I have successfully roped my mum into reading Benjamin Stevenson’s books, however, I did do a bad thing and give her the second book in a series to read first. Forgive me, books gods and Benjamin Stevenson, but she didn’t have anything else to read and I had plenty to share.

Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect is the second novel starring non-fiction crime writer Ernest Cunningham and its just as engaging and punchy as the first. The wit and charisma this book exudes makes for a stellar read and the action is as entertaining as it is intriguing – for a perspective that tells the truth and lets you know the end result in advance, it still sprinkles a lot of surprises and laughs along the way. The character is so unique in identity and his place within the world, both his world and the writing world, that it feels so easy to relate to and empathise with him, even when he’s making very dumb choices.

The setting of this one sounds quite fascinating – The Ghan is an experiential tourist service that travels from Darwin in Northern Territory down to Adelaide in South Australia, travelling through the heart of the country and stopping at a few spots along the way. The reason it sounds so fascinating to me, and as eluded to in a description from the book, is that central Australia is an endless tundra of red dust and to be in such a vast expanse would be terrifying and awe inspiring simultaneously. The very idea of there being a group of writers – egos and all – travelling on this train and then all this death and amateur investigating occurring makes for a hilarious image and a promising read.

I like the themes of imposter syndrome, petty writer rivalries and other such discussion points that come up in the story (some of which I cannot mention as they are spoilers but if you know you know). These themes don’t often get talked about in books and it makes for some refreshing content, not to mention some hot takes and conversation starters. The red herrings were very interesting, well tied into the story, and kept me constantly reassessing the information at hand. The cast of characters were also incredibly well-crafted and weaved into the whole story. I didn’t feel like anyone was forgotten or brushed aside and everyone had a place and a part to play.

I will be keeping my eyes open for the next book in the series. I cannot wait to see what else is in story for Ernest and Juliette.