a scenic view across the desert of Australia) {which I have never been and would love to go}, the author, plays a supposedly “reliable narrator” that was much too talkative, offering way too many characters to keep track of, and his “fair-play mystery” just became a bit too much for me. Phew! I know, quite the run-on sentence!
I realize I am probably an outlier here. I get it. There are a lot of Benjamin Stevenson fans out there. So, please take in other reviews. Don’t just rely on me.
I can appreciate that he utilizes his “reliable narrator” voice to give us some relevant clues like…
“It’s a staple of mystery novels that, just before the murder happens, certain conversations are overheard in the deep of night. This is to be the case here.”
And… “This may be a surprise, but everyone survives the night.”
Oh goodie. We got a reprieve. We are 108 pages into a murder mystery with no murder. Those of us who are waiting for this murder we keep reading about…well, where is it?!
“And then he died.”
Well, there you have it. Page 111. Is that a spoiler? Shame on me, if so. But I don’t think so. The author has been leading us to this point all along from the beginning. A murder was eventually going to occur. But goodness, so anticlimactic? Or is that the author’s intention? And the joke is on readers?
Of course, we don’t know the perpetrator. Or the motive? Will our “reliable narrator” reveal that to us eventually, too? Or, will he take us down twisty, dark aisles on this train ride through relentless conversations with other eccentric and conceited mystery authors, too?
And, to add to readers “pleasure” will more authors die? And/or, will there be a surprise twist at the ending? I leave it to readers to decide if you want to take this train ride to find out!
3.5 stars rounded down.
June 14, 2025
I’d advise anyone not trying to die to not hang around Ernest Cunningham; he has now penned two true crime nonfiction accounts, since people in his vicinity are prone to drop dead like flies. (No, he’s not the killer, he’s just a murder magnet — but if he pens a third book about a murder to which he’s connected, Australian police may need to start asking questions). This time we are not at an unexpectedly snowy Australian ski resort (!!) but on a cross-Australia train journey where a mystery writers conference is taking place — and not all writers will emerge alive from it.
Just as in the first book, Stevenson’s character constantly breaks the fourth wall and gleefully engages in dumping a lot of seemingly extraneous details (snarkily so) so that armchair readers/detectives have all the clues that they need to assemble while Ernest gives a behind-the-scenes directors-cut sort of voiceover and running commentary to everything happening on page in which we are constantly reminded of the rules of mystery novels.
Oh, and yes — a 1-star Goodreads review is featured in the plot. Ghastly, indeed!
It’s simple here — if you liked the first book, there’s more of the same here, with the vibes and the narration and endless meta-winks at the conventions of the mystery genre, conversationally detailed to you by our dear Ernest. If the first book annoyed you, this will to, doubly so. I enjoyed the first one, and predictably got a kick out of this one.
Silly and entertaining, and snarkily un-profound, it’s so fun on audio that I can’t help but throw an extra half-star to give this a respectable 4 stars based on sheer fun alone. Hopefully this is a rating that even Ernest Cunningham would accept.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
“If one of the six of us was to die right now, you'd have five suspects who all know how to get away with murder.”
Just as in the first book, Stevenson’s character constantly breaks the fourth wall and gleefully engages in dumping a lot of seemingly extraneous details (snarkily so) so that armchair readers/detectives have all the clues that they need to assemble while Ernest gives a behind-the-scenes directors-cut sort of voiceover and running commentary to everything happening on page in which we are constantly reminded of the rules of mystery novels.
“The rules are simple: nothing supernatural; no surprise identical twins; the killer must be introduced early on (in fact, I've already done that and we're not even through the first chapter yet, though I expect you may have skipped the prelims) and be a major enough character to impact the plot. That last one's important.”
Oh, and yes — a 1-star Goodreads review is featured in the plot. Ghastly, indeed!
It’s simple here — if you liked the first book, there’s more of the same here, with the vibes and the narration and endless meta-winks at the conventions of the mystery genre, conversationally detailed to you by our dear Ernest. If the first book annoyed you, this will to, doubly so. I enjoyed the first one, and predictably got a kick out of this one.
“You want the difference between pulp and literature? Between a real writer and just a writer? I’ll tell you: adverbs.”
