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Sunday, May 26, 2024

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

 


Have you taken a trip on a train?  I’ve been on a train a few times in my life, but a fun trip I’ll always remember is going with my Mom, sisters, and our kids on a train to Chicago for a day trip and a visit to the American Girl Doll store.  It was a lot of fun.

The Australian Mystery Writer’s Society has invited the narrator of this novel, Ernest Cunningham, to their crime writing festival aboard the Ghan, a famous train that travels between Darwin and Adelaide.  Ernest wrote a book called Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone and is looking for inspiration for his second novel.  His girlfriend Elizabeth is along for the trip, and she also wrote a book about their experiences.  There are other famous mystery authors on the trip, and when one ends up dead, they are all trying to solve the crime.  Fans, publishers, and agents are also on the train.  Who was the murderer and why?

My thoughts on this book:

·       I still need to read the first book, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, but I thought this would be a fun read.  I read and enjoyed this book in February and I’m finally just now getting my review posted.  This book can be read as a standalone.

·       Ernest cracked me up.  He has a great sense of humor and just the way the book was written, it often had me laughing.

·       I loved the first-person narration and the breaking of the fourth wall.

·       I also enjoyed the references to the golden age mysteries and authors, such as the obvious Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.

·       I did not guess the ending of this mystery and it kept me guessing throughout.

·       I didn’t like the sheer number of characters.  I kept mixing them up as I was reading this novel.

Overall, Everyone on Train is a Suspect was a fun and exciting mystery.  It was very enjoyable, and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys golden age mysteries.

Book Source:  Review copy from Mariner Books. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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