Tag: Ernest Cunningham Series

Everyone in this Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Comedy/Satire, Five-Star Books, Murder MysteryLeave a comment

Publisher: Penguin (Trade Paperback – 30 September 2025)

Series: Erenest Cunningham – Book Four

Length: 355 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

The over-the-top investigations of Ernest Cunningham resume in the outstanding and highly entertaining Australian crime fiction novel, Everyone in this Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson.

For the last few years, the Australian crime fiction scene has been the playground of Benjamin Stevenson. A comedian and performer with his brother, Stevenson started writing back in 2018 when he debuted his first crime fiction novel Greenlight (also released as Trust Me When I Lie and She Lies in the Vines), which Stevenson expertly followed up a year later with the great sequel Either Side of Midnight.  While these initial books were really good, for me Stevenson’s best work has been his Ernest Cunningham novels.

The Ernest Cunningham series follows the titular character, a crime fiction expert from a notorious family, who finds himself caught up in some real-life whodunit situations. The first book in the series, Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone (one of my favourite Australian novels of 2022), was particularly impressive, and it cleverly combined the author’s great sense of humour with a compelling mystery. Stevenson continued to impress the following year, with Everyone on this Train is a Suspect (one of my favourite books and pieces of Australian fiction of 2023) a worthy sequel that further parodied various crime fiction subgenres. Stevenson even released a short, but impactful, Christmas entry in the Ernest Cunningham series last year with Everyone this Christmas has a Secret, which saw a Christmas variety show get very bloody, and which ended up being one of my favourite pieces of Australian fiction in 2024. Due to how wildly entertaining these books were, I just had to get the fourth book in the series, Everyone in this Bank is a Thief, when it came out this year, and it was one of my most anticipated reads for the second half of 2025, especially with its fun title and awesome plot concept.

Ernest Cunningham, murder mystery expert and Australia’s least likely detective, has so far solved three murders, each in its own outrageous scenarios.  But even he is unprepared to solve a case in the middle of a bank robbery.

Trapped in a small-town bank while trying to get a loan for their new detective agency, Ernest and his fiancé Juliette find themselves at the mercy of a masked armed bandit, who has locked down the bank and demanding access to the vault.  The only problem, the bank’s chief of security who knows the code is missing, and Ernest was just in the process of being hired to find him.

Besieged by the police and with no chance of escape, Ernest is determined to get his fellow hostages out alive by discovering out the vault’s code.  However, as he begins his enquiries, he quickly discovers that the armed man holding them hostage isn’t the only criminal he’s dealing with.  There are many different things that can be stolen in this bank, and all the trapped hostages have their own plots in motion.  However, only one person is there to steal a life, and when bodies start turning up, Ernest once again finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation.

With all the suspects trapped in the bank with him, Ernest works quickly to solve the murders before the police end the siege.  All the people in the bank are suspicious, but is the killer the bank robber, the silent priest, the greedy film producer, the teen gaming prodigy, the dying teenage girl and her mother, or a member of bank’s staff? To find the truth, Ernest will have to uncover everyone’s secrets and work them into his established rules for a murder mystery.  But can he solve the crime before the killer takes him out, or is this one crazy investigation that even Ernest Cunningham cannot survive?

Benjamin Stevenson once again deeply impresses as Everyone in this Bank is a Thief was a brilliant and highly addictive novel that perfectly combines over-the-top mystery with the author’s distinctive humour.  Clever, wildly entertaining, and just a little silly, Everyone in this Bank is a Thief was so much fun to read, and it gets a full five-star rating from me.

What another brilliant and hilarious story.  Everyone in this Bank is a Thief was such an entertaining read, and I loved how crazy and exciting Stevenson made it.  Starting off with an interesting introductory note from the protagonist that sets the scene and foreshadows some of the events to come, you are quickly taken to the bank setting in small-town Australia, where Ernest and returning character Juliette are tasked with investigating the missing head of security, who has changed the code to the vault.  Stevenson does an effective job of introducing the locked room scenario, as well as the various suspects in these opening chapters, before the bank is taken over by the masked armed robber.  With everyone gathered as hostages and the bank surrounded by police, Ernest finds himself taking on the task of finding the combination to the vault to fulfil the robber’s unusual request of a single dollar from the bank’s vault.  This initial investigation provides a lot of hints about events for the future, before the story takes an enticing turn when someone dies in a spectacularly unusual situation.  This inspires Ernest to take on an unadvised secondary role in the case, which moves the story into an entertaining new direction.

The second half of the book is even more compelling, and you power through it fast as you can to get to the conclusion.  It quickly becomes apparent that there are multiple murders associated with this case, in addition to the other simultaneous heists taking place throughout the bank, all of which Ernest needs to uncover to solve the entire case.  The author selectively reveals some of these secondary crimes earlier in the plot, which allow the story to move forward, while also moving the suspicion away from some of the potential suspects.  While Stevenson continues to work in even more details about the suspects and the circumstances of their heists, there is also a certain amount of personal drama added into the mix, especially once Juliette realises the lengths Ernest has gone to solve the case, with some excellent moments leading up to it.  The interplay between the main plot and the author’s notes that hint at the future become even more entangled and urgent as the book continues, especially as the events of the two start to catch up, and Stevenson works in the usual concern about the protagonist’s survival a little earlier than usual.  Everything leads up to the classic summation gathering, where all the remaining secrets are revealed in hilarious and over-the-top fashion.  Featuring a big and deadly climax that all of Ernest’s investigations seem to require, the book ends on an entertaining note, with the series still having the potential to go forward.