“Adverbs?”
“You use too many of them,” he said, derisively.
Silly and entertaining, and snarkily un-profound, it’s so fun on audio that I can’t help but throw an extra half-star to give this a respectable 4 stars based on sheer fun alone. Hopefully this is a rating that even Ernest Cunningham would accept.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
March 23, 2024
4.5 stars - For my money, this was better than the first. The writing issues I had in the first one were improved upon (and commented upon in text!) and I think the plot was more focused. Some of my favorite tropes, and I just ate the meta elements up with a spoon
December 12, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up
Ernest Cunningham #2
It’s the 50th anniversary program of the Australian writers festival and the guest of honour is Henry McTavish, best selling author of the detective Morbund series, which just so happens to be Ernest’s favourite author. The anniversary celebrations are to take place aboard the famous Ghan, a train that travels from Darwin to Adelaide, crossing the desert regions. Seven writers board the train, including Ernest who is a guest speaker as a debut author. At the end of the line, five authors remain alive, and one is in handcuffs. When the first murder happens, surely it can’t be too hard to solve, after all these people are experts in the field of detection. Most importantly, from Ernest’s perspective, maybe he’ll get the inspiration for that crucial follow up to a successful debut novel. Ernest promises that he will be a reliable narrator for the dramatic events about the Ghan, as of course, he still following Ronald Knox’s 1929 10 Commandments of detective fiction. However, only time will tell if Ernest follows through with his promise, and of course, let’s bear in mind that one star review! This time a comma saves the day, not a full stop!
The starting point of the novel is witty and amusing but then it takes a while to get going and I admit to struggling with it for the first third or so. For example, there are a lot of author’s details, much moving up and down the train and wining and dining. The second half is much faster paced than the first, and there are some vivid and entertaining scenes and one very good action movie worthy scene that does require some disbelief suspension, but it is really good! As the novel progresses, it delves deeper into each author and we learn a few things about them that are very unexpected.
I do enjoy the ever present humour and the tone the novel is written in, and there are some clever clues to spot such as the killers name will be mentioned 106 times, precisely. Naturally, I don’t count them myself, but Ernest does help us out a bit, however, of course I don’t spot the actual killer which turns out to be a bit of a surprise! I probably shouldn’t have laughed at the end scenes (no, I definitely shouldn’t) but it does have some elements of the dramatically absurd.
As a book fanatic, I thoroughly enjoy the bookish element of this novel and it’s quite illuminating on aspects of the industry. The setting on a train that passes through parts of Australia is excellent and there are some accompanying good descriptions, giving a real sense of place.
Overall, yes, I do enjoy the wit and humour and it can’t be denied that the author has a way with words. However, I don’t enjoy this one as much as the first book as it takes much longer to get into.
With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
Ernest Cunningham #2
It’s the 50th anniversary program of the Australian writers festival and the guest of honour is Henry McTavish, best selling author of the detective Morbund series, which just so happens to be Ernest’s favourite author. The anniversary celebrations are to take place aboard the famous Ghan, a train that travels from Darwin to Adelaide, crossing the desert regions. Seven writers board the train, including Ernest who is a guest speaker as a debut author. At the end of the line, five authors remain alive, and one is in handcuffs. When the first murder happens, surely it can’t be too hard to solve, after all these people are experts in the field of detection. Most importantly, from Ernest’s perspective, maybe he’ll get the inspiration for that crucial follow up to a successful debut novel. Ernest promises that he will be a reliable narrator for the dramatic events about the Ghan, as of course, he still following Ronald Knox’s 1929 10 Commandments of detective fiction. However, only time will tell if Ernest follows through with his promise, and of course, let’s bear in mind that one star review! This time a comma saves the day, not a full stop!
The starting point of the novel is witty and amusing but then it takes a while to get going and I admit to struggling with it for the first third or so. For example, there are a lot of author’s details, much moving up and down the train and wining and dining. The second half is much faster paced than the first, and there are some vivid and entertaining scenes and one very good action movie worthy scene that does require some disbelief suspension, but it is really good! As the novel progresses, it delves deeper into each author and we learn a few things about them that are very unexpected.
