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A review by ivylee
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I came for the train full of writers, and stayed for the snarky narrator and well-layered mystery.
A murder mystery and loving sendup of the publishing industry. A sequel in the style of Sherlock Holmes, where references are made to the previous work but it doesn’t super matter if you haven’t read it. I hadn’t read Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, and I still loved this book. Stevenson succeeded in getting me to add his previous works to my TBR! Also, as a bookseller, the start of this book especially had me cracking up. If you’re at all involved in bookselling or publishing, Stevenson will wink directly at you more than once.
A reliable and snarky narrator accompanies you through a series of crimes, casting you as Watson - making you privy to all the clues and able to piece it together yourself, if you pay close attention. Presented as a true crime retelling of events in the narrator’s life, he will often speak directly to us and discuss the facts of the case. I was able to put together one of the twists, but the plot and motives are sufficiently layered to keep a keen reader guessing and second guessing through till the end.
I listened to the audiobook and was delighted by not one but two moments of direct address to audiobook listeners. I do wonder if those are in the printed version. It would be very fun if they weren’t!
A murder mystery and loving sendup of the publishing industry. A sequel in the style of Sherlock Holmes, where references are made to the previous work but it doesn’t super matter if you haven’t read it. I hadn’t read Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, and I still loved this book. Stevenson succeeded in getting me to add his previous works to my TBR! Also, as a bookseller, the start of this book especially had me cracking up. If you’re at all involved in bookselling or publishing, Stevenson will wink directly at you more than once.
A reliable and snarky narrator accompanies you through a series of crimes, casting you as Watson - making you privy to all the clues and able to piece it together yourself, if you pay close attention. Presented as a true crime retelling of events in the narrator’s life, he will often speak directly to us and discuss the facts of the case. I was able to put together one of the twists, but the plot and motives are sufficiently layered to keep a keen reader guessing and second guessing through till the end.
I listened to the audiobook and was delighted by not one but two moments of direct address to audiobook listeners. I do wonder if those are in the printed version. It would be very fun if they weren’t!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexism
Minor: Rape
The rape happens off-screen and in the past, but a character you spend time with is a perpetrator, and there’s a general vibe that several of the men have toward women. Not the MC, he’s fine, but be warned if you’re sensitive to micro aggressions.