I really enjoyed this new novel from Stevenson, which was an excellent continuation of the Ernest Cunningham series.  Working well as either the fourth book in the series, or an excellent standalone novel, Everyone in this Bank is a Thief was a lot of fun, with the concept of a crime fiction expert using the tropes of the genre to identify the killer in a humorous situation still as effective as ever.  Told in the form of a true-crime book by the protagonist as he recounts the events of the bank heist, the narrative features a classic closed circle of suspects as Ernest investigates several murders, including an actual locked-room mystery, as well as several adjacent thefts, all while trapped in the murder scene.  The result is an over-the-top mess of an investigation, as the various big personalities trapped in the bank clash with Ernest’s unusual methods and style, much to the audience’s glee.  While there is a lot of focus on the book’s humour, Stevenson also does a great job pulling together a complex mystery with a lot of compelling suspects.  There are a lot of intricate details and clues loaded into the story, often hidden by the more comedic interactions, and all these elements are well used later in the book, whether in solving the murders or examining the various hidden motivations of the other characters.  The eventual reveal of the killer also proves to be quite clever, and there is some fantastic build-up to the discovery, even if the methods the protagonist uses to uncover them, as well as the crimes itself, are a tad ridiculous.

As with the previous books in the series, Everyone in this Bank is a Thief is a great satirical take on classic crime fiction novels, with the author and the protagonist both keen to utilise and honour the well-known tropes of the genre.  While Stevenson once again features a fun takedown of old-school detective fiction murder mysteries, he also takes his protagonist outside of his crime fiction wheelhouse with the murder taking place amid a heist.  Forcing the protagonist to apply heist tropes alongside his established rules for classic murder mysteries results in a great hybrid case, with a lot of jokes and references about both subgenres of crime fiction.  Stevenson naturally goes overboard with the heist elements, with several concurrent thefts happening in the bank, all of which could serve as a potential motive for murder.  I loved the outrageous variety of thefts that were worked into the plot, especially as most weren’t typical fictional robberies, and it was quite impressive to see Stevenson work them into the novel’s larger murder mystery.  The series’ usual pre-narrative hints of events and murders to come, with accompanying page numbers, were missing in this latest novel, instead replaced by the alternate focus on the protagonist’s plight, as he instead uses the introduction to reveal that he is trapped in a safe and slowly running out of air.  The humour of this situation, as well as build-up of suspense to when Ernest gets locked in the safe, added some extra fun and drama to the plot, and it was an interesting twist on the usual Ernest Cunningham book.  I really enjoyed how Stevenson continues to experiment and alter the initial story and writing concepts he introduced in Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone, and this book was a worthy addition to this series, especially with the new focus on heist fiction in addition to other comedic differences.

As with the previous books in the series, Everyone in this Bank is a Thief features a memorable and over-the-top cast of characters.  This includes series protagonist Ernest Cunningham, a writer and crime fiction expert who has accidently found himself in the middle of several murder investigations.  Attempting to continue his unlikely career as a professional detective, Ernest proves to be an intriguing and entertaining protagonist, especially with his cynical outlook on the world.  Much of the book’s humour comes from Ernest’s entertaining observations of the people around him, and he has a unique way of solving crimes that mocks traditional murder mysteries in all the best ways.  There is a compelling addictive element to Ernest’s need to solve crime in this latest novel, which often forces him to make some stupid decisions, and the author adds in some interesting and entertaining self-reflective moments that I quite enjoyed.  There is also and quite entertaining look at Ernest’s notoriety and semi-fame in wider society, which plays into the story in several fun ways, including making him a potential target for murder.  I loved how much Ernest has developed over the series, and this proved to be a great extra inclusion to his story.

The rest of the cast of Everyone in this Bank is a Thief is also quite impressive, with my favourite being Ernest’s patient fiancé, Juliette.  A strong-willed, intelligent supporting character who has been Ernest’s love interest since the first book, Juliette often finds herself trapped in these elaborate murder investigations alongside her partner.  Her latest outing in Everyone in this Bank is a Thief was particularly fun, as Stevenson used some interesting shenanigans to showcase Juliette’s feelings about Ernest’s antics, especially when he gets caught up in an investigation.  The real brains and emotional heart of this novel, Juliette was extremely awesome, and I love how well she complements Ernest as the protagonist.  The rest of the cast, the majority of whom are fellow hostages in the bank, also prove to be a ton of fun, especially as all of them are thieves in one way or another.  While I’m going to limit my discussion about these supporting characters to avoid spoilers, I will say that Stevenson came up with an awesomely eclectic group of suspects, red herrings and rogues here, and uncovering their associated ploys and schemes made for some great reading.

Overall, Everyone in this Bank is a Thief was outstanding fourth entry in the Ernest Cunningham series, and I had such an epic time getting through it.  Benjamin Stevenson has perfected his formula for highly entertaining murder mysteries, and the intricate blend of complex mystery, excellent humour and outrageous characters makes for quite an impressive read.  One of the best Australian crime fiction novels of 2025, Everyone in this Bank is a Thief comes very highly recommended, and I cannot wait to see what Stevenson writes next.

Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday – Everyone in this Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Waiting on Wednesday10 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In this latest Waiting on Wednesday post, I highlight an incredible upcoming piece of Australian crime fiction with the sure-to-be hilarious novel, Everyone in this Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson.

Amazon

For the last few years, the Australian crime fiction scene has been soundly dominated by the highly talented Benjamin Stevenson.  A comedian and performer, Stevenson started writing back in 2018 when he debuted his first crime fiction novel Greenlight (also released as Trust Me When I Lie and She Lies in the Vines), which Stevenson expertly followed up a year later with the great sequel Either Side of Midnight.  While these initial books were really good, for me Stevenson’s best work has been his Ernest Cunningham novels.

The Ernest Cunningham series follows the titular character, a crime fiction expert from a notorious family, who finds himself caught up in some real-life whodunit situations.  The first book in the series, Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone, was particularly impressive, and it cleverly combined the author’s great sense of humour with a compelling mystery.  I really enjoyed this exceptional book (one of my favourite Australian novels of 2022), especially as the author successfully played to his comedic background to produce an outstanding read that satirised classic crime fiction conventions.  Stevenson continued to impress the following year, with the amazing book Everyone on this Train is a Suspect.  One of my favourite books and pieces of Australian fiction of 2023, Everyone on this Train is a Suspect was a worthy sequel to the first Ernest Cunningham book, and I loved how the author took the opportunity to further parody various crime fiction subgenres.  Stevenson even released a short, but impactful, Christmas entry in the Ernest Cunningham series last year with Everyone this Christmas has a Secret, which saw a Christmas variety show get very bloody, and which ended up being one of my favourite pieces of Australian fiction in 2024.

Due to how exceptional, clever and funny the last few books from Stevenson have been, I have been eagerly waiting for a 2025 novel from him and the author has just released details about his next awesome novel, Everyone in this Bank is a Thief.  A new entry in the Ernest Cunningham series Everyone in this Bank is a Thief will once again force the author’s unlucky protagonist to investigate a classic whodunnit when someone is murdered.  However, Stevenson has come up with a very interesting hook, as Ernest will need to find the killer while a hostage in the middle of a bank robbery.

Plot Synopsis:

The new instalment of the million-copy bestselling mystery series. What if an Agatha Christie style murder mystery happened inside OCEAN’S ELEVEN…

Ten suspects. Ten heists. A puzzle only Ernest Cunningham can solve.

I’ve spent the last few years solving murders. But a bank heist is a new one, even for me. I’ve never been a hostage before.

The doors are chained shut. No one in or out. Which means that when someone in the bank is murdered, hostages become suspects.
THE BANK ROBBER
THE MANAGER
THE SECURITY GUARD
THE KID
THE FILM PRODUCER
THE PRIEST
THE RECEPTIONIST
THE PATIENT
THE CARER
ME

Turns out, more than one person planned to rob the bank today. You can steal more from a bank than just money.

Who is stealing what? Are they willing to kill for it? And can I solve the crime before the police kick down the door and rescue us?

This sounds like another particularly fun book from Stevenson, and I love the new scenario that the author came up with for his next Ernest Cunningham book, especially as he once again works to cross a classic whodunnit with a more modern crime fiction storyline.  Coming up with a murder amid a high stakes bank heist and filling the vault with an array of characters that would fit into any Agatha Christie novel is an awesome idea, and I cannot wait to see how the author deconstructs all the tropes surrounding the scenario as he builds up a clever and entertaining mystery.  The oncoming police intervention also adds a certain interesting time crunch element to the plot, and it will be interesting to see the protagonist try to solve the murder before all the suspects are set free.  As such, this should be a particularly awesome story and I look forward to unwinding the entire complex mystery.

Based on what Stevenson has featured in his previous Ernest Cunningham novel, I am expecting this mystery of Everyone in this Bank is a Thief to be matched with some fantastic humour.  A lot of this will be due to the protagonist’s internal narration, as he deals with an array of over-the-top figures, while even more will be due to the writer’s funny, yet loving, takedowns of classic murder mystery and whodunnit tropes and overused plot devices.  I am also assuming there will be a bit of a takedown of heist novels with this book, and I cannot wait to see what fun the author will have with a compelling bank robbery plot.  I have no doubt this great humour will mesh well with the main crime fiction elements of the story, and I cannot wait to see what outrageous events and complex webs emerge as a result.

I cannot emphasise just how happy I am that Benjamin Stevenson is continuing his Ernest Cunningham series, and I was always going to be excited at grabbing the next entry in the series. However, I must admit I’m even more excited now that I’ve gotten some plot details for Everyone in this Bank is a Thief, which sounds like it is going to be a truly awesome read.  I cannot wait to see crazy shenanigans and clever jokes Stevenson slips into this excellent upcoming novel, and I have a feeling that Everyone in this Bank is a Thief is going to be one of my top reads of 2025.

Everyone this Christmas has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Comedy/Satire, Murder Mystery6 Comments

Publisher: Penguin Australia (Hardcover – 22 October 2024)

Series: Ernest Cunningham – Book Three

Length: 229 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

One of my favourite Australian authors, the clever and eternally funny Benjamin Stevenson, returns with the third book in his Ernest Cunningham series, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret.

