Title: Everyone in my family has killed someone

Author: Benjamin Stevenson

Source: My Kindle Library

# of pages: 368

Summary from Goodreads:

” I knew our family reunion wouldn’t end well. But I didn’t expect murder.Maybe I should have known better. After all, everyone in my family is a killer. My parents, my siblings, my in-laws . . . even me. The deaths weren’t all deliberate, of course. Accidents happen.So when a body is found in the snow, it’s clear it’s the work of a Cunningham. But which one? And why?I’ll give you one it wasn’t me. But a piece of advice? Never trust a Cunningham . . “

My Review:

I. Loved. Benjamin Stevenson’s writing! Uff, what stupendous, witty writing! I wish I could say I finished it in one (and it definitely is that kind of writing), but I could not as I have run my life as well.

It doesn’t matter if you are not a mystery fan, I would recommend this book to just read for its writing. To say it is captivating and engaging is an understatement.

“Call me a reliable narrator. Everything I tell you will be the truth, or, at least, the truth as I knew it to be at the time that I thought I knew it. Hold me to that.”

 “I should have started with that, but I promised to be reliable, not competent.”

Dialogues of Ernest Cunningham from the book

The book has multiple references to Golden Age detective, along with Arthur Conan Doyle. The book begins with the 10 commandments of Detective Fiction by Ronald Knox published in the book with the same name. Ernest uses these commandments to solve the murder while the family is vacationing in the ski lodge.

The author from the start of the book promises his readers a “fair play”, and he delivers on that. Some of the chapters end with recap of the events, which gives reader a fair idea of the events as well. There is not a single page or a line in the book that’s drag or reader like to skip. Each page comes up with some revelation or background or an interesting action.

The scene when Ernest eventually figures everything out is quite the scene in Death in Paradise, where Ernest goes through each of the phrases, and voila, something unlock and the entire puzzle falls into place. Ernest does become the favourite character from the book; he is intelligent with a moral compass, witty and finds humour even in the face of serious trouble. The plot will keep you hooked until the last page.

I am thankful to Michael Joseph Penguin UK for approving a copy of Stevenson’s latest novel. Without that book, I would not have stumbled across this great read. Now, I can finish the Everyone on this train is a Suspect now. Look out for this space for the review.

My rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Related Posts