Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone – A Book Review

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, by Benjamin Stevenson is one of those books I was so excited to get my hands on. I read a lot of thrillers and mysteries and so I’m on a lot of lists that recommend these sorts of books. One of my favorites is Murder By the Book, an independent bookstore in Houston, Texas that I will visit one day (although I’m not sure that’s where I first heard of this book). Anyway, I’d been hearing about this book for a couple of months before it was released and I couldn’t wait to read it.

First, the title alone is captivating. It makes you question the narrator immediately.

“Everyone?”

“Really?

“How? “

“Why? “

Of course, you want to dive right in and start finding the answers to those questions.

Big promises . . . .

Then there was the jacket copy for Everyone in Family Has Killed Someone . . .

It describes the book as “Knives Out and Clue meet Agatha Christie and The Thursday Murder Club in this “utterly original” (Jane Harper), “not to be missed” (Karin Slaughter), fiendishly clever blend of classic and modern murder mystery.”

Stevenson is clearly a pro here. He combines so many of the things I love into one sentence: Knives Out, Clue (I played that game every day between third and fifth grade and watched the movie more times than I can count), and Agatha Christie (the queen of mystery). The Thursday Murder Club was not my favorite book, but its style is memorable and unique. So if you like mysteries this one sentence will draw you in.

Even the cover of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone is enticing. The color. The weapons, The lettering. Its simplicity is alluring.

Setting the stage for Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

“I thought: what if I spoiled the entire book on the first page, can I build a crime novel out of it?”

“Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once.” – Benjamin Stevenson

When I first saw the title I wondered if the book was going to be about the mob or a family of drug lords or even if domestic violence was going to play a role. Without giving anything away I’ll just say that I was wrong, wrong, and wrong again. This book is more about wrong place, wrong time and being backed against a corner.

The book begins with narrator Ernest Cunningham (Ern), crime writer turned amateur sleuth, telling us his truth, while simultaneously assuring us it is the truth. He’s not one of those unreliable narrators that are so popular in books today. That’s what he says at least.

Although the popularity of the unreliable narrator in fiction does make one wonder–is there ever just one truth? I think not. And while most mysteries don’t intentionally take on this deep philosophical question, it’s lying there at the heart of every good thriller.

The 10 Commandments of Mystery Writing

Ern introduces us to Robert Knox’s “10 Commandments of Detective Stories” and promises that his story will strictly adhere to the rules. If you’re not familiar with Knox, he was a mystery writer in the early 20th century. He belonged to the Detection Club with other legends like Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, G. K. Chesterson, and E. C. Bentley. As a Catholic priest, Knox had an intimate understanding of commandments and set forth his own to govern the mystery genre. Nearly a century later his rules still provide investing fodder for mystery writers. You can check them out here.

Ern weaves each of these commandments into the story about his dysfunctional family, all of whom have killed someone. His writing style can only be described as conversational. He directly addresses the reader throughout the book. You’ll either love this or hate it. I rather liked it, but I can see how this stylistic choice would be off-putting to some.

Ernest and his family convene at a ski resort for a family reunion. It’s immediately apparent that this is not one big happy family. Everyone it seems is keeping a secret. Barbs are traded. Egos popped. Threats made. When a dead body is found on the mountain the next morning tensions continue to rise. And all of that is before ex-con Michael, Ern’s brother, freshly out of prison arrives.

An isolated setting

Of course, the obligatory snowstorm means they are all trapped with a cold-blooded killer. And since we already know that everyone has killed someone, there are plenty of suspects to keep you guessing. Even the couple of non-family members who play a role in the story hate plausible motives. It truly does feel as though anyone might have done it.

There are quite a few twists and turns in Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. And some of them I didn’t see coming. Which says a lot. As an avid reader and writer of this genre I pick up on a lot of clues. But I actually gasped during the reading of this book.

The murder at the heart of the story, however, was a bit of a let down. It was, in my opinion (and this is my review of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone so it’s all my opinion), overly complicated. Don’t get me wrong. . . Stevenson did a great job weaving the clues throughout the book. When he comes to his final explanation in the library, it all fits together, but yet I wasn’t sure I got it.

First, there were a lot of characters. And a large span of years. and some who didn’t appear frequently on the page actually played a pretty big role. So I had to keep everyone straight. I had to go back and rethink earlier scenes to see if the facts as he explained were really there.

Yes, the puzzle pieces are peppered throughout the book. Only I’m not sure there were enough of them to put the complete picture together.

Should you read Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone?

I did enjoy this book. I read it in two days and couldn’t wait until the killer was unveiled.

I liked the style of the story. I felt like Ern was an old friend, even if I wasn’t sure I could trust him, and loved his “candor” and humor in telling the story. At least he’s a guy who can laugh at himself. I also really enjoyed the use Knox’s 10 commandments to keep the book on track, so to speak.

This story had all the old-school vibes of a Golden age mystery that are so satisfying to read. I find myself drawn more and more to these types of stories today. But there was just enough witty banter, modern issues, and psychological twists to keep you guessing.

It was a fun and entertaining read. 4/5 stars.

Happy Reading!

PS: I like this book a lot more than The Enigma of Room 622.