Over the last few years, one of the most impressive Australian crime fiction authors has been the exceptional Benjamin Stevenson.  After a successful career as one half of musical comedy duo The Stevenson Experience, Stevenson has successfully made the move to crime fiction author with several amazing books.  I was a big fan of his debut novel, Greenlight (also released as Trust Me When I Lie and She Lies in the Vines), which Stevenson expertly followed up a year later with the great sequel Either Side of Midnight.  While these initial books were really good, for me Stevenson’s best work has been his Ernest Cunningham novels.

The Ernest Cunningham series follows the titular character, a crime fiction expert from a notorious family, who finds himself caught up in some real-life whodunit situations.  The first book in the series, Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone, was particularly impressive, and it cleverly combined the author’s great sense of humour with a compelling mystery.  I really enjoyed this exceptional book (one of my favourite Australian novels of 2022), especially as the author successfully played to his comedic background to produce an outstanding read that satirised classic crime fiction conventions.  Stevenson continued to impress the following year, with the amazing book Everyone on this Train is a Suspect.  One of my favourite books and pieces of Australian fiction of 2023, Everyone on this Train is a Suspect was a worthy sequel to the first Ernest Cunningham book, and I loved how the author took the opportunity to further parody various crime fiction subgenres.  Due to how much fun I’ve had with the previous novels in the series, I was very excited when I found out Stevenson was releasing an Ernest Cunningham Christmas special.  This latest book, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret, was an excellent read that continued to showcase unique style and flair for outrageous stories.

Ernest Cunningham, amateur detective, novelist and all-round meddler, had been looking forward to Christmas with his highly dysfunctional family.  However, a surprising phone call from his ex-wive, Erin, forces him to journey to the Blue Mountains to solve another murder.  Erin has been accused of killing her new husband, a wealthy philanthropist and former actor dedicated to helping former drug addicts by introducing them to the performing arts.  Found upstairs covered in the victim’s blood, the case against Erin seems airtight, but Ernest isn’t willing to believe that the women he used to love is capable of committing murder.

Determined to prove Erin’s innocence, Ernest begins to investigate hoping to find anything that will clear her name.  His first stop is a large charity Christmas show headlined by a famed magician that the victim had been working on in the leadup to his death.  Exploring backstage, Ernest soon discovers that the staff of the charity show are a mixed bag of tricksters, manipulators and performers, each of whom had history with the victim.  But before he can investigate any further, another person dies publicly on stage.

With the police refusing to listen and time counting down to Christmas, Ernest once again uses his knowledge of the conventions of crime fiction to try and solve the case.  However, all his suspects have motive, and all of them know how to lie and misdirect.  Can Ernest work out which of these performers is concealing the truth, or will a killer get away with murder this Christmas?

This was another outstanding novel from Stevenson, who clearly has a ton of fun with his Ernest Cunningham books.  A brilliant Christmas special, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret proved to be yet another captivating and hilarious book that proved extremely hard to put down.

Everyone this Christmas has a Secret proved to be a very entertaining addition to the Ernest Cunningham series.  Using the conventions of a Christmas special, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret provides readers with a short standalone book that can easily be enjoyed by any reader, even those unfamiliar with the previous entries in the series.  Due to the limited length of the novel, Stevenson wastes no time diving into the plot, and you are soon presented with a new unique murder mystery, with the protagonist’s ex-wife painted as the killer.  After some effective introductions to the case, the protagonist travels to the charity show that seems to lie at the heart of the case and begins to learn more about the potential suspect.  This was a necessarily concise introduction, although it works to set up much of the future plot, and there are a ton of subtle clues hidden throughout the first half.  This first half leads to a dramatic and exciting second murder that changes the scope of the plot and forces the protagonist to up his game.

Stevenson doesn’t waste any time after this second death, moving the plot at a murderous pace (pun intended), and bombarding the reader with clues, reveals and intrigues.  There are several great twists here as we get closer to the conclusion, and I loved how the protagonist worked his way through the Christmas mystery in his own unique way.  Everything leads up to the big reveal, where Ernest brings all his suspects together in a single location and talks them through the solution to the murder.  There are some brilliant moments here as Ernest eliminates suspects, bringing all the hidden secrets to life and slowly whittling down the field of potential killers.  The big reveal about the real killer was well handled and extremely clever, as the author brings together the multitude of clues he sprinkled throughout the plot in an entertaining manner.  While the identity of the murder was a tad obvious to me thanks to one clue in particular, the route the protagonist takes to get there is fun, and I loved seeing everything come together.  The resulting final confrontation is a little over-dramatic and follows the pattern of the other novels in the series, but it proved to be a great ending to this shorter, Christmas-themed Ernest Cunningham book, and I loved how well this book sat as a standalone entry to the series.

As with the previous books in this series, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret is a cleverly written and highly entertaining read that seeks to blend a complex murder mystery with comedic writing that satirises classic fiction tropes, especially those around golden-age crime fiction.  Perfectly set in the iconic Australian setting of the Blue Mountains and told from the first-person chronicle perspective of protagonist Ernest Cunningham, this book has a compelling, quick-fire narrative enhanced by the protagonist’s amusing observations about the situation and the people involved in the case.  Stevenson expertly utilises his comedy background to keep the mood of Everyone this Christmas has a Secret light, and you will love the fantastic way he keeps the audience laughing, while also providing some very clever in-jokes for those readers familiar with classic murder mysteries and whodunnits.