I do enjoy the ever present humour and the tone the novel is written in, and there are some clever clues to spot such as the killers name will be mentioned 106 times, precisely. Naturally, I don’t count them myself, but Ernest does help us out a bit, however, of course I don’t spot the actual killer which turns out to be a bit of a surprise! I probably shouldn’t have laughed at the end scenes (no, I definitely shouldn’t) but it does have some elements of the dramatically absurd.
As a book fanatic, I thoroughly enjoy the bookish element of this novel and it’s quite illuminating on aspects of the industry. The setting on a train that passes through parts of Australia is excellent and there are some accompanying good descriptions, giving a real sense of place.
Overall, yes, I do enjoy the wit and humour and it can’t be denied that the author has a way with words. However, I don’t enjoy this one as much as the first book as it takes much longer to get into.
With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
March 11, 2024
Life is full of disappointment, I just added this book to the list.
It's not the usual kind of disappointment.
It's like "when you get calculator as a gift for Christmas" kind of disappointment.
The kind of disappointment you get after Running into a wall with a boner and breaking you nose first.
My first penis genre joke of the day.
Second book syndrome sabotaging another of my favourite series.
It's been a while since a book disappointed me this much. Usually I don't have expectations from a book but as I was a big fan of the first part of this series It hurt more when it didn't deliver.
Plot was really good, execution was not. There were so many good twist and each character has such a good backstory.
My dear favourite author If you’re reading this review, l have the following suggestions.
1)I understand your proclivity to joke around but don't do it too much Because It takes away the tension and angst from the story which ultimately makes it impossible to take the murder mystery seriously.
2)Don’t break the third wall too much and try to connect with reader. It breaks the trance and reader doesn't get enough time to engage with the story and it's character enough.
3)Allow the characters and plot to grow on us. Believe in your story and the writing more than your jokes.
I expect so much better from you. I hope it makes sense. I tried to write down what I felt with as much clarity as possible.
Sincerely
Utkarsh
It's not the usual kind of disappointment.
It's like "when you get calculator as a gift for Christmas" kind of disappointment.
My first penis genre joke of the day.
Second book syndrome sabotaging another of my favourite series.
It's been a while since a book disappointed me this much. Usually I don't have expectations from a book but as I was a big fan of the first part of this series It hurt more when it didn't deliver.
Plot was really good, execution was not. There were so many good twist and each character has such a good backstory.
My dear favourite author If you’re reading this review, l have the following suggestions.
1)I understand your proclivity to joke around but don't do it too much Because It takes away the tension and angst from the story which ultimately makes it impossible to take the murder mystery seriously.
2)Don’t break the third wall too much and try to connect with reader. It breaks the trance and reader doesn't get enough time to engage with the story and it's character enough.
3)Allow the characters and plot to grow on us. Believe in your story and the writing more than your jokes.
I expect so much better from you. I hope it makes sense. I tried to write down what I felt with as much clarity as possible.
Sincerely
Utkarsh
February 21, 2024
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 received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
February 9, 2024
2.5 Stars rounded to 3. I regret that I am among the minority who struggled with this book. Although it contained humour and an intricate, complex mystery, I did not care for the writing style and format but kept plodding along.
Seven authors of the Australian Mystery Writers Society members have been invited to participate in a crime-writing festival. They will travel on a luxurious train, the Ghan, for four days from Darwin to Adelaide. The train passes through the outback desert. Tourist excursions are planned for stops at Kathryn Gorge, Alice Springs and Coober Pedy.
It was necessary to sort and remember the names of those invited to the crime writer's festival, and also the type of crime books they made them famous. Others on the train must be added if they play a significant role in the story. These include a sponsor, a publisher, the head of a fan club, a small book club discussing a sleazy bestselling book by a new author, a man wanting to be known as a crime writer and his wife, and the train staff. On display are tensions, criticisms, jealousy, and anger among the crime writers. There are unexpected twists and secrets which bring so many threads into the plot and make it difficult to follow. Sometimes, less is more.
