Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

7 reviews

azalya01's review

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adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I loved this sequel even more than the first book! If you haven't read Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone, the first novel in the Ernest Cunningham series, I highly recommend that you do. 

Stevenson crafted an excellent story that made me both burst out laughing and gasp from suspense on multiple occasions. Stevenson's unique protagonist as a writer who writes about how to write mystery novels is a humorous and charming aspect of the book.

I couldn't put this book down! I really loved how all of these new characters were introduced. They all were fleshed out well and were able to make sense without feeling like the story is just a mess of strangers with confusing backstories. I did feel like the mystery was more confusing this time, so honestly I didn't solve much on my own. The denouement did have to do some heavy lifting to get me to understand everything, but I still enjoyed it. I look forward to what comes next from Benjamin Stevenson!
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growintogardens's review against another edition

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funny mysterious medium-paced

4.0

More fun than the first.
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anntharai's review against another edition

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

4.5

This book was very up and down for me - there was a lot of eyerolling early on but gradually got in the groove with it. I think as a writer there were things that annoyed me as it talked about several of the industry issues that rile me 🤣  
It's all very meta and interesting, and it did what it said sequels should do for those who haven't read the first book -  it made me want to read the first book. So. Well done. 
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mary_catherine's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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bibliomania_express's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson is a fantastic mystery and a worthy follow up to the first book. It has the same fourth-wall breaking charm, frank narrative voice, and sly introduction of clues as the first, with a new setting and cast of characters. I had so much fun following Ernest as he tries to navigate the world of authors and literary festivals, blunders about his personal life, and unravels multiple secrets from the past. 

There were some things that I guessed, wondered if I was wrong, and then was vindicated. But that just enhanced my enjoyement of the story. There were also a lot of things I didn't guess, and I loved the whole denoument scene. And it's so fun thinking back to all the "spoilers" in the first chapter and seeing what they mean once you know. 

I also really enjoyed the setting and how vivid the Australian countryside is. The bit about opal mining was particularly interesting. I also appreciated that the book has a map of the train, which made it clearer to see where everyone was in specific moments. 

This book does deal with some heavy topics. In line with the fourth wall breaking, Ernest lists all the crimes committed in the first chapter. 
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mauve_heard's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A beautiful cocktail pairing to Brian Johnson's Knives Out with a few extra shots of classis Aussie wit. Stevenson played with the tropes of the mystery and whodunnit genre and had fun doing it. This was an easy page-turner and a thoroughly enjoyable read.
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thumbeleia's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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