This is the sequel to Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, which I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, this one didn't quite live up to the first. As with before there was lots of humour and a few surprises, but there was just too many characters and it all got a bit complicated for me.
I found that I wasn't that invested in the story. Although I did enjoy the epilogue (no spoilers but if there's another on it should go in that direction).
One thing that is genius is that when you look on Goodreads Henry McTavish's one star review is there!

This book is absolutely wonderful. Set on board a train crossing the Australian desert, a literary festival goes horribly wrong when a murder occurs.
Ernest cunningly, a new writer, writes in the first person as a cross between a murder mystery guide and a novel.
He has a dry sense of humour which comes across well and lightens the mood! It's a homage to the golden age of locked- room crime writing and is a must read for crime writing fans.

Rating: 4.5/5

This is the second book to feature the character of Ernest Cunningham, who first appeared in "Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone". Somehow, that one slipped under my radar at the time of publication, so I came into Ernest's second outing cold, but at no point whilst reading "Everyone on This Train is a Suspect" did I ever feel at a disadvantage for not being familiar with book one. If for no other reason than that, Benjamin Stevenson would already have been worthy of some praise - but, as it transpires, there is an awful lot about this novel that is laudable.

Although the mood of this novel is deliberately comedic, there is an absolutely rock solid murder mystery structure at the heart of it, that would not be out of place in one of Agatha Christie's works - and there are regular nods to the great lady and to "Murder on the Orient Express" in particular. I would also draw a favourable comparison with another of my preferred writers, Anthony Horowitz. There isn't simply the fact that Stevenson has his author-protagonist playing detective, as Horowitz does in his Hawthorne & Horowitz series, but there are some stylistic similarities too, not least in the satisfying way that a complicated mystery ultimately makes sense.

An amusing, engaging and impressive leitmotif that runs throughout the book is the fact that the author-protagonist, Ernest, not only outlines the structure of the mystery that he is going to be unveiling, but that he also includes regular updates on the progress versus the plan - and even telegraphs significant plot developments well in advance to make sure that the reader has no excuse for missing them. Now, this could potentially spoil the whole mystery of the reading process, but it doesn't - far from it, in fact. Not only is this approach very amusing, but it is also a little like the skilled magician who tells his audience what they need to watch out for, so that they won't be fooled, but still manages to accomplish the seemingly impossible sleight of hand in front of their eyes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which may be the last book I finish reading in 2023 (even though it isn't published until the end of February 2024). A great way to finish the year and one of my favourites reads of the past twelve months. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for Benjamin Stevenson's next offering.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

He is back!

Ernest has a on a train, and there has been a murder....

The Australian Mystery Writers’ Society has invited Ernest and other mystery authors onboard!

Ernest needs some inspiration for his next book and he’s hoping this provides the opportunity for it. Things never go to plan though!

Then one of the authors is found dead and as everyone on board is a suspect. the mystery begins!

As with the first book Ernest uses the first person with this book which I love! He starts off telling us exactly what to expect and when and what pages. He even gives clues to who the murderer is! This carries on throughout.

The same was done for the first book published and I enjoyed this throughly too. “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone”.
I loved how things were broken down at the end and he exposed the motives and secrets of the other authors. I did not see the twists coming at all. I didn’t want to put the book(s) down.

These books will not disappoint you - they are written differently but in a way that will hook you in, keep you engaged and will make you want to read MORE! Keep them coming Benjamin please!


Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishing company for allowing me to have a pre release copy of this book to review - it’s been an absolute pleasure. :)

The other reviews have pretty much said it all: this is even better than the first book. And, within the first few pages, it had answered all my concerns about a sequel - Ernest Cunningham (and presumably Benjamin Stevenson) shared these concerns and smashed it out of the park. Fans of the first book (and others) should definitely read this.

I was a strong advocate of Benjamin’s first novel, the highly acclaimed ‘Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone’ which was written in the first person and littered with guidance and clues to help the reader solve the mystery. ‘Everyone on this Train is a Suspect’ is written in the same style and although I did enjoy reading it, it just couldn’t elicit the same excitement as the first novel as the originality was no longer there.