Ernest Cunningham narrates the story. Although self-conscious and feels inferior to the esteemed writers, he still comes across as pompous. I hadn't read the previous book in which he was the leading character, and if I had, I might have enjoyed this more. Ernest has written only one book, a nonfiction chronicle of events in the previous book, and he was lucky to survive. He is accompanied by his fiancee, who also wrote about those murders. He is now under pressure to write a fiction book and hopes for inspiration.
A reliable narrator, Ernest, speaks directly to the reader about the ten rules for a successful mystery story and how the rules should be read and interpreted. He taunts and tantalizes with clues. He suggests we count the number of times a character's name is mentioned, as the murderer is named 106 times, and that a comma is important. He hints that facts revealed about the characters include plagiarism and a cover-up of a sex crime. The reader is advised to be aware of riddles, cryptology, and anagrams. He challenges the reader to solve the crimes before he does. Where does AI fit in?
Soon after the journey begins, the most prominent and famous member of the writer's group is murdered. Ernest places himself in the amateur detective role and probes the behaviour of the other travellers. He speculates on motives, and everyone is a suspect. When they reach Alice Springs, the body is removed, and someone is placed in handcuffs. A real detective boards the train. He is methodical and has no patience with Ernest's theories. Soon, a leading suspect in the murder is found stabbed to death. The passengers are told they will be diverted from the Coober Pedy stop and must remain on the train until disembarking in Adelaide. They are now confined to the train with a killer.
The detective's car is stolen, and Ernest jumps out of the Ghan and chases it through a field of dangerous mine pits. The story becomes quite convoluted, and some absurd action follows, in which Ernest is compared to a want-to-be Tom Cruise. During a skirmish, two people fall off the top and go under the train. If the readers have related to any of the characters, they will be more interested in the conclusion than I was. I would urge prospective readers to read positive reviews and not be influenced by my misgivings.
Seven authors of the Australian Mystery Writers Society members have been invited to participate in a crime-writing festival. They will travel on a luxurious train, the Ghan, for four days from Darwin to Adelaide. The train passes through the outback desert. Tourist excursions are planned for stops at Kathryn Gorge, Alice Springs and Coober Pedy.
It was necessary to sort and remember the names of those invited to the crime writer's festival, and also the type of crime books they made them famous. Others on the train must be added if they play a significant role in the story. These include a sponsor, a publisher, the head of a fan club, a small book club discussing a sleazy bestselling book by a new author, a man wanting to be known as a crime writer and his wife, and the train staff. On display are tensions, criticisms, jealousy, and anger among the crime writers. There are unexpected twists and secrets which bring so many threads into the plot and make it difficult to follow. Sometimes, less is more.
Ernest Cunningham narrates the story. Although self-conscious and feels inferior to the esteemed writers, he still comes across as pompous. I hadn't read the previous book in which he was the leading character, and if I had, I might have enjoyed this more. Ernest has written only one book, a nonfiction chronicle of events in the previous book, and he was lucky to survive. He is accompanied by his fiancee, who also wrote about those murders. He is now under pressure to write a fiction book and hopes for inspiration.
A reliable narrator, Ernest, speaks directly to the reader about the ten rules for a successful mystery story and how the rules should be read and interpreted. He taunts and tantalizes with clues. He suggests we count the number of times a character's name is mentioned, as the murderer is named 106 times, and that a comma is important. He hints that facts revealed about the characters include plagiarism and a cover-up of a sex crime. The reader is advised to be aware of riddles, cryptology, and anagrams. He challenges the reader to solve the crimes before he does. Where does AI fit in?
Soon after the journey begins, the most prominent and famous member of the writer's group is murdered. Ernest places himself in the amateur detective role and probes the behaviour of the other travellers. He speculates on motives, and everyone is a suspect. When they reach Alice Springs, the body is removed, and someone is placed in handcuffs. A real detective boards the train. He is methodical and has no patience with Ernest's theories. Soon, a leading suspect in the murder is found stabbed to death. The passengers are told they will be diverted from the Coober Pedy stop and must remain on the train until disembarking in Adelaide. They are now confined to the train with a killer.
