Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect

I think it is generally hard to write a very good sequel. Especially for a book that is quite inventive, funny and a very good mystery all in one. So, I was wary of this sequel and I was more critical with this book while I read it.

Suffice to say, I absolutely loved this one.

Ernest Cunningham is back. He lays out the rules. He hands us all the clues. And is more than happy for us to solve it with him.

Ernest - I mean Benjamin Stevenson - has given us a lovely new narrative that builds on the previous story, with a fresh new mystery and new characters. He utilises the classic mystery tropes and, just as the previous one, puts his own twist on them. There are enough red herrings to go around, but one thing is for sure, Stevenson provides us with all the clues necessary to solve the case.

(Let me say, I did think I solved the case, but as he was doing the explaining, I realised I had gotten it all wrong and had called for the red herrings.)

I really liked this one - engaging mystery, humour, and some delightfully frustrating characters. It didn't quite have the emotional impact of the first book, but I guess that makes sense in the context. Though I did have fun exploring Ernest's relationship and seeing just how how much of an idiot he is - very enjoyable.
Unfortunately, like the first one, I found there to be way too much info dumped on me right at the end. Too much for me to ever guess it all, even if I can guess whodunnit based off vibes. Which is kind of annoying, because Stevenson is good at drip feeding clues - I just wish we got more of those big revelations throughout the book, so it wasn't such a leap to the solve at the end.
I hope he writes another one.

That's the good stuff right there. I think I remember having a similar experience with the first book in
this series, that I was enjoying myself riding along with the attempted mystery solving, then got a bit
iffy in the reveal, as there were certain things I'd already guessed, and then other things I hadn't had a clue about that were just barely believable, and
then it was how the book actually ended that settled it for me, in focusing back on the characters
and their relationships, experiences. Stevenson provides an empathetic, yet all-too-human perspective in Ernest and it makes all the difference in having him as the narrator. Sometimes the interpersonal drama leans thriller-esque, but I know I'll always have one character I actually like. Though that other theme running through the book leading to the epilogue is what truly made it for me. As always I'll caveat that I'm a fairly gullible, easy going mystery reader so those in it primarily for the puzzles may not be as entertained as I was.
I recognize that it's a personal preference that violence against women, SA, not be a plot point, even though elements of the scenario are tragically similar to real life publicized accounts. In this sense the formula and tropes that Stevenson plays with may work in my favour. Having used it so prominently once, it's unlikely to return in the next book. I look forward to continuing in the series, hopefully the author plans to do so! 

Was on track to rate this a 3-3.5 until the ending, which bumped it up. There were parts in this which dragged a little, and I did have to flip to the beginning to distinguish between characters (which I am so thankful that was included). The ending answered all my questions and cleverly threw away some red herrings, making for a surprising reveal. The last few pages added an unexpected zinger, and really just had me so impressed with the cleverness this entire book is written in. This is a series (author) to watch, it is so much fun and still meta unlike anything I've read. Waiting patiently for the next one!