Scan barcode
A review by gemloukay
Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
A bit of a different take on a murder mystery here and clearly pulling from lots of golden age mysteries as well. Ernie’s family have all killed someone and he’s narrating his book that he’s supposedly writing and we’re meant to be reading with his comments between narration, as to how and why each person killed. He breaks the 4th wall repeatedly, telling us what is and isn’t important whilst repeatedly telling us he’s a reliable narrator because he’s following the rules set out by murder mystery writers of days gone by.
I can’t tell you much about the story that wouldn’t be a major spoiler, but it’s a whodunnit mystery set in the mountains around Sydney, where the Cunningham family are having a reunion. But before the first morning has come around, there’s already a body. And they keep on falling!
It’s got elements of And Then There Were None, pulls inspiration from The Mousetrap and uses Sherlock Holmes’ deductive reasoning to tell the tale through Ernie’s eyes. Is he reliable really? And can any of them actually be trusted?
Yes it takes a bit to get into that meta author voice, but just like watching Fleabag, when you get into it, it’s fun. Earnest is witty and fun to listen to and the plot is well constructed enough to not guess all the twists. A solid 4.5/
I can’t tell you much about the story that wouldn’t be a major spoiler, but it’s a whodunnit mystery set in the mountains around Sydney, where the Cunningham family are having a reunion. But before the first morning has come around, there’s already a body. And they keep on falling!
It’s got elements of And Then There Were None, pulls inspiration from The Mousetrap and uses Sherlock Holmes’ deductive reasoning to tell the tale through Ernie’s eyes. Is he reliable really? And can any of them actually be trusted?
Yes it takes a bit to get into that meta author voice, but just like watching Fleabag, when you get into it, it’s fun. Earnest is witty and fun to listen to and the plot is well constructed enough to not guess all the twists. A solid 4.5/
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Infertility, Infidelity, and Suicide