Should a murder mystery be so laugh out loud comical? There are plenty of plot twists that tests the reader , to see if they are paying attention, but it is the sheer audacity of this idea of a comedic element to a series of murders that absolutely bowled me over. Such imagination, such nerve and a brilliant novel, it takes the breath away.
The Cunningham family are having a break at a ski resort. The weather doesn’t play ball, and as the family don’t get on with each other, there is plenty of scope for mischievous and murderous mishaps,with some rather novel ways of dispatching bodies.
The murders are telegraphed in advance by the narrator, Ernie, even giving the page numbers to aid the reader. Various high stake situations arise, it is either a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time_ unless you are the right person hoping to prevent a catastrophe and you end up making it far worse!!
The reader really cares about the madcap Ernie, he assures us that he is an honest narrator, but is he leaving a false trail of breadcrumbs?
A dark, atmospheric read, chaotic in style, but a most original book! Dry witty humour, with subtle hints and deeds being performed, Ernie speaks directly to the reader, who is probably suffering from hysterical giggles that are barely contained. Quirky, intriguing, well plotted and amazing read. Murders, kidnapping, imprisonment, more murders and lost and found loves, what a film this would make!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Michael Joseph, for my advance digital copy, given in exchange for an unbiased review. A well deserved five star read.

The Cunningam family are getting together for a reunion high up in the mountains at a ski resort. The problem is that they don’t really get along; the only thing they have in common is that each of them has killed someone. When a body turns up in the snow they all become embroiled in a murder mystery worthy of Agatha Christie herself.

Our narrator is Ernest Cunningham, a man who writes how-to guides for crime authors and is a big believer in the ten commandments of crime fiction, as told by Ronald Knox. He assures us that he is a reliable narrator and even details which pages in the book people will die. His family aren’t all psychopaths he explains, some are good, some are bad and some are just unfortunate.

This book is a love letter to Golden Age mysteries but also manages to poke fun at them. A locked door mystery? I think you’ll find the door wasn’t actually locked. Stranded up a mountain? Nope, just don’t want to ruin our holiday because of a dead guy. The humour is dry, witty and right up my street. I adored the subtle nods to certain mystery tropes and Ern was a fantastic narrator, frequently breaking the fourth wall with informative and amusing asides.

The mystery itself was very well crafted and the pacing of the book was even throughout. A lot of pressure on murder mystery books is on how well they stick the landing and I’m pleased to say that this book landed with nary a wobble. It’s possible this book could be a marmite (or vegemite) book based on your sense of humour and whether or not the writing style is for you. Personally I bloody loved it and had such a fun time reading it, so if you like classic murder mysteries but think they could be even better with a touch of humour then pick this book up now.

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone was an extremely enjoyable, darkly comic thriller. The characterisation is superb and the twists keep coming. For UK readers used to the baking hot desert settings of recent Aussie authors such as Jane Harper and Chris Hammer, the snowy mountain setting may take some getting used to - I had to google to find out whether Australia actually has ski resorts (it does) - but the formula of using weather to trap characters in a resort with a murderer is a tried and tested one (think The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse, Lucy Foley's The Hunting Party, One By One by Ruth Ware, etc). I actually preferred this to the three named above and it would make a particularly good read for fans of Chris Brookmyre.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I do love me a splosh of bonkers - and am a great advocate for it to be a genre in its own right - or a sub-genre at the very least. And this book would be a worthy inclusion to this category.
So we have a blended family with a whole host of interconnected grievances and feuds, all coming together for a family reunion in a remote ski resort with an incoming storm.
What could possible go wrong...?
We start with our narrator Ern who is a published author who writes books telling authors how to write crime novels. He is obsessed with Ronald Knox's 10 commandments of crime fiction - and yes, that's a real thing! And quite interesting to boot.
He starts by telling us that the title of the book is accurate and also spells out what pages the "deaths" occur. I was reading on a kindle so can't vouch for that accuracy but found the concept quirky!
And then he goes on to explain the death caused by his brother... and his subsequent incarceration - one of the main things that split the family - but to say more could inject spoilers...
So... the family descends to the resort and the morning after the majority arrive, there's a body... dun dun duuuun!
And so begins a shenanigan fuelled romp, at times very very funny, at others totally bonkers, but at the same time all making sense and all delivered with respect to the aforementioned Mr Knox.
I lost count of the number of times I kicked myself with things I missed, or misinterpreted along the way. Doh! Totally my fault, and some great obfuscation by the author. But when it was all spelled out at the end it evoked nothing but admiration from me for a job so very well done. It's delivered quite a lot tongue in cheek and I have irreverently banged on about it being bonkers but it's actually very very clever. So I do doff my cap... I say clever, it is but it's not that - try too hard - up itself - kind of clever that some authors deliver... It's proper, well researched, well plotted, clever.
All in all, a cracking read that I loved and want the world to love too. Go get this book, see if I'm wrong... Unless I am and then, I'm sorry :(
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

