Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret audiobook vs book: which should you choose?
A crime nobody can explain takes place at a magicians’ Christmas show, and the narrator talks straight to the reader.
Short answer: for the Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret audiobook vs book choice, we say listen on Audible (100% confidence, clear cut). Barton Welch reads it for Penguin Audio in 5 hours 2 minutes, unabridged. Ernest Cunningham tells it in the first person and talks directly to his audience, and Library Journal praises Welch’s range of Australian accents. Nothing confirmed points to print.
Listen on Audible
One first-person narrator, one reader and critic-praised narration, with nothing confirmed that points to print.
Affiliate links: we may earn a small commission, at no cost to you. It never changes a verdict.
Confidence 100%, which puts it in the clear cut band. Bands run from close call at 50 to 64, through leaning at 65 to 79 and clear at 80 to 94, up to clear cut at 95 and above.
The audiobook at a glance
| Recording | UK edition, our verdict (Penguin Audio) | US edition (HarperCollins) |
|---|---|---|
| Narrator | Barton Welch | Barton Welch |
| Length | 5 hours 2 minutes (5h 2m); Penguin lists 302 minutes | About 5 hours (4 CDs); Libro.fm shows 5h 1m and 5h 2m |
| At 1.5x | about 3h 21m | about 3h 21m |
| At 2x | about 2h 31m | about 2h 31m |
| Abridged or unabridged | Unabridged | Unabridged |
| Audio publisher and year | Penguin Audio, 2024 | HarperCollins, 2024 |
Both stores have the same narrator at near-identical lengths, which suggests one recording, but that is not confirmed. Because the two are tied, the UK edition is the one scored.
Lengths checked 23 October 2026. Speed times are calculated.
Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret
Benjamin Stevenson
- Genre
- Crime; a Christmas mystery
- Published
- 2024
- On audio
- 5 hrs 2 mins, Barton Welch
- Series
- Book 3 of the Ernest Cunningham mysteries, after Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone and Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect
- Screen
- The first book is being adapted for HBO, per the publisher
On this page
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.
Listening: single point of view and narrator (7), award-winning or praised narration (6), 13 points. Reading: nothing confirmed, 0 points. 100% of the confirmed points favour listening, so the verdict is listen on Audible at 100% confidence (clear cut).
The recording in detail
- Scored
- Barton Welch, Penguin Audio, 2024, 5h 2m, unabridged
- Reviews
- Praise for Welch’s pacing, accents and fourth-wall asides
- Alternatives
- None found
- What you miss
- Possibly the advent-calendar clues, not confirmed
What this book actually is
Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret is the third Ernest Cunningham mystery by Benjamin Stevenson, published in 2024 after Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone and Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect. A fourth, Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief, follows. A trade review calls it slimmer than its predecessors, close to a novella.
Ernest narrates in the first person. A crime takes place at a magicians’ Christmas show, among a cast of professional tricksters. Who did it, and how, is not covered here.
The case for reading it
The case for reading rests on the clues. The publisher says the puzzle uses an advent calendar, and if print sets those clues out for you to study, print would have the advantage. We could not confirm how they are presented.
Fans of the series who like to solve along may prefer to have the text in front of them.
The case for listening to it
Ernest talks straight to his audience, and that suits a narrator reading aloud. Reviewers praise Barton Welch’s pacing and his Australian accents, and the way he handles Ernest breaking the fourth wall. One review notes that Ernest suggests listening advent-style, a little each day in the run-up to Christmas.
At 5 hours 2 minutes, it is about 3 hours 21 minutes at 1.5x.
The audiobook in detail
Penguin Audio published Barton Welch’s reading in 2024; Penguin lists it at 302 minutes, and Audible Canada and India at 5 hours 2 minutes. HarperCollins released a US edition the same year, about 5 hours on 4 CDs, also read by Welch. Whether these are the same recording is not confirmed.
Speed times: about 3h 21m at 1.5x and 2h 31m at 2x (calculated).
Who should ignore this verdict
Solvers who want to study the clues in print. And newcomers to the series who want to start at the beginning: this is book three.
Audiobook
- Read by Barton Welch, praised by reviewers
- 5h 2m, or about 3h 21m at 1.5x
- Ernest suggests listening advent-style
Read differently from most people? The app, coming soon, will let you switch off any of the thirteen checks. Get notified →
Related verdicts
The Thursday Murder Club
Comic crime where one actor voices the whole cast.
Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel
A mystery told by several narrators, which the audiobook performs with a cast.
The Secret History
A literary murder story where either format works.
Start hereHow we decide
The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.
❄ See every Christmas book, read or listen →
Questions people ask
Who narrates the Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret audiobook?
Barton Welch reads it for Penguin Audio in the UK and HarperCollins in the US.
How long is the Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret audiobook?
5 hours 2 minutes, unabridged; at 1.5x about 3 hours 21 minutes and at 2x about 2 hours 31 minutes (calculated).
What order are the Ernest Cunningham books in?
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.
Should I read or listen to Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret?
Listen on our checks (100% confidence, clear cut). Ernest Cunningham tells it in the first person to one reader, critics praise Barton Welch’s narration, and nothing confirmed points to print.
Is Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret a Christmas book?
Yes. The crime happens at a magicians’ Christmas show, and the clues involve an advent calendar.
Do you agree with this verdict?
We said listen on Audible. One tap, no sign-up.
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How this verdict was reached
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions, set in advance and applied identically to every title. They are based on research into what readers and listeners generally find easier to follow in each format, not on personal preference, and they are published in full so you can check the reasoning yourself. Verdicts are never paid for, sponsored or influenced by affiliate partners.
- The criteria: read the thirteen questions in full.
- What we checked for this book: Penguin UK’s listing, Audible’s Canada and India listings, OverDrive review text, a US library record, Libro.fm, and Open Library for the cover.
- Verdict last reviewed: 23 October 2026. Editions and narrators change, so verdicts are rechecked annually.
- Prefer different criteria? The app, coming soon, will let you change which of the thirteen questions matter to you.
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