Benjamin Stevenson’s Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect is a witty, self-aware sequel that takes the classic locked-room mystery and gleefully flips it inside out. Set aboard Australia’s legendary Ghan train, this is a story where every passenger is a potential murderer and every reader is a suspect too. Packed with sharp humor, literary in-jokes, and clever plotting, it’s a delightfully meta experience that doubles as both a traditional whodunit and a tongue-in-cheek exploration of what makes mystery fiction tick.
A Murder on the Ghan
After the chaotic events of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, Ernest Cunningham has turned his real-life misadventures into a bestselling memoir. Now, the reluctant writer finds himself on a new journey: traveling across Australia on the Ghan for the 50th anniversary of the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society. The festival’s lineup includes a star-studded cast of crime authors the forensic writer, the blockbuster writer, the legal thriller writer, the literary writer, and the psychological suspense writer.
But when one of them ends up dead, the remaining authors become both investigators and suspects. After all, who better to commit the perfect crime than a group of people who write about murder for a living?
A Mystery About Mysteries
From the first page, Stevenson leans fully into the meta premise that made his debut such a hit. Ernest narrates with trademark humor and self-deprecation, constantly breaking the fourth wall to comment on storytelling tropes, pacing, and even Goodreads reviews. This self-referential tone might not be for everyone, but for fans of cozy mysteries and narrative playfulness, it’s irresistible.
One of the book’s most charming qualities is its willingness to wink at its audience. Ernest reminds readers that this is a “fair-play mystery” where all the clues are presented to us then promptly distracts us with witty asides and misdirection. Stevenson toys with the reader’s expectations, using the rules of detective fiction as both a guide and a trap.
As reviewer s.penkevich aptly noted, this novel is less a simple “whodunit” and more a “howdunit” a study of how mysteries are constructed, deconstructed, and reconstructed. The story becomes an examination of storytelling itself, with each twist serving both the plot and the commentary on the craft of writing crime.
Humor, Heart, and a Dash of Chaos
While the humor often steals the show, Stevenson still delivers a genuinely engaging mystery. The pacing starts slow as the train chugs through the desert, but once the murder occurs, the tension tightens and the clues start snapping into place. Ernest’s running commentary keeps the tone light even as the body count rises, and the novel’s finale delivers several satisfying revelations that tie both the meta and the mystery together.
Readers who loved the first book’s family chaos might miss that emotional thread here. The eccentric Cunninghams take a backseat this time, replaced by a cast of rival writers, publishers, and fans who serve as both satire and suspects. The change of scenery from a snowy ski lodge to a sun-scorched train adds novelty, though some may find the enclosed setting less atmospheric.
Still, Stevenson makes the most of the Ghan’s confined space, using its rhythmic journey through the Outback as both a metaphor for narrative progression and a perfect stage for a classic murder puzzle.
Audio and Narrative Style
For many readers, this book shines brightest in audio format. The conversational tone, comedic timing, and Ernest’s cheeky narration lend themselves beautifully to performance. As reviewer Kat observed, listening to the audiobook helps the humor land more naturally, turning the story into something akin to an interactive performance.
Ernest’s frequent addresses to the reader make you feel complicit in the investigation part detective, part accomplice. It’s this intimacy, combined with Stevenson’s dry Australian wit, that makes the novel stand out from other contemporary mysteries.
Clever, Playful, and Utterly Entertaining
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect is a smart, fast-paced ride filled with red herrings, literary humor, and affectionate mockery of crime writers everywhere. Stevenson proves once again that he’s not just writing mysteries; he’s dissecting them, all while entertaining his readers in the process.
It’s rare for a mystery to be this funny, this self-aware, and still deliver a satisfying twist. If you enjoy authors who break the fourth wall, clever puzzles that reward careful reading, and a bit of chaos served with your clues, this book is absolutely worth the ticket.
All aboard the murder train because on this trip, everyone really is a suspect.
Buy the book here: https://amzn.to/46VUsOF
