Reviews with content warning for Infertility - Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone

Ordinarily I'd rate this 2/5 stars. However, because I was dragged kicking and screaming through this audiobook for my work's book club, I don't think it's fair to take that out on the book. So fuck it: 2.75/5 stars.

This was a pretty solid locked-room murder mystery set in an Australian ski resort and concerning the Cunningham family who, by the narrator's own admission, have all killed people one way or another. The manner in which these family members have killed people is actually pretty anticlimactic and dull, but it makes for an interesting premise, and I was drawn into the story nonetheless, albeit against my will.

The thing that makes this book stand out from other books of its ilk is the narrator, who breaks the fourth wall continually, even going so far as to sometimes spoil the events of later chapters. He tells you the "rules" of how a murder mystery novel should work, and then doesn't break a single one of those rules, meaning he is knowingly not really subverting anything. And yet, despite spelling everything out so clearly and explicitly, this book still managed to surprise me in terms of who the culprit actually was, and why.

That being said, the mystery itself is not all that interesting, and things did get a bit convoluted in places. I struggled a little bit to keep up sometimes. It definitely didn't help that I was already uninterested in what was going on (because of aforementioned having to read it for work book club), but I can see reading other reviews that I'm not the only one who thought this, so I'm not blaming it entirely on that.

If you enjoy murder mysteries and want something that's told in a slightly different way than what you're used to, definitely give this one a try.

Content Warnings

cady_sass's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What a fun, humorous take on a murder mystery! The narrators voice takes some getting used to but I grew to like and appreciate it. Dark and self-deprecating humor are some of my favorite things, mixed with what is written to feel like true crime is a match made in heaven. And, even though the narrator makes a point to tell you exactly what’s coming and when it’s coming, the surprise twist at the ending still got me. All that said, there’s still just something missing here. I can quite put my finger on what it is, but something.

Content Warnings

mysterymom40's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

mtnest's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

pookiee's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

this was really fun! quite unique and interesting style. i ate it up in a day, but it’s def not for those who don’t like self-referential humor—the page #s where someone dies are literally given in the prologue.

some of the gangland plot was lost on me despite pausing to reread those parts a bunch 😅

Content Warnings

m_a_r_i_a_m's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional funny informative lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

bookstorian's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Very keen to read this title after it was selected as my final book club book for the year.

'Everyone in my family has killed someone', ironically the name of the title and the very first line of the prologue is a slow burn thriller involving the infamous Cunningham family, who also happen to find themselves at an Australian ski resort on a family reunion.

There was a lot I really liked about this story, from the detective club rules (which were followed throughout the story), the ski resort setting as well as the breaking the fourth wall style of narration and the sections dedicated to each family member. It was clever and winding and I mostly enjoyed the journey.

I did find there to be many layers of this story, so much so I had to go back and read key parts again to try and make sense of what was happening and I felt like I wasn't as invested with the McAuley section of the story. I'm still confused by one of the key elements of the story too . . . I also would have preferred something a bit more fast paced, it did tend to drag at times.

Nonetheless it was a good story and always great to read a mystery style novel set in Australia!

Similar to: 'Shiver' by Allie Reynolds and 'The Hunting Party' by Lucy Foley

Content Warnings

britttobegorey94's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

More...