With each book in this series, Stevenson settles further into his character, making Ernest ever more entertaining even if the mysteries and deaths around him continue to be a little convoluted and rambling (which is saying something in the abbreviated length of a novella). Normally, convolution and rambles in a mystery would be an issue. But here they really are not because I absolutely love Ernest and all of his rules! The rules as an underlying organizational concept allow the reader to feel slightly superior, right along with Ernest, even when bumbling through things - again, right along with Ernest. It makes for a very fun and very engaging reading experience.

Pair that with the way Ernest regularly talks to his readers, and you have an extremely entertaining setup. I love concept of breaking the fourth wall. It has the power to draw the reader in and offer a snarky and entertaining aspect in a way that more traditional at-a-distance narratives do not. When it's done badly it's a hot mess, but Stevenson does it quite well and his facility with the construct improves with each book.

The use of a magician and Stage Show as a setting was a marvelous one for this particular story, and I found the behind-the-scenes peek as interesting, if not at times more, then the actual explanation of the murders themselves. This was a great filler until the next full series book comes out, and given the character developments and improvements in plotting and pacing over the series of three books so far, I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes next!

Great book! It was an enjoyable follow up in the series and I love Benjamin Stevenson's style of writing. It is humorous and keeps things interesting and moving along.

This was an entertaining read. It was not as strong as the second one, in my opinion, but still enjoyable.

**3.5-stars rounded up**

🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret is the 3rd-installment to the delightfully-meta Ernest Cunningham Mysteries series. It's also the perfect novella to kick off your holiday spirit!!

I binged the first 2-books in this series recently and was really excited for this holiday-focused mystery story. I definitely feel like Stevenson nailed the holiday vibes and I really enjoyed my time with it. I rated it a little lower than the previous two stories merely because my enjoyment level wasn't quite as high with this one as those other novels. I think it's simply a case of there not being enough time to really feel fully immersed, or pulled, into this one.

It was still a fun mystery and I enjoyed the set-up involving Ernie's ex. I also found the inclusion of the magician, and everyone one involved in his show, exciting and different.

As always, I loved the little nods to classic mystery stories; particularly those of Agatha Christie. My favorite part of this though was Ernie's rules for Christmas Specials. That was so funny, and also, very true. It sounds like there is another full-length novel in the works right now and I can't wait for more information on it. No matter what it is about, I will be first in line.

I love this series so, so much, and definitely recommend the audiobooks for anyone looking to get into the series. The narration is perfect for this unique storytelling style.

Thank you to the publisher, Mariner Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Overall, this is a cute, fun, quick Christmas Special following Ernie Cunningham doing what he does best: solving murders!

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret is the third book in Benjamin Stevenson’s mystery series featuring Ernest Cunningham. When Ernie’s ex-wife, Erin, is accused of murdering her boyfriend, he’s the first person she calls. Convinced she’s innocent even though the evidence says otherwise, Ernie plunges into an investigation.

This is an entertaining book and a great addition to the series (which I recommend should be read in the order written for full enjoyment). There’s a variety of characters, with plenty of clues (as promised) sprinkled along the way. The ending is brilliant and well-done, with everything neatly tied up like a holiday package.

This book isn’t very long (192 pages) but it’s a satisfying mystery. It’s length makes it an ideal book to read during the holidays, when time isn’t always plentiful. Now, I’m already looking forward to Mr Stevenson’s next book. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.

Just in time for the holidays, a fair play Christmas mystery.

This is a novella, and even though it’s short, it’s a very cleverly plotted story with plenty of clues to allow the reader to figure out whodunit along with the main character. Our erstwhile detective, Ernest Cunningham, finds another mystery soon after solving two very public murder cases. He is headed to Katoomba and a Christmas show after his ex-wife, Erin, calls him from jail there after her boyfriend is found murdered in their house.

Clever, funny and tongue-in-cheek, this is told in first person point of view with Ernest explaining and talking about things with the reader. It’s a great choice of writing style for this type of story and it works very well. Definitely, Ernest is smarter than he looks and though he’s no real detective, he’s definitely coming into the role. Lots of fun. Can’t wait for the next installment.

