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Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect audiobook vs book: which should you choose?

Ernest Cunningham boards the Ghan for a crime writers’ festival, and one of the authors on the programme ends up dead. Two narrators and a much-praised Ernest tip it to audio.

Read vs Listen·First published 6 November 2026·Last edited 6 November 2026·5 min read
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect 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 on This Train Is a Suspect for Barton Welch’s Ernest, which Library Journal calls a “rollicking portrayal”. Kirkus says he brings “the perfect narrative touches”, and Megan Smart reading the epilogue as Juliette is “a nice touch to wrap up a fun, clever listen”. Print has the edge for armchair detectives: the US edition has a map, and some clues live in the written text, including a comma.

Audible listeners rate the narration 4.4 out of 5 (111 ratings)

Definitely readDefinitely listen
76%
Listen
Listen on AudibleOur pick · 8h 24m, read by Barton Welch and Megan SmartKindle edition384 pages (UK paperback) · about 6½ hours to read

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The audiobook at a glance

RecordingUK edition, our verdictUS edition
NarratorsBarton Welch, with Megan Smart (epilogue)Barton Welch, with Megan Smart (epilogue)
Length8 hours 24 minutes (8h 24m), unabridged8 hours 27 minutes (8h 27m), unabridged
At 1.5xabout 5h 36mabout 5h 38m
At 2xabout 4h 12mabout 4h 14m
Audio publisher and datePenguin Audio, 29 February 2024Mariner Books, 30 January 2024
Audiobook price£12.06 on Audible UK$23.39 on Audible US
Kindle price£2.99 on Amazon UKNot listed
PrintPenguin paperback, 384 pages, 2024Mariner Books, 336 pages, 2024, with a map
Listener ratingPerformance 4.36 from 111 ratingsPerformance 4.56 from 834 ratings

The Audible UK listing (Penguin, 504 minutes) is the one scored. Audible US (Mariner Books, 507 minutes) credits the same two narrators. We couldn’t confirm whether they are the same recording, but they are treated as one.

Megan Smart reads only the epilogue, as Juliette; Barton Welch reads the rest. No dramatisation or abridged edition was found, and a podcast episode with Stevenson about the book is an interview, not the novel. 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 on This Train Is a Suspect

Benjamin Stevenson

Genre
Crime fiction
Series
Ernest Cunningham, book 2
First published
January 2024 (US); February 2024 (UK)
Length
384 pages (UK paperback)
On audio
8 hrs 24 mins, Barton Welch and Megan Smart

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
✓
Full cast or produced audioTwo narrators are credited on Audible UK and US: Barton Welch reads Ernest’s story and Megan Smart “narrates the epilogue as Juliette” (Library Journal; Kirkus). Giving Juliette her own voice for her part of the book is something only the audiobook does, though it covers the epilogue only.
✓
Award-winning or praised narrationKirkus says Welch brings “the perfect narrative touches”, with an Australian-accented performance that adds comedy without overdoing it, and calls Smart’s epilogue “a nice touch to wrap up a fun, clever listen”. Library Journal praises his “rollicking portrayal” of Ernest. Reviews like these make the audiobook a pleasure in its own right.
One check points to reading
✓
Maps, family trees or footnotesThe US print edition is catalogued as “320 pages: illustrations, map” (Akron-Summit County Public Library), and no PDF comes with the audiobook. In print you can study the map as the suspects move about; we couldn’t confirm whether the UK edition has it too.
Checked, not a factor here (10)
–
Read by the authorIt is a novel, so the author-reading check doesn’t apply.
–
Single point of view and narratorMegan Smart reads Juliette’s epilogue, so one narrator doesn’t read it all.
–
Long bookThe UK paperback has 384 pages, under the 400-page line.
–
Unfamiliar names or dialectIt is set on an Australian train, but no reviewer says the names or slang are easier by ear.
–
Three or more points of view, one narratorErnest narrates the main story, and Juliette’s epilogue has its own reader.
–
Literary or dense proseBookPage calls Ernest “funny, self-deprecating and relatable”, so the prose isn’t dense.
–
Narration criticisedPerformance 4.36 from 111 ratings on Audible UK and 4.56 from 834 on Audible US, and no critic criticises either narrator.
–
Jumping timelinesReviews describe one train journey told as Ernest’s manuscript, with no time jumps.
–
Story depends on images or layoutPublishers Weekly says “a comma will be a crucial clue” and Kirkus says the killer’s name appears “exactly 106 more times going forward”, but we couldn’t find how the audiobook handles these written-text devices.
–
Many similar-sounding namesThere are six writers on the festival programme, but no reviewer says the names are confusing.
How the score adds up
Listening 16 points, reading 3

Two credited narrators (10) and praised narration (6) give listening 16 points, while the map in the US print edition (3) gives reading 3. That puts it at 76%, leaning to audio.