Stevenson also leans into the Christmas theme of this book by including a range of themes and tropes from holiday special novels/shows, which helps to give this third book a unique and memorable edge.  The author’s rules for holiday specials, which are set down at the end of the novel, are cleverly overlayed over his established rules for detective fiction, and I really appreciated how Stevenson incorporated them into the plot.  As such, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret has a distinctive change in style compared to the previous novels, which I think worked extremely well.  If I had one criticism, it would be that the shorter length of this novel ensured that Stevenson didn’t have as much space or time to try to implement some of his classic meta-hints (like revealing on what page a murder was going to occur, or how many times the killer’s name is mentioned in the book), and the entire book did feel a bit rushed at times.  Still, this was a great read, and one that works both as a continuation of the Ernest Cunningham series, as well as a compelling, holiday standalone read.

Due to its nature as a standalone holiday special, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret doesn’t feature a massive amount of character development, and apart from the protagonist there is a noticeable lack of recurring characters physically appearing here (it’s one of the rules of a holiday special).  That being said, it was fun to see protagonist and humorous point-of-view character Ernest Cunningham again, especially as he is starting to lean into his role as a detective.  While his investigation style is still quite chaotic (earning him the moniker “the Slapdash Detective”), Cunningham proves to be a much more skilled sleuth, although he once again makes some foolish mistakes at the grand reveal at the end.  Aside from Cunningham, the rest of the cast is fun, with an intriguing mixture of suspects, victims, and related characters.  While Stevenson does a good job introducing these characters and setting up some competing motivations, I did think the speed of the plot didn’t allow the reader to really appreciate this extended cast as much, and as such the big reveal at the end loses a little punch.  Still, Stevenson features a solid cast for a shorter holiday special, and I enjoyed seeing how Ernest dives through their chaotic lives to find the killer.

Benjamin Stevenson once again shows why he is one of Australia’s top crime fiction authors with another captivating and clever murder mystery book, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret.  Once again featuring the author’s trademark humour and satirical take on classic whodunnit tales, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret was a great read that was both gripping and fun.  I look forward to seeing how the author continues the Ernest Cunningham books in the future, although I must admit I do wonder how far Stevenson can take this concept.  An overall excellent and funny murder mystery that anyone can enjoy this Christmas.

Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday – Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Comedy/Satire, Murder Mystery, Waiting on Wednesday7 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  For this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight one of my most anticipated Australian novels of 2024, with the hilarious upcoming crime fiction read, Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson.

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret Cover 1

Amazon

Over the last few years, one of the most consistently impressive and enjoyable Australian authors has been crime fiction author Benjamin Stevenson.  A former comedian (alongside his brother), Stevenson dove into the world of crime fiction with his exciting debut Greenlight (also released as Trust Me When I Lie and She Lies in the Vines), which proved to be a gripping and enjoyable read.  Stevenson followed this up in 2020 with his second novel, Either Side of Midnight, which proved to be an excellent sequel to Greenlight.

While I have really enjoyed his more serious crime fiction novels, Stevenson’s best work is easily his Ernest Cunningham series.  Starting in 2022 with the outrageous and incredible Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone, this series follows a murder mystery expert who finds himself trying to solve an elaborate killing involving his own trapped family.  Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone was such a good book, especially as Stevenson expertly utilised his comedy background to tell a particularly entertaining story, and it ended up being one of my favourite pieces of Australian fiction from 2022.  Not to be outdone, Stevenson followed this book up last year with the awesome sequel, Everyone on this Train is a Suspect.  Once again forcing the protagonist into a unique locked-room mystery, Everyone on this Train is a Suspect proved to be an epic book, especially as it cleverly parodied the crime fiction genre, and it was one of my favourite books and pieces of Australian fiction from 2023.

Needless to say, I have been keeping a close eye out for anymore books from Stevenson, and I was delighted when I found out there was going to be a third Ernest Cunningham novel coming out later this year.  This book, which is set for release in late October 2024, is the awesome sounding Everyone This Christmas has a Secret, which will throw the protagonist into a whole new mess of trouble.

Plot Synopsis:

Benjamin Stevenson returns with a Christmas addition to his bestselling Ernest Cunningham mysteries. Unwrap all the Christmas staples: presents, family, an impossible murder or two, and a deadly advent calendar of clues.

If Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club kissed under the mistletoe…

My name’s Ernest Cunningham. I used to be a fan of reading Golden Age murder mysteries, until I found myself with a haphazard career getting stuck in the middle of real-life ones. I’d hoped, this Christmas, that any self-respecting murderer would kick their feet up and take it easy over the holidays. I was wrong.

So here I am, backstage at the show of world-famous magician Rylan Blaze, whose benefactor has just been murdered. My suspects are all professional tricksters: masters of the art of misdirection.

THE MAGICIAN
THE ASSISTANT
THE EXECUTIVE
THE HYPNOTIST
THE TWIN
THE COUNSELLOR
THE TECH

My clues are even more abstract: A suspect covered in blood, without a memory of how it got there; A murder committed without setting foot inside the room where it happens; And an advent calendar. Because, you know, it’s Christmas.

