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Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone audiobook vs book: which should you choose?

Ernest Cunningham promises that everyone in his family has killed someone, then tells the story of one snowed-in reunion. Barton Welch’s chatty reading tips it to audio.

Read vs Listen·First published 6 November 2026·Last edited 6 November 2026·5 min read
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
The verdict
The same thirteen checks for every bookSix checks point to listening, such as a full cast or produced audio, the author reading their own memoir, or one narrator for a single viewpoint. Seven point to reading, such as jumping timelines, three or more viewpoints, or a story that depends on images or layout. Each check has a weight, and the weighted total sets the verdict. Verdicts are never paid for. The percentage rises with the gap between the two sides and with how much evidence there is, so a couple of small checks can’t make a book clear cut on their own: 50 to 64 is a close call, 65 to 79 is leaning, 80 to 94 is clear, and 95 or more is clear cut. See how we decide in full →

Listen on Audible

Listen to Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone for Barton Welch’s Ernest, a narrator who talks straight to you from the first page. Kirkus says Welch “keeps this entertaining, highly original mystery light and lively” and keeps Ernest’s “direct comments amusing”. Ernest tells his own story and Welch reads every word, so the asides land like a friend telling you a tale. Print’s one extra: Ernest’s promises about which page each death falls on.

Audible listeners rate the narration 4.3 out of 5 (377 ratings)

Definitely readDefinitely listen
76%
Listen
Listen on AudibleOur pick · 9h 31m, read by Barton WelchKindle edition400 pages (UK paperback) · about 6½ hours to read

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The audiobook at a glance

RecordingUK edition, our verdictUS edition
NarratorBarton WelchBarton Welch
Length9 hours 31 minutes (9h 31m), unabridged9 hours 30 minutes (9h 30m), unabridged
At 1.5xabout 6h 21mabout 6h 20m
At 2xabout 4h 46mabout 4h 45m
Audio publisher and datePenguin Audio, 18 August 2022Mariner Books, 17 January 2023
Audiobook price£11.20 on Audible UK$26.09 on Audible US
Kindle price£2.99 on Amazon UKNot listed
PrintPenguin paperback, 400 pages, 2023Mariner Books hardback, 371 pages, 2023
Listener ratingPerformance 4.31 from 377 ratingsPerformance 4.54 from 2,434 ratings

The Audible UK listing (Penguin, 571 minutes) is the one scored. Audible US (Mariner Books, 570 minutes) and the original Australian release (29 March 2022, 571 minutes) also credit Barton Welch. We couldn’t confirm whether they are the same recording, but with the same reader and length they are treated as one, so the Kirkus review of the US release is applied.

A HarperAudio CD edition, also performed by Barton Welch, runs to 8 discs. No dramatisation, abridged edition or second UK recording was found. Ratings and prices checked 6 November 2026. Prices change often. US Kindle prices are left out, as Amazon only shows them to US visitors.

Lengths checked 6 November 2026. Speed times are calculated.

Why this verdictWhat it isCase for readingCase for listeningThe audiobookWho should ignore itQuestions

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

Benjamin Stevenson

Genre
Crime fiction
Series
Ernest Cunningham, book 1
First published
March 2022 (Australia); August 2022 (UK)
Length
400 pages (UK paperback)
On audio
9 hrs 31 mins, Barton Welch
On screen
Prime Video series in development, with Penn Badgley as Ern Cunningham

On this page

  1. Why we reached this verdict
  2. What this book actually is
  3. The case for reading it
  4. The case for listening to it
  5. The audiobook in detail
  6. Who should ignore this verdict
  7. Questions people ask

Why we reached this verdict

Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.

Two checks point to listening
✓
Single point of view and narratorErnest tells the whole story in the first person and keeps “constantly breaking the fourth wall” (Kirkus print review), and Barton Welch reads every word on Audible UK. A narrator who chats to you this much works well when one performer gives him his voice.
✓
Award-winning or praised narrationKirkus, reviewing the US Harper Audio release, says Welch “keeps this entertaining, highly original mystery light and lively”, that his “pace and tone” deliver “the high comedy” and that his “gravitas keeps the more intense scenarios edgy”. That is praise for the reading itself, and it suits a comic mystery.
Checked, not a factor here (11)
–
Full cast or produced audioBarton Welch reads it alone on every listing, with no cast or music.
–
Read by the authorIt is a novel, so the author-reading check doesn’t apply.
–
Long bookThe UK paperback has 400 pages, which is not over the 400-page line.
–
Unfamiliar names or dialectIt is set in Australia, but no reviewer says the names, slang or accent are easier by ear.
–
Three or more points of view, one narratorThere is one first-person narrator, Ernest.
–
Literary or dense proseBookreporter calls it “witty, conversational”, so the prose isn’t dense.
–
Narration criticisedPerformance 4.31 from 377 ratings on Audible UK and 4.54 from 2,434 on Audible US, and no critic criticises the reading.
–
Jumping timelinesIt opens years before the reunion, but nothing we found describes a timeline that keeps moving back and forth.
–
Story depends on images or layoutIn print Ernest tells readers “on which page the next murder will take place” (Star Tribune), but we couldn’t find how the audiobook handles those page references.
–
Many similar-sounding namesErn and Erin are both in the family, but no reviewer says the names are confusing.
–
Maps, family trees or footnotesNothing we found mentions a map or family tree, and no PDF comes with the audiobook.
How the score adds up
Listening 13 points, reading 0

Ernest telling the whole story with one narrator reading it (7) and Barton Welch’s praised narration (6) give listening 13 points, and nothing scores for reading. That puts it at 76%, leaning to audio. A clear-cut verdict needs more than 13 points on one side.