I listened to the audiobook while also following in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. The narrator, Barton Welch delivers a great performance with his Australian accent and dramatic flair. It definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

I love all of the Ernest Cunningham books and a holiday special one was something I didn’t even know I needed. The story had just the right amount of festive touches and the mystery was solved in Ernest’s classic way. This was a great mystery to start off the holiday season

This series has quickly become one of my favorites this this Christmas novella was the perfect escape read. It was fun seeing Ernest back in action trying to clear his ex-wife’s name. In typical Stevenson fashion, he details what can and cannot happen in a holiday special with wit and charm. He keeps it tight with a small cast, but one that is full of suspects. I can’t wait to see where this series heads next!

tl;dr
Although billed tongue-in-cheek as "the holiday episode," still retains the same tight plotting and fun meta commentary of the rest of the series.

Thoughts
Even though this is a Christmas book, you should probably grab it before December if you want to read it "as intended." In theory it should be read one chapter a day, like an advent calendar. In practice? Yeah... I finished this a lot quicker. It's a much shorter installment than the prior two books in the series, clocking in at 175 pages. Our self-aware author Ernest explains to the readers that this is because it's a Christmas special, and like every Christmas special, it's should be fast-paced, and easy to skip. That being said, if you're a fan of the series, don't skip this!

Like the rest of the series, it's a tightly-plotted fair play mystery with plenty of drama and some really fun twists. There's also a brand new character introduced who I really hope will be a regular in the series, because he's terrible and hilarious. At this point in time, you know if this series is for you (unless this is your first encounter with Ernest Cunningham, in which case I heartily recommend starting at the beginning). This book features the usual meta commentary, self-effacing humor, and dry macabre sensibilities of the previous books, with the writing now honed even sharper than before.

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret
by Benjamin Stevenson
#onehundredandfirstbookof2024 #arc #bookthree #christmasmurder

CW: death, murder, magic/illusionist shows

This is the third installment of the Ernest Cunningham series. Ern’s ex-wife wakes up a few days before Christmas covered in her partner’s blood and he is summoned to clear her name, but then a man close to the victim also turns up dead during his investigation and now he has two murders to solve.

This was a cute little mystery, actually more of a novella, and Ern himself likens it to the Christmas episode of a longstanding tv show, compete with rules of how the episode works. I love the meta aspect of this series, where Ern talks to the reader, dropping hints of what is coming and how he’ll get there. I enjoy how he plays with the tried and true mystery tropes and engages the reader during his thoughts. The Christmas advent calendar aspect was a cute way to incorporate the holiday into the story. I had a suspicion about who the culprit was but never guessed how it would get there, and it was a fun ending. I enjoyed this one very much.

Thank you to @marinerbooks and @netgalley for the advance copy. (Available now, pub date was 10/22/24)

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Benjamin Stevenson does it again. Some of you may be wondering if you need to read the first two books in order to understand this Christmas special. The answer is yes. In theory you would understand the basic mystery plot but the extension of the characters and their underlying dynamics can’t be fully appreciated without that added knowledge. You will also majorly spoil yourself for the first two books if you don’t read them before this.

For those of you who are familiar with the series we get the standard witty banter, clever upfront writing and a satisfying ending. I love this series a lot and I really hope the next one is at a wedding or honeymoon most of you will know why. In this episode our main character has begun to advance in his detective skills and has an arch nemesis as all good detectives need.

Can’t recommend this series enough. This is an easy one sitting read that’s great for the holiday season but really anytime of year. It’s told in 24 chapters set up like an advent calendar and has a secret Santa exchange. So glad I got to read this. What a fun time.

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mariner Books
Pub Date: 10-22-24

Thank you @netgalley and @marinerbooks for this eARC.

". . . this is my third murder case: it isn’t enough to do the grand showdown reveal at the end anymore. When you’re in a series, the detective has to prove their worth early on with a little bit of inspecting razzle -dazzle."

Ernest Cunningham is back in this fun "Holiday Special" of a murder mystery.

When his ex-wife is arrested for the murder of her boyfriend, Ernest is on the case. There are multiple bodies and multiple suspects, of course, along with an advent calendar and a Secret Santa gift swap to help solve these murders.

A fun, seasonal mystery while readers wait for the next installment in this series.

#everyonethischristmashasasecret #benjaminstevenson #marinerbooks #netgalley

As the main character points out in the book, a Christmas novel should always stand alone. That's one of the great things about this story. I've read the other two books related to this character, so I was excited to see where his story went for the holidays, but anyone could read it and understand what was going on. It's also a good length, as many of us have less time to read the Christmas stories we love. The advent calendar "chapter a day" format was a lot of fun, though I read the whole thing in one evening.
It was a very clever murder mystery that stands in it's own even without the holiday theme. There were some real "lightbulb" moments that I had that I really liked. Looking forward to more books from this author.