If I can see through the illusions, I know I can solve it.

After all, a good murder is just like a magic trick, isn’t it?

Now this sounds like a pretty damn epic read and boy am I going to have fun with it later this year.  Taking his fun concept and turning it into a Christmas-themed murder mystery is a brilliant move from Stevenson and I am really excited to see how it works in Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret.  Focussing the murder on a bunch of different entertainers, all of whom are trained liars and distractors, should result in a complex mystery and I am sure that Stevenson is going to produce a very memorable story around it.  The utterly ridiculous scenario also plays masterfully into Stevenson’s comedy and performance background, so I am sure its going to be loaded with some amazing jokes and references that will appeal to a lot of people.

Look, after all the fun I’ve had with his last few books picking up the new Benjamin Stevenson is a given for me at this point.  However, having a new Ernest Cunningham mystery that features an elaborate and entertaining Christmas themed murder mystery is just gold and there is no way I’m not going to have an absolute blast reading this book.  I am exceedingly excited for Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret and I cannot wait to see how Stevenson continues his outstanding series.  While I am a tad worried about the shorter length of this novel, which might restrict the mystery a little, I am sure that Stevenson has something special planned, and I look forward to seeing it unfold.  Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret has the potential to be one of my favourite books of the year and in my opinion October cannot come soon enough.

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret Cover 2

Amazon

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Comedy/Satire, Murder Mystery16 Comments

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect Cover

Publisher: Michael Joseph (Trade Paperback – 17 October 2023)

Series: Ernest Cunningham – Book Two

Length: 318 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out 5 stars

Amazon

Impressive Australian author Benjamin Stevenson returns with another hilarious and outstanding murder mystery that once again acts as a clever homage to the classics with Everyone on this Train is a Suspect.

Over the last few years, one of the most consistently enjoyable authors of Australian crime fiction has been the remarkably talented Benjamin Stevenson.  Best known prior to his writing career for his comedic work with his brother James, Stevenson adapted well to crime fiction and made his first impression with his debut novel, Greenlight.  Also released as Trust Me When I Lie and She Lies in the Vines, Greenlight was an outstanding read, and Stevenson quickly followed it up with the cool sequel Either Side of Minute.  While both of these books had great murder mystery plots with some unique twists to them, I think Stevenson didn’t truly display his writing ability until his next novel; Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone.

Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone was an exceptional 2022 novel that saw a fictional murder mystery expert try to solve a classic locked room murder that was likely committed by a member of his notorious family, each of whom has killed someone in the past.  Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone was so damn good as not only did it feature a clever case but Stevenson excelled at producing a very funny novel in his unique style that parodied the classics of the genre.  Due to its entertaining and meta storytelling, Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone was such a joy to read and it ended up being one my favourite pieces of Australian fiction in 2022.  As such, I have been eager to see what Stevenson would produce next, and while I was initially a little surprised to see that he would be writing a sequel to Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone, it was something that really excited me.  This sequel, Everyone on this Train is a Suspect, was one of my most anticipated releases for 2023, and I had another outstanding time getting through it.

Plot Synopsis:

6 WRITERS. 5 DETECTIVES. 4 DAYS. 3 WEAPONS. 2 MURDERS. 1 TRAIN…

When the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society invited me to their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide, I was hoping for some inspiration for my second book. Fiction, this time: I needed a break from real people killing each other. Obviously, that didn’t pan out.

The program is a who’s who of crime-writing royalty:

the debut writer (me!)
the forensic science writer
the blockbuster writer
the legal thriller writer
the literary writer
the psychological suspense writer.

But when one of us is murdered, six authors quickly turn into five detectives. Together, we should know how to solve a crime.

Or commit one.

How can you find a killer when all the suspects know how to get away with murder?

Stevenson once again presents an outstanding and wildly entertaining Australian crime fiction novel that proves impossible to put down.  Thanks to his impressive story and wonderfully distinctive style for this series, Everyone on this Train is a Suspect was a particularly funny novel that takes some fun shots at classic murder mysteries, modern crime fiction and the publishing world at large.

I absolutely loved the story Stevenson came up with for Everyone on this Train is a Suspect, which essentially traps his returning protagonist, Ernest Cunningham, on the Australian version of the Orient Express with a group of other famous crime fiction authors.  Ernest, who has achieved a certain amount of literary fame writing a true-crime book about the familial murder he solved, is the somewhat ostracised newcomer to the group and is currently suffering from writer’s block.  Hoping to gain inspiration from meeting some of his fellow authors, most of whom are homages to famous crime fiction authors (Ian Rankin and Patricia Cornwell, for example), Ernest instead finds himself caught up in another deadly murder, this time involving suspicious writers, greedy publishers, scheming agents, angry mega-fans and other fun figures from the literary world.  The resulting plot is extremely fun, as an obsessed Ernest attempts to solve the crime, only to encounter additional murders, opposition from his fellow writers, unique interactions, and all manner of ridicule.

