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Benjamin Stevenson books: read or listen?

Four Benjamin Stevenson books checked so far, and all 4 are better heard.

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The 4, at a glance
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About the author

Benjamin Stevenson

Benjamin Stevenson is an award-winning Australian stand-up comedian who has played the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe, and has worked for publishers and literary agencies in Australia and the US.

His first novel, Greenlight, was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction. The Ernest Cunningham mysteries, told by a narrator who promises to play fair with the reader, started with Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.

Sources: Booktopia and Bookreporter author biographies, read 6 November 2026.

Benjamin Stevenson’s books on Read vs Listen

Scroll for every verdict so far.

Listen, 76%Everyone in My Family Has Killed SomeoneListen, 76%Everyone on This Train Is a SuspectListen, 76%Everyone This Christmas Has a SecretListen, 76%Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief
Listen76% confidence

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

Benjamin Stevenson

Ernest Cunningham, who writes guides to crime fiction, tells the story of a snowed-in family reunion where a body turns up and every relative has killed someone.Why listen: Kirkus says Barton Welch keeps this mystery “light and lively” and Ernest’s “direct comments amusing”. Ernest tells his own story and talks straight to you, which suits a performed reading; only his page-number promises belong to print.

Audiobook
9h 31m
Narrated by
Barton Welch
Print
400 pages
Our pick: the audiobook
Listen on AudibleKindle editionRead the full verdict →
Listen76% confidence

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect

Benjamin Stevenson

Ernest Cunningham joins a crime writers’ festival on the Ghan between Darwin and Adelaide, and one of the six authors on the programme is murdered.Why listen: Library Journal calls Barton Welch’s Ernest a “rollicking portrayal”, and Megan Smart reads the epilogue as Juliette. Print keeps a map in the US edition and clues built on the text, such as a comma.

Audiobook
8h 24m
Performed by
Barton Welch, Megan Smart
Print
384 pages
Our pick: the audiobook
Listen on AudibleKindle editionRead the full verdict →
Listen76% confidence

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret

Benjamin Stevenson

Ernest Cunningham is back to tell his third mystery himself, as a crime takes place at a magicians’ Christmas show among a cast of professional tricksters.Why listen: Ernest Cunningham tells it in the first person and talks directly to his audience, so Barton Welch’s single voice carries it naturally. Library Journal praised his “range of excellent Australian accents”, and AudioFile praised his pacing.

Audiobook
5h 2m
Narrated by
Barton Welch
Our pick: the audiobook
Listen on AudibleKindle editionRead the full verdict →
Listen76% confidence

Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief

Benjamin Stevenson

Ernest Cunningham and his fiancée Juliette are taken hostage in a small-town Australian bank robbery, where all ten people inside have a theft of their own planned.Why listen: Kirkus says “Welch breathes life into this slow tale” and gives each character a distinct voice, which helps with ten suspects. Unlike books 1 and 2, no page or name-count clues have been reported, so print adds little.

Audiobook
10h
Narrated by
Barton Welch
Print
400 pages
Our pick: the audiobook
Listen on AudibleKindle editionRead the full verdict →

Benjamin Stevenson’s books at a glance

#BookYearSeriesUK audiobook narratorUK lengthVerdict
1Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone2022Ernest Cunningham, book 1Barton Welch9h 31mListen, 76%
2Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect2024Ernest Cunningham, book 2Barton Welch and Megan Smart8h 24mListen, 76%
3Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret2024Ernest Cunningham, book 3 (a shorter festive spin-off)Barton Welch5h 2mListen, 76%
4Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief2026Ernest Cunningham, book 4Barton Welch10h 0mListen, 76%
5None announcedNot announced

Reading order. Narrators and lengths are from Audible UK, checked 6 November 2026. Years are the UK publication years; book 4 came out in Australia on 30 September 2025 and in the UK on 16 April 2026. No fifth book had been announced by 6 November 2026.

