Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret is the third mystery in a series where the author purports to "play fair" by presenting the clues as the detective finds them. No tricks up his sleeve as it were. You wouldn't think it would work, but it does! The result is a devilishly creative and entertaining mystery that you might be able to solve, but I'm o detective, so I just let the story take me where it will. I love it!

As the name suggests, Everyone This Christmas takes place in the days leading up to Christmas, so it's a mashup of a murder mystery and a Christmas special. This time our detective, or Slapdash Sleuth as he's been nicknamed in the press, finds himself investigating the death of a philanthropist and the magic show crew that *might have killed him. I loved this idea, adding a new element --the Christmas special--to a formula Stevenson's readers already know and love. This time the clues were even gift wrapped, presented as the 24 pieces of an Advent calendar for the reader to mull over and play detective.
I'm also honestly impressed with the idea that an author can lay out all the clues of a mystery like this and still surprise his readers. To be fair, Stevenson presents the clues but he doesn't always help us interpret them fully, but still. It's clever and makes the reading experience fun. It doesn't hurt that main character Ernest is likeable and funny on his own. You can't help but root for him as he works it all out.
I also love the idea of setting the mystery within a magic show. Ernest claims repeatedly to "play fair" during his mysteries, no literary sleight of hand, and yet, he's sleuthing among characters whose livelihood is sleight of hand. Clever. And on the nose. I'm here for it.
I will admit to be initially disappointed when I saw that this was a novella rather than a full-length novel, but in this case it works! This was meant to be akin to a Christmas special, so a more contained story and plot work. I think stretching this out into a longer mystery would have risked some of the genius here.
I've thoroughly enjoyed this series, and while I hope murder doesn't taint Ernest's upcoming nuptials, I can't help but hope that everyone at the wedding has a motive. Or something like that!

I have grown to love Ernest Cunningham. He didn’t want to become a detective, but somehow the role found him. A new version of Detective Poirot. It was a fun, short read to ease into the holidays!

A different holiday novel that will keep you entertained from word one. It’s not your typical holiday novel but that’s what makes it so good!

Oh dear... Earnest, a believer in writing "fair mysteries" is back, this time to help out his ex-wife Erin. She's in jail accused of killing her wealthy former actor, now do-gooder boyfriend. He was found on the kitchen floor where he was stabbed. He scrawled the word Christmas in his own blood. Erin was covered in blood and is terrified she killed him in his sleep.. Lyle Pearse runs a large charitable enterprise that serves as a both a rehabilitation program for addicts and an opportunity to get involved in the arts, theater, and more at the center he created. Everyone loves him. Who would kill him? The staff is moving forward with its plans to stage a benefit for its wealthy donors, featuring a famous and not beloved magician. As Ernest plods along with his investigation, he gets to know all of the workers, mostly former addicts and finds there was something going wrong. Any more of the plot and there are spoilers, but...

As with his other works, Stevenson's structure and plotting is just. Fun. In this case, since it is a "Christmas Special," the book represents an advent calendar. Each of the 24 chapters is a door and each door holds a clue until chapter 24 in this slim book, when all is solved. There is a final little Christmas present in an afterword when Stevenson shares with us the 7 commandments of holiday specials. A great read. Definitely recommend!

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

Tis’ the season for Hallothanksmas 😅😭 it’s so many Christmas themed books that’s are being released before Christmas and Thanksgiving. Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret is book 3 of the Ernest Cunningham Mysteries series. When I requested this book, I didn’t know it was a series at the time. I haven’t gotten the chance to read the first 2 books, but I have them on my TBR. I’m definitely interested in reading those and getting the full story behind Ernest Cunningham.

I really enjoyed how the story mimicked an advent calendar with there being 24 chapters and 24 clues to help piece together the murder at hand. The author made this book a fun & festive mystery and everything was laid out perfectly for the reader to play detective along with Ernest. For this to be a novella, it was packed with so much suspense that it made it difficult to even know who the killer was. I’m excited to read more from the author!

3.5⭐️

Ernest Cunningham, famed mystery writer and sleuth, was hoping that Christmas would be a break without murder. Unfortunately, he gets a call that his ex-wife's new partner has been murdered and she's the prime suspect. That's how Ernest finds himself backstage of a charity magician show trying to find who had the means and motive to kill the benefactor.

