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On March 29th, 2022, Australian author, Benjamin Stevenson, began the Ernest Cunningham murder mystery series by releasing his novel, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone (EIMFHKS). Set on an isolated ski resort in the mountains, the book centers around the sometimes clueless but clever murder mystery writer Ernest Cunningham, who attempts to solve a murder that takes place during his estranged family reunion. Structured like a fictional memoir, EIMFHKS has received high praise for its fictional, creative-non-fiction storytelling and has since been sold in 20 territories around the world.
Often compared to the well-loved movie series Knives Out, the effortless humour and casual tone in Stevenson’s writing style make the Ernest Cunningham series a collection of murder mystery stories you’ll never forget. The second novel in the series, Everyone in This Train is a Suspect (EITTIAS), was released less than a year after the first, on October 17th, 2023. Set at a murder-mystery writer’s festival on a train, Ernest ultimately butt-heads with six different crime writers when a guest suddenly drops dead, and together they all try to solve the mystery.
In its entirety, The Ernest Cunningham series is a fun, laid-back collection of hard-to-solve mysteries that keep the same charming protagonist while also exploring new and exciting plotlines in each book. If you were to jump into the series right now, you could read them in any order. Of course, some themes and characters exist in both novels, but if read independently, EITTIAS can easily be understood as its own story. Ernest, as the narrator of these books, even takes the time to address this fact in the first few pages of EITTIAS, stating that his ‘editor’ (who is entirely fictional) has encouraged him to promote his first book in the second one.
Throughout both novels, Ernest likes to break the fourth wall and address the reader directly. As soon as the murder is uncovered, he slowly begins to provide subtle hints and clues as to who the murderer is, teasing the reader as they attempt to solve it themselves. Witty, fun, and ultimately silly commentary moments like these make the Ernest Cunningham series so enjoyable to read. As the story progresses, Ernest will tell you that he’s written the murderer’s name a certain amount of times, he will point out which names are anagrams, or he’ll even hint towards a coming fight scene a couple of chapters before you’ll get to it. This type of storytelling proves effective in the murder mystery genre, as revealing too much information often prevents the reader from actually solving the crime.
The third book in the series, Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret (ETCHAS), was released on October 22nd, 2024. According to a Goodreads summary, readers can expect an action-packed, clever, and comedic story involving a magician’s show, a whole lot of blood, an advent calendar, and a magic trick.
ETCHAS is the third book Stevenson has released in the series over the past three years, and due to their success, it doesn’t seem like Ernest Cunningham will stop solving murders anytime soon. Stevenson’s first novel in the series, Everyone in This Family Has Killed Someone, was picked up by HBO in 2022 to be turned into a limited series. It is believed to be in the works today!
If you love humorous storytelling and complicated mysteries, the Ernest Cunningham series is the perfect murder mystery series for you. Try solving one of Ernie’s mysteries yourself, and whether you solve it or not, I promise you’ll still leave the book feeling satisfied that you experienced such an amazing journey.