Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect

I enjoyed this, generally, but enjoyed the first one significantly more. In retrospect, I would rate the first one higher than 4 star. I like the voice of the narrator, and the writing style that breaks the fourth wall. I had a harder time getting into this book because there is a huge cast of characters and a slow start to the book. I also found Ernest kind of annoying in this book because of his midlife crisis. But I would definitely read more in the series! There were some unexpected twists and turns.

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dkamada's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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clovetra's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

i’ve officially read 100 books in 2024 🤯🤯🤯 i am insane.

anyways erm… i didn’t really like this as much as the original!

for one, the threads were a lot harder for me to follow. my ass kept confusing the psychologist with the crime writer with the forensic dude. too many strings that were just surface level.

the connection to an old mystery in this book felt weak, and it was only there for a meta-commentary of “hey look this is what all crime novels do! aren’t i witty breaking the fourth wall and pointing this out?” to include an old case and weave it into the current crime is one thing, but for it to have almost no effect on the story felt like a massive waste of my time.

every side character felt boring. did not give a flying fart about anyone other than the psychologist and lisa. and that’s only cuz i Love Women (/j im kidding its because they seemed innocent to me). there were so many red herrings to the point that it wasn’t fun anymore. i was just waiting for the reveal.

the explanation of the crime was fair. like i see the connections now it’s pointed out but holy fuck how many working pieces this had…. like props to stevenson for being able to pull off a book with this much shit going on, but it just made me feel fatigued reading it.

the ending felt rushed, the plot felt as though it was meandering a lot more than the previous instalment, and it felt like a lot of the time people were just pissfarting around.

ernest was actually insufferable in this book. yes i get his character. i liked it in the first book. here he comes off as pretentious, egotistical, and just downright unlikeable. yes yes insert meta commentary about how this shows just because he’s the narrator doesn’t mean he’s automatically the good guy blah blah blah. i will say this until the cows come home — if you’re metacommentary makes the book boring to read, i don’t give a shit if thematically you wrote the bible, i will not like it.

i really think this is a case where a sequel tries to recreate the joys of the first novel, and instead sets itself up with unrealistic expectations and falls flat. honestly whilst starting this i had plans to read the next instalment, which has just come out. now? i’m gonna be honest and say im almost turned off by this entire series. i might read it closer to december as its a christmas book and so i can say ive finished the ernest cunningham series… but this book was a stinker for me.

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midnightblue3787's review against another edition

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funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

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

3.25

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bookb1itch's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

I read this shortly before a trip on the Ghan, and the book helped me know what to expect - tiny passage ways and lots of alcohol!
The story was fun and, like the previous Ernest Cunningham book, VERY meta. I think it would be well worth a re-read, concentrating on his asides to the reader to see how many clues I. missed the first time.
A free proof from James Bennett ARC Book Club (thank you), I passed this on to Alison from Keysborough, whom we met on the trip, Hope she enjoys it.

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violet_viper's review against another edition

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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

4.5

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