Reading order, series by series

The Ernest Cunningham mysteries

Read them in order. Audible UK and US both number Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret as book 3. Waterstones calls it a “festive spin-off”, Crime Time (quoted by Waterstones) calls it “just the right novella-length”, and Ernest returns in it from the first two books, so read it after them.

  1. Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone (2022)
  2. Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect (2024)
  3. Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret (2024)
  4. Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief (2026)

Across the series. Ernest tells every book himself, looking back on a new case. Barton Welch reads every Ernest Cunningham audiobook on Audible UK and US, and Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect is the only one with a second narrator, Megan Smart. The Christmas book is shorter than the others: 240 pages in the UK hardback and 5h 2m on audio, against 8h 24m to 10h 0m for the rest.

Other Benjamin Stevenson books (not covered)

Stevenson has also written a Jack Quick thriller and several audio originals. This page covers the Ernest Cunningham books only.

BookTypeNarratorLengthVerdict
Trust Me When I LieJack Quick 1, novelRupert Degas and five others11h 10mNot covered
Find UsAudible Original (audio only)Harriet Gordon-Anderson4h 18mNot covered
Last One to LeaveAudible Studios originalTimothy Howard Jackson4h 23mNot covered
Don’t Hang UpAudible Original (audio only)Luke Arnold and Sibylla Budd3h 8mNot covered

From the Audible US listings, checked 6 November 2026. We haven’t checked whether each one is on Audible UK.

Which book to start with

  • Start with Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone: it is book 1, and the Christmas book brings Ernest back from the first two.
  • Want something short for December? Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret runs 5h 2m on audio, though it reads best after books 1 and 2. It is also on our best Christmas mystery audiobooks list.

How long are the audiobooks?

BookAudiobook, UKAt 1.5xAt 2x
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone9h 31m6h 21m4h 46m
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect8h 24m5h 36m4h 12m
Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret5h 2m3h 21m2h 31m
Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief10h 0m6h 40m5h 0m
All four32h 57m21h 58m16h 28m
Without the Christmas book27h 55m18h 37m13h 58m

Barton Welch’s recordings on Audible UK, checked 6 November 2026. Totals and speed times are calculated. The Audible US lengths differ slightly: 9h 30m, 8h 27m, 5h 2m and 9h 51m.

Questions about Benjamin Stevenson’s books

What order should I read Benjamin Stevenson’s books in?

Read the Ernest Cunningham mysteries in this order: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect, Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret, then Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief.

How many Ernest Cunningham books are there?

Four so far, including the shorter Christmas book. No fifth book had been announced by 6 November 2026.

Is Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret a novella?

It is a shorter festive spin-off, 240 pages in the UK hardback and 5 hours 2 minutes on audio, but Audible numbers it as book 3 in the series.

Do I need to read the Ernest Cunningham books in order?

It helps. Ernest returns from the first two books in the Christmas book (Waterstones), and each book is narrated by Ernest looking back on a new case.

Who narrates the Ernest Cunningham audiobooks?

Barton Welch reads all four on Audible UK. Megan Smart joins him on Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect.

How long is the Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone audiobook?

9 hours 31 minutes on Audible UK (9 hours 30 minutes on Audible US).

What is the newest Ernest Cunningham book?

Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief, published in the UK on 16 April 2026 and on Audible UK the same day, read by Barton Welch.

Is Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone being made into a TV series?

Yes. Prime Video is making a series with Penn Badgley as Ern Cunningham (TheWrap, 27 August 2026). No premiere date has been announced.

Is the Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone series on HBO?

No longer. HBO bought the rights in January 2022, but the series now being made is for Prime Video (TheWrap, 27 August 2026).

Has Benjamin Stevenson written other books?

Yes, including the Jack Quick thriller Trust Me When I Lie and the Audible Originals Find Us and Don’t Hang Up. This page covers the Ernest Cunningham books only.

Should I read or listen to the Ernest Cunningham books?

Listen. All four are Listen verdicts on this site, at 76% (leaning), with Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone highest at 76% (leaning). Ernest tells each story himself and talks straight to the reader, and reviewers praise Barton Welch’s reading.

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