Funny, fresh, original, breaking the fourth wall in a novel with a 'reliable narrator' very clever!

Ernest Cunningham, is the self-published author of “How to write a crime novel”, who has a family reunion with his family... but the Cunningham family is a bunch of misfits to say the least and it's not a plot spolier reveal to say we find out everyone in the Cunningham family has killed someone!!

There are plenty of gruesome moments amongst the humour and this is entertaining from start to finish.

Ernest Cunningham is dreading the family reunion including his estranged mother, his ex-wife and his brother, the one who he testified against. Arriving at the isolated resort Ernest's fears are realised. When a body is found and the weather sets in Ernest seems to be charged with solving the mystery, a mystery related to events thirty-five years ago when his father was shot dead and later his brother died. Using the rules of the Golden Age murder mysteries he loves so much Ernest strives to find answers as the body count rises.
This is a very different sort of crime novel with wonderful reverence for the classic crime novels of the past. It's a pure Agatha Christie plot transferred to a modern Australian setting with a gritty background around extortion, murder and corruption. It really shouldn't work, but it does and that is because of the tone of the writing. Ernest is the narrator and seems to be a bumbling mediocre attempt at a detective but again that is quality of the writing. It took me a while to get into this book, to understand the rhythm and humour but when I did, I loved it!

Sometimes a country seems to have an explosion of great writers and crime writing in Australia is, as the narrator of this story says, hitting its own Golden Age. I haven’t read anything by Benjamin Stevenson before, but I will be rectifying that and having a look at his past books as this is an extremely fun, cleverly constructed and atmospheric read which is perfect for crime lovers.

Our narrator is self-published author and man who got his brother Michael sent to prison, Ernie Cunningham. However, having given evidence against Michael for murder, he is about to be released from prison and the Cunningham clan are having a troubled reunion at Sky Lodge Mountain Retreat, a remote ski resort about to be hit by a storm. I know, what on Earth could go wrong? Well, almost everything you can imagine as Ernie explains how and why everyone in his family has killed someone and introduces us to an excellent cast of characters and suspects. For there is, of course, a murder, but that is just the beginning of a story which starts in the present but goes back into the past. It is convoluted and clever and, at times, very funny. I really enjoyed Ernie’s narrative voice and thought this was a wonderfully enjoyable read.

Definitely a five out of five from me and highly recommended. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

twisted. is how I would best describe this arc.
I've read alot of thrillers recently and this one has had quite a dash of something I can't quite put my finger on😂..

The arc was overall amazing.
it was well written, and quite an interesting story.
it kept me on my feet and at the end of my seat.
the only thing that stood out of this book that I haven't seen in others, is that the character of the book is speaking to you and telling you a story through his eyes.
that was quite something.
it added a whole new feel to the novel.
at a point I thought I was the narrator😂. cause that how included the narrate makes you feel.
another thing I loved, was the question and the little off the side notes and talks.
at most times I laughed abit.
The one downfall about this was that while reading this book, it picked up and slowed down.
I'm not saying it wasn't interesting, but it was very slow paced and fast paced.

I would highly recommend it if you like:
🔪family reunion
🔪story told by narrator
🔪laughter
🔪thriller/ mystery
🔪playing a detective.

I liked Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone.
It was an enjoyable enough read but
I just didn't find it the most unique story which Is why I didn't rate this book higher.
I also struggled with the humour in this book.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

An easy 5-stars from me. Thanks to the frank prologue you know exactly what you're getting with this book - no sex scenes, no supernatural forces, the criminal will be someone mentioned early in the story and the pages were deaths happen are helpfully listed for those "just here for the gory details." I really enjoyed the author's conversational style of writing as main character Ernest a "reliable, not competent" narrator. For example, each member of the family has a few chapters of the story dedicated to them but Ernest's wife's section is simply one page saying "I don't want to talk about it". So as you can see it's funny too - and throughout from start to finish not just odd bits - although having since found out that the author is a stand-up comedian this was probably pretty much guaranteed. Such great colourful and intriguing cast too, perhaps best summarised by Sofia's family bingo cards with squares such as "Marcelo shouts at waiter" and "Ernest ruins something". And of course the fact that they've all killed someone - the back stories of which are cleverly weaved in among the modern day events. Absolutely loved this and will definitely be seeking out more by this author.