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, Megan Smart, Penguin Audio, 2024, 8h 24m, unabridged
Critic review
Library Journal: a “rollicking portrayal” of Ernest
Alternatives
None found apart from the US listing, with the same two narrators (8h 27m)
What you miss
The map in the US print edition, and clues built on the written text, such as a comma

What this book actually is

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect is the second Ernest Cunningham mystery by Benjamin Stevenson. Ernest joins a crime writers’ festival on the Ghan, the train between Darwin and Adelaide, and one of the six authors on the programme is murdered.

The book is presented as Ernest’s finished manuscript (BookPage). He promises to be “a reliable narrator” (Publishers Weekly), sticks to Knox’s rules and keeps a running count of how often the suspects are named (Ah Sweet Mystery). It also pokes fun at the publishing industry.

The case for reading it

This is a mystery that plays games with its own text. Publishers Weekly says Ernest warns early that “a comma will be a crucial clue”, Kirkus says the killer’s name will appear “exactly 106 more times going forward”, and Ah Sweet Mystery describes a running count of name mentions. On the page you can look back and test those clues yourself, and we couldn’t find how the audiobook handles them.

The US print edition is also catalogued with a map. If you like to work out where everyone was on the train, print lets you keep it open.

The case for listening to it

The performance is the draw. Library Journal calls Barton Welch’s Ernest a “rollicking portrayal”, and Kirkus says he brings “the perfect narrative touches”, adding comedy without overdoing it.

The audiobook also does something print can’t: Megan Smart reads the epilogue as Juliette, so the last word comes in her own voice. Kirkus calls it “a nice touch to wrap up a fun, clever listen”. At 8 hours 24 minutes it’s a short listen.

The audiobook in detail

Barton Welch reads Ernest’s story and Megan Smart reads the epilogue as Juliette. The scored Audible UK listing is from Penguin Audio, released on 29 February 2024, and runs 8 hours 24 minutes, unabridged. Audible US sells it from Mariner Books at 8 hours 27 minutes, with the same two narrators.

Kirkus and Library Journal both praise Welch’s reading. No award was found for this recording, and no PDF comes with it, so the map in the US print edition isn’t included.

Who should ignore this verdict

The second narrator only reads the epilogue, so most of the book is Welch alone. That still counts for audio, but if you mainly want to play detective with the comma clue and the name count, the printed book is the safer choice.

Get Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect
Both editions, so you can go with the verdict or ignore it entirely.
Our pick

Audiobook

  • Read by Barton Welch and Megan Smart
  • 8h 24m
  • Unabridged
Listen on Audible

Kindle

  • 384 pages (UK paperback)
  • Test the comma clue and name count
  • About 6½ hours to read (our estimate)
Get the Kindle edition
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Start here

How we decide

The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.

Questions people ask

Who narrates the Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect audiobook?

Barton Welch reads Ernest’s story, and Megan Smart reads the epilogue as Ernest’s partner, Juliette.

How long is the Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect audiobook?

8 hours 24 minutes on Audible UK, unabridged. That is about 5 hours 36 minutes at 1.5x speed and 4 hours 12 minutes at 2x (calculated).

Is the Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect audiobook abridged?

No. The Audible UK and US editions are unabridged.

How many pages is Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect?

The UK hardback has 368 pages and the UK paperback (ISBN 9781405954808) has 384.

Which train is Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect set on?

The Ghan, the train that runs between Darwin and Adelaide in Australia, during a crime writers’ festival.

Is Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect book 2?

Yes. It is the second Ernest Cunningham mystery, after Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.

Does the book have a map?

The US print edition is catalogued with “illustrations, map”. The audiobook has no PDF, and we couldn’t confirm whether the UK edition has the same map.

Is Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect being adapted for TV?

No adaptation of this book was found as of November 2026. The first book, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, is being made into a Prime Video series.

What comes after Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect?

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret (2024), then Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief (2026), both read by Barton Welch.

Should I read or listen to Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect?

Listen. Library Journal calls Barton Welch’s Ernest a “rollicking portrayal”, and Megan Smart reads the epilogue as Juliette. Read it if you want the map in the US edition and to test the comma clue and name count on the page.

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Everyone on This Train Is a SuspectOur pick: listen · 76%
KindleListen on Audible