It's here! Browse the 2024 Penguin Christmas gift guide
Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret

Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret

Summary

24 advent calendar doors. 23 clues. And 1 killer to catch before Christmas . . . a deviously clever, classic murder mystery for the festive season

For fans of Janice Hallett, Anthony Horowitz and Peter Swanson’s The Christmas Guest


'Fun and diverting, with a plethora of red herrings' New York Times

----

My name is Ernest Cunningham.

I’m not a detective. I just happen to have a knack for what makes mysteries – and murderers – tick. I’d hoped, this Christmas, that any killers out there might be willing to take a break for the holidays.

I was wrong.

So here I am, backstage at the Christmas show of world-famous magician Rylan Blaze, whose benefactor has just been murdered. From the magician’s assistant to the hypnotist, my suspects are all professional tricksters. Masters in the art of misdirection.

My clues are even more of a mystery:

A suspect covered in blood, with no 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.

Solving the murder is the only gift I want this year.

But can I catch a killer, and make it home for Christmas alive?

----

Why readers LOVE Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret!

'Expect murder, laughs and festive treats! A fun and fabulous story!' 5***** reader review

'It's great fun, and would make a perfect gift for an advent calendar' 5***** reader review

'I would recommend this book to anyone at any time. A murder mystery is not just for Christmas!' 5***** reader review

'It's snarky, entertaining, and will leave you with a satisfying Christmas glow' 5***** reader review

'This is an absolute must-read for every mystery enthusiast or anyone who loves Christmas' 5***** reader review

Praise for Benjamin Stevenson

'Leave it to Stevenson to make high-jinx and murder deviously good fun' Nita Prose

'This crackles on the page. Such an original voice' Jane Fallon

'It's Knives Out meets Richard Osman' A.J. Finn

'Deliciously dark, funny and intriguing' Alex Pavesi


UK Bookseller besteller, September 2024
USA Today Bestseller, January 2024

Reviews

  • Hilariously comic, devilishly ingenious and wonderfully tongue in cheek...delectable stuff and just the right novella-length, for a holiday treat
    Crime Time

About the author

Benjamin Stevenson

Benjamin Stevenson is an award-winning stand-up comedian and bestselling author. He has sold out shows from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival all the way to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

He is the author of several books, including the international bestsellers Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone and Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect. His books have been sold in twenty-nine territories around the world. Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone will soon be adapted into a major HBO TV series.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more