I am wholly enthralled by Ernest and I love reading his adventures!

This was a deligthful book to read and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a murder mystery with an old school vibe

How do you open your advent calendar? One day at a time, or all at once?

The good thing with this advent-styled story is it doesn't matter either way, you can pick it up and put it down with each 'door', or like me, you can open all the doors and devour the treats all in one sitting. It's snarky, entertaining, exceptionally clever, and will leave you with a satisfying Christmas glow.

This is the first Benjamin Stevenson book I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked the writing style and the narrator voice. I also liked the “rules” of the murder mystery. As Ernest said, everything was there.
I am now off to find the first two Cunningham mysteries to read.

This is a perfect, feel-good, cosy up with the fire and Christmas tree lit behind you kind of book. Perfect Christmas read, simple and easy! This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

‘Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret’ is the latest book in the ‘Ernest Cunningham Mysteries’ series. Set in the Australian Blue Mountains, our amateur sleuth, Ernest, finds himself solving not one but two murders—all whilst trying to keep his own wedding plans on track. This book is shorter and simpler than the earlier ones but still has the same wit and humour that they had.
Having read the earlier books, I feel that this one can be enjoyed as a standalone, however, to fully appreciate the character dynamics, it's worth starting with the earlier books in the series, plus they are great reads too. (I hear that book number one - ‘Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone’ is currently being adapted into a TV series!!!!!)
Overall, this is a fun, quick read perfect for fans of cosy murder mysteries - role on book 4!

Thank you to net gallery and the author for this arc copy. Sadly I hadn’t read book one and two before this book as I didn’t know it was a series and this showed in this book as one of the characters is in the 1st and 2nd books and because I hadn’t read them I didn’t really understand the back story of this character. It was such a good read and I really did enjoy reading it and the character are all so well written and so well described. I think am going read books one and two and then re read this one again to get the most out of the series. I really liked this book and can’t wait to go back to read the others and see how good they are. This author is such a good writer.

Really cool and interesting way to continue our journey with Ernest Cunningham.

I absolutely loved the previous two books and this ‘holiday special’ was no exception. It’s irreverent and unique narrative style is a really engaging read. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This is the third Ernest Cunningham mystery book, and I haven't read either of the first two and mostly this doesn't matter, although things in those two books are referenced it doesn't feel like I'm missing much except maybe a couple of in-jokes.

This mystery involves Ernest looking to solve the murder of his ex-wife's new beau, for which she is the main suspect. Running along with the Christmassy theme, there is plenty of magic and mayhem and plenty of humour too.

I certainly enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone who likes similar or who has already read the first two, which I suspect will be in a similar vein and which I will look forward to reading myself.

#EveryoneThisChristmasHasASecret #NetGalley

Australian Christmas, Murders. Magic, Death by paper cut.
A short-ish festive story featuring Ernest. Throroughly enjoyable as always.
If you haven't read the authors previous books in the series, I urge you to check them out asap.

Ernest Cunningham # three

Yes, Ernie is back for Christmas. Maybe you get an advent calendar for the run-up to Christmas? Ever thought of a murder mystery advent calendar? Twenty four chapters, 24 clues, solve it by Christmas Eve and get a chocolate reward. Just kidding about the chocolate. Six suspects and seven presents lying under a tree. So who is the victim? I’m getting to that.

Our Ernest is about to get married to Juliette and learns his uncle Andy has booked magician Rylan Blaze as the entertainment which he’s less than thrilled about. So, he decides to head to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains where he’s performing his magic show to check him out. By dint or not of coincidence his ex-wife Erin is banged up, charged with murder of her partner, the loaded philanthropist Lyle Pearse in the very same place. I kid you not. She tells a very strange story, her version of the events is extremely weak in terms of an alibi and that’s how Ernest knows she’s innocent. She wants him to get her out of jail before Christmas and oh yes, before his wedding. In the process of investigating Lyle‘s murder he also drops onto another. Shock horror, that of the magician, Rylan Blaze. It’s a twofer or a bogof, it could only happen to Ernest. Thankfully, he has twice as much perspicacity as the rest of us and is sure to get his man or woman.

Murder, mayhem and Christmas in a fabulous Aussie setting in the Blue Mountains, a slice or two of magic. The novel is funny, irreverent, entertaining, very complicated and at times makes my head spin. Natch, I don’t pick up the clues but that’s what we’ve got Ernest for.

Ernest is an extremely likeable central protagonist and of course, he’s darned clever in the best possible spirit of the Golden Age mysteries that he loves so much. He spots every little detail just as Hercule or Miss Marple would. This is a tricky one as he’s dealing with a magician and those who work for him, so misdirection and illusions are a given.