Another fun read featuring the delightful Ernest Cunningham. Set on a train, it reads as a classic golden age locked room mystery but it is so much more. Wonderfully self-referential and not afraid to make fun of itself. This is a cleverly written book and very amusing. Highly recommended.

Another clever book from Benjamin Stevenson. I loved Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone and this is more of the same.

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect has the same narrator, Ernest Cunningham, simultaneously self-deprecating and sure of his skills at tracking a killer. The tone is light and quirky but there are darker elements in the background. There is more of the hinting at things to come that was a feature of EIMFHKS - telling the reader what's going to happen without quite giving the game away, and plenty of clues to pick up on if you're that way inclined. I just like to read it for the fun of it and find out at the end.

Great fun - and it's set on the Ghan - a train I have travelled on. Perfection.

I absolutely loved reading Benjamin Stevenson’s book, Everyone On This Train is a Suspect. I hadn’t heard of Benjamin Stevenson before, but after reading this book I have bought copies of his earlier books.

I travelled on The Ghan train twenty years ago and loved the idea that the setting of this book was the same train journey through central Australia.

In this case, the train is hosting the the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society crime-writing festival and they are travelling through one of the most sparsely areas in the world. One of the writers invited to take part in the event is the true crime writer, Ernest Cunningham, who is suffering from writers block and just can’t get going on his second book. He is also suffering imposter syndrome with all the other authors on the panel. I loved the way in which he’s chronicling the event in the first person, keeping track of who said what and when on the journey.

As the title suggests everyone on the train is literally a suspect. There’s a lot of tension between the writers and no love is lost between them.

The story unfolds at a good pace. I loved the way in which Ern starts to chronicle and investigate - could it become the basis of his second book?! Ern has an interesting and fun take on things and it makes for an exciting read.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was very lucky to get this book as an ARC and can’t express how excited I was when I got the approval! I loved Everybody in my Family has Killed Someone and so had high hopes about Everyone on this Train is a Suspect and it did not let me down!

This story follows Ernest Cunningham after the events of the first book and his struggles to write a second. The story is set on a train (in case that wasn’t obvious from the title!) and as the journey progresses and a body is discovered Ernest has the struggle that all of his suspects are crime writers and know how to get away with murder!

I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who loved the first book or loves a funny murder mystery! I always enjoy these kinds of books and it didn’t disappoint. Ernest is a very likable narrator to the story and the book had a good pace that kept me wanting more. I am really hoping that there will be more books coming in this series 💕

Loved this book. It reminded me of an Agatha Christie mystery with it being set on a train abd you don't find out the perpetrator until the closing chapters. Very well written and a brilliant read.

Another entertaining book from Benjamin Stevenson, this time set on a train. I loved the first book: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone so I had to read this one. Highly recommended! Now I can't wait to read the next one.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

I read the first book just before starting this one and, of the two, I actually preferred this. It still has the 'meta' elements the first one used (someone who writes books about writing books writes a book about their experience...if you see what I mean), but doesn't labour on them quite so much as the first did which I found grew slightly laborious over the course of the debut story.
Here the mystery takes places on a train with a group of writers of varying genres/ literary 'value' appearing at a movable festival.
There's some nice jokes which anyone who has been involved in literary festivals at any level will appreciate, and some 'inside jokes' on the whole publishing industry.
The story moves along nicely and there are some good twists and turns along the way.
If you liked the first book you'll enjoy this and if you didn't read the first - well, you'll do just fine jumping straight into this one.

I am a fan of Benjamin Stevenson's previous books and I feel just as excited by this one, they always grip me and keep me hooked.

I loved the first one I ready by this author and was eagerly looking forward to this one. I wasn't disappointed!
I love how this is written in the first person, and the slightly humorous aspect to the writer's thoughts.
I won't give away the plot, but you will be in for twists and turns that will leave you guessing until the very end. I didn't have a clue whodunnit!
I will certainly look out for more by Benjamin Stevenson because he spins a great tale!

