A quick Christmas novella from Benjamin Stevenson that was a lot like his other books except this time with the backdrop of Christmas. Lots of fun author asides. Sarcasm abounds. A clever whodunit!

I will read every book in this series. I love a good mystery and Benjamin Stevenson might be the best writer of them at the moment. This got me in the Christmas spirit. I absolutely loved it.

*4.5 stars rounded up*

Perfect time of year to read this!

Ernest is back, & this time he’s starring in a short & sweet advent calendar mystery. We get more of that trademark Cunningham commentary complete with special new holiday rules that maintain the fair play mystery while simultaneously keeping things twisty & hard to predict (at least for me!). The magician aspect of the story was perfect & all of the Christmas-themed details kept things festive; I also enjoyed the mentions of several characters from the first & second books in the series. Can’t wait for another installment!

Thank you to NetGalley & Mariner for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I find this series to be a lot of fun- I love that the narrator talks directly to the reader and that he "plays fair" the whole time. I was a bit disappointed that this wasn't as Christmasy as I'd hoped. Other than the mention of an advent calendar and secret Santa. But over all it was a fun fast read- though the ending confrontation was absolutely absurd. Why would you do that? WHY?!

#BOOKREVIEW 📚
Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret (Ernest Cunningham, Book 3) by Benjamin Stephenson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 192 / Genre: Christmas Mystery
Audiobook Narrator: Barton Welch
Duration: 5 hours 2 minutes
Release Date: October 22, 2024

This cozy Christmas mystery has our accidental detective Ernest Cunningham trying to prove his ex-wife’s innocence after being framed for murdering her boyfriend. The fun is in how it’s laid out—like an advent calendar with 24 chapters filled with clues and suspects. And, like the other books in this series, the writing is lighthearted and engaging as we follow Ernest’s unique way of solving mysteries.

I listened to the audiobook on this one because I absolutely love Australian accents and narrator Barton Welch does an excellent job.

Thank you, @StevensonExperience, @MarinerBooks, and @NetGalley for my free copy.

"𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮: 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴."


First and foremost... I need to call out that this is now the third time I have pulled this knife out of my knife block to promote and review a book from this series 🤣

That being said, a huge thank you to @marinerbooks for continuing to allow me advanced copies of these books in exchange for the review!

I don't think I will ever NOT love one of these Benjamin Stevenson books. I'm obsessed with the unique way they're written - where the narrator is essentially breaking the 4th wall in order to retell the story directly to the reader.

And honestly, I never find myself bored with them, which is sometimes a struggle with mystery novels LOL
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A short Christmas mystery novella to off throw all the romance Christmas was a fresh! Stevenson definitely knows how to keep you guessing and pointing the finger at everyone up till the end! I read the first book and plan to read the second but this could very well be read without the knowledge from the others and not giving away their endings, I like that about the book. I listened to the audio and liked it a lot, the advent aspect of it-reading one advent day till Christmas was a cool thought but me personally after 24 days would not recall all those little details from the start and throughout as just reading it straight through! But like I said it was a cool aspect, also if you have enough restrain to only read a few pages a day! Overall another good book from Stevenson. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advance read in turn for my honest opinion.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and you know what that means...holiday murder mysteries. And let me tell you, Benjamin Stevenson is back and better than ever with his latest book. I've been a fan of his previous works and when I got approved for this one on Netgalley, I couldn't contain my excitement. If you're a lover of cozy holiday mysteries, then you need to add this one to your TBR ASAP. It's the perfect blend of Christmas cheer and gripping mystery. I can't wait to see what twists and turns Stevenson has in store for us this time.

A great festive addition to an amazing mystery series! This is only 3 stars because even though it's a novella, I still felt like the characters and story could have been flushed out better, and while the twist was good, it wasn't jawdropping. I still enjoyed it though and can't wait for more from this author!

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book is a Christmas novella in the Ernest Cunningham mystery series. Ernest is a "detective" who finds himself in a Christmas special trying to solve the murder of his ex-wife's new boyfriend. He finds himself in the middle of a magic show production and someone is the killer.

I love these books. Ernest as a narrator talks to the audience a lot and there are a lot of funny moments. I love when a book makes fun of itself and talks to the audience. I also like when a narrator is writing about past events and they know that they're writing to an audience. (hopefully that makes sense).

