This was a fun holiday mystery and I enjoyed the advent calendar set up even though I didn't follow it. Not my favorite in the series, but enjoyable all the same!

Ernest Cunningham is back, and even though a Christmas special would indicate book "2.5," he's here to solve his third murder in the novella Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret. Having been called up by his ex-wife, now jailed and accused of the murder of her new partner, Ern is working diligently from the first chapter to clear his ex's name and uncover the true killer. That journey finds him in the wings of the backstage area for the world-famous magician Ryan Blaze. The details surrounding the murder make it seem like a pretty obvious case against his ex-wife, but as Ern continues to interview different members of the staff, secrets begin to spill out and more heads begin to roll (literally for some).

I have enjoyed Benjamin Stevenson's Ernest Cunningham series, and will continue to read it, but I am also continually a little torn in my opinions. First, I love the meta-style of writing. I love the breaking of the third wall and how Ernest continues to address the readers like we are standing right next to him and interpreting the same clues that he is. However, I am pretty annoyed (or at least giving an eyeroll) at the indication that we could take the same clues he has and figure out the mysteries. Perhaps I am incredibly daft, but the murders in Stevenson's series are sometimes so convoluted that it seems impossible anyone could figure them out. For me, this little Christmas novella actually fell into both categories. There was one element that I figured out right away based on one clue, but I never could have pieced together the rest to figure out why and how. So this installment of the series was a new and strange experience for me.

However, I love a Christmas murder mystery and love that the style of this book was an advent-calendar. I did not read it that way, but, had I done better planning with my reading, I might have.

Fun and festive! I will definitely pick up the other books in the series! Loved the advent calendar clues throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mariner Books, and the author for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest feedback!

Benjamin Stevenson is back again with another Ernest Cunningham murder mystery novel with a fun holiday theme.

"My suspects are all professional tricksters: masters of the art of misdirection: the magician, the assistant, the executive, the hypnotist, the identical twin, the counselor, and the tech.

The murders this time around might be festive, but they are no less complex than usual: a murder committed without laying a hand; a victim decapitated by a piece of paper; and a suspect, covered in blood, with no memory of how it got on them.”

It's four days until Christmas and Ernest Cunningham just received a phone call from his ex. Long time no talk, oh and also, she's calling from jail because she's just been arrested for murdering her boyfriend. She pleads her innocence, but the evidence is quite damning. She woke up covered in his blood, with him dead on their kitchen floor, but she swore up and down it wasn't her.

It's hard to give a full synopsis without giving away several spoilers, but I loved the organization of this book, broken up into 25 chapters like a mini-novel advent calendar. It starts off with one murder, and then another falls right into his lap. Every person close to the victim has a serious motive for wanting him dead, and Ernest has to solve the case before Christmas and before anyone else gets killed!

3.5 stars ✨

I really enjoyed this Secret novella! This series is an acquired taste, for me. At first I didn't enjoy the way it was written but ol' Ernie has grown on me! So to have another caper added to the list was fun. Looking forward to the next full-length novel!

Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret is a part of a detective series, where Ernest, the detective is also the narrator of the book, which was a fun, new concept for me. I I really enjoyed the breaking of the fourth wall and the amount of sass and snark. It’s set up like an advent calendar which made me want to read it in the first place. So each day you get a new clue to help solve the murder mystery of Ernest’s ex-wife the main suspect in murdering her own boyfriend. It seems pretty cut and dry when she wakes up with his blood all over her hands and “sudden” amnesia.
This book, writing style, plot, and large cast of characters was definitely overwhelming for me, but only because it’s the first book I’ve read in the series and had no idea who these people were. Yes, I was a little lost and I don’t recommend reading this as a standalone or if you want a full on Christmas book. I still had a fun time reading it and want to read the other books in the series and solve more mysteries no matter how many times I am wrong! 3.5 stars based on my own experience of not having read the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my last holiday book of the season and while I wanted to love it, it was unfortunately only a so-so read for me.

