Everyone this Christmas has a Secret

Benjamin Stevenson returns with a Christmas addition to his bestselling Ernest Cunningham mysteries. Unwrap all the Christmas staples- presents, family, an impossible murder or two, and a deadly advent calendar of clues.

If Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club kissed under the mistletoe…

My name’s Ernest Cunningham. I used to be a fan of reading Golden Age murder mysteries, until I found myself with a haphazard career getting stuck in the middle of real-life ones. I’d hoped, this Christmas, that any self-respecting murderer would kick their feet up and take it easy over the holidays. I was wrong.

So here I am, backstage at the show of world-famous magician Rylan Blaze, whose benefactor has just been murdered. My suspects are all professional tricksters- masters of the art of misdirection.

THE MAGICIAN
THE ASSISTANT
THE EXECUTIVE
THE HYPNOTIST
THE TWIN
THE COUNSELLOR
THE TECH

My clues are even more abstract- A suspect covered in blood, without a memory of how it got there; A murder committed without setting foot inside the room where it happens; And an advent calendar. Because, you know, it’s Christmas.

If I can see through the illusions, I know I can solve it.

After all, a good murder is just like a magic trick, isn’t it?

‘Ernest Cunningham is back! From a magic show to soaring above a valley in Australia’s beautiful Blue Mountains, the mystery is as ingenious and delightful as ever. Strap yourself in for Christmas hijinks, done the way only Benjamin Stevenson can.’ Hayley Scrivenor

Format: Hardback
Pages: 240
Imprint: Penguin Books AU
Publication date: 22/10/2024