Right off the bat, Ern tells us that even some of the best authors couldn't escape the holiday special; specifically Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. And apparently Benjamin Stevenson isn't immune to the magic of the holiday special, either. I enjoy the typical fourth wall breaks that are expected with the series and I really liked the way this story was formatted as an advent calendar where a clue or a theory was provided each chapter. I also like that we got to see more of Ern's ex wife and how he was able to use their previous relationship to interrogate her in a way to prove her innocence. I also enjoyed the way the holidays in the Southern Hemisphere were explained.

That being said, with this being a novella, this felt extremely rushed. It felt like their were more characters/suspects in this than there has been in some of the full novels and we never really got to see much of any of them. This also started falling into that cozy mystery trope of the sleuth just taking over the investigation even when the real police are involved. In the previous books, the story took place in a relatively isolated locale, so Ern taking over made more sense considering there wasn't a large police presence available. The fact that Ern was just able to interview his ex-wife while she was in custody with no supervision was wild to me. Unless the police in Australia operate in a completely different way than anywhere else, it just wasn't believable. I will always enjoy this series, but I'm not sure a holiday special added anything to it.

Thank you Netgalley and Mariner Books for providing this eARC to me!

This was fun novella for fans of Ernest Cunningham. The story is told similar to an advent calendar - 24 chapters and 24 clues to solve a murder by Christmas as Ernest steps into the world of magic, illusions and secrets. Stevenson gives us a strong foundation as we follow along with to piece together the puzzle. With the style of narration that we have grown to enjoy from Ernest in his first two novels, this book was a fun twist on the holidays!

Stevenson does it again! Ernest is funny, fun, and solves mysteries with humor, humanity, and aplomb Hes becoming my favorite sleuth.

Ernest’s ex-wife, Erin, is suspected of murdering her boyfriend and has called Ernest to help find out who the killer really is. This novella has twenty-four chapters, each providing clues that allow the reader to play amateur sleuth and try to figure out who the killer is by the end.

Although this is book three in the Ernest Cunningham series, I had no problem following along as a new reader. It’s a wonderful cozy mystery!

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read!

Another great adventure with Ernest and, while it was very short, it still packed the same punch as his other investigations. I love being privy to his thoughts and how he slowly works out who the guilty party is, sounding it out with the suspects all standing around, wondering if they’ve been caught. This one had an interesting twist of an ending that I was not expecting. Highly recommended for a fun, witty Christmas mystery.

This was a fun novella and I really liked the Christmas setting and the use of the advent calendar to tell the story. This was a great introduction to the series and worked well as a standalone. I can’t wait to read more books in the series.

Thank you, NetGalley and Mariner Books for this book for review. I have read every "Everyone Has Killed Someone" books and this one was a great holiday addition! Similar theme and crew this time around at Christmas. Definitely did not disappoint with the twists and turns. I will continue to read Ernest and his crazy family and hijinks.

How is it that no matter how smart I think myself, Benjamin/Ernest prove that I’m actually not smart at all?
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As a lover of movies like Knives Out & Murder on the Orient Express, Mr. Cunningham’s tales would slot in the genre nicely.
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Thank you to HC for the early copy! ^_^

"𝘚𝘪𝘹 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴. 𝘚𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘴.
𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮."

I loved 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙮 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙃𝙖𝙨 𝙆𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 and I'm glad it wasn't a standalone because this series is so much fun. This one was just as unique, clever, and funny as the first two books. This time Ernest finds himself trying to solve the murder of his ex-wife's husband, as she's been arrested for the murder. He quickly finds it may not be as easy as his previous cases because Erin woke up with literal blood on her hands and all clues point to her guilt.

The mystery was really solid this time around and I found myself changing my mind on who the culprit was. It was just complicated enough to feel clever yet not confusing. I thought the magic show and advent calendar aspects were really entertaining. Just overall a super enjoyable read.

While I do recommend, I think this would most be enjoyed by people who have at least read 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙮 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙃𝙖𝙨 𝙆𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚. It would be completely fine in my opinion to go ahead and read if you haven't gotten to 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙄𝙨 𝙖 𝙎𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 yet. Also, don't feel like you have to wait until December to read. It is set during Christmas but it doesn't really have that holiday *feel.*

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Benjamin Stevenson’s fast-paced, fourth-wall breaking Christmas “special” - Everyone this Christmas has a Secret is the third installment of the Ernest Cunningham mystery series and finds said detective trying to clear his ex-wife of of murdering her rich philanthropist boyfriend.

