Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret | 
pickThis really makes me think I'd have a better time with murder mysteries if they were all novella length. A couple caveats: I've had a good time with each book in this series thanks to the cheeky meta angle as well as the quality of the writing, and the last two books were not novellas. I also accept that if you're a one off or the first book in a murder mystery series you might have to take more time to introduce characters, and that adds 1/?
pickA super quick fun addition to the series! Good twists in the mystery, with lots of humor and some big red herrings. The audio narration is so good. I cannot say much without giving away the plot line, but this takes place near Christmas, and Ernest has just a few days to solve the murder before his ex-wife has to spend Christmas in jail.
Spending NYD snuggling with Bellatrix as she recovers from her spay. Hope you all are having a good start to 2025!
pickCute and I liked how it was structured but this may be the end of the line for me for Benjamin Stevenson. He‘s starting to feel a bit like a one-trick pony.
pickStarting the #12daysofchristmas today with my tiny king for company. Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret is a great addition to the Ernest Cunningham series. A fun visit to Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains, to investigate a killing in the world of magic at Christmas 🎅⚰🇦🇺
pickA fun novella with an irreverent narrator, the chapters are organized as an advent calendar. A cute Christmas whodunit.
There needs to be more stories written like advent calendars…what a treat to read a chapter each day!
Today was my last day of work for the year! Now I can stay up late and read. Starting this one now.
I LOVE it! To say I‘m obsessed at the moment with Xmas stories is an understatement and these are two new to me authors! Can‘t wait to start reading! And the bag is gorgeous. ( Did I tell you that the illustrator of my bag launched her new book at our little indie a few weeks ago and I got to meet her!). Biggest of thanks and hugs to you @DGRachel
pickLoved it! I‘m really digging Stevenson‘s writing style.
#bookspinbingo
#ChristmasAtoZ #LetterE
#adventathon
#oatmealescape
#middecemberreadathon
#littenlisten
#wintergames2024 #holidaybookdragons
My morning reading and a mug that knows what's what 🤶
pickThis was my first Stevenson and I had a blast. A short but tense Christmas murder mystery that adheres to the well acknowledged literary rules of such things should be solved.
pickA cute quick holiday murder mystery. Not as good as the previous 2 as it feels a bit rushed, but a fun read. 3.5⭐️
pickAnother 5 ⭐️ read from Benjamin Stevenson! I love this series / writing style so much. +129 word search words. #ReadAway2024 #SeriesLove2024 #BookSpinBingo #LetterE #ChristmasAtoZ Different Levels for #ISpyBingo Promise for #AVeryMerryBingo #Adventathon #LittenListen Seasonal for #ChristmasCrimeChallenge Gift for #AVeryScaryXmasBingo #HolidayBookDragons #WinterGames2024 #Lights #ChristmasCheer
BookmarkTavern, DieAReader, Texreader, Eggs, Andrew65, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Jadams89, TheSpineView, TheAromaofBooks, RaeLovesToRead, GHABI4ROSES, aperfectmjk, LiseWorks
pickThemes: Christmas!, Australia!, Murder Mystery, A Standalone Novel
This is my new criteria for a great Christmas book! Benjamin Stevenson ticked all the boxes: a solid plot, excellent characters, and the ability to take me away from reality while reading. If you‘ve enjoyed his other books, give this one a read! And if you haven‘t read his other books (you should!), you can still read this because it‘s a standalone book 👍
pickThe third in the series, I really enjoyed this one too. Clever, funny, and unpredictable. 5⭐️
pickMy mom @AmyK1 and I read this for our December Mother-Daughter Murder Mystery Book Club! For once, I did suspect the right person, though the whole plot was a LOT more complex than I expected! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pick@wideeyedreader and I read this for our December mother-daughter murder mystery book club. It was a lot of fun and I did NOT suspect the correct person 😂
pick‘‘Tis the season for seasonal themed books and perhaps a slight change in how I judge books, when the main thought is does it make me smile. This one fits the bill - not the greatest literature, and the MC can be irritating, but overall I liked the humour.
pickThis was short and fun Christmas mystery, but I admit at times I found it to be a little convoluted, perhaps as a result of the novella format and lots of characters. It is told in the author's usual style where he leaves clues and talks to the reader thereby breaking the fourth wall. I enjoyed the Australian setting, the insights into the world of magic and the clever plotting. Thanks to Edelweiss+ for the digital ARC. 3.5/5 stars!
panI really liked the first two books in this series, but this one was so over the top nudge-nudge wink-wink from the start that I quickly lost interest. By the end I really didn‘t care. Here‘s hoping the next one is back up to the standard of the series.
pick#ARC
I liked this Christmas special novella. It was set up like an Advent calendar of clues. Very clever and fun.
#BookSpinBingo #SeriesLove2024
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl
#ARC
Holiday novella
pickThanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy! I was so ecstatic to see a holiday special of Ernest Cunningham. I will say the beginning felt a little rushed. I was a little confused about how Erin (who is back!) met her boyfriend Lyle, they seemed like such a random couple. But those are pretty minor gripes. I liked the way the book was set up with christmas-y clues for each chapter and the new cast of characters! (Full review on Goodreads).
But this book did a great job of reminding the reader of the protagonist's circumstances, introducing a list of suspects, their motives, the murders, and exploring clues before realizations and reveals. The pace was perfect. We all know my beef with drag-it-out-for-the-tension/drama thrillers, but classic murder mysteries are guilty in their own way of regularly veering off a promising track because of some obstacle or 4w
Readers could argue that perhaps too many people were cooperative this time around, but the investigation stayed engaging and didn't feel too easy or too fast. I do wish that the murders/suspect pool didn't revolve around a charity for people recovering from addiction, but the other thing this author regularly brings to this series is an edge of pathos, this quiet wish that things hadn't turned out like this, even amidst the relief 4w
Happy to have another murder mystery series where I look forward to the next installment. 4w