Book Smart Kate

Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 💫

by Benjamin Stevenson

I was one of those who loved Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone. I found the quirky first-person narration and breaking of the fourth wall to talk directly to readers unique and engaging. The second book in the Ernest Cunningham series carries on this style and is a fantastic homage to Murder on the Orient Express.

Ernest is on a train across Australia as part of a multi-author book tour promoting his first book, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, and with the caliber of authors in attendance, he is suffering a bit from impostor syndrome. It doesn’t help that he has a case of writer’s block about his next book. That is, until there is a murder on the train, and Ernest works to discover the truth amidst lies and secrets that tie the travelers together.

This is a fantastic locked-room mystery with lots of twists and turns. It is one of those books where you suspect everyone and no one. Ernest’s self-deprecating humor amid murder and chaos makes him a fun protagonist to root for, particularly as he addresses the reader directly throughout the novel. There are a lot of characters in this book, and a couple of times, I found myself scrolling back to remember where we had met the characters and what we already knew of them. You get a handy train map as part of the book, a helpful reference throughout as Ernest discovers clues in this throwback to a classic whodunnit.

Thank you to Net Galley, Harper Collins, and Benjamin Stevenson for the opportunity to read this book before its publication in exchange for my honest review. You can grab a copy on January 30, 2024.