Not having read the previous two books in the series, it took me a bit to catch up with the characters, and the more foretelling than foreshadowing style of the writing, giving clues and a heads up to the reader to pay attention. Once I did though, I was rewarded with a clever plot, witty writing and a solid whodunit with a cliffhanger of a climax tied up in a bow by the 24th day of the Advent calendar.

I recommend Everyone This Christmas has a Secret to readers who enjoy humorous cozies and detective fiction. I received this advanced reader copy from Mariner Books, courtesy of NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC of this title.

It feels like the hot new trend with today's mystery/thriller authors is having them get their gang back together for a special novella set around the holidays - Janice Hallett did it for The Appeal, Nita Prose just did one for her Maid series, and now Benjamin Stevenson's done it for the Ernest Cunningham series.

I can't be that mad about it (get that bag!), but so far, they always seem to have the same feeling as a quickly-tossed-off Christmas album from your favorite pop star. It's a stopgap cashgrab, and even when the stopgap is delightfully meta about understanding it's a stopgap cashgrab, like this does, it doesn't fully paper over the feeling that the author would rather be writing something they didn't have to squeeze a kiss under the mistletoe into.

This was...fine. I started with book 2 of this series, liked its arch meta thing, and then couldn't get through the original book that started things off. It's a breezy read (I basically read it in a sitting despite its potential to be an advent calendar sort of a thing), and hits the notes you want from this series. I just wish the song didn't feel so contractually obligated.

I loved this novella so much that it felt like Christmas came early! It is a witty and clever fair-play mystery with a festive twist. And a great addition to the series. Set up in an advent calendar format, with a clue behind each of the twenty-four "doors," this one sees Ernest trying to prove the innocence of his ex-wife in the suspicious death of her boyfriend. Stevenson had me laughing from the first paragraph and binging this novella.

The unique setup sees the rules of fair play mystery combined with those of Christmas TV specials. I won't spoil those rules because part of the fun is having Ernest point them out along the way. The mystery is layered, compelling, and satisfying, and I enjoyed trying to identify clues and red herrings. Ernest's deductive skills are better than mine, though, and I missed a few, so I enjoyed his signature daring denouement. Ernest's sharply observed inner dialogue and banter with the other characters kept me in stitches. This lively and action-packed holiday whodunnit has humor, action, danger, and Australian-style festive holiday vibes. Super entertaining, and I cannot wait for Ernest's next adventure!

Thank you to Mariner Books and Netgalley for the gifted review copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the digital advance reader copy.

If you haven't read the previous two entries in the Ernest Cunningham series, definitely start there.

If you've already read those and enjoyed them, then make sure to pick this one up.

This time around Ernest doles out his honest, not-at-all unreliable narrator clues via an advent calendar countdown (and said advent calendar is, itself, a clue).

Days before Christmas, Ernest receives a desperate call from his ex-wife, who is in jail as the primary suspect in the murder of philanthropist Lyle Pearse, her partner of two years. However, Erin remembers nothing of the night he was killed. She was asleep the entire time, yet she was found in their bed covered in his blood, while his body was found downstairs.

Using his usual wit, panache, and a bit of luck, Ernest uncovers what happened to Lyle and why.

I really enjoyed the solution to this one. Perhaps it's been done before, but I thought it was clever and satisfying.

Plus, I enjoyed Ernest's tips on how to create an enjoyable festive entry in any mystery series.

A solid holiday whodunit for those who are already fans of the series.

*language, mostly off-page violence

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson is the 3rd book in the Ernest Cunningham series. I love this series. It’s so much fun finding the clues and trying to puzzle out the killer/motive. Love the use of the Advent calendar. I’ll try not to include any spoilers, but the nature of this murder, or rather the suspects makes this case especially delightful, considering a number of them are quite skilled in the art of misdirection. Great cast of characters, really fun story, and you have to love the occasional 4th wall breaking. (not Deadpool level, but still quite fun) While this volume is considerable shorter than the first two books (and is billed as a Christmas Special, lol) it doesn’t skimp on story or fun. I’d like to thank Mariner Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3EZSYP4VS2VWU/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv