Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

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While on a trip to Toronto recently, I visited Indigo Books and discovered new-to-me author, Benjamin Stevenson.  As I read through the back cover synopsis, I was immediately curious. 

This is a story about a group of mystery writers who attend a writer’s conference on a train.  As you may or may not know, I am a writer (duh) and I took a train to Toronto, so it felt like a great book to add to my collection.  One of my favorite tropes  to read are books about books, libraries, or writers – stick one of those in any major genre, and you can pretty much ensure I’ll be hooked.  After reading the first page of this story while standing in the store, I was absolutely all-in.  I’m actually quite proud of myself for not pulling it out and reading it on the train home.  Although the darker side of me thought it would be entertaining for others to notice the cover as I sat there quietly reading, I decided to wait until I could truly savor the book back home.

I’m so glad I waited.  This book is exceptional because it’s smart, humorous, and tricky.   Stevenson’s narrator, Ernest Cunningham, breaks the fourth wall throughout his recollection of the train ride through Australia where the murders ensue, constantly reminding the reader that he is also a writer.  He’s very helpful, in that he walks us carefully through the protocol for writing a mystery, reminding us that there are certain writing rules the genre requires he must follow… which he does… sort of.

Although Ernest works hard to maintain his personal writer’s integrity, I’m not so sure the same can be said for Benjamin… and that’s exactly why this book is so much fun to read.  Mystery writers love sprinkling their stories with red herrings and plot devices that sneak in when no one’s looking.  Ernest, trying to be as reliable a narrator as possible, however, reminds you why these tricks aren’t fair to the reader.  He offers several personal bonafides throughout the story to bolster his commitment to sticking to the rules.

But does he… really?  Isn’t it the job of a mystery writer to lead you off course every now and again?  Sure.  But this writer (the narrator, not the author… or maybe the author, too…) keeps tallies of things like name mentions, phrase use, and a list of specific clues connected to particular suspects.  All these things he shares with completely transparency.  And that makes me, a less than completely trusting reader of mysteries, suspicious.

The result is a thought provoking, deceitfully sneaky (sometimes) and masterfully told story, worth every cent and moment spent turning pages.  I hung on every phrase, going back to count up name mentions, searching for clues I thought I may have missed, and re-reading a few chapters as insurance that I hadn’t read too quickly to be hoodwinked.  I laughed out loud in several places, and I heard myself saying “ah-ha!” out loud too.  Just those two points alone should be reason enough for anyone to read this book.  The idea that an imaginary character essentially worked as a ghost writer for Benjamin Stevenson is still a detail I’m trying to unpack.
If you’re a lover of mysteries, I highly recommend you read this book as a work of exceptional entertainment and escapism.

If you’re a writer or an author, I highly recommend you read this book as a phenomenal case study in exceptional writing… have fun reverse engineering Benjamin’s technique.  If you need me, I’ll be off looking for his first book, because now that I know it’s a series, I’m super intrigued about the possibilities that there was foreshadowing I may have missed out on.  After all, isn’t that how all authors think?

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