Member Reviews

e-book ARC from Netgalley, all opinions are my own

I LOOOVED the first book in this series, and my high hopes for the sequel were well met! Ernest Cunningham, the narrator and "author" of these "memoirs", is a delightfully meta plot device for the story. Nothing from the first book seemed recycled in this story, and the 'death on a train' trope had well developed, obvious Agatha Christie callbacks.

There is another twist at the end that I kind of guessed, but nonetheless was happy to read. I can't wait for book 3!

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I really wanted to love this book - and at first, I did. But I found myself getting stuck and not wanting to jump back in, so ultimately decided to put it down. I did enjoy the humor, but there were just a few too many characters for me to fully immerse myself into the world of the book. That being said, I can absolutely see how this would be a book that many people would love. So, while it wasn't for me, I would still recommend giving it a try if it sounds like something you'd enjoy!

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it to others.

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This is the second installment in the Ernest Cunningham series, and since I loved the first, I wanted to read this one as well.

This time, we catch up with Ernest at a mystery writer’s convention that’s being held on a large passenger train. When one of the writers is murdered, the other writers (with their great knowledge of murders and how to solve them) start investigating.

This one has the same breaking of the fourth wall, humor, and nice wrap up at the end to show me all the clues I missed. I really like this style of writing, and the humor is written in a way that appeals to me.

I didn’t like this one wuite as much. One of the things I loved about the first one was the family element, which a sequel can’t really have. But I did still really like this one (highly recommend the audio as well)!

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This was a fun meta mystery that I think most people would enjoy. It was well paced and had plenty of moments to be surprised

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ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT [thank you to Mariner Books and @netgalley for my #gifted copy!]

Title: Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
Genre: Mystery
Format: Audio
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆
Narrators: Barton Welch & Megan Smart
Narration: ★★★★☆

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:
When the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society invites a group of crime authors to a festival aboard the Ghan train, inspiration turns to real-life horror as one of them is murdered. Now, the remaining writers—each an expert in a different crime genre—must use their skills to solve the case. But with everyone knowing the ins and outs of committing the perfect crime, finding the killer among them becomes a deadly challenge. How do you catch a murderer when all the suspects know exactly how to get away with it?

ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
This book, in my opinion, was incredibly hard to follow. Since the author only introduces the characters in a list at the beginning of the novel, it was difficult to remember who was who as the mystery unfolded. However, in classic Ernest fashion, the case was as amusing as it was curious - and it was a fun ride! However, I might recommend at least having the “suspect” list printed for reference as you read. Otherwise, like me, you may be disengaged because you have no idea what’s happening & therefore can’t remember anyone’s motives.

I would also say that, while this is kind of a stand alone book, I would recommend reading the first book before this one, as its events and consequences are referenced often.

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Agatha Christie
Locked Room Mysteries
A Reliable-Yet-Unreliable Narrator
Unlikely Crime Solvers
Red Herrings

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 3.88
# of Hours: 8 hours 24 minutes
Pub Date: January 30, 2024

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In the follow-up to Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, our protagonist and narrator, Ernest, is on a train with his girlfriend, Juliette, as part of a mystery author's convention. His (and our) first book, wasn't exactly successful, and he's having trouble drafting a novel and earning his advance. But when one of the guests on the train dies and Ernest suspects murder, he not only wants to find the killer to protect himself and the other passengers, but maybe he'll get a book plot out of it, too.

The best part about this series is the totally unique storytelling style. Ernest is a cheeky, fourth-wall-breaking hero who teases us with clues that are just too clever for their own good. In the first book, it came off a bit more unexpected, and was more prevalent, but I loved those aspects of this book just as much. He promises never to lie to you, and he doesn't, and I love a good reliable narrator. The mystery in this one was also quite a puzzle--in the best way possible--that had me guessing until the very end. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Thanks to the publisher, Mariner Books / HarperCollins) for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 10/10

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What a fun and innovative mystery! The main character is a nonfiction writer and traveling on a train as part of a mystery writing festival. But then one of the writers is killed. Who can solve the mystery? This is the second book after Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone. This can stand alone but start with the first one since you’ll want to read both, anyway.