A murder mystery set up as an advent calendar? Yes please! Summer Christmas? As it should be. An intriguing setup with twists I genuinely didn’t see coming (but I thought I did)? A must read. So witty. So funny. So good.

Earnest Cunningham has found himself yet again at the centre of a murder mystery. This time at Christmas. The suspect looks guilty, but his gut says otherwise. In trying to find the real killer, he ends up deeply involved in the world of professional magicians.

This was my first exposure to the series, and I enjoyed it! Ernest Cunningham likes to solve mysteries, and he’s good at it, according to just about everyone. 24 chapters to lead up to Christmas, and then the prize of chocolate (maybe) at the end. His former wife Erin is the one accused of murder, and he was her first call since she knows how good he is at this! It’s a different type of mystery, but I enjoyed it, and I definitely didn’t figure it out before Ernest revealed the culprit.

Four stars! I recommend it!

I am a HUGE Benjamin Stevenson fan. I have loved all of the Ernest Cunningham books so far and this one was no exception. I love Ernest, I love his family, the characters are amazing. I love the way he writes, the story just flows along. I couldn't put it down!

Ernest Cunningham and some of his favorite co-characters have returned just in time for the 2024 Holiday Season! And when I say, just in time, I mean, there is another murder that only Ernest can solve, and Christmas is just days away. Put aside your idyllic images of snow-capped mountains and frosted windowpanes, because the Earnest Cunningham series takes place in Australia, where the Christmas season is actually in the summer. Nevertheless, Benjamin Stevenson, carefully places some festive and seasonal breadcrumbs around the crime scene for all of us armchair sleuths to puzzle through.

What I loved most about this particular Cunningham mystery was the structure. Stevenson creatively arranges his chapters to mimic an Advent calendar. Our fearless detective even suggests outright, that some readers may want to approach this story as one would opening one door per day of an Advent calendar, starting on December 1, completing a chapter a day, and solving the mystery on Christmas Eve. A mystery book Advent calendar if you will. However, if you are anything like me, you will want to devour this holiday treat in one or two bites.

Although you don’t have to read the two previous Earnest Cunningham books prior to Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret, readers will get more out of the mystery if they are acquainted with the other mysteries and characters in the series. For those of you who are looking for a cozy mystery to read fireside or while away on holiday, you will likely enjoy this entertaining and short whodunit.

3.75 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC of Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret by Benjamin Stevenson.

Stevenson has yet to recapture the magic of his first novel - Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, and adding tinsel and mistletoe to this one didn't really help with his dilemma.

With his ex-wife caught red-handed, and charged with murder, it's up to amatuer sleuth Ernest Cunningham to keep her out of jail. Following the commandments of the mystery lovers' "Holiday Special" books, he cleverly deduces who the REAL killer is in an expectedly dramatic fashion. This was an okay story, with so many characters that I had trouble keeping them straight, and, indeed, when the murderer was finally revealed, I was left muttering, "Who the heck is this guy again?"

This is a slight, but frequently entertaining book. If you've read and enjoyed the first two novels in the series, you won't want to give this one a miss.

"Isn't that how all your mysteries work? Everyone's got a motive? Everyone's got a secret?"

Another great mystery from Benjamin Stevenson! This one is a holiday mystery - set up in 24 chapters so you can read it like an advent calendar and read 1 per day until the lead up mystery reveal in the end!

And what a fun mystery! Even though this is nice and short for our busy holidays, the mystery is still solid. It kept me guessing as I kept my flipping my guesses and my accusations. I loved the twists, the little nods to other famous authors and, as always, the perfect humor and wit. These are just the best little mysteries, I can't wait for the next one.

Even though this one will stand well on its own, I highly recommend starting with book 1 in this series - Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. All of the stories in this series have been wonderful! I highly recommend!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson is another installment in a mystery series whose new releases are becoming greatly anticipated for me! In this iteration, Ernest is drawn into yet another murder mystery when his ex-wife Erin calls and informs him that she's been accused of murder. In order to help Erin, Ernest must seek answers at a benefit magic show, steeped in Christmas spirit.

Much like the previous two books in this series, I had a great deal of fun with Everyone This Christmas has a Secret. I loved the cheeky style of this book and the way Ernest speaks directly to the reader about classic mystery cliches and foreshadowing what's to come in the plot. I also thought that the advent calendar was a really neat way to unravel each clue and put them together!

I do feel that things came together a little too quickly by the end of the book. While I enjoyed the quick pace, it ultimately felt like the conclusion took my by surprise because it came too soon.

However, I enjoyed the book overall and will definitely be excited to pick up the rest of the series!