“𝑭𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒗𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒔, 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓.”

I LOVE a play on a classic mystery, and when Jordan (@JordysBookClub) raved about this book (and linked it to some of the humour of Clue), I couldn't wait to dive into this book.

Benjamin Stevenson has created such a unique story that breaks the fourth wall and plays with what a mystery is "allowed" and "not allowed to do." Ernest, the narrator, promises to tell the truth and even lays out what pages the murders are going to take place on! Ernest speaking directly to the reader reminds me a lot of Hastings or Watson. There are so many flash forwards ("𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 32" during chapter 2) and flashbacks that kept me intrigued and wanting to know how everything would be connected. The characters are well developed, intelligent, and act just strange enough to help build the tension. The narration feels a bit like Clue in its humour, with many one-liners that made me chuckle. This self awareness and ability to poke fun at itself added to how much I enjoyed the whole read, like "𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦́𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵: 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦." Although the mystery got a bit convoluted at times, everything comes together so well and Ernest gets to have the "parlour show" to reveal all the secrets.

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone is a story of murder, family, secrets, mystery novels, the past, and survival. It offers a unique and fun take on the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. It has already been picked up for a HBO series and according to GoodReads, a sequel is coming. I cannot wait to see what Benjamin Stevenson has planned for Ernest next. Thank you to Mariner Books, Harper Collins Canada, and NetGalley for the ARC!

This story is hilarious and a solid mystery all at the same time. With dry dark humor and a narrator that breaks the 4th wall I was engrossed in the story immediately. Trying to solve the mystery with nods to writers from the golden age of mysteries was good puzzle.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book! I loved the murder mystery aspect and how the family is all about the drama. Being away at a family reunion with this family just sounds like something is bound to happen! I enjoyed this book and think it's a great read for anyone who loves a good mystery.

I started out really enjoying this and the writing style, but I got bored in the middle. I wanted more suspense I guess. This is a good read for people who like a quirky sense of humor. It is a mystery book but also kind of a guide to writing a mystery if that makes sense. The main character is fun, but I wasn’t a huge fan of many others. Basically, some will like it and some will not.

This is a super-quirky but highly original and enjoyable mystery novel, which simultaneously plays with, subverts, and yet conforms to classic mystery rules and tropes.

Main character and narrator Ernest is himself a writer and scholar of golden age mysteries (think Agatha Christie), and regularly breaks the 4th wall to address the reader and discuss the rules of this type of mystery, cliches, etc - and promising to follow these rules as he shares with us what happens during the family reunion of sorts at an Australian ski resort during a snow storm - and it’s a family where he tells us, as the title says, that everyone in the family has killed someone (or will by the time the book is over). It’s funny but also serious, and a set of layered mysteries as dead bodies both past and current start piling up. It’s confusing at times, but all the clues are there and make sense at the end.

There’s definitely a very specific tone to this book - very meta, very wink wink tongue in cheek, a sort of arch dry humor. I loved it, but I can definitely see this being a love it or hate it type book if you don’t like the style of narration. And I definitely would recommend reading rather than doing on audiobook due to the complicated self-referential plot.

I found it a very enjoyable read, and will definitely pick up the sequel which Goodreads reveals is forthcoming.

Thank you for this book! Campy and humorous. It got a little confusing trying to keep all the characters straight and who knew what toward the climax of the story. But the reluctant narrator breaking the fourth wall so many times was funny and really added to the character of Ern.

Read if you like:
✍🏻 Narrators talking to the reader
🔍 Mysteries
❄️ Snowed in
🔥 Multiple Murders
🧩 Puzzle Pieces coming together

This one definitely won’t be for everyone but it was a decent mystery running through all the commandments of how to write a thriller/mystery and incorporating them all as the story goes on.

I enjoyed the narrator of the story talking directly to the reader and breaking the 4th wall, but also at times it was just a bit over the top.

If you liked knives out this would be a great book for you.

Make sure to pay attention to all the 10 commandments and see if you can unravel the puzzle before the reveal.

Thank you to the publisher for my ARC copy of this one in exchange for my honest thoughts!

What a lovely nod to classic mysteries! This was such an enjoyable read and I loved the audiobook. The large cast of characters were fully formed and I loved their individual quirks. The mystery at the heart of this was compelling and multilayered. The author breaks the fourth wall throughout which when done well is a favorite of mine. Each version of this is slightly different depending on which format you a reading which is super cool.

This is a cleverly written story centered around a family gathering – a reunion of sorts and we learn Ernie had a role in sending his brother to prison, much to the horror of his family. He’s been invited to Michael’s homecoming and reluctantly attends.

