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

Why is this book so popular? I found it ridiculous. The plot was unnecessarily convoluted with too many red herrings and horrible people as characters. I wanted to read this before the first book in the series because this one was due back to the library tomorrow, but I’ll be returning the first book too, because I have no desire to read it after having read this one. Ghastly! (Admittedly, this will only make sense after you read the book.)

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lialovesreading's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

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enc3336's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book was a fun read! I love the way the cases are setup and presented. The author writes in away that the read can play along and feels like they too are a detective on, in this case the train helping to solve the crime.

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mels_reading_log's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book takes place after the events of “Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone” and sees Ernie as part of a Mystery Writers Conference that takes place on a train. When one the guests dies, the mystery writers jump into action and do what they do, try to solve the murder. I love these books, the point of view and the narration are just so unique and keep me hooked.

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goeagles91n's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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schnaucl's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-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? Yes

3.75

I had the same reaction to the narrative style as I did last time. At times I found the fourth wall breaking charming but other times it was just irritating.

There were a lot of characters and I sometimes had trouble remembering who was who.

But there is something charming about it so I'll probably read the next one, if there is one.

I'd say that the author being close to more murders would strain credulity, but there have been entire series about that sort of thing.

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oxfordcommas91's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A very enjoyable sequel to the "Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone." Though there's plenty of action and murder, it's missing some of the charm and intrigue of its predecessor. Despite this, there was a great narrator, a great cast of complex characters, and the locked room mystery format continues to work for this series. I've been really into cozy mysteries lately, and Stevenson's books really hit the mark!

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lastblossom's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

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

tl;dr
Strong (possibly better?) follow-up to the first book (although first book knowledge not necessary), with more signature meta-commentary, twists, and a solid mystery.

Thoughts
Ernest Cunningham is back, once again tripping over unfortunate circumstances and the corpses that come with them. In a role reversal from the previous book, Ernest is now one of many murder mystery authors, and probably the least qualified of the bunch, but he brings back his signature self-aware writing style and collection of adverbs to sassily, wittily, and sometimes accidentally, uncover a murderer. I previously enjoyed the energy and style of the first book. The sequel doubles down on that mood - heaping on the meta commentary about the "fair play" mystery. If you liked it the first time around, you'll like it this time too, probably even more. One bit of meta foreshadowing in particular, is extremely effective in its blatant-ness, and I applaud the author for leaning into it. Combine that with a blunt but honest look at The Industry, and you've got another fun mystery on your hands. If I had any complaints, they would be the same as the first. Ernest remains entirely un-earnest, with high emotional walls that make it difficult for a reader to care about him or the stakes involved. Two books in, it's clear this is purposeful, but it can have an alienating effect, and I can totally see this not being everyone's cup of tea. If you liked the first book, jump on it! If you haven't read the first book, but this sounds interesting, there aren't any major spoilers, and you can start here if you like.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for a review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!

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