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For fans of Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, a new story from the same narrator, in yet another murderish scenario. Ernest Cunningham is on a train when people start dying. Essentially a moving locked-room mystery. There are so many twists and turns, lots of juicy reveals and suspense. This one is just as tongue-in-cheek and breaking the fourth wall as the first and I liked it even more with the particular tropes and themes. Definitely recommend.

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Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect is the second outing for Ernest Cunningham by Benjamin Stevenson. Released 30th Jan 2024 by HarperCollins on their Mariner imprint, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out 1st quarter 2025 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

This is such a clever and well rendered series absolutely full of quirky humor and giggle-out-loud prose. A closed circle of suspects, this time book people on a train: publishers, writers, and readers. There have been comparisons to Clue and Knives Out, and those are both apt and inevitable. It's not at all derivative, but it does have the same vibes of whimsy and camp that are also present in the aforementioned.

It's somewhat the same format (and style) as the first book, so readers who enjoyed that one will likely find this installment to their taste as well.

It's a much more limited range of characters than last time, and although the book's first person narrative takes some effort, readers are well repaid in the form of fast, sharply funny, and perceptive commentary from the narrator. Ernie continually breaks the fourth wall, which some readers will find annoying and repetitive, and which seemed personally to be just on the right side of comedic. Read back to back, it would almost certainly be a bit too much of snarky overload.

Three and a half stars. Well written, clever, at certain points surprisingly funny, and entertaining. For fans who don't mind -heaping- helpings of whimsy and sharp humor in their murder mysteries. The author's a stand up comedian in real life, and it shows.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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The Everyone series has gained popularity, and I think there will be a Christmas-themed book as well. I did read the first book, and it was good. The same style and snark was carried over to the second.

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

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This book reads like no other. It‘s so clever, funny and especially unique.
In this book the author is talking to you, the reader, which makes it so entertaining because it made me feel like I was trying to solve the puzzle together with the author himself! I feel like every book should be written that way.
The setting is amazing as well, everything happens at one place, the train. We get to know different rooms and of course many different people. I love how everyone had their own characteristics. There isn‘t just one murder…
It‘s such a page-turner and I can highly recommend it to everyone craving a funny and cozy mystery novel <3
I can’t wait to read his other books ( you don‘t need to read his books in a particular order )

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While I loved the first book in this series, I found Everyone on This Train is a Suspect to be lackluster and a little slow going.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback. An excellent sequel! I hope to see more of Ernest and Juliette in the future.

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This is book 2 in the Ernest Cunningham series and I did not read book 1. Ernest narrates this book and he starts out with an overall view of the story. 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. This was an okay read for me, I think if I had read book 1, Everyone in my family has murdered someone, I might have enjoyed more.

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I did not read Stevenson’s first novel though I think that I may now do so. That was, however, in no way a handicap to enjoying this title with recurring narrator Ernie.

This book strikes me as an, at times, humorous homage to the classic mysteries of authors like Agatha Christie. As in Murder On the Orient Express (though Ernie says it should be Murder IN the Orient Express), a group is assembled and isolated, there is mayhem and much to solve. As an added twist/bonus, many of the story’s characters are mystery authors and that adds to the fun.

There is much to enjoy in this entertaining story. Many thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

This book was published in January 2024

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Not my favorite, but it was better than the first book. More fast paced, which I think is key in these locked room style mysteries.

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Okay, it makes sense that a comedy writer wrote this! This was a fun rump, a meta commentary on writing too. I haven't read the previous book, but found this one fun.

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I liked this book much more than the first in this series, but I didn’t love it. I enjoyed that it took place on a train, it was a unique setting. And I enjoyed the twists and the ending was unexpected, but there were a lot of characters and at times it seemed a little unorganized.

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Loved book 2! Perfect train mystery. Looking forward to the next installment of "Everyone" adventure!

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