Review of "Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect: A Novel of Suspense" by Benjamin Stevenson

The premise of these clever mysteries by Benjamin Stevenson is that an author named Ernest Cunningham writes books about real murders he's helped to solve.



Cunningham's first book, 'Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone', is about homicides that occurred during a family reunion at a mountain resort. Ernest subsequently got a contract to write a fictional mystery, but he developed writer's block and could barely pen a word.

Cunningham was then invited to be a featured author at the 50th annual "Australian Mystery Writers' Festival" which took place on the Ghan, the luxury train that travels from Darwin to Adelaide, a distance of 1,850 miles.



As it happens, travelers were murdered during the journey, and Ernest got to write another book. Cunningham relates this tale in 'Everyone On This Train is a Suspect', a narrative of the harrowing trip.

Early in the book, Cunningham introduces the festival's featured writers, who are:

Henry McTavish - the Guest of Honor and author of the popular Detective Morbund series. McTavish likes his tipple and he likes the ladies.



Ernest Cunningham - author of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, about a serial killer. Cunningham is our narrator.



Lisa Fulton - author of a legal thriller called The Balance of Justice, published two decades ago. Lisa is just now writing her second novel.



SF Majors - author of gripping thrillers that have been optioned for Netflix and Broadway. Majors is the host of the festival.



Alan Royce - a former forensic pathologist who writes the Dr. Jane Black series. Royce is desperately trying to get a blurb from Henry McTavish, hoping to raise his profile and increase his sales.



Wolfgang - award-winning author of literary fiction who uses only one name. Wolfgang is a snob who looks down on authors who write genre fiction, which includes all the other writers at the festival.



Cunningham also describes other people on the train, including his girlfriend Juliette; his agent Simone; a publisher called Wyatt Lloyd; a McTavish superfan called Brooke; the journey director Aaron; the barista/bartender Cynthia; literary fans Jasper and Harriet Murdoch; several book club ladies; and more. Thus there are plenty of characters who might be either victim(s), killer(s), or just passengers.







Cunningham explains right off that he adheres to the rules of 'Golden Age' mysteries, such as: nothing supernatural; no surprise identical twins; the killer must be introduced early on; the killer must be important to the plot; no obvious truths must be concealed from the reader; and so on. Ernest sticks to the rules, but in a rather tortured fashion.

After crimes start occurring on the Ghan, far from populated areas, with no police nearby, Cunningham decides HE should investigate. So Ernest examines crime scenes; looks for evidence; questions people; develops theories, etc. Ernest is clever and insightful, the story is full of twists and turns, and it's all very entertaining.



It's also fun to follow the journey of the Ghan, with off-train excursions to the Katherine Gorge;



the underground township of Cooper Pedy, where opals are mined;



and the red center of Australia, Alice Springs.



I'm a fan of Golden Age mysteries and I liked the book. My major quibble would be that the plot is over-convoluted and hard to follow in places. Still, if there's a third book in the series, I'd probably read it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Benjamin Stevenson, and Mariner Books for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars