Everyone in this Bank is a Thief

Once again Ernest Cunningham finds himself investigating a mystery. This time Ernest and Juliette are at the bank trying to obtain a loan for Ernest's detective agency. They did not imagine that they would find themselves among a group of ten hostages as one man attempts to rob a bank. They also learn that the brother of the bank manager is missing. This is not an ordinary day.

As you would expect Ernest is determined to discover what is going on and why, especially as the bank robber does not appear to be in a hurry to leave the bank. He is also not interested in the money in the till but just demands one dollar from the vault. 

Ernest provides the reader with a detailed account of his observations as to what is occurring in the bank, including alerting the reader to possible clues as he attempts to solve the mystery. Ernest also provides us with an account of different types of theft, not just cash. As we learn about the characters, many have reasons to want money urgently. But who would also resort to murder to obtain what they want.

 Once again this easy to read, often amusing, crime novel keeps the reader guessing as to what is really going on.

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret

Once again Ernest Cunningham narrates his involvement in solving his third murder mystery after he receives a message from his former wife requesting his help when she is arrested for murdering her new partner - a crime she is sure that she did not commit.

This time most of the suspects are connected to the theatre including a magician, the magician's assistant, a theatre manager, a hypnotist and her twin sister, a counsellor and a stagehand. During a stage performance next day, a second murder occurs.

As in the previous two crime novels involving cases solved by Ernest Cunningham, Benjamin Stevenson has his narrator explain the clues as they appear including any red herrings and encourages the reader to help him solve the puzzle. 

As the plot of Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret occurs immediately before Christmas each chapter has the date of a day in an advent calendar. Ernest is also interested in the parcels left under a Christmas tree for a theatre staff Kris Kringle. Naturally there is a need to solve the case so those not directly involved can enjoy their Christmas.

Either Side of Midnight

Either Side of Midnight by Benjamin Stevenson is a sequel to his first novel, Greenlight. Sam and Harry Midford are twins born either side of midnight. Sam is the host of a television program, Midnight Tonight, which regularly appears on channel 14. Then one night during the opening monologue, Sam reaches for a gun taped under his desk and shoots himself.

When Jack Quick, a former television producer, is released from prison he is hired by Harry Midford to discover how his brother was murdered. As Jack investigates he discovers links to another suicide many years earlier that also have been a murder. He also gradually comes to understand the real relationship between the two brothers.

As the investigation continues Jack concludes that there are many ways to murder someone and also the definition of murder has evolved over the years. Benjamin Stevenson has written a gripping, sometimes dark, novel including a study of grief and and how families cope after the death of a loved one. It is also a study of the growing power of social media to influence people's lives and beliefs.

Fool me twice: two twisty mysteries

In Fool Me Twice, Benjamin Stevenson has written two 150 page suspense stories with a twist. Make sure that you allow time to read each story in one go.

Claudette has retired from the police force to work on a secret project for the FBI where she uses the internet to monitor social media sites used by young people suspected of planning to commit a crime. Then one day her two children do not come home. Her daughter's school bag is discovered near the school along with a sign on the footpath, written in blood, Find Us. For Claudette the nightmare begins as she and the police endeavour to discover the whereabouts of the children and to rescue them.

Then flip the book over to read the second story, Last One to Leave. Seven people, including Ryan, have been selected to enter a competition with the prize being an expensive house. The catch is that, when in the house, they must keep one hand permanently on a wall. Removing the hand eliminates the participant from the competition which has been organised by three young men who are filming the event for viewing on the internet. When one of the competitors dies mid-way through the competition Ryan endeavours to establish who is the murderer while continuing to keep the competition rules.

Both these stories keep the reader guessing until the end.

Everyone on this train is a suspect

Everyone on this train is a suspect by Benjamin Stevenson is a sequel to Everyone in my family killed someone. When Ernest Cunningham boards the Ghan in Darwin to take part in the Australian Mystery Writers' Festival he does not envisage that once again he will encounter a number of murders during the trip to Adelaide. He was searching for inspiration for his next book but the train trip produced more than he bargained for.

Once again the reader is challenged to solve the crimes as Ernest explains his theories about what has occurred and refers to how other crime novelists solve and reveal crimes. This book is another entertaining and often humorous Australian crime novel.

Greenlight

Eliza Dacey had been found dead in a vineyard four years earlier. An arrest was made almost immediately but to some, including TV journalist Jack Quick, the evidence for the arrest appeared shaky. Jack investigated as well as reported on the case via a podcast and a series of television programs and eventually the arrested man was released from gaol. Then another murder occurred. Had the original murderer killed again or was this a copy cat murder?

Greenlight, by Benjamin Stevenson, is set in the Hunter Valley, north of Sydney. As well as exploring who committed the murder of the two women the novel examines the power of the press, especially television, to manipulate information provided to suit a particular viewpoint. As the investigation continues, Jack re-examines the selected segments that went to air and wonders how his actions in making the television program may have led to the events that followed. Jack wants to correct the damage he may have caused and also find out what really happened.

Another contribution to the growing genre of Aussie Noir.

Everyone in my family has killed someone

The Cunningham family reunion at a ski resort proves to be far more eventful than anyone would have envisaged. Shortly after most family members arrived a body was found in the snow. And there was a storm rapidly closing in on the resort. All the ingredients for an Agatha Christie style crime novel but with several twists.

The narrator of the book, Enest (Ern) Cunningham stresses that he is a reliable narrator, one who would not normally lead the reader astray. However, he is has published books about writing crime fiction and is happy to point out similarities in the plot creation with other crime novels. The narrator bases his theories on Ronald Knox's '10 Commandments of Crime Fiction' and will from time to time identify which 'commandment' has just ben used.

As the story unfurls it soon becomes obvious that this is not a normal family and that members have been involved in the death of a number of individuals over the years. These stories are gradually revealed as the narrator investigates the murder of the body found in the resort grounds. Page 2 of the Prologue reveals the pages of the book where a death is revealed. Chapter 14.5 of the book also provides a brief summary of what has happened so far in case the reader is confused. There are many twists and turns in the plot as information is gradually revealed about the characters and their past lives. And, of course, the case must be solved.

The author, Benjamin Stevensen, of Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone is a comedian as well as an author so there is much humour scattered throughout the pages, especially in  the regular updates provided by the narrator. An entertaining read.

Shortlisted for the 2023 Australian Book Industry Awards - General Fiction