The detective's car is stolen, and Ernest jumps out of the Ghan and chases it through a field of dangerous mine pits. The story becomes quite convoluted, and some absurd action follows, in which Ernest is compared to a want-to-be Tom Cruise. During a skirmish, two people fall off the top and go under the train. If the readers have related to any of the characters, they will be more interested in the conclusion than I was. I would urge prospective readers to read positive reviews and not be influenced by my misgivings.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2024
Similar in style to the first book in the series but this time the "locked room" is a train, in fact the magnificent Ghan which runs between Darwin and Adelaide. This made the book more fun for me because I have done the trip myself and it is memorable.
Ernest Cunningham's trip is memorable too but for different reasons. He is attending a writer's festival along with six other authors and the competition between them is high. When the murders begin he feels obliged to investigate especially since the train is speeding through the desert with no easy access to the police.
As with Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone Ernest speaks directly to the reader and loads the narrative with clues and hints. This is fun but there was too much for me and I gave up trying to work out the murderer in favour of enjoying the story and the humour which is brilliant. It will be interesting to see what happens if Ernest gets himself a third book.
Ernest Cunningham's trip is memorable too but for different reasons. He is attending a writer's festival along with six other authors and the competition between them is high. When the murders begin he feels obliged to investigate especially since the train is speeding through the desert with no easy access to the police.
As with Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone Ernest speaks directly to the reader and loads the narrative with clues and hints. This is fun but there was too much for me and I gave up trying to work out the murderer in favour of enjoying the story and the humour which is brilliant. It will be interesting to see what happens if Ernest gets himself a third book.
September 5, 2023
Benjamin Stevenson has done it again! I know that I say this every time he releases a new book, but it is true, the man is a genius. You think that Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone was good, wait until you read this one. Put the kettle on, get comfortable and lose yourself in another fun and very, very clever Murder mystery.
Did somebody say locked room? How about a locked train? Ernest Cunningham is trying to write that difficult second book, in fact he is trying to even come up with an idea for it. He is hoping that inspiration will strike when he travels on the Ghan, a train from Darwin to Adelaide, for a crime writers festival. He feels like a fraud even being there, he just wrote about what happened with his family after all. So when somebody on the train is murdered in the night, he sees his chance for a book. Who, how and why? Using his trusty rules of fiction, he sets out to solve the crime, and write his next smash hit book.
So, we have a train full of crime writers and crime readers. All of them think they can solve the crime, with their expertise. What we have is a hilarious murder mystery that is very difficult to put down. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one when it comes out in October. You will feel as if you are on the train, trying to put all the clues together along with Ernest. So much fun!!
Thank you so so much to Penguin Books Australia and Benjamin for my very early advanced copy of this book. I will be telling everyone that they need to read it.
Did somebody say locked room? How about a locked train? Ernest Cunningham is trying to write that difficult second book, in fact he is trying to even come up with an idea for it. He is hoping that inspiration will strike when he travels on the Ghan, a train from Darwin to Adelaide, for a crime writers festival. He feels like a fraud even being there, he just wrote about what happened with his family after all. So when somebody on the train is murdered in the night, he sees his chance for a book. Who, how and why? Using his trusty rules of fiction, he sets out to solve the crime, and write his next smash hit book.
So, we have a train full of crime writers and crime readers. All of them think they can solve the crime, with their expertise. What we have is a hilarious murder mystery that is very difficult to put down. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one when it comes out in October. You will feel as if you are on the train, trying to put all the clues together along with Ernest. So much fun!!
Thank you so so much to Penguin Books Australia and Benjamin for my very early advanced copy of this book. I will be telling everyone that they need to read it.
January 31, 2024
4 very solid stars. This sequel’s really quite serviceable & kept me up reading late, perhaps not quite as much fun as the first, but the mystery itself feels better plotted. There were a whole lot of characters to keep straight, if you were playing along with the “whodunnit”, but I just went with the flow. There’s still lots of “meta” aspects, too, if you enjoy that kinda thing (I do!). And I really love our “reliable” narrator, Ernest and I do hope there are more of his deadly, literary adventures to come.
Read
September 30, 2024Second in this exceedingly meta murder mystery series. I was unsure about the first one, in that the cleverness and self consciousness, deliberately telling you it's a puzzle playing by genre rules and so on, veered between interesting, amusing, and too clever by half.