This entire story is really well written, as it features all the elements that made Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone great, including a clever mystery, outrageous characters and an irrepressible sense of humour.  Just as with Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone, Everyone on this Train is a Suspect is told in the form of a true-crime book written by the protagonist as he recounts the events that unfolded aboard the train.  I really enjoyed this fun and clever way of writing the story, especially as the character of Ernest has such an amusing and satirical outlook on life and murder mysteries.  The author also believes in challenging the classic ways of writing crime fiction and providing clues to the reader, and as such the book is loaded with a ton of hints from the protagonist about who the killer is and the events to come.  For example, he indicates how many times he is going to mention the killer’s name early on and then keeps a running countdown going throughout the book to narrow down the suspect pool.  In addition, several characters’ fates, actions and other clues are mentioned well in advance, just to heighten anticipation.  While you would imagine that this would spoil much of the plot, I felt it honestly enhanced it, as you eagerly wait to see how these events occur or try to keep track of who is being talked about and in what context.  Stevenson also does not always play it fair with these hints, with a few flagrant mistruths sprinkled through by the protagonist to mislead the reader, although this is all done in good fun.

As such, by the time you get to the second half of Everyone on this Train is a Suspect, you are really invested in the overall mystery that Stevenson has cooked up.  All the various clues, hints and other interesting story details have been cleverly built up and you are eager to see how everything unfolds.  There are a few hilarious set pieces loaded here, including an unnecessary chase sequence, a failed denouement gathering, and some major misunderstandings, all of which add to the chaotic nature of the plot.  This exciting and funny story also makes great use of its iconic background setting of the Ghan, one of Australia’s most famous trains, and Stevenson works in some fantastic personal drama for the protagonist who finds that crime solving and romance do not mix.  The eventual solution to the mystery is just great, as it blends multiple motivations, character histories and various subtle clues in an outstanding way.  Even all the overt clues that the protagonist had been directly feeding the reader come into play, although not always in the way you would expect it to.  This leads to an intense and memorable conclusion, which I thought wrapped things up nicely, especially with that fun twist designed to surprise readers familiar with first-person stories.

As with Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone, this second novel serves as a great homage and parody of classic murder mystery tropes, as the protagonist once again finds himself in a locked-room scenario.  The parallels between this story and Murder on the Orient Express are purposely obvious, and I loved seeing the very self-aware protagonist revel in them as the plot continues.  Stevenson also modernises his references by including homages to more modern mystery and crime fiction sub-genres.  The legal thriller, forensic science, modern detective and psychological suspense genres are all featured here in some ways, as fictional authors of these genres are present as supporting characters, and all their specialties are considered when it comes to solving the crime.  Stevenson works these into the plot perfectly, and it was a great deal of fun to see each of these elements discussed, satirised, and then utilised to a degree.  As such, this proves to be quite a fun book for all manner of crime fiction fans, and the fun references, jokes and hints will greatly appeal to the wider murder mystery audience.

Another awesome aspect of Everyone on this Train is a Suspect that I liked was the exploration of the literary world.  Due to the events of the first book, the protagonist finds himself as a published author, with all the baggage that brings with it.  As such, this sequel is filled with a ton of fun discussions and jokes about being a writer, with Stevenson no doubt utilising his own personal experiences to give it a splash of realism.  Most of these inclusions are done to provide another comedic edge to the story, especially as Ernest has been thrown into the deep end with a group of experienced writers who have no respect for him.  The scenes where they discuss their works while also putting down his less successful book are so damn funny, although I could not help but feel a little self-conscious with some of the comments (I know I use too many adverbs).  Stevenson also really dives into the dark side of writing and publishing, with sketchy agents, dodgy backroom deals, story thefts, and personal compromises all being featured quite heavily in the plot.  These elements make for some great potential motives, but you have to appreciate the heavy level of cynicism that Stevenson is throwing into the mix.  I deeply enjoyed the way that Stevenson explored the minefield of life as a murder mystery writer, as well as other connected literary issues, and it ensured that the protagonist’s storyline about being a new author was simultaneously funny and intriguing.

Benjamin Stevenson continues to impress as one of my favourite authors of crazy Australian crime fiction.  His amazing latest novel, Everyone on this Train is a Suspect, is so damn good, as it combines a clever mystery with Stevenson’s unique style that satirises the entire crime fiction genre.  Loaded with some brilliant homages to all manner of murder mystery, and mixing an intense murder plot with jokes, outrageous characters, and fantastic way to tell the story, Everyone on this Train is a Suspect was a blast of epic fun from start to finish.  A worthy and incredible sequel to Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone, Everyone on this Train is a Suspect is funny, brilliant and occasionally dark, and you are guaranteed to love every second of it.

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect Cover 2

Amazon

Quick Review – Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Comedy/Satire, Five-Star Books, Murder Mystery, Quick Review26 Comments

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone Cover

Publisher: Michael Joseph (Trade Paperback – 29 March 2022)

Series: Ernest Cunningham – Book One

Length: 384 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

One of Australia’s fastest rising crime fiction stars, comedian turned mystery writer Benjamin Stevenson, returns with an outstanding standalone book that might be one of the best Australian crime fiction reads of 2022, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.