Our narrator, Ernest Cunningham, has written how-to guides for writers and knows a thing or two about how crime stories are put together. While he might not have written the original book – that was Ronald Knox with his ten rules for detective fiction in 1929, he does believe in taking us along for an entertaining ride. A lot of this book doesn’t take place in-real-time or in the present. Ernie tells us about events from the past and he shares his anecdotes.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed somebody is a brave, original and mostly successful attempt at throwing the rulebook of a crime mystery out the window. I recommended for anyone who likes a cheeky, clever crime story. (Note: It appears HBO has purchased the rights for a tv series - I look forward to watching!)

Many thanks to NetGalley, Manner Books and Benjamin Stevenson for a glimpse into a family of unique characters, each with their own secrets and each holding their own grudges.

It was a little slow. I didn't connect well with the narrator and I felt it was a bit predictable at times and a bit outlandish at other times. Not a good fit for me though I really wanted to love this!

I don't often come across books that are innovative in form while paying deep homage to the classics, and was delighted that this did both. The hook is the notion that everyone in the family has killed someone, and all--or most--of those killings come together by the end of the book to prove relevant to the death of a stranger at a mostly snowed-in ski lodge. Most of the characters are horrible, but the author manages to imbue them all with redeeming characteristics by the end (okay, most of them). I loved that the old-school reveal at the end felt like an Agatha Christie plot in the grips of roid rage--in the best possible way.

Thanks to the the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. The opinions are completely my own.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

I have absolutely no idea how to write this review. I detested this book. It had so much promise but I hated everything about it. The writing style was unpleasant. The character building was nonexistent. I have not even one positive thing to say.

For a book that really didn’t get a bump from the press, it is circulating super well in my system, A good purchase for most libraries.

WOWWWW.

I am OBSESSED with this book. If they don’t make it into a movie, it will be a missed opportunity.

This is exactly like Knives Out and Glass Onion in a book form. It’s hilarious and the 4th wall is constantly being broken in the best ways.

The narrator is lovable and relatable, the story is gripping, the twists are numerous and shocking throughout, and it is not like your cliche whodunnit.

This is a 10/10 read, I will recommend this FOREVER.

Please excuse me while I buy every other book by this author in the hopes of experiencing something this magnificent once again ✌️

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

EIMFHKS was the murder mystery I didn't know I needed. The narrator, Ernie, is a member of a notorious crime family, and he brings a lot of levity to the book. I found myself laughing out loud at times, all while trying to figure out who the murderer at the remote ski lodge was. This book had a plentiful cast of interesting characters, was witty, dealt with shifting family dynamics, and had a fun mystery. I was surprised by who ended up dead, the reveals, and how Ernie was able to piece everything together. I will definitely be reading more by this author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Come for the title and stay for the fun. I feel like I jumped into a game of Clue written by Agatha Christie if she were a modern day stand-up comedian. And Oh, can we all meet in the library for the reveal?
Ern Cunningham is a writer that writes books on how to write books. Follow? As he writes this one, he's talking to all of us readers about his rules and how they apply to the ongoing body count that is being immortalized on the written page. Follow along as Ern's family's secrets are disclosed and the dead pile up. Clues abound and if you miss any, Ern will direct you back to them to be sure you're up to snuff and that he is being honest in his writing. What a delight!

Don't miss out on this one. I'm already looking forward to Ernest Cunningham, #2

Thank you to Mariner Books for granting my request for an egalley. All opinions are my own.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone is a closed circle mystery set at an Australian ski resort where the Cunningham family is having a reunion of sorts. The narrator, Ern, testified against his brother Michael three years ago; now Michael, having been released from prison, is on his way to the resort.

I think this book will be a good fit for those who read a lot of mysteries and enjoy thinking about aspects of the genre. I hesitate to call it original, given that Anthony Horowitz's Hawthorne & Horowitz series also has a narrator who describes the investigation itself, his experience with respect to the investigation, and his telling of the investigation. But it's certainly different than your run-of-the-mill crime fiction, with a narrator who continually breaks the fourth wall.

At the same time, it didn't totally work for me, I think because of the narrator's attempts to be clever and/or cute. Honestly, I'm not not here for that! But it doesn't feel right to me in a story that contains some real tragedy. Or maybe it's just that I enjoy it in small doses, and here it felt like a lot. Whatever the case, I liked this one, but I didn't love it the way I was ready to.

Stevenson's premise is an intriguing one, but the execution (pardon the pun) doesn't quite meet expectations.

Absolutely loved this book! The way it was written draws you in and holds you captive. Storyline was great and unexpected. Will buy this in a hardcopy and recommend to others as well!

I heard about this book almost a year ago when it first came out in Australia, so I was thrilled to be approved to read it. Let's cut to the chase - I adored this book. Part old school mystery, part breaking-the-fourth-wall narrator, it was entertaining and compulsively readable. I will recommend this to anyone and everyone I know because it really is just so enjoyable.