Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

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⭐ 5/5 Book Review: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

👉 Grab Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone on Amazon (affiliate link) 📚✨

⚠️ Trigger Warnings

  • Murder & violence 🩸

  • Suicide 💔

  • Child death 🚸

  • Car accidents 🚗💥

  • Fire 🔥

First Impressions

What a catchy title, right? 🙌 I mean, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone practically begs you to pick it up. The second I saw it, I knew I had to check it out—and WOW, I’m so glad I did. This book is SO unique.

The narrator (Ernie) even lays out all the deaths in the beginning:
👉 “You’ll get a death in Chapter X, another death in Chapter Y, etc.”
It’s cheeky, a little pretentious-but-funny, and honestly sets the stage perfectly.

Yes, it’s a lot of characters. Yes, it can get a little complicated. But for me? The wild ride and humor were worth every second. Too much fun to complain. 😎

⭐ Final verdict: 5/5 stars.

📖 Overview (No Spoilers Yet)

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson is a comedic suspense novel set at a ski resort in Australia. The Cunningham family gathers for what’s billed as a “family reunion”—but let’s be real, this family has way too many skeletons in the closet for it to be wholesome.

The narrator, Ernest “Ernie” Cunningham, is a self-proclaimed detective type who LOVES to remind us he’s following the “rules” of the mystery genre. Think Agatha Christie meets sarcastic stand-up comedy.

And yes, the title isn’t just clickbait—every single family member really has killed someone.

🚨 Spoiler-Filled Plot Summary 🚨

Okay friends, buckle up—this is where we go FULL SPOILERS.

Backstory: Ernie vs. Michael

The novel kicks off with Ernie helping his brother Michael bury a man who may or may not already be dead. Michael swears he killed him. Later, Ernie rats him out (ouch) and Michael goes to prison for three years.

Ski Trip Family Drama ⛷️

Flash forward: Michael’s getting out of prison, and the whole dysfunctional clan reunites at an Australian ski resort. Here’s the roll call of killers:

  • Brother (Michael) – killed Alan Holton.

  • Stepsister (Sofia) – accidentally killed a patient.

  • Wife (Erin) – “killed” her mother with assisted euthanasia.

  • Father (Robert) – killed a policeman (Clarke).

  • Mother – left Jeremy in a car = death.

  • Sister-in-law – killed herself.

  • Uncle Andy – killed Jeremy (actually).

  • Stepfather Marcelo – nearly killed Ernest.

  • Aunt Katherine – killed her best friend in a car crash.

See? Everyone in my family has killed someone.

The Bodies Start Dropping 💀

  • A mystery body shows up outside the lodge—nicknamed Green Boots. Cause of death? Suffocated with ash (ew).

  • Suspicion falls on Michael (of course 🙄).

  • Michael’s shady rental truck contains a casket… with the remains of both a dead cop AND a child skeleton. (Surprise family secrets, anyone?)

  • Then—BOOM—Michael himself is murdered the same way.

The Big Reveal 🔥

Turns out, the “Black Tongue Killer” is… drumroll… Ernie’s long-lost brother. Yup, another Cunningham! He wanted to prove himself as a “real” member of the family by, uh, murdering people.

The killer sets the ski lodge on fire (because why not add arson to the family résumé?). But Ernie and the rest of the clan survive long enough to see him take his last breath.

Mystery solved. Families who slay together, stay together. 😂

✍️ My Thoughts

  • The metafictional humor is what sold me. Ernie breaks the fourth wall constantly, poking fun at mystery “rules” while actually following them.

  • The character count is a lot, and I get why some readers check out by the end. But honestly? I was having too much fun laughing at the absurdity to care.

  • The ending was chaotic perfection—dark, funny, shocking, and memorable.

This isn’t your average mystery—it’s a parody, a satire, and an actual whodunnit all in one.

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