A remote resort up in the Australian mountains is the scene of a family reunion. The difference with this reunion is that one brother will be coming after he is released from prison. The other brother is the one who put him there and is the black sheep of the family.
Ernest, the black sheep, is a writer of how to write crime books and is the narrator of the story.
Michael, the returning prodigal child, will be arriving the day after the rest of the family get there. The morning Michael is due to arrive, a body is found a short distance from the lodge they are staying and a policeman arrives saying that he had been called by the person who discovered the body, but they were anonymous.
The body, who nobody could identify, has been killed in an unusual way. When Michael arrives, the policeman arrests him for the murder and Michael asks Ernest to be his lawyer despite their stepfather being a lawyer.
This is a tale of murders, revenge, kidnapping, more revenge and lost loves.
It took me a few chapters to get its rhythm and I had to keep reminding myself it was set in Australia, not somewhere in the US.. I enjoyed it.

As soon as I saw the title of this book, I just had to read it. I love a good old fashioned murder mystery and this one doesn’t disappoint.
Narrated by Ernest (Ern) Cunningham, self-published author of several ‘How To’ guides for aspiring crime writers, the story is told in the style of the Golden Age of crime writers and Ronald Knox’s Ten Commandments of crime writing. And it works brilliantly! I loved how Ern chatted frankly to the reader, pointed things out, and how he kept summarising at some of the more momentous stages. His family is full of great characters, each with their own flaws and idiosyncrasies, and true to the title, everyone has killed someone, as Ern explains, family member by family member. throughout his narrative. It’s full of action and events and will definitely keep you on your toes, hence I loved his recaps! Lots of superb dark humour throughout too, which had me chuckling. You’ll be trying to solve the mystery throughout alongside Ern, I nearly got it but not quite, which actually I was pleased about because it wouldn’t have been the ending it was if I had.
If you love a classic murder mystery then this is the one for you! A modern day take on a great classic style! You won’t be able to put it down.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an arc in exchange for a review.

A clever and enjoyable read!
Ernest Cunningham is an author and he is attending a family reunion in a ski resort and that’s where things begin to get complicated.
The writing is excellent and there are so many unique attributes to this book that it’s a must read.
The author throws in a few red herrings and plenty of misdirection bringing the story to a surprising and satisfying conclusion.
Overall an excellent and different read , highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph , Penguin Random House.

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone is a clever, entertaining mystery novel with a title that is bound to intrigue!

Our narrator Ernest talks us through the Cunningham family reunion in a snowy holiday resort, during which time a dead body appears. Suspicion soon falls on one particular person – and it’s up to Ernest (or ‘Ernie’) to find out who they are and what happened to them.

As the murder mystery novel continues, we find out more about the Cunningham family’s background. They’re a truly unique mix of characters, and Benjamin Stevenson adds a real injection of dark humour into these pages. I found the story really entertaining and such good fun.

I loved the way the novel is told as if it’s a real story, with Ernie referring to the 10 Commandments of Detective Fiction which of course soon become apparent in this murder case. There are lots of secrets in this novel, with plenty of misdirection and a hearty nod to the Golden Age of Crime Fiction throughout, particularly with the end-of-the-novel ‘revelation gathering’ as the killer is revealed!

A fair amount of this novel feels ridiculous and over the top, but that’s what you expect from a book like this – and it certainly adds to the fun

I really enjoyed this rather unique novel and would highly recommend it.

I was really looking forward to reading this book as I enjoy dark humour and whodunnit stories with unexpected twists and turns. However, although I enjoyed the rules in the first chapter, I really couldn't get into the book and struggled with the author's style of writing. I felt he was trying to be too clever with his asides to the detriment of the narrative, and just allowing the situations to play out and the reader make the connections with the rules would have worked just as well if not better.
Thank you to netgalley and Michael Joseph for an advance copy of this book

I have never read a book by Benjamin Stevenson but Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone was a brilliant introduction to his writing style. The narrator Ern introduces us to his family as they have a reunion in a snowy ski resort. He writes rules on how to write detective novels for a living and makes certain to tell us just how reliable or unreliable he is as a narrator. He lets us know in the first chapters which page numbers contain murders (which must be an editors nightmare!) and keeps us firmly hanging on his every word wanting to find out more. The writing is engaging in a conversational style and his witty asides also kept me laughing throughout.

There’s a relatively large cast of characters and we are introduced to each one along with their backstory – fully aware that we are only getting the picture Ern wants us to know at any one time. My only criticism would be that the actual reveal is very complex – there’s a lot of moving parts and small hints throughout the narrative but it all became a bit hard to follow by the end!

Overall, Everyone in My Family has killed Someone is a writing masterclass – a witty narrator, fun writing style and twisty thriller all wrapped up together. I’ll be keeping an eye out for more of Benjamin’s work! Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Random House – Michael Joseph for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Cunningham family all have a reputation. Ernest Cunningham is a writer of crime stories and also the narrator of this story. This is one of those books that I don’t want to say anymore as I don’t want to give anything away!

It is a different style of book and I will be surprised if you have read anything like it. There are a lot of hints and clues and I did realise what was going on but not too far from the end.

