A quick read with a format of the writer telling the story while explaining the "rules" of writing a crime mystery. Entertaining enough and not tempted to put it down, but can't say it will be all that memorable. ( )

Once again, Ernest is narrating the events of another murder, this time during a cross-country train ride aboard the Ghan for a mystery writer's retreat. He is very careful to again explain that he follows the rules of Golden Age detectives. When the author who is realistically the most famous is killed, it turns out everyone kind of has a motive too. This has elements of the classic locked room mystery because of the setting, but that doesn't stop many twists from happening as the story continues. It was a bit different from the first, but the similar formula made it enjoyable. ( )

Divertente e coinvolgente giallo in stile classico dello scrittore australiano, già autore dell'ottimo "Tutti nella mia famiglia hanno ucciso qualcuno".
Direi che questa seconda opera è ancora migliore, meno tetra, con più humour.
Si respira il profumo e i panorami dell'outback australiano.
Si legge tutto d'un fiato; scrittura piacevole e trama con incastri perfetti. ( )

Ernest is back - invited to a crime writing festival held aboard a train - hoping to figure out what his second book will be about. Of course there will be a murder or two and some bumps in the road that is his happy ever after with Juliette. Like many murders, this one boils down to jealousy - but who is jealous enough to kill? There are some interesting side stories that muddy the waters and lots of mystery tropes get tossed into the mix. Good fun. ( )

"Everyone on This Train is a Suspect" is a work of metafiction in which Benjamin Stevenson satirizes writers' ego-driven personalities; the desperation of authors to obtain glowing blurbs and complimentary reviews; and the trite conventions that mar B-grade mysteries. Stevenson's book is set on a luxurious train whose passengers include invitees to the "Australian Mystery Writers' Festival." Ernest Cunningham, with one true crime book to his name, is in attendance, along with novelists who have had varying degrees of success during their careers.

The guest of honor is the obnoxious Henry McTavish, whose Detective Moribund series is extremely popular. McTavish is an alcoholic with a reputation for inappropriate behavior around pretty young women. In addition, we meet a host of other characters, and Ernest previews what we can expect: two murders, an assurance that he is a reliable narrator, and a brain teaser that may help particularly sharp individuals to figure out the solution.

The downside is Cunningham's tendency to overwhelm us with copious and confusing information. Neither the killings nor their resolutions are all that compelling, and the finale is so silly that it is clearly an attempt to mock the ridiculous twists and turns that are de rigueur these days. On the other hand, the author nicely captures the beauty and vastness of the Australian desert. In addition, he includes humorous scenes along with more serious passages, so we get plenty of laughs to offset the tale's darker themes. Readers who are willing to put up with lengthy exposition may be entertained by this spoof of clichéd whodunits. ( )