3.5 stars rounded up
Ernest Cunningham #2

It’s the 50th anniversary program of the Australian writers festival and the guest of honour is Henry McTavish, best selling author of the detective Morbund series, which just so happens to be Ernest’s favourite author. The anniversary celebrations are to take place aboard the famous Ghan, a train that travels from Darwin to Adelaide, crossing the desert regions. Seven writers board the train, including Ernest who is a guest speaker as a debut author. At the end of the line, five authors remain alive, and one is in handcuffs. When the first murder happens, surely it can’t be too hard to solve, after all these people are experts in the field of detection. Most importantly, from Ernest’s perspective, maybe he’ll get the inspiration for that crucial follow up to a successful debut novel. Ernest promises that he will be a reliable narrator for the dramatic events about the Ghan, as of course, he still following Ronald Knox’s 1929 10 Commandments of detective fiction. However, only time will tell if Ernest follows through with his promise, and of course, let’s bear in mind that one star review! This time a comma saves the day, not a full stop!

The starting point of the novel is witty and amusing but then it takes a while to get going and I admit to struggling with it for the first third or so. For example, there are a lot of author’s details, much moving up and down the train and wining and dining. The second half is much faster paced than the first, and there are some vivid and entertaining scenes and one very good action movie worthy scene that does require some disbelief suspension, but it is really good! As the novel progresses, it delves deeper into each author and we learn a few things about them that are very unexpected.

I do enjoy the ever present humour and the tone the novel is written in, and there are some clever clues to spot such as the killers name will be mentioned 106 times, precisely. Naturally, I don’t count them myself, but Ernest does help us out a bit, however, of course I don’t spot the actual killer which turns out to be a bit of a surprise! I probably shouldn’t have laughed at the end scenes (no, I definitely shouldn’t) but it does have some elements of the dramatically absurd.

As a book fanatic, I thoroughly enjoy the bookish element of this novel and it’s quite illuminating on aspects of the industry. The setting on a train that passes through parts of Australia is excellent and there are some accompanying good descriptions, giving a real sense of place.

Overall, yes, I do enjoy the wit and humour and it can’t be denied that the author has a way with words. However, I don’t enjoy this one as much as the first book as it takes much longer to get into.

With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I was a huge fan of the previous book by this author and was desperate to get stuck in to this one.

Ernest is back, and a semi successful author after writing a book about the family murders from the first book. He and his girlfriend join a book tour on the Ghan with a few other authors and would you believe, murder follows him.

The setting of the train in this book was absolutely glorious, I enjoyed Ernest's manner just as much and I will always be happy to have him talk to the reader.

The murder and the mystery are not quite as explosive as the last book but this is a perfect choice for anyone who enjoys witty thrillers.

An absolute joy.

I was sent this ARC in return for an honest review.

Having loved the first book in the series, I was very excited for this, and I’m thrilled to say it did not disappoint. I figured out the anagram pretty much immediately, but other than that there were enough twists and turns to keep me entertained throughout.

This book?! Wow. I dont think I’ve ever read one like it and the narrative was just outstanding. I couldn’t have liked how it was written better and the whole story itself was just fab.

I haven’t read the first one and stumbled straight across this one and decided to go for it. I had a train journey coming up, and thought, what better to read than a train themed murder mystery! It certainly made my train go faster and even softened the blow for the cancellations and waiting at cold stations I subsequently had to endure.

And also, well played author. I will now go and read your first book because you made it irresistible and now I find I must go and read it because not only did I enjoy this one so much, it sounded epic from the brief throwbacks we got in this one. Reading it first it by no means a prerequisite and you can enjoy this one just fine on its own but I can’t wait to go back and experience the first story.

I loved the plot, story, characters and writing and the whole set up and idea of it was just so clever. Can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a murder mystery this much and I’m honestly incredibly excited to read what else this author will produce.

Tremendous…!
The follow on from ‘Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone’ and our intrepid protagonist, still yet to fully recover from his last murderous escapade but now an author in his own right, has somehow garnered an invitation from the renowned Australian Mystery Writers’ Society to attend their festival on the luxurious Ghan train. What could possibly go wrong? You may well ask! A group of authors, a famous train, and a killer - as the bodies mount, the suspects and the motives grow. Enter Cunningham, stage left. Just tremendous once again - a propulsive plot populated with an entertaining and well drawn cast, an immersive and enormously witty narrative with humour dancing off every page not to mention the delicious literary references throughout to the Golden Age of Crime. Enormously entertaining and even better, if possible, than the first outing.