“Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone” by Benjamin Stevenson
Review by Yvonne Selander, collection development librarian
Ernest “Ern” Cunningham thinks the family reunion is a bad idea. The location is nice. A ski resort a few hours away from his Australian home but the timing isn’t great. Sure, it’ll be nice to see his brother again. But he’s being released from prison the morning they all are arriving. And Ern is the reason his brother was convicted of murder. Add in that everyone in his family has killed someone, or will have by the time the final page is turned, and getting snowed in at the resort after a body is found takes a sinister turn. Who is a cold blooded killer? And who is simply very VERY unlucky? Does “everyone” include our narrator?
I really enjoy books with a narrator who is honest. He’s honest that he is trying to be as forthright as possible. He’s writing the book months after the fact, and alludes to that a few times while stressing that he’s not lying, he didn’t know the truth of that point yet, and this style makes for an interesting and fun read. It’s cool to see “if I knew then what I know now” playing out in real time during the story.
For fans of Agatha Christie, “Magpie Murders” and “Knives Out” – mush them all together you have this mystery!