One of my favourite Australian crime fiction authors now is the exceedingly talented Benjamin Stevenson, who has written some amazing works over the last couple of years.  Stevenson’s writing career began in 2018 when he released the amazing murder mystery Greenlight (which was subsequently released as Trust Me When I Lie and She Lies in the Vines outside of Australia).  A fantastic Australian crime fiction book with true crime elements to it, Greenlight followed a successful television producer who reinvestigates a murderer who was freed thanks to his show.  Stevenson followed Greenlight up in 2020 with the epic sequel, Either Side of Midnight, which saw the same protagonist investigate an impossible murder in what was one of my favourite Australian books of 2020.  Both these readers were pretty damn impressive, but Stevenson has saved his best work for the 2022 release, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, which luckily has an outstanding story that matches the very cool title.

Plot Synopsis:

Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.

I’m Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I’d killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it’s a little more complicated than that.

Have I killed someone? Yes. I have.

Who was it?

Let’s get started.

EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE

My brother

My stepsister

My wife

My father

My mother

My sister-in-law

My uncle

My stepfather

My aunt

Me

As the title and the intriguing plot synopsis above suggests, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone is an awesome read that sees Stevenson serve up an addictive narrative that is one part insane family drama and one part homage to classic detective novels.  I had an incredible time reading this book early on in 2022 and I honestly should have written a review for it well before now.

The plot of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone is pretty bonkers as it follows a very damaged protagonist, teacher and crime fiction mega-fan Ernest Cunningham, as he attends one of the most awkward family reunions in history.  Written from Ernest’s perspective as part of an in-universe book, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone sees Ernest reunite with the fellow members of the infamous Cunningham family at an isolated ski resort.  The black sheep of a dark family with criminal connections, Ernest has been invited to attend a special event: the release of his brother Michael from jail after Ernest testified against him.  However, once his brother arrives, a series of murders start to strike the resort, killing off several people.  With the ski resort cut off from the outside by the snow, it falls to Ernest to discover who is killing the remaining guests at the lodge.  However, everyone in his family is a suspect, as all of them have killed someone before, including Ernest, who has just as much motive as the rest.  As the book continues, it becomes very clear that someone in the Cunningham family has killed again, it’s just a matter of finding out which one did it.

I have to admit that I was pretty in love with this book from the opening pages, especially as it becomes clear early on that Stevenson planned to blend the book’s mystery with some great humour and brilliant homages to classic murder mysteries.  Stevenson lays out this story in a fun way that simultaneously focuses on the infamous main family, their complex past and relationships, while also presenting a compelling murder investigation that intentionally steals a lot of cues from classic whodunnits.  Stevenson introduces an outrageous cast of complex characters for the story, and they were very intriguing to follow, especially as they all have deeper issues brought on by the deaths they are responsible for.  The story at time transforms into a very moving and entertaining family drama, which helps to make the story richer and even more amusing.  The mystery itself is very clever, and I loved the multiple compelling twists and reveals that accompanied it as the protagonist is forced to dive back into every terrible event his family has been involved in, including murder, robbery, police corruption and kidnapping, all of which leads to final, devastating solution.  While the identity of the killer is a tad obvious, the reveal of why they are committing their crimes more than makes up for it, and Stevenson came up with one doozy of a motive.  However, the real highlight of the book is the way in which Stevenson sets out Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone in the manner of an in-story chronicle written by the protagonist, which simultaneously takes on every established trope and rule of old-school detective novels and moulds it into itself.

As I mentioned a few times above, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone also acts as a homage to classic crime fiction novels, as Stevenson goes out of his way to simultaneously parody and revere the iconic detective genre.  The book starts with two intriguing elements: the membership oath of the Detectives Club (a secret society of classic crime fiction writers), and Ronald Knox’s ’10 Commandments of Detective Fiction’.  Both of these inclusions acknowledge the general tropes and rules of golden-age detective fiction, and they actually end up being used by the protagonist, and by extension Stevenson, as the main guideline for the mystery.  The author continuously refers back to this list as the novel continues (he even suggests folding this page down so you can revisit it when needed), and I loved how this mystery came together as the author tried to avoid breaking any of these rules.  The author also cheekily informs the reader in advance when in the book someone is going to die with an accompanying page number, ostensibly to allow the reader to jump ahead if needed.  However, as most people will continue through at the normal pace, it heightens the suspense a little as you get closer and closer to the page on which you know a death is going to occur.  Various elements like this, as well as a ton of self-referential internal monologues and discussions about the rules of whodunnits, gives this book an incredible meta feel, which Stevenson uses to full effect to tell a particularly hilarious story.  The author’s background as a comedian is on full display here as he creates an incredibly funny book, even with the continued murders and human tragedy.  These clever references are a great love letter to the classic detective novels, especially as he addresses them in such a satirical way, and all mystery lovers will get a real kick out this book as a result.

Overall, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone is an absolutely outstanding book that I cannot recommend enough.  While I have enjoyed Benjamin Stevenson’s mystery novels in the past, I think that Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone is where he finally reveals his full potential.  Not only is the mystery itself brilliant, loaded as it is with compelling characters and a dark family history, but Stevenson finally showcases his impressive comedy skills and uses them to produce a truly delightful and incredibly addictive novel.  The combination of mystery, humour and a clever homage to the classics, is an intoxicating mixture, and it was near impossible to put this book down once you started reading it.  As such, I must give Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone a full five-star rating, and it was one of the most entertaining books I read in all of 2022.  I have so much love for this book and I was very excited when I heard that Stevenson is releasing a sequel in October titled Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect.

Amazon