Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone - Benjamin Stevenson // Book Review

Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone
Benjamin Stevenson || Publication Date - 02.01.2024

How do you handle a family reunion, where everyone in the room is a killer?

Fiction | Crime | Mystery

Affiliate Link - https://bookshop.org/a/110173/9780063279032

Murderers, life-takers, killers... unalivers? It doesn't matter what descriptor follows the various members of the Cunningham family, because all of them have, in fact, killed someone.

Now, Ernest is reluctantly joining his family as they converge to spend a weekend at a snowy mountain resort in northern Victoria. Unfortunately, no matter how each family member has partaken in any various version of the 'cide's', they're all now prime suspects in a homicide.

Can Ernest solve this mystery before everyone's resume amends to victim? Or will the murderer succeed in covering up the existence of the Cunningham family for good?

The Review (May Contain Spoilers)

Cover to cover, I had a blast reading this novel and I loved every character. They were all the same but also so different in so many ways and it was so much fun reading and learning about all of them with how this book was set out. The premise was outlandish, but incredibly deep, and explored so many moral conundrums. People make decisions and ultimately this can lead to the death of another, but how you feel about each family member is completely different dependent on these circumstances.

There were also layers of misdirection paved through the writing and each time it came up I couldn't help but laugh. Numerous times I chuckled to myself and each time I got caught out by the phrasing or narrative... it felt so silly but so obvious at the same time. Benjamin's writing is very witty. Even at the beginning of the novel, he has outlined the guidelines the novel will follow, and, when certain events happen down to the page. yet even knowing these, you're still stumped or surprised by what's happened. It felt incredibly unique and I feel that's what made this book so enjoyable for me.

The only thing that could have given this book a negative mark was that I did guess who the killer was, quite significantly, before the end of the book. However, I loved every single word that it didn't take away from my enjoyment at all and I feel that is something worth keeping the star for.

Overall Thoughts

I don't think it's surprising to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was unique in its storytelling, it was compelling and held discussion for morality and blame, and it was incredibly funny. If a book can make me laugh, it automatically gets brownie points.

If you're a fan of crime, I would not hesitate to recommend this novel to you. If you're a fan of super serious all the time crime, I still wouldn't hesitate to recommend this novel to you. It was a perfect pallet cleanser, and a reminder that even during the worst times of peoples lives there's still time for a laugh.