Genres: Murder Mystery, Crime Thriller, Suspense | Release Date: 29 March 2022 | Standalone | Pages: 384 | Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia | Review
“Time was not only borrowed, it was charging interest.”
Benjamin Stevenson
Overview:
When I was searching for a new murder mystery to immerse myself in, my sister told me that I’d enjoy Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson. I’d actually seen it popping up in my Instagram feed quite a bit, but hadn’t really paused to take it in… Clearly this was a mistake on my behalf!
Told from the first person POV, this murder mystery is a very witty, charming and suspenseful tale. It brims with snippets of rules and plot devices made famous by Agatha Christie and other Golden Age murder mystery authors; in doing this, we are carried away with a classic whodunnit in contemporary Australia. The narrator, Ernest Cunningham, is attending a family reunion at a mountain resort when a body is discovered. And what follows this first murder is a tale of snow, amateur sleuthing theories, and an increasing amount of dead bodies. There are ten family members at this reunion. And, as you can tell from the title, they have all killed someone… But exactly who is going on a murder spree at the resort?
And that’s saying something.
Happiness Boost:
I had the *best* time, reading Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. I didn’t realise just how much I was missing a good murder mystery until now. Yes, I had to say ‘good’ in bold, because this book? Wow. Seriously, hats off to Benjamin for this incredibly written novel. I just… It’s so hard to pinpoint the specifics of my love, but I’m going to try!
The narrator (and the author) gave us some golden rules from the best of the best in this genre. And what did he do? He delivered. Those asides to the reader, the tempo, the locations and even the titbits that are given to us as we race to find the murderer… All of the devices that can be used (and used exceptionally well) in a murder mystery are used here. To me, it would’ve been a headache to count to certain pages etc, for the foreshadowing of the next body. But what a way to give us a novel experience!
I am in love with the characters. They are eccentric, eclectic, and probably a whole bunch of other words that escape me right now. While I wouldn’t wish bad luck on Ernie, I can’t help but think I want to see more of his efforts into deducing murderers. This character? He is (to my mind) the Australian, contemporary Poirot or Marple, albeit without the surety of ‘little grey cells’ or a little old lady’s nose for mischief. I just could not love this more.
Downside:
None! ABSOLUTELY NONE. Yes I used all caps, because this is a murder mystery to rave about. And I will! There are NO downsides.
Final Thoughts:
For someone who had scrolled by the image of this book many times, I can tell you now that I will never ever do that again with this author. That is a promise.
I read something spectacular with Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, and it’s just blown me away. I promise you, this murder mystery is an extraordinary adventure. Family has never meant so many different things, as it does within the pages of this novel. Benjamin Stevenson… Take note of the name. Because this author is going to be an automatic one-click buy for me from now on. If you love murder mysteries? I’m calling it early, but this book is going to be the best one in its genre that you will read this year. I love it. And I cannot stop raving about it.
You can order via my Amazon link: Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone
