Infinite Books

Train travels are romantic. Sure, there are overcrowded trains people board through the open window, as there is no way to fight the crowds of passengers trying to enter using the doorway, and those can hardly be called “romantic.” But there are other trains, seen in luxury travel ads, with people sipping champagne and contemplating the beautiful landscape.

Such a train is “The Ghan,” the Australian train that passes through the desert wilderness, traveling four days to Adelaide and offering unforgettable views. However, in “Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect” by Benjamin Stevenson, passengers experience something they wish to never encounter – a murder.

Six writers are invited to participate in an unusual writers’ conference on the train. Ernest Cunningham, who wrote just one book, “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone” (the first installment of the Ernest Cunningham series), has also been invited, or at least he thinks so, not suspecting other reasons for him being there. When the most obnoxious writer is murdered, other writers try to solve the puzzle before the train arrives at its destination. They all have good reasons and skills how to commit murder. Ernest turns out to be a great amateur detective, and, as the mystery is written as a personal narrative, we follow his adventures sprinkled with humorous commentaries and unexpected turns.

I’m a big fan of such mysteries. Ernest’s character is young, a bit goofy, but very observant and intelligent. Like other amateur detectives, he has a knack for getting into trouble. I wish the rest of the characters were better developed. Still, perhaps there needed to be more time to go into the secondary characters’ depth: as I mentioned, there are six writers, a literary agent, a fan, and Ernest’s girlfriend. Lots of characters! The novel is primarily action-driven, but eventually, we get the taste of psychological twists when we gradually learn more about the characters. The author references – often in a humorous way – the rules of a good mystery, especially the cozy kind, and we see how it was influenced by other “train mysteries,” especially Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express.” I hope it will be made into a movie, with all the visual advantages of pictures. It’s a great ride!

“Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect” by Benjamin Stevenson, Mariner Books, 2024