Description 🔖

Ernest was dreading the Cunningham family reunion before it had begun and before the first murder. Before they were all snowed in at the mountain resort and before dead bodies started showing up everywhere.

It was never going to be a success as the Cunningham family have never really gotten along. The only thing they have in common is that all of them have killed someone.

General Thoughts 🤔

What had caught my attention with this book was the statement that it was unlike any other murder mystery; the most unique. It was 100% the most unique murder mystery that I have ever read. The entire thing felt like an adventure filled with twists, turns and decoys that made me devour every single page.

It was definitely a perfect blend of classic and modern murder mystery, utilising the best things from both. Not only was it thrilling and at times, quite tense but it was funny and light hearted too.

Characters 👫👭👬

All of the characters in the story were intriguing and obviously had a tale tell; as per the name of the book. I loved the tension between them all too, I mean, what is more entertaining than family drama (when it’s not your own). Ernest is the narrator of the story and therefore the character I probably felt the most endeared to. His dry sense of humour and extensive knowledge of classical crime fiction were fantastic to read and he had me laughing my head off.

Writing Style ✍️

This is the best selling point for this book in my opinion. It was written superbly well. It was smart, funny, thrilling, tense, scandalous and so many more things that is pretty impressive to squeeze into one book.

The story was complex, so took some concentration, but that was part of what I loved about the book. The narrator definitely gave enough away for a switched on reader to work out what had happened, it was the why that stumped me the most. The way that clues were given at just the right times was pieced together beautifully and gave the book such an adventurous feeling.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

I loved this book. Need I say much more. It’s marketed as a mash up of Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club. I vouch that the marketing team are not lying. If you like murder mysteries, humour (sometimes dark) and great entertainment, then this is a book that you must read.

This was a great read. I love murder mystery books especially if there is humour in them along the way. This was set in Australia which made it different and highly enjoyable. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A great read, darkly humorous, an intriguing plot and some great characters with interlinked back stories. It got quite complicated at times and a couple of times I had to go back and re-read a particular bit for it all to make sense, but a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I don’t think I’ve ever read an Australian murder mystery set in a ski resort before, in fact, I don’t think I was aware that Australia even HAD ski resorts. So I was intrigued to pick up this book just because of the setting.

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone was a very enjoyable, often extremely funny, fast paced thriller mystery. The narrator Ern Cunningham is very familiar with Golden Age murder mysteries and takes great pains to ensure that his story is told in accordance with Ronald Knox’s Ten Commandments of detective fiction.

Lots of excitement and a satisfying ending made it a 5 star read for me. I will definitely look out for more books by Benjamin Stevenson in the future!

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone is certainly a different murder mystery from what I am used to given that it is narrated by one of the characters who talks you through the whole book.

The book is about exactly what the title tells you it is. A family full of killers. They have been brought to a secluded ski lodge as one of them has just been released from prison, though our narrator did help put him there.

Whilst at the resort, one of the party is killed and it becomes a whodunit.

Like I said it was certainly different, and unusual approach to writing a book and I'm not 100% sure I felt at ease with it. The plot was good and the narrator intriguing but I struggles with the talking to me rather than the usual fictional books that take you through the story as a story.

Overall, not a bad read but didn't blow me out of the water.

A very good read, mystery, crime and lots of humour, a family more dysfunctional than mine, what's not to love.

The Cunningham family reunion was something that Ernie was dreading, having not seen his family since he did turned his brother Michael into the authorities for killing someone. Now, however, the family is all getting together for a reunion in an isolated ski resort – including Michael who has been released from jail.

When the dead body of a stranger is discovered in the snow, it seems clear that only one of the family could have done it. It’s up to Ernie to find out which of them it was – only there’s a slight problem. Everyone in the family has killed someone. But which of them was the murderer this time?