I also like how this one was set up as an advent calendar. I liked the mystery and how everything wrapped up in the end. I also liked following all of the different characters and trying to solve the case myself.

I do wish this was a bit more Christmasy though. I also felt like it was just a bit slow in the middle. Overall, I would recommend this one!

I was super intrigued by a holiday novel that wasn't a romcom like 99% of the other available holiday novels. Being shorter at 175 pages, it felt a bit like a rushed afterthought to me. Though the story was kind of fun, as the author/MMC started to pull the pieces together, he didn't really explain how which left the reader feeling like they missed something.

I didn't realize this was the third book in a series when I requested it, so whoops! Even with that, it was easy to follow and I didn't feel like I was lost.

I really enjoyed the cheekiness of this book! It was fun and self-aware, a great holiday romp. I also loved the setting, and learned some things about Australia. Overall, a fun book, would recommend if anyone wants a cozy Christmas mystery.

This is the third book I have read in this series and I really enjoyed this Christmas Novella. Ernest is off again to solve an impossible murder. His ex wife has been accused of killing her live in boyfriend. He is sure she is innocent and sets out to prove it. The suspects are all part of a magic show appearing at a local resort. When the magician is killed on stage during a trick he has two impossible murders to solve. I really enjoy the characters and the mystery is not easy to solve. There are lots of suspects but I was able to figure out the who did it. Like the other two books there is lots of humor. The book is short so it makes a perfect Holiday read. This series should be read in order. Enjoy

I enjoyed Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. It was a 5 star book for me, One that I highly recommended and gave as Christmas gift. The sequel was not as good. However, I didn't let that stop me from picking this up. A Christmas version! I was very excited.

Unfortunately, this time I wasn't able to finish this book. I had to put it down about halfway through. It felt forced to fit a mold of what worked before. I didn't connect and found myself finding other things to do at night (like scrolling my phone) instead of picking up my book. After a month and barely 50% though, I took it as a sign to put it down and move on.

Though this book is short, it certainly packs a punch. With each of Stevenson's books in this series I find myself knowing that these are books that I will want to re-read and will feel urged to share with the readers in my life. I always find myself drawn to Christmas books around the holidays and this is certainly one I will re-read again and again.

Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret by Benjamin Stevenson is a cozy holiday mystery novella. This is the 3rd novel in this series.

Ernest finds himself on a murder case... but this time, it's his ex's wife's current partner.

It was a fun and clever read full of holiday vibes

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an a-arc!

This was a fun holiday novella to continue Ernest’s mystery solving! Ernest is asked to help when his ex wife’s partner is murdered, and she looks like the most likely suspect. Erin is mostly confident that she is innocent, but there are some parts of the night that she can’t remember..why is why she enlists Ernest to be on the case. As Ernest investigates the victim’s associates, friends, and others, more suspicious things continue to happen, and Ernest must solve this mystery before more people die.

This was an enjoyable short read! I do appreciate that there’s not anything too impactful that happens to any of the major characters, in fact a lot of the main characters of the series don’t make an appearance besides Ernest. That way, the reader has a choice if they want to read the novella or not, without missing any major plot points. If you like the other books in the series, I would recommend giving this one a go as well!

Thank you to Mariner Books for the eARC.

Man, I love this series. Ernest is such a storyteller. I love how these books are basically written as if they were journal entries; Ernest telling us the story after the fact.

Another murder, another mystery to be solved. This one was super enjoyable—funny, with some hilarious dialogue and inner monologue, and ridiculous murders.

While yes, this was about MURDER, the story felt light and festive for the holidays, somehow. As long as Ernest keeps solving crimes, I'll keep reading about them.

This is a fun short Christmas novella narrated by ERnest again. It is the third book in the series.You could read it without reading the previous books but I recommend reading them To get to know the characters and not have the previous mysteries spoiled. This is a fun Christmas Special.

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson is a holiday treat that delivers all the wit, charm, and clever plotting we’ve come to expect from the Ernest Cunningham series—just in novella form! This time, Ernest is solving murders using the rules of Golden Era mysteries and holiday specials, and the result is as hilarious as it is engaging.

Perfect for a lazy holiday day, this festive mystery has all the humor and fun of the full-length entries, wrapped up in a shorter, fast-paced package. If you’re a fan of clever whodunits with a side of holiday cheer, this one’s a must-read!