On the HahaFiction shelf
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
Ernest Cunningham · 2022
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.
From the publisher’s blurb
“There are plenty of killers in my family. But only one murderer...”Read the full description at Penguin Books
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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.
A few distinguishing details
- A mystery-writing guide author investigates his own family
More funny amateur sleuth
Sources & further reading
- Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson on Apple Books
Book information
- Publisher & ebook details
Publisher
- Wisconsin library ebook record
Library catalog
- Kirkus review
Review
- Publisher opening excerpt
Publisher
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