I really enjoyed this "who done it" Christmas mystery! I very much like this unique writing style from Benjamin Stevenson. I'll keep reading whatever book he puts out next!

Another fun entry in the Ernest Cunningham series, and at 175 pages it’s either a long novella or a short novel. If you haven’t read the first two books, Ernest is an amateur detective who always seems to end up solving murders taking place around him, and also a snarky narrator who breaks the fourth wall to talk to the reader and discuss the rules of golden age mysteries.

In this book, which he describes as a combo mystery/holiday special, a few days before Christmas Ernest gets a call from his ex-wife Erin who is in jail because her fiance is dead and the police think she did it since she was found with blood all over her. Snd Ernest starts interviewing people and slowly figures out what happened, all the while dropping clues for the reader, with each chapter styled like an advent calendar with each clue being the prize for that day. A good mystery and a fun read.

He strikes again! I love all his books and I think they are so fun and clever. He is a great murder mystery author and I love the characters he uses. I have read all his books in this series and I keep being pleased!

Oftentimes, the "Christmas special" can feel like a dissatisfying addition that is clearly written for a chance at sales. However, "Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret" brought so much of the charm of the previous books that it was just as fun of a read. Ernest's meta-criticism of the Christmas special genre is quite amusing and I appreciated the call outs of similar works in the genre.

My one criticism would be that the mystery itself definitely felt a bit simpler than the previous books and I felt that I was able to work it out fairly early in the book. However, it still contains multiple compelling twists that kept me wanting to read and I was eager to see how it would conclude.

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of the previous novels or those looking for a fun seasonal mystery that is well-written and enjoyable.

Murder, humor and an advent calendar approach make this a perfect holiday mystery. Ernest Cunningham is in the process of planning a wedding with Juliette when his ex-wife sends him a message saying that she needs him. Under the cover of checking out a magician for their wedding entertainment, Ern sets out to find out why. He finds his ex at a police station, accused of murdering Lyle, her boyfriend. She was alone with him in the house and covered in his blood. Rylan Blaze, the magician, is performing for a charity run by Lyle. This gives Ern an opportunity to interview Lyle’s staff, learn more about the foundation and catch the magician’s performance. He receives the keys to the facility from Lyle’s assistant and is given free rein as everyone prepares for the evening performance. While interviewing Blaze he discovers that Lyle was planning to sell the foundation’s properties to Blaze, which his assistant opposed. During Blaze’s performance Ern realizes that something is wrong and another death occurs on stage. Blaze’s assistant, the hypnotist who opened for him, the technician, Lyle’s assistant and the foundation’s counselor are all hiding secrets.

Benjamin Stevenson presents his chapters as an advent calendar, with a clue hidden behind each door. Ern talks to the readers as he investigates, making them feel a part of the investigation. He approaches each situation with humor, making the story a delight t read. Ern gathers the suspects in the end to reveal the murderer. As he explains each of the clues that led him to his conclusion he gives you a true aha moment. As a fan of Stevenson’s mysteries I can not wait to see Ern return. I would like to thank NetGalley and Mariner Books or providing this book.

Stevenson’s Ernest Cunningham series is quickly becoming one of my absolute favorites!

As with the previous two installments of this series, Ernest is genuine to his quirky and entertaining amateur detective skills while finding himself in interesting and murdery situations. I loved the premise of this latest story, however, I did find myself having to suspend belief a bit with some of the events and explanations. Regardless, Stevenson was able to keep me on the edge of my seat wanting to know more.

This Christmas-themed book is on the shorter side, but somehow manages to pack a lot of great details into the sparse pages. Despite being book three in the series, Stevenson has written this book in a way that doesn’t give too much away from the plot of the previous books. Better yet, as Ernest points out, this story doesn’t impact the main continuous story connections from the earlier books, so series readers could skip it or save it if they want to wait for a seasonally appropriate time to read it and not be worried about missing details for the series.

I can’t wait to see what book four brings!

This is the first book in this series that I have read, but that doesn't really matter,.. It works well as a stand alone. It took me a little while to get used to the detective narrator speaking directly to the reader, but once I did, I felt it was effective.
I was looking for a quick read with a Christmas theme, and this fit the bill perfectly. Lots of clues, but only a fictional detective could possibly put it all together. Altogether, a fun and entertaining read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Benjamin Stevenson book and it was a cheeky, clever, Christmas whodunit. The story is told like an advent calendar and involves an ex-wife, a former Hollywood hunk, and a Secret Santa exchange. I enjoyed the breaking of the 4th wall to include the reader in the narrator's plans and observations. I will add the first two books to my TBR.

Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. #EveryoneThisChristmasHasaSecret #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced copy of Everyone this Christmas has a secret! This is the 3rd instalment of the Ernest Cunningham mysteries.

This was a quick and pleasant read. If you are looking for a whodunit and involving Christmas, this is the book to read this holiday season!

Thank you once again!

I love all the books in this series, and this one was such a fun little Christmas treat. I'm only sad it wasn't longer so I could enjoy more of it.

Everyone this Christmas Has a Secret is a cheeky holiday murder mystery with everyone’s favorite amateur sleuth Ernest Cunningham.

Just like the previous books, Ernest takes us on a sitcom style narrative while he attempts to solve a murder during the most wonderful time of the year.

Ernest has he finds himself stuck in the middle of solving the murder of Lyle Pearse, an actor turned benefactor who has touched the lives of many with his kindness and generosity.

The suspects include: the magician and his assistant, the executive, the hypnotist, identical, twins, the counselor, and the technician. Who has the motive to kill Lyle?

Ernest must use his sleuthing skills to deduce who the killer is, and fast. Since this is the third installment, Ernest obviously gets his nemesis, giving a comical Sherlock + Moriarty vibe. It’s only fair.

A big fan of Benjamin Stevenson, and this light hearted quirky Christmas mystery was a treat.

This was my very first ARC experience, so I’m grateful to have been given this opportunity.
#everyonethischristmashasasecret #netgalley

This book was a fun quick read. Perfect between heavier books. I love the authors tone finding the balance of mystery and comedy.

I’ve been stalking—I mean following—this author since his debut novel, the first in this series. Stevenson’s first book? Chef’s kiss. A solid 5 stars, which is a rarity for me. His second? Eh, it didn’t quite hit the same way, but this one? Oh, honey, I’m back on the bandwagon!

What really hooked me was how it gave off the cozy vibes of a short Christmas TV special—festive, fun, but still packing a punch. As usual, Stevenson had me playing detective like it was my job, only to slap me with the big reveal when I least expected it. (Honestly, the audacity.)

Lately, Whodunnits have been either painfully predictable or sloppier than my holiday wrapping, but this series? A masterclass. Keep 'em coming, Stevenson—you’ve got a fan in me, and I’m already marking my calendar for the next one! Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for granting me this ARC. 4 stars!

I was already a huge fan of the first two books in this series, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret! Benjamin Stevenson does it again, delivering a clever, hilarious, and wildly entertaining murder mystery perfect for the holiday season.

What I love most is Ernest Cunningham’s narration. Not only does he craft a sharp, engaging story, but his asides to the reader add so much personality and humor. It’s like he’s solving the murder with you, dropping meta-commentary that makes the experience even more fun.

While this is the third installment, it can easily be read as a standalone, so new readers won’t feel lost. The premise is uniquely Australian, with a Christmas setting full of sunshine, chaos, and, of course, murder. The structure—23 clues like an advent calendar leading up to the big reveal—was so creative, and every twist kept me guessing.

If you enjoy witty, smart mysteries with a narrator who feels like a quirky friend, you won’t want to miss this. Stevenson has solidified himself as a must-read author for me, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. Highly recommend!

Benjamin Stevenson offers his fans a Christmas mystery. Favorite characters are back and the pages turn.

This time, Ernest’s ex-wife has been accused of murder. Ernest lies to his current partner Juliet in order to help Erin whose explanation for what occurred does not sound all that believable.

A magician becomes central to the case. Interestingly, a relative mentioned him to Ernest as a kind of wedding entertainer. Said magician also will get Ernest ever more deeply involved when Ernest attends his show.

There is murder along with a wry narrator in this very enjoyable entry in the series. Interestingly it is set up like an advent calendar which adds to the fun.

Recommended for mystery lovers and those who enjoy holiday themed stories.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars - This was my first time reading a book by Benjamin Stevenson so I'm not familiar with the characters from this series, but I thought this was a fun little Christmas mystery. I was in the mood for a short holiday novella, and I liked how the story was set up as an advent calendar. Though I had a hard time getting into the book the first time around because of the narrating style. Overall an entertaining read but I don't think it will be very memorable in the long run.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an e-ARC through NetGalley.

This was such a fun read! I love how the author broke the fourth wall and said things along the lines of "I am hoping you will figure out who did it". I love the Christmas theme and the addition of the advent calendar. Such a fun mystery!

This was a fun holiday special. I love the twists and "Agatha-esque" feel of the of the evidence and outcome. I look forward to another Ernie murder mystery adventure!

I really enjoyed "Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone", but this just didn't work for me. It felt incredibly slow and I kept waiting for it to get better, but sadly, it did not deliver. I do enjoy these mysteries with Ernest, but this “holiday special” novella just wasn’t as strong as his others for me. Perhaps it was the whole “advent calendar” style? It was fun to read about the holiday season, but the story just didn't hold my attention and the ending was a let down.

This is another great installment in the Ernest Cunningham series, though it’s of course less involved than the others because it’s a novella. It’s got the same cheeky, endearing sense of humor and winks at the fourth wall as the previous two books, as well as the same narrative style of claiming transparency and giving tantalizing glimpses of what’s to come and while also cleverly misleading the reader in order to keep them guessing. It’s not overly Christmassy for a “Christmas Special,” as Ern calls it, but that didn’t bother me. The story is fast paced and engaging, and there were enough twists to make it an entertaining mystery. Four stars.