To be clear, if you’re a massive fan of this series, you’ll likely enjoy getting to spend more time with these characters and the new mystery they’re working to solve. However, if you’re a more casual fan, this book may be a miss.

I could’ve just been burnt out on holiday titles, but I really struggled with this one. I found the mystery to be a bit convoluted in a way that didn’t pay off in the end. It felt a bit too ambitious for a novella, and might have been better suited for a full length format. I also struggled with the main purpose of the story. Usually these types of books help expand on a smaller moment or character within a series to build a bridge to the next installment, but this gave off the vibe of writing a Christmas story just to write a Christmas story.

In the end, even though this wasn’t my favorite, I’m not mad I read it and would definitely encourage fans of the series to check this one out. Thanks to Mariner and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This fun little novella starts off with a bang (literally) when Ernest’s ex-wife Erin is arrested for murdering her boyfriend. The problem is, Erin doesn’t remember anything after waking up covered in her boyfriend's blood, and she needs Ernest’s help to find out what really happened. I really enjoyed this one, as I have with the first two installments in the series! It’s written in the same style, where the protagonist is the “author” and speaks directly to his readers throughout the murder mystery. And of course, with it being a holiday novella, it’s treated as an advent calendar, with one clue being revealed each “day,” which was so fun! I also enjoyed the monologue reveal at the end, and I didn’t guess what actually happened (even though all the clues are there for readers to discover). I can’t wait for more in this series!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the opportunity to read this book! ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

More like the first book for me. What irked me was that Ernest didn't tell Juliette that he was going to help Erin- it's not like she would've objected. Either than that it was a typical Ernest Cunningham read.

Ernie Cunningham finds himself drawn into another murder investigation when his ex-wife Erin is arrested for the murder of her boyfriend in the days leading up to Christmas. A fun, clever, quick read - I enjoyed the first book, less so the second but this one has me back looking forward to the next.

This is a fun Christmas mystery set up a bit like an advent calendar so everything is wrapped up in time for Christmas morning (or if you a bit delayed by holiday happenings New Year's Day for sure). Ernest is once again caught up in murder when his ex asks for his help when she is the prime suspect when her present significant other ends up dead. While he just happens to be in the area to look at a magician as possible entertainment for his wedding reception coming up--don't ask, it could only happen to him--another death happens.

This has everything that you want in a Christmas mystery: There are holiday decorations, some dress up, lots of appearance of series favorites (even if only in cameos), fair play, and the detective finds the real meaning of the holiday spirit. What more could you ask for? It is clever and even on the shortish side so it won't take too long away from the frantic events of your own holidays.

Enjoy. I did.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is the third (and final!) holiday novella I read this month, and it was my favorite. 

It wasn't as Christmas-y as other holiday stories I've read this year, but the mystery was sharp and clever, and I was highly entertained. 

I will definitely be continuing this series!

The Ernest Cunningham series is one of my favorite mystery series in recent years. I love the narrative structure and the breaking of the fourth wall. I love the coziness of it all, so I was excited to enter the crime fighting author's Christmas Era." Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret did not disappoint, and I liked this mystery more than the mystery presented in Everyone On This Train is a Suspect. It was over-the-top and quirky, but it added to the festiveness of the holiday. You'll likely find this entry enjoyable if you liked the first two in the series.

Thank you to Mariner Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ernest Cunningham solves it again! I have to say that I absolutely LOVED the idea of an "advent" book! Each day a new chapter is such a brilliant concept. With the story being a novella it was a quick read. It took me a bit to figure out all the characters but I really enjoyed the plot! I'm super excited for the next mystery!

Love it. Just like all the others. I love how these pieces for together and how he explains it at the end. It's always a fun read

I’ve really had fun with Benjamin Stevenson’s Ernest Cunningham mysteries, so I wasn’t going to miss this little Christmas-edition entry in the series. Ernest, a mystery writer, references the mysteries he’s personally been involved with (the previous two books, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone and Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect) and the generally accepted rules of writing mysteries.

Here, Ernest shares all the tidbits about the generally accepted ways holiday editions are crafted, such as that not all the regular cast are present and what happens in the holiday mysteries doesn’t have an impact on the lore. (You could choose not to read the holiday story and you won’t miss anything important.) I guess I have read at least a couple holiday mysteries in series, such as the Flavia de Luce Christmas installment, I Am Half-Sick of Shadows.

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret is a short book, just a quick and easy read to get in in between shopping, cooking, wrapping, etc. A tasty tidbit. Heartwarming? No. A bit bloody? Yes. Made me chuckle? Yes again.

Ernest here is planning his wedding, but he gets a call and text from his ex-wife that he feels he must heed. Erin is in dire need of his help, as it turns out: she’s been charged with murder in the death of her boyfriend. So Ernest makes a quick trip up to the mountains where she lives and where the late boyfriend’s charity foundation is about to put on a big fundraiser.

Big-time magician Rylan Blaze is the headliner at the event, and Ernest gets to not just meet him and see his show but explore behind the scenes beforehand. He knows (pretty much?) that Erin has to be innocent, but it’s taking some time to figure out how to prove it.

The book has a number of Christmas references and each chapter is crafted as a “door” of an advent calendar.

If you already have read other Ernest Cunningham books, I recommend Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret. Otherwise, start with the first.

This was another fun installment in the Earnest Cunningham series! While this wasn't my favorite book of the series, it was a fun Christmassy mystery. I will say this series isn't for everyone due to Stevenson's writing style of first-person and fourth-wall-breaking, but I think it's unique and is one of the reasons I enjoy this series. These books are always fun who-dun-its that have you solving the mystery alongside Earnest and this book was no different! I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

I had not read the previous books in the series before I read this one. So I didn’t know much about the characters going in. It still worked for me. I was given a copy of this book as an ARC. About halfway through reading it, though my hold came up on Libby so I switched to the audiobook. I enjoyed this book but was hoping for more Christmas flavor. The Australian setting prohibited a lot of the snowy atmosphere that I associate with Christmas. So it has nothing to do with the writing or the storyline.. It was just the locale for the setting of the book.

I loved the narrator’s snarky comments.… I smiled a lot during his narrative. This is not a cozy mystery… It’s fun, it’s snarky, it’s even tongue in cheek at times. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

It's almost Christmas, and Ernest Cunningham had hoped to have a quiet holiday with no murders to solve. But then his ex-wife calls after waking up covered in blood, her boyfriend dead beside her, and the joy leaves Ernest's world. Ernest's investigation gets even bloodier when he attends a magic show where a trick goes fatally awry...on purpose. Can Ernest solve these murders in time to be home for Christmas? He's bringing us along for the (sleigh) ride, of course, and dropping lots of clues, if we pay close enough attention to catch them.

Three books into this series, and I remain in awe of Benjamin Stevenson's ability to construct clever, complex metafictional mysteries. He truly does give readers all of the information we need to solve each mystery ourselves, but he does it so brilliantly that it's still nearly impossible to guess the whodunnit. Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret presents the clues like a fun holiday Advent calendar and, like the books before it, has a long list of viable suspects. And like the books before it, I was clueless despite having all the clues. I had a lot of fun with this one, and setting the story in the world of magicians added an extra zing that I enjoyed.

As outlined in Ernest Cunningham's 7 Commandments of Holiday Specials, which appear at the end of this novella, a holiday special is not required reading, so no series-long plot arcs may be introduced or resolved. Because this Christmas novella is pretty lean and mean, I think it would be a good introduction to the series for a reader who isn't sure if this particular flavor of mystery is for them; it offers just enough of a taste to let you decide.

I definitely missed the character development and nuanced investigations featured in Ernest's full-length novel adventures, but Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret was still a fun festive foray back into Ernest's world. Thank you to Mariner Books for the complimentary reading opportunity. 3.5 stars rounded up.

3.75⭐
Breezy modern take on a golden age mystery. The level of snarkiness and breaking of the fourth wall was a tad over the top for me. Clues in the mystery were fair though.