Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin StevensonMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
So this book tries to be the next Knives Out and make itself stand out on the basis of its tongue in cheek parody of the mystery genre, building on the Ten Commandments of the genre from Ronald Knox (well, nine, since one of them is redacted for racist language) and presenting a protagonist who's the black sheep of his criminal family, a mystery writer who's gotten at least one of them locked up for murder before. Naturally, our narrator Ernest is full of expertise about the genre's tricks and tropes and traps, but for all his attempt at metafictional humor, he comes off so random and half assed. Like, if you're gonna be funny, commit to the bit, won't you? Couple that with the utter unlikability of every character - including Ernest, who's one of the most pathetic protagonists I've ever seen - and it's guaranteed I'm not gonna continue with this series, or watch the upcoming HBO adaptation that's apparently in the works. I'll stick with Rian Johnson movies, thanks.
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