Publisher: Harper Collins
Reviewer: JAG
JAGS: 6
Those who can't do, teach.
And Ernie Cunningham is no exception. Ern, to close friends, helps writers navigate the craft of murder mystery as a crime fiction aficionado. After one fateful evening with his brother, Ernie broke the cardinal rule of the Cunningham Family and snitched on his brother for murder.
Fast-forward 3 years, and Ernie is headed to a ski lodge for a family reunion, and hopefully reconciliation with his newly released brother. Little does the Cunningham family know, including Ern, that this weekend retreat will be anything but normal. Death seems to follow wherever they go. Ernie must use every ounce of his deductive reasoning, and his "10 Commandments of Detective Fiction from Ronald Knox's 1929 playbook, to solve a rash of unexplained murders.
Agatha Christie meets Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, meets Guy Ritchie, in this salute to the Golden Age of Crime fiction. Can Ern make peace with his brother and his family before the next body turns up? Are his skills as a sleuth as good as the literary greats he teaches about?
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone is a humorous take on crime drama. Confusing in parts, and drags in others, the story is overall pretty good. It was reminiscent of the movie Clue, just with too many backstories. Ern, the main character, could have been less self-deprecating. You are constantly reminded of his failings in life and his quest to be the Sherlock Holmes of the Cunningham Family.
It's definitely a page-turner, only because you want to just finish it. Good palate cleanser if you had a month of hard fiction right before.