That description is hiding something important about the book. You see, the book is narrated by Ernie and he… well, he knows he’s writing a book. It’s written as if it’s almost a conversation between the character and the reader, with meta-nods all over the place. For example, early on, the reader is told, just in case they want to know where the grisly details are, the page numbers where the deaths occur. To rub it in, at one point the reader is told not to worry if a character is dead or not because we’re on a page number that was not in the list.

I was going to write this review yesterday – that’s when I finished the book and that was the publication date – but I needed time to decide whether this book was incredibly clever or deeply irritating. And to be honest, I still can’t decide.

This sort of game playing is hardly unique. The obvious book that springs to mind is John Dickson Carr’s The Nine Wrong Answers, a book that I love (and some other people hate) but that one doesn’t overdo it. At times, I felt that there was just too much clever-clever going on and dialling it back would have made it more palatable.

It’s a clear love-letter to the classic detective novel, and it’s definitely more successful that something like Eight Detectives. The Knox Decalogue is brought up often, as are “in detective stories, this would be the point when…” sort of comments. I’ve mentioned it before but people in mystery novels who say “if this was a mystery novel” is one of the things that gets on my nerves, so that probably didn’t help. The author announcing himself not to be unreliable and then, at the end of the novel, not being entirely honest was a bit of a pain too.

However, what you do have here is a well-constructed mystery and it is certainly an entertaining read. I can’t help but feeling that it’s my personal gripes that are getting in the way of me loving this book, as there are plenty of clues and red herrings flying around here and some fresh ideas – the shady background of the family for example – being used. The author does a good job of not making every revelation related to the murder plot, with a lot of the family secrets being clued and guessable for the reader.

All in all, this was an interesting read and very well constructed but I think I’d be hard pushed to say that I loved it. There were too many bits and pieces that didn’t click for me – maybe reading The Twist Of A Knife recently, another, although more subtle, modernisation of the genre didn’t help. I can’t deny though that this is a very clever piece of work and I did like it. I just didn’t love it and at times I wanted to slap the narrator. Having said that, a lot of people seem to really love it – Kate at Cross Examining Crime for example – so you probably will to, unless you’re a grumpy old sod like me.

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone is out now from Michael Joseph in hardback and ebook. Many thanks for the review e-copy via Netgalley.

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone is an outstanding, dark, original murder mystery featuring compelling characters and a nice layer of humour throughout. Highly recommended! Be sure to check out the atmospheric thriller Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone today.

Hhhmmmmm this us an odd one for me and was a struggle to read. I had no sympathy for the characters and although I understood the humour, maybe I'm just too English!!. Ut wasn't funny and nit for me.
The ending flat and so very sad.
I just felt sorry for the mindset behind this one.
Thanks for the early read NetGalley......I think....

I finished this book late last night and am finding this a tricky one to review.

The writing style is really different which I enjoyed and found refreshing and the plot was good.

I think a downside was that there were quite a lot of characters and I got confused about who was who on a few occasions.

At times I felt like the story would stall for a little bit and then gallop off again.

Overall I enjoyed it and would rate it 3 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Benjamin Stevenson’s new novel, Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, seems to be a marmite book: you love it or you hate it! I loved it. Even before the Prologue, Stevenson quotes the membership oath of the Detection Club (1930) and lists Ronald Knox’s 10 Commandments of Detective Fiction (1929). This is a 2020s book that respects the 1920s’ protocol of playing fair with the reader. It does indeed follow Monseigneur Knox’s Ten Commandments: we see all the clues and no thoughts are concealed. In fact, quite the reverse: the narrator constantly breaks the fourth wall and addresses us readers directly. He also invokes his publisher and editor. In the Prologue itself, he tells us the (16) page numbers upon which murders happen or are reported to have happened. We have Chapter 14.5, where Ernest recaps the story so far and Chapter 27.5 where he tells us that “A good author must not only wrong-foot the reader within the narrative” and that “In a book like this one, there are clues in every word – hell, in every piece of punctuation.” These aspects give the book its Marmite aspect: the interjections will either really annoy you or mildly amuse you, but I don’t think you’ll be able to ignore them. I emphasise, though,