It’s a shortish novel, the pace is brisk and it’s great fun, and would make a perfect gift instead of an advent calendar. Maybe read a chapter a day from the 1st to the 24th of December and do a better job than me at spotting the clues,

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

Ern is back with a Christmas bang!!!! Expect murder, laughs and festive treats!!! A fun read and fabulous story!

Loved this book - I have read the others but it can be read as a stand alone. It’s whitty and fun and made me feel all festive and fuzzy! LOVE Benjamin Stevenson! Roll on the next book!

Another cracking Ernest Cunningham novel from Benjamin Stevenson! As always, this was a delight, although a little shorter and simpler - but, as Ernest himself highlights, that's exactly what you want from a holiday special, number 2.5 in the series!

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

I was excited to get to read Benjamin Stevenson’s latest book, Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret.

I’ve read the other two books in the ‘Everyone…’ series and thoroughly enjoyed reading them. This instalment didn’t disappoint and is an easy and entertaining read. The book centres on Ernest (Ern) Cunningham, who is a writer and accidental sleuth. The amusing twist is that all his family have killed someone!

In this instalment, he travels to the Blue Mountains to help his ex-wife, Erin, who has been accused of murder.

As in all his books, I love the way in which Ern’s quite knowing of the crime genre and discusses the rules of the genre and when he’s going to break them in his writing.

You can read this book as a standalone festive read, but I’d urge all those who haven’t read the other books in this series to read them. They are such fun reads!

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

"Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret" is the third novel in the 'Everyone' series by Benjamin Stevenson. It follows, the brilliantly plotted "Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone", from 2022 and the second book, "Everyone on this train is a suspect" from earlier this year.
As a shorter novel that it's predecessors and with less of Ernest's family popping up throughout, it may prove to be an easier jumping point for readers who are interesting in diving into the series.
Our protagonist, remains, Ernest Cunningham, author and (increasingly frequent) sleuth. And as always, Ern finds himself at the center of a series of particularly nasty murders. This time around, Ern is visiting the Blue Mountains in the days leading upto Christmas. But this is not a relaxing pre-Christmas trip. Instead, Ern has been requested to visit the area to help his ex-wife Erin, as she has just been arrested for murdering her current partner, philanthropist Lyle Pearse. Ern believes Erin's statement of her innocence and begins his own investigation into the murder. It's not long before there's another body and Ern is racing to save himself from becoming the next victim.
Shorter than the previous novels, there are not as many twists in this novel but that does not mean that the revelation is any less ingenious. And of course, as Ern mentions, this novel is a "Christmas special" so you can expect costumes, Secret Santa and chocolate Advent Calenders among other festive references.

What could be worse at the scene of a murder than a list of suspects who are all professional tricksters?

But that's exactly what happens backstage at the Christmas show of famous magician Rylan Blaze, when his benefactor is the corpse in question

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the invite to read this ARC

I loved the first two books in the series but I think this one is my favourite. A quick read at less than 200 pages but no less enjoyable. Any future Benjamin Stevenson novels are definitely going on my TBR list.

Every bit as quirky as the other books by the author and I enjoyed this too very much, the author writes in a way that made me feel as if I was standing on the side watching the story unfold and it’s descriptive with out being OTT or too flowery.

Loved both of Benjamin Stevenson’s previous books, and really enjoyed this one as well. Enough ‘holiday special’ references for the Christmas reader, and enough self awareness to keep you giggling. One or two small loose ends that weren’t tied up, but a really enjoyable read. Rounded up from 3.5

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

3.5 stars. I really enjoyed Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone and so I was pleased to have the opportunity to read the third in this series. As before, it is rollicking good fun despite the murder element!

Ernest, our narrator, writes guides on how to write crime fiction, in this case a Holiday Special. The rules for writing these are given at the end. It starts by his ex-wife, Erin, asking for his help because she’s just been arrested for murdering her current partner. This takes Ernest high up in the Blue Mountains in Australia in the days before Christmas. The main suspects all work for the Pearse Foundation (Erin’s partner was Lyle Pearse) and so Ernest has to figure out which one of them killed him and why.

Not as exciting as the first book and without the many twists that it had. Overall, a much simpler, more straightforward whodunnit. As HBO have apparently bought the rights, I suspect that’s why we have what will be a fairly spectacular ending when filmed. For me, the mystery part was over too soon but one of the clues (we’re party to all of them), one which I was almost screaming at him not figuring out, turned out to be a red herring. Now that was clever!

Very enjoyable as a quick Christmas read. With thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for a review copy.