Every book gets the same thirteen checks, set in advance. Verdicts are never paid for or influenced by affiliate links. Last edited 6 November 2026, and rechecked every year as editions and narrators change. Read the checks in full · Is listening the same as reading? See what the research says.

The recording in detail

One narratorMulti-voiceFull castDramatised
Scored
Barton Welch, Penguin Audio, 2022, 9h 31m, unabridged
Critic review
Kirkus: Welch “keeps this entertaining, highly original mystery light and lively”
Alternatives
The same reader on Audible US (Mariner Books, 9h 30m) and the Australian release; a HarperAudio CD
What you miss
Ernest’s promises about which page each murder is on, which refer to the printed book

What this book actually is

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone is the first Ernest Cunningham mystery by the Australian writer Benjamin Stevenson. Ernest writes guides to writing crime novels, and he tells the story of a Cunningham family reunion at a snowed-in mountain resort, where a body turns up and, as the title says, every member of the family has killed someone.

Ernest holds himself to Ronald Knox’s “10 Commandments of Detective Fiction” (Bookreporter) and speaks straight to the reader. The book includes several murders, a brother released from prison for a killing and the death of Ernest’s father. Prime Video has greenlit a series with Penn Badgley as Ern Cunningham.

The case for reading it

Print has one thing audio can’t match. Ernest tells readers “on which page the next murder will take place” (Laurie Hertzel, Star Tribune), and those promises refer to printed pages. If you want to flick ahead and check whether he keeps his word, the book lets you, and we couldn’t find how the audiobook deals with them.

Beyond that the case for print is thin. The prose is “witty, conversational” (Bookreporter), the story has one narrator, and no reviewer says the names are hard to follow.

The case for listening to it

The audiobook gives you Ernest as a voice in your ear. Kirkus says Barton Welch “keeps this entertaining, highly original mystery light and lively”, that his “pace and tone” deliver “the high comedy”, and that he keeps Ernest’s “direct comments amusing”. A narrator who keeps turning to the audience suits being performed.

It’s Ernest’s story from start to finish, told in the first person and read by Welch alone, so his jokes and asides come with the timing of someone telling you the tale. At 9 hours 31 minutes it fits a week of commutes.

The audiobook in detail

Barton Welch reads the whole book alone. The scored Audible UK listing is from Penguin Audio, released on 18 August 2022, and runs 9 hours 31 minutes, unabridged. Audible US sells it from Mariner Books at 9 hours 30 minutes, and Penguin Random House Australia released it first, in March 2022.

Kirkus reviewed the US Harper Audio release and praised Welch’s pace, tone and “gravitas”. No award was found for this recording, and no PDF comes with it.

Who should ignore this verdict

The Australian setting isn’t a reason either way: no reviewer says the names or slang are easier by ear. Length doesn’t tip it either, as the UK paperback is 400 pages. If you love checking a puzzle against the page, read it; for the comedy and Ernest’s running commentary, listen.

Get Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
Both editions, so you can go with the verdict or ignore it entirely.
Our pick

Audiobook

  • Read by Barton Welch
  • 9h 31m
  • Unabridged
Listen on Audible

Kindle

  • 400 pages (UK paperback)
  • Check Ernest’s page promises as you go
  • About 6½ hours to read (our estimate)
Get the Kindle edition
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Related verdicts

Same author

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect

Book 2: Ernest joins a crime writers’ festival train.

Same author

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret

Book 3, also read by Barton Welch.

Same author

Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief

Book 4: Ernest is taken hostage in a bank.

Same verdict

Murder on the Orient Express

A Golden Age classic, the era of Knox’s rules.

Opposite verdict

The Christmas Appeal

A puzzle mystery that leans to print.

Different verdict

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel

Another snowbound mystery.

Start here

How we decide

The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.

Questions people ask

Who narrates the Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone audiobook?

Barton Welch reads the whole unabridged audiobook on his own, on Audible UK (Penguin) and Audible US (Mariner Books).

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

9 hours 31 minutes on Audible UK, unabridged. That is about 6 hours 21 minutes at 1.5x speed and 4 hours 46 minutes at 2x (calculated).

Is the Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone audiobook abridged?

No. Every Audible listing is unabridged, and no abridged edition was found.

How many pages is Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone?

The UK paperback (ISBN 9781405953283) has 400 pages and the UK hardback has 384.

Does the audiobook tell you which page the murders happen on?

In print, Ernest tells readers on which page the next murder takes place (Star Tribune). We couldn’t find how the audiobook handles those page references.

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

Yes. Prime Video greenlit a series on 27 August 2026, with Penn Badgley as Ern Cunningham and David Hemingson as showrunner (TheWrap, TVLine). Patricia Clarkson, Sean Astin and Elizabeth Marvel have joined the cast (Show Snob, 29 October 2026). As of November 2026 no release date has been announced.

Wasn’t it going to be an HBO series?

HBO acquired the book for a limited series in January 2022 (SlashFilm), but the 2026 reports name Prime Video as the platform.

What are the Ernest Cunningham books in order?

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone (2022), Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect (2024), Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret (2024) and Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief (2026), all read by Barton Welch on audio.

What are Knox’s rules in Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone?

Ernest follows Ronald Knox’s “10 Commandments of Detective Fiction”, Golden Age rules for a fair-play mystery, and points out how his story keeps them (Bookreporter, Kirkus).

Should I read or listen to Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone?

Listen. Kirkus says Barton Welch keeps the mystery “light and lively” and Ernest’s “direct comments amusing”, and Ernest tells the whole story himself, read by Welch alone. Read it if you want to check Ernest’s page-number promises against the printed book.

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Everyone in My Family Has Killed SomeoneOur pick: listen · 76%
KindleListen on Audible