The narrator is Ernest Cunningham and he’s arrived late for a Cunningham family reunion. It’s high up in the Australian mountains and there’s a snow-storm imminent. This is a really dysfunctional family and finding a body in the snow doesn’t help the tense atmosphere at all. Mind you, nor do the other deaths…

I enjoyed the humour. For example, the comment about modern banks: “This was the 90s, when banks had a full army of neckerchief-wearing young women behind Perspex windows instead of one besuited university graduate with an iPad and the audacity to make you do things yourself.” I do hope the author writes more books like this.

#EveryoneInMyFamilyHasKilledSomeone #NetGalley

I knew this was gonna be a top read for me the minute I read the description, and I was not let down! I thoroughly enjoyed this murder mystery that leans into anyone who has a slightly dark sense of humour. I have a feeling this one will be very VERY well received come publication day!!

Yes, Yes, Yes – this is exactly the type of book I love. Funny, clever, original, addictive, entertaining, page-turning and totally brilliant.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone is Benjamin Stevenson’s latest novel and I hadn’t heard of him before I read this book, I have now completed my indepth reseach, bought his previous book She Lies in the Vines and made sure I’ve followed him (stalked) on all social media platforms. Now that I know he is an award-winning stand-up comedian, the humour and wit evident throughout Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone is obviously written by a very talented and funny man.

Back to the book, narrated by Ernest Cunningham, a self-published author of “how to write a crime novel”, Ernest has been invited to a family reunion at a Ski Resort, however he really doesn’t want to be there for a number of reasons which are revealed throughout the story but I can tell you that the Cunningham family is a very dysfunctional bunch of misfits and there is no surprise (it’s in the title) when we find out everyone in the Cunningham family has killed someone.

This is such an entertaining book, Ernest speaks directly to the reader whilst narrating his story and there were moments of absolute hilarity, deadpan humour and observational remarks which were brilliant.

For those who love a murder, there are several gross and gruesome killings to keep you happy and a nasty serial killer on the loose.

Everyone in my Family Killed Someone is so smart and entertaining, I absolutely loved the humour and irony, all the characters involved, especially Ern – our “reliable narrator” who brings the Cunningham family to life (and death) in such vivid descriptions.

5 very easy stars from me and a huge recommendation to fans of the crime/mystery genre.

I requested this book based on its title; I was curious to see how a story could unfold so that an entire family is responsible for someone’s death. I also really liked the front cover illustrations – a gun, a knife as part of the text and what looks like a family tree in the background. I was most intrigued by the pigeon as this is not the usual bird to depict death, that usually falls upon species such as crows or magpies. Once read all these elements come to fruition.

The blurb indicates that this is a family reunion in a remote location of a mountain resort where not all is friendly in the Cunningham family so, as the snow falls, the bodies begin to pile up.

The story is told in first-person by Earnest Cunningham our narrator, occasionally addressing the reader. This was very well written, you areintroduced to a lot of characters and a lot of background information/flashbacks from the past, though it never seemed too taxing. I loved the nods to crime
clichés – such as the library with its log burning fire – I felt as though I was in an Agatha Christie novel. Earnest is himself a writer of self-help books for murder mystery writing, this is continuously
referenced throughout the novel as is the “10 commandments” written by mystery writer Ronald Knox. This helped give context and order to the story and why you know that Earnest himself cannot be the killer – commandment number 7 “the detective must not himself commit the crime”.

We go on a journey with Earnest as he tries to make amends for his past, establishing ties with his estranged family, while he tries to find the killer with the help of his stepsister and ex-wife – or are they suspects too? How can an entire family be responsible for so many deaths?

I found this a refreshing take on the typical crime story genre with plot twists and an unpredictable ending, I will be recommending this to fellow crime novel lovers. I will also be looking into Benjamin Stevenson’s other books, hopefully they too are as unique and refreshing.