Having read this one, I remain unsure about the above. Plus the plot hinges on a rape (that's not a giveaway, he tells you so early on) and tbh, I can enjoy a good murder without any moral qualms but I don't feel nearly as comfortable with rape as plot engine for witty meta shenanigans. I am not claiming this is logically or ethically consistent, but all the same it just didn't land for me in the end.
Having read this one, I remain unsure about the above. Plus the plot hinges on a rape (that's not a giveaway, he tells you so early on) and tbh, I can enjoy a good murder without any moral qualms but I don't feel nearly as comfortable with rape as plot engine for witty meta shenanigans. I am not claiming this is logically or ethically consistent, but all the same it just didn't land for me in the end.
January 27, 2025
Why is this book so popular? I found it ridiculous. The plot was unnecessarily convoluted with too many red herrings and horrible people as characters.
I wanted to read this before the first book in the series because this one was due back to the library tomorrow, but I’ll be returning the first book too, because I have no desire to read it after having read this one. Ghastly! (Admittedly, this will only make sense after you read the book.)
I wanted to read this before the first book in the series because this one was due back to the library tomorrow, but I’ll be returning the first book too, because I have no desire to read it after having read this one. Ghastly! (Admittedly, this will only make sense after you read the book.)
January 19, 2024
3.5 stars
The premise of these clever mysteries by Benjamin Stevenson is that an author named Ernest Cunningham writes books about real murders he's helped to solve.
Cunningham's first book, 'Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone', is about homicides that occurred during a family reunion at a mountain resort. Ernest subsequently got a contract to write a fictional mystery, but he developed writer's block and could barely pen a word.
Cunningham was then invited to be a featured author at the 50th annual "Australian Mystery Writers' Festival" which took place on the Ghan, the luxury train that travels from Darwin to Adelaide, a distance of 1,850 miles.
As it happens, travelers were murdered during the journey, and Ernest got to write another book. Cunningham relates this tale in 'Everyone On This Train is a Suspect', a narrative of the harrowing trip.
Early in the book, Cunningham introduces the festival's featured writers, who are:
Henry McTavish - the Guest of Honor and author of the popular Detective Morbund series. McTavish likes his tipple and he likes the ladies.
Ernest Cunningham - author of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, about a serial killer. Cunningham is our narrator.
Lisa Fulton - author of a legal thriller called The Balance of Justice, published two decades ago. Lisa is just now writing her second novel.
SF Majors - author of gripping thrillers that have been optioned for Netflix and Broadway. Majors is the host of the festival.
Alan Royce - a former forensic pathologist who writes the Dr. Jane Black series. Royce is desperately trying to get a blurb from Henry McTavish, hoping to raise his profile and increase his sales.
Wolfgang - award-winning author of literary fiction who uses only one name. Wolfgang is a snob who looks down on authors who write genre fiction, which includes all the other writers at the festival.
Cunningham also describes other people on the train, including his girlfriend Juliette; his agent Simone; a publisher called Wyatt Lloyd; a McTavish superfan called Brooke; the journey director Aaron; the barista/bartender Cynthia; literary fans Jasper and Harriet Murdoch; several book club ladies; and more. Thus there are plenty of characters who might be either victim(s), killer(s), or just passengers.
Cunningham explains right off that he adheres to the rules of 'Golden Age' mysteries, such as: nothing supernatural; no surprise identical twins; the killer must be introduced early on; the killer must be important to the plot; no obvious truths must be concealed from the reader; and so on. Ernest sticks to the rules, but in a rather tortured fashion.
After crimes start occurring on the Ghan, far from populated areas, with no police nearby, Cunningham decides HE should investigate. So Ernest examines crime scenes; looks for evidence; questions people; develops theories, etc. Ernest is clever and insightful, the story is full of twists and turns, and it's all very entertaining.
It's also fun to follow the journey of the Ghan, with off-train excursions to the Katherine Gorge;
the underground township of Cooper Pedy, where opals are mined;
and the red center of Australia, Alice Springs.
I'm a fan of Golden Age mysteries and I liked the book. My major quibble would be that the plot is over-convoluted and hard to follow in places. Still, if there's a third book in the series, I'd probably read it.
Thanks to Netgalley, Benjamin Stevenson, and Mariner Books for a copy of the book.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com
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