I’ve really had fun with Benjamin Stevenson’s Ernest Cunningham mysteries, so I wasn’t going to miss this little Christmas-edition entry in the series. Ernest, a mystery writer, references the mysteries he’s personally been involved with (the previous two books, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone and Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect) and the generally accepted rules of writing mysteries.
Here, Ernest shares all the tidbits about the generally accepted ways holiday editions are crafted, such as that not all the regular cast are present and what happens in the holiday mysteries doesn’t have an impact on the lore. (You could choose not to read the holiday story and you won’t miss anything important.) I guess I have read at least a couple holiday mysteries in series, such as the Flavia de Luce Christmas installment, I Am Half-Sick of Shadows.
Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret is a short book, just a quick and easy read to get in in between shopping, cooking, wrapping, etc. A tasty tidbit. Heartwarming? No. A bit bloody? Yes. Made me chuckle? Yes again.
Ernest here is planning his wedding, but he gets a call and text from his ex-wife that he feels he must heed. Erin is in dire need of his help, as it turns out: she’s been charged with murder in the death of her boyfriend. So Ernest makes a quick trip up to the mountains where she lives and where the late boyfriend’s charity foundation is about to put on a big fundraiser.
Big-time magician Rylan Blaze is the headliner at the event, and Ernest gets to not just meet him and see his show but explore behind the scenes beforehand. He knows (pretty much?) that Erin has to be innocent, but it’s taking some time to figure out how to prove it.
The book has a number of Christmas references and each chapter is crafted as a “door” of an advent calendar.
If you already have read other Ernest Cunningham books, I recommend Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret. Otherwise, start with the first.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes 1 use of strong language, around 10 instances of moderate profanity, about 20 uses of mild language, and a few instances of the name of Deity in vain. There is violence, with several killings, including a beheading, and a moderate amount of blood described.
Click here to purchase your copy of Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret on Amazon.
*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
