# Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

By Benjamin Stevenson · Ernest Cunningham

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/everyone-in-my-family-has-killed-someone-912ed094/

Ernest Cunningham attends a reunion at a mountain ski resort as his family welcomes his brother out of prison. Then a man is found dead in the snow. Ernie writes guides to constructing mysteries; now he has to investigate one among relatives who already have histories of killing.

## What makes it funny?

Ernie promises to tell the truth, provides page numbers for the deaths and then admits he has made himself younger to improve his chances of a movie star playing him. Even a passing remark about his friends gets corrected: he would never befriend people who phone after midnight.

### The comedy at work

Ernie keeps discussing the rules of detective fiction and explaining how his account obeys them. His commentary makes the construction of a mystery part of the entertainment, while small self-serving adjustments complicate his pledge of honesty.

### Try this if…

Readers who enjoy clues, formal rules and a narrator who talks through the storytelling choices will find a puzzle designed around those interests.

### Good to know

The opening includes a bloodied body and references to marijuana and a serial killer. Expect repeated interruptions from a narrator explaining his methods.

## What to expect

- Genre: Mystery
- On the shelf: Amateur sleuth
- Kind of humor: Dark comedy
- Format: Novel
- Length: 384 pages (ebook)
- Published: 2022

## A few distinguishing details

- A mystery-writing guide author investigates his own family

## Sources & further reading

- Book information: [Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson on Apple Books](https://books.apple.com/us/book/everyone-in-my-family-has-killed-someone/id1619952441)
- Publisher: [Publisher & ebook details](https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/452671/everyone-in-my-family-has-killed-someone-by-stevenson-benjamin/9781405953290)
- Library catalog: [Wisconsin library ebook record](https://wplc.overdrive.com/wplc-116-129/content/media/8958888)
- Review: [Kirkus review](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/benjamin-stevenson/everyone-in-my-family-has-killed-someone)
- Publisher: [Publisher opening excerpt](https://www.penguin.com.au/books/everyone-in-my-family-has-killed-someone-9781761048845/extracts/2668-everyone-in-my-family-has-killed-someone)