Books to Borrow Martinsburg Public Library Recommends

“Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once.”

So starts this fresh and darkly comedic novel by Australian author Benjamin Stevenson.

Ernest Cunningham, a writer of books on how to write books, reluctantly agrees to go to his family reunion at a remote mountain resort. But Ernie’s family isn’t your typical family; they are a notorious crime family. And this isn’t a typical reunion; Ernie’s brother Michael is being released from prison after serving three years for murder. The special twist: Ernie saw his brother commit the murder and is the one who turned him in and testified against him. Ernie’s relationship with his family is strained, to say the least, and he usually finds excuses to avoid family functions, but this time, he knows he needs to be present. He needs to see his brother. After all, he has held on to (most of) $267,000 in cash for him for the last three years.

The night before Michael is to arrive, a man is found dead on the side of the mountain. Everyone assumes he got lost and froze on the mountainside, but Ernie’s stepsister Sophia, a doctor, quickly realizes the man did not die of hypothermia. He was murdered, and the style reminds her of a patient she had treated several years prior. Michael becomes the prime suspect, even though he was still in jail at the time of the murder. (Or was he?) After speaking with his estranged brother, Ernie sets out to prove his brother is innocent. Ernie, after all, has read all the classic murder mystery writers; he should be able to solve this crime.

A winter storm rolls in, the bodies keep piling up, and the plot keeps taking turns that you don’t see coming. This is truly a unique take on the classic “whodunit” reminiscent of “Clue,” with a colorful cast of characters, at least one of whom will likely remind the reader of someone in their own family.

If you’re looking for a slightly different type of murder mystery that will leave you guessing until the end, this is definitely the book for you!

The rights for this book have been purchased and will soon be adapted into a major HBO television series.