Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone

Author: Benjamin Stevenson
Genre: Crime Fiction/Suspense
371 pages
Publisher: Mariner Books, 2022 (paperback released 2024)

Synopsis
Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.

I’m Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I’d killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it’s a little more complicated than that.

Have I killed someone? Yes. I have. Who was it? Let’s get started.

My review
Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone is a suspense thriller by Benjamin Stevenson. Wow! I chose this book based on the title, and I was surprised in all of the best ways. The narrative is clever, witty, engaging, and incredibly entertaining.

It was an absolute delight to be inside the mind of our (mostly) reliable narrator, Ernest Cunningham. He unravels the tale of his dysfunctional family – murderers, himself included! But don’t jump to conclusions. They’re not a gang of cold-blooded sociopaths plotting their next move. Let’s just say circumstances didn’t exactly work in their favor.

Cunningham embraced his role as a self-appointed sleuth, determined to uncover the truth. Armed with Roland Knox’s Ten Commandments of Detective Fiction (1929), he set out to solve the mystery during a family weekend reunion at a remote ski lodge. Fully developed characters, a heavy snowstorm, a frozen corpse with a face covered in ash, an inept policeman, and the deadly tendencies of the Cunningham clan. As a self-published author of how-to guides, Cunningham brought a unique perspective to the investigation. I thoroughly enjoyed the book’s dry humor and clever style. It’s a captivating story that kept me hooked from start to finish. Maybe a sharper reader could have discovered the villain, but I certainly didn’t!

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone was an absolute delight to read. Stevenson’s brilliant wit completely captivated me. He delivered a unique, Golden Age infused crime mystery told in a playful, twisty style, and chocked full of teasers meant to stump even the best armchair detectives. Highly recommended. I can’t wait to dive into his next book soon.

My recommendation: read it!