Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.

I was excited my request was approved; I mean, check out the title! Of course I had to read this!

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone is another Agatha Christie wannabe; a group of suspicious characters (in this version, the cast of suspicious people are a family and everyone has something to hide, natch) stranded in at a winter resort as a storm rages.

The main character, Ernest, aka Erna, writes how-to books for a living, including how to write a murder mystery, which makes him the most obvious character to tell the story of what happened.

As a result, the tone of the writing is both humorous and very meta as Ern constantly talks to the reader, as if he's Deadpool.

I'm not a fan of this literary device; I wish authors would stop using this method.

It's not artsy or unique. It's distracting and frustrating and takes me out of the story every time Ern reminds me he's writing this story.

Also, titling each chapter after a relative and introducing flashbacks as to how Ern is connected to this particular member of the family was also not the best way to introduce each person into the story.

The plot was messy. Convoluted. Hard to believe.

Ern's family do sound interesting. I would have liked to know more about them, but the story isn't about his family, but about Ern and how smart he is.

He's not. He's not witty or clever. I didn't dislike him, but I didn't like him. Perhaps it was the tone of the writing, or how Ern was already positioned as an outsider to his family, but I wasn't a fan of his.

The way Ern ties up the mystery, how each person is involved and how he figured it out based on very mundane 'clues' was ridiculous. Not to mention the appearance of Jeremy.

It was hard to take each reveal seriously. My ability to suspend disbelief was already balanced on the precipice when the Black Tongue was introduced, but as Ern explained how he came to his conclusions was my breaking point.

The writing was good, and I was intrigued by his relatives, but the mystery and how everyone factored in was needlessly complicated.

I got about 20% in and just lost interest. The main character narrating was a little too tongue-in-cheek for me.... I didn't really find him funny but did appreciate the uniqueness. It might've been a little too "quirky" family for me and I just didn't really care whodunit.

Hilarious and so much fun! It caught me off guard so many times and I loved his the story was told. What a funny take on a family ski trip!

This was such a fun book. I really enjoyed how tongue and cheek this was and how our narrator was speaking directly to the reader. This book was dripping with Agatha Christie mystery vibes. This felt like a game of clue on a mountain with a complicated family. As we get into the story characters are explained and layers are peeled back in such a wonderfully and timely way. This was a great mystery.

Ernie isn’t excited about his family reunion at a ski resort. In fact it’s the last thing he wants to do however, it’s been made mandatory for all to attend. You see Ernie’s family isn’t like everyone else’s family. Every person in his family has killed someone including himself. With this secluded cold ski trip reunion Ernie has his doubts that they all will survive this weekend.

This book isn’t like a book I’ve ever read before and I loved it. It’s fun and mysterious. Ernie was a quirky character that I really enjoyed. There is so much family drama in this one which isn’t exactly surprising given the title of this book. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed but overall it was a solid fun read. I definitely recommend this one if you’re into unique murder mysteries and family drama. Can’t wait to read more by this author.

The main character, Ernest Cunningham, tells us that he is a writer who authors books instructing crime writers how to write crime novels. This is his first crime novel that he is writing and it is the telling of how his family members have, indeed, all killed someone (and in some cases more than one person). Ernest tells us he will be an honest narrater and give the reader all the information as he has it, which he helpfully does do--even interrupting chapters with helpful recaps and pages to look for further information. Even so, the mysteries are twisty and complicated (sometimes a bit too much so) but Ernest does explain everything in the end. Ernest is witty, funny and finds himself in predicaments that usually end in the death of those around him, but maybe that's just how his family is. Reminded me a bit of the movie, See How They Run with a bit of Glass Onion/Knives Out. An extremely enjoyable book that kept me intrigued and reading to the end!

I absolutely loved this. The quirkiness and the breaking of the fourth wall had me laughing throughout much of the book. I can not wait to read more by Benjamin Stevenson.

This book is unlike any mystery novel I've read before! The story is told by our narrator and crime fiction writer, Ernest Cunningham, who is on a family reunion at a snowy mountain resort in Australia.

The book was sectioned into chapters by family members (brother, step-sister, uncle, etc) and was incredibly detailed, even including an index (hyperlinked to the pages on the e-copy) where every murder/reference to a murder was at the beginning of the novel. I didn't reference that as it was too much jumping around, but the fact that it was there was a unique touch!

While Ern is at the center of the story since he is the one re-telling the events, each character was really well-developed and had their own backstory, some more savory than others. The thought and work put into this novel is unmatched! I most certainly didn't see the twist at the end coming, and the author kept me guessing where the story was going the whole time. Highly recommend for a super unique mystery novel!

This was a very original read. The writing and character building were well done and enjoyable. The mystery itself was a little predictable but fun to read.

I loved this story! If you like isolated cozy mysteries with a Sherlock-esque character who breaks the fourth wall and is constantly making witty remarks, you're going to love this one!

The only reason I took a star off was because I lost a little bit of interest in the direction the mystery took, but that was just a personal preference. Can't wait to see what the next book in this series is like!

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Cunningham family is gathering at an Australian ski resort for a reunion of sorts. One family member has just been released from prison, others have secrets they are protecting, there is a storm approaching (of course there is), and the narrator of the story is a self-published author. He begins his story by stating that everyone in his family has killed someone, which leads to a complicated tale. It involves an outstanding cast of characters, and a narrator with a sly sense of humor.

If the title of this book isn’t enough to capture your interest, then you just aren’t paying attention. It’s humorous, clever, unique, and ultimately very enjoyable. It definitely has both Knives Out and Agatha Christie vibes. How can it get much better? I thoroughly enjoyed Mr Stevenson’s mystery and I’m looking forward to more from this talented author. 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson is such a fantastic, brilliant mystery.

This was such an incredible, fun read. I mean FUNNY!

The Cunninghams are quite the family with lots of secrets and skeletons in their closets.

I really loved the way this book was written, so CLEVER.

Absolutely loved every minute!

What a fun, refreshing twist on most thriller novels. It felt very much like Knives Out and in this case Ernest Cunningham makes a great Benoit Blanc (especially since there’s still so much of his own story to unfold). Didn’t see the twist at the end coming which was a great surprise. Only thing I didn’t love was some of the second person narration as he addresses this is a book. Felt a little gimmicky and could’ve been just as strong without it. Otherwise, highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for sharing the ARC (now released so go check it out!)

EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE by Benjamin Stevenson is a quirky homage to Golden Age mysteries that, unfortunately, tries too hard. As much as I enjoyed Ernie and the trouble he and his family got into, and as much as I liked Stevenson's excellent execution of suspenseful moments, I simply couldn't stay invested in this book. Every time I started to settle in, the metaliterary humor poked me back out. I understand that many people will enjoy this, and for them, they'll probably think this book is perfect. For me, it was trying too hard, and it ruined what would have been an otherwise great book.

This was an incredibly interesting concept for a book, and while I had never heard of the author before I will definitely be following them now. The book was well written and flowed quickly and easily. I’ll be recommending it heavily upon release.

This book was such a fun read! In Everybody in My Family Has Killed Somebody, we are told the story of a family reunion that involves several, well, killers. Ernest is the narrator, a writer who helps instruct other writers how to write mystery novels based off some general principals from the greats like Holms and Knox. The issue is that a family reunion is being had because Ernest's older brother is finally getting out of jail after three years in the big house as a result of Ernest testifying against him. These tangled webs that only families with complicated histories can create are just the beginning of this fantastic whodunit.

I haven't read a lot of mysteries in my time, but I certainly appreciate this one. I felt like the narrator, Ernest, was truly telling us this story because of all the interjections that were made. There were instances in the Kindle book where you could actually click on words and it took you to other parts of the book, which was highly entertaining. I did feel like at time it got a tiny bit cumbersome because of the large amount of characters, not sure if this is normal for mysteries or not. I did enjoy reading it though and feeling like a detective myself. I loved the twists that weren't completely unexpected after Ernest described them, but were definitely entertaining. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and reading much later than my bed time, which all good books do!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this fun mystery! All opinions within this review are my own.

LOVED this book! An original storyline with a fairly unique way of presenting the tale. HIGH recommendation (5+ stars)!!!!

This story was such a wild ride! Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for a digital copy of this book.

There is so much that interested about this book. From the cover and the title, to the idea and the plot, I knew this was a book I needed in my life...and I was right! A totally fun and unique perspective on a murder mystery. Instead of Ernie (the MC) finding out who killed so-and-so, it's all about finding out who the so-and-so was that Ernie killed.

And funny! Like laugh out loud even though there's a bunch of people around you seeing what you're reading and wondering what in the actual heck is so funny about murder. I'm here for it.

I will say, there were a few parts I found confusing...keeping track of all the family members for starters, but once I got it sorted out it was all uphill from there.

This book was refreshing in that the POV from the main character wasn't simply narrating the story of events, Ern was actually talking to me. Like telling me inside jokes, poking fun at his family, (and at times, his editor). It was like this actually happened and we were sitting down for coffee and I was the sole recipient of this information.

Thank youBenjamin Stevenson for writing such a brilliant story to get immersed in!

4/5 stars

“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.