The story is dark but also has some great humour too. There are a lot of characters and it does take a while to get your head around them all but overall, an enjoyable story.

My thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book had me going up and down with my rating throughout. I found it really hard to get in to, but when I did I enjoyed it for a while. I have settled on a three star rating because I found it dragged terribly. I found myself looking at my Kindle wondering how on earth I wasnt further along. I also found the ending terribly confusing. There were just so many layers being unravelled to explain who was the murderer that I became lost and had to keep going back over everything.

A bit long and confusing for me so only a three star.

Benjamin has certainly written an clever, original and different novel. Twisty and atmospheric. I really wasn’t sure if I was going to like it or not because of the format, but eventually became used to it. The Cunningham family have all gone to stay at a mountain resort where a storm is brewing, both inside and out!

This was a completely new author for me but it turned out to be one of the best books I've read so far this year. I was lured into reading this book because of the title. Who wouldn't be intrigued, right?

A classic murder mystery written in a very modern way. As you would expect from a whodunit there are clues and misdirections throughout the tightly woven plot. But it's so clever as I didn't guess anything until the breathtaking reveal.

I loved the way the story was told by our reliable narrator, Ernest. He is an author who writes "how to" books for writing crime novels and follows a set of rules. These rules come into play a lot throughout the story. I also loved the dry humour that had me laughing out loud even though discribing a grim murder. I really enjoyed the writing style and I was totally invested in the story and the characters.

I would definitely recommend this for anyone that likes a murder mystery with a difference.

EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK. IT'S MANDATORY.

This book was absolutely incredible. My head is spinning from all the events that just took place in that last 25%. Or actually, the whole book. There was never (and I mean EVER) a dull moment in this book. I never thought I needed a funny murder mystery in my life, and now I'll never be the same. I don't think another mystery will live up to this. I'm good at predictions but I was blissfully unaware of ALL the plot twists that was about to hit me throughout this book. I laughed. I almost cried. I used my brain and really thought about this book the whole time. Amazing.

Add it to your tbr immediately!!! You don't even need to read the blurb. Go into it blindly. The title is good enough. I'm recommending this book to everyone for the rest of my life. Brilliant 😭 well done to the author - I am now your new annoying life-long fan.

Thank you to Penguin Random House South Africa and NetGalley for this mindblowing e-arc. I am forever in your debt for introducing me to ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS EVER 🙏

What a great reading experience! I loved it from start to finish.
It is a dark, yet comical account of a family reunion in a snowbound resort in Australia, and describes how each member of the family has caused the death of at least one person.
I like how the story was told as though it was a narrative of something that had really happened to this family.
An original story, and well told. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Darkly funny, this is an odd, intriguing and entertaining look at family relationships, with a side helping of death. Black humour is absolutely my thing - and there's plenty here

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone - what a title! Definitely warrants an extra star in the rating.
I was lured by this wonderful title as well as the intriguing blurb, as haven’t even heard of the author, and the book didn’t disappoint. I liked its witty and self-mocking writing style, fabulous characters (even though there were many of them, they were so well drawn out that I didn’t get confused) and suspenseful plot with plenty of twists, which I didn’t see coming. Overall, an original and entertaining read.

3.5/5

Ern Cunningham dreads the mountain resort family reunion. The Cunningham’s don’t really get along, all they have in common is that they have all killed someone.

I was so drawn into this book based on the blurb. I had such high expectations and thought it might knock the socks off the other books I have read this year. It is a unique twist on a who-dun-it type story.

The book is written from Ernst Cunningham’s perspective. It is written so well I did start to question if this book was fiction.

I found myself throughout the book flitting between either being really engrossed or on the flip side, being really bored.

There is a lot going on in this book with loads of twists. I did find the big reveal at the end very clever and I did not see it coming. I think it’s definitely worth a read but it’s not the book of the year for me personally.

This is it - the crime novel I have been waiting for all year, and I will only say 'nice things' about this book!

Ernest Cunningham is dreading attending his family reunion at a remote ski lodge. There is plenty of tension amongst the family members as they are due to be joined by Ernest's brother who has just been released from prison. Before any major fighting can begin, the body of a man is discovered outside in the snow and it looks like one of the Cunningham's may have killed him - but which one, and why? Ernest sets about solving the mystery by working through each member of the family one by one, looking at events of the past , how each of them has intentionally or unintentionally killed someone, and how this has all led up to their present, slightly perilous situation.

The narrator tells the reader right at the start of the story on which pages of the book each death will occur. I knew right at that moment that this was going to be a big hit. This is a traditional crime novel which is deconstructed by the narrator page by page for the reader, all the time referring back to Ronald Knox's 10 commandments of detective fiction. I know that metaphysical crime fiction isn't for everyone, but I'm a huge fan of breaking the fourth wall. I thought it was incredibly clever, addictive, entertaining and also had just the right amount of humour. The quirky dark comedy shone through perfectly in narrator Ernest, who has quickly become one of my favourite fictional sleuths!

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone is the perfect choice for fans of Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi, Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson and the Rian Johnson film Knives Out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read an ARC of this fantastic book.