Challenge Corner discussion

Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.

I'm Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I'd killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it's a little more complicated than that.

Have I killed someone? Yes. I have.

Who was it?

Let's get started.

EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE

My brother

My stepsister

My wife

My father

My mother

My sister-in-law

My uncle

My stepfather

My aunt

Me

Started this one!

The brother: (view spoiler)[Well aren't we off to an eerie start! This book is going to be a bit difficult to get into considering it's weird style of storytelling and I am wondering whether we are getting an account of murders committed by every family member before we move on to the mystery (hide spoiler)]

My step sister: (view spoiler)[It took me such a long time to get through this part because the whole family tree was just sort of dumped onto us but I think I'm getting good at keep tracking of who's who. Definitely wasn't expecting Ernie to have testified against Michael like that but it's amazing Marcelo managed to get him a mere three year sentencing. I am wondering if the step sister Sofia's murder is the same person who died on her table and had her license suspended (hide spoiler)]

My wife: (view spoiler)[I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ERIN!! (hide spoiler)]

My father: (view spoiler)[Well his father turned out to be a crook and the way he died was just bad. Audrey has a very skewed way of thinking and I am getting such creepy vibes from each one of them that this book is becoming a challenge to get through. Michael and Erin together is just ewww and so very problematic. Their whole family is twisted. I think there is something very brave about making every character so unlikaeable and still being able to plot a whole book around them (hide spoiler)]

My mother: (view spoiler)[Hearing about the circumstances of Jeremy's death was so very upsetting and I sympathise with Audrey for whatever happened although it was very careless and irresponsible of her to just forget that she had her children in the car. I am no closer to figuring out who the Green Boots killer might be in the Cunningham family because literally all of them have secrets and none of them seem incapable of such a feat (hide spoiler)]

My stepfather: (view spoiler)[My head is spinning from all the information overflow happening in this book. I had intially planned to read this over the course of a few days but I am so glad that I didn't because I definitely would have gone mad trying to keep track of everyone and everything. I am getting really uncomfortable listening about how good of a person Ernie's dad was despite him being a thief and a crook. I am not necessarily hating this but yeah it's a difficult one to love (hide spoiler)]

My wife: (view spoiler)[GAAAHH What even is happening?? I am so boggled as to what this book is supposed to be telling us. I do not have any idea on who this mystery killer might be and the even bigger question is why? I am not seeing any motive despite such a mine of information being exploded in every page. His father's death, the kidnapping, the unpaid ransom, the involvement of so many people in covering things up everything is too much (hide spoiler)]

My Sister-In-Law (former): (view spoiler)[Dang this gets even more mysterious with every turn of the page and the Cunningham family has managed to freak me out completely. This last leg of the book is bound to hold all the answers and I can't wait to finally get to the bottom of the mystery spanning decades (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[I AM SHOOK!!!! And I feel so dumb for not being able to connect the dots at all throughout the book. The last few chapters especially pushed me over the edge and now I am thinking about all the clues we got , every little nugget of information that proved to be instrumental in uncovering the whole mystery damn this was awesome (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 5
I'm not sure how I feel about this yet. Writing style isn't my cup of tea but I think I will get use to it and when (or if) it happens I think it's going to be alright. But there is a lot of characters and family ties to remember!

Chapter 15
(view spoiler)[Family ties are messed up in this family! Bingo is funny for this kind of reunion. (hide spoiler)]

Kira wrote: "My wife: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[This part was funny! One sentence was enough. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 21
(view spoiler)[I hate when I hear that someone left their kid or pet in a car in summer. To be honest I don't get it. It's sad that Jeremy died this way. (hide spoiler)]

Finished
(view spoiler)[Unfortunately I was bored for most of this book so when big reveals started to happen I was at the point where I didn't care anymore. It started with the writing start for me. I thought I would get used to it but it didn't happen. I just didn't like the way it was written. I'm kind of sad about this because I really thouht I'm going to love this book. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 21:
Started a bit later but this is quite a book! I still do not have a clue who the murderer is but I do enjoy the backstory of how every family member has killed someone : 0

Aneta wrote: "Finished
[spoilers removed]"

I am sorry that you didn't enjoy the book Aneta. (view spoiler)[The writing style was indeed quite peculiar and I also faced some difficulties getting into the book at the beginning but for me the ending redeemed it quite a bit! (hide spoiler)]

Etaniesx wrote: "Chapter 21:
Started a bit later but this is quite a book! I still do not have a clue who the murderer is but I do enjoy the backstory of how every family member has killed someone : 0"

The humor at times is just amazing!

Kira wrote: "Etaniesx wrote: "Chapter 21:
Started a bit later but this is quite a book! I still do not have a clue who the murderer is but I do enjoy the backstory of how every family member has killed someone..."

Honestly lol! The humour from Ernest definitely balances the twistedness in it! I am kinda suspicious of him because to me he is an unreliable narrator (even when he says he is not) but I see no link between the dead body and him yet :) Maybe once I find out what is in Michaels's van it might give me more clues

Finished the book

Just wanted to say I had a feeling! Not exactly how I thought it would turn out to be but very close. Overall I did enjoy the book and I liked Ernest's mini thought interruptions throughout. The plot kept me up at night. I do think the book was quite long though and I think for a mystery-Agatha-Christie-type-of-book if too long it can be tedious at times.
Regardless, truly enjoyable!

I read this last year. I didn't like the conversational style at first but I became comfortable with it after a while, & then I quite enjoyed it.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

***************************************************************
***************************************************************

RESTARTING MAY 16TH, 2024

*******************************************************************
*******************************************************************

i have a road trip this afternoon so it will be good to have an audiobook to pass the time!

Kim wrote: "i have a road trip this afternoon so it will be good to have an audiobook to pass the time!"Oooo, that's awesome! I hope you are going somewhere fun! I am going to be starting the audio tonight while walking the dog and then making dinner! I'm really looking forward to starting! I've heard nothing but good things.

To Chapter 15, or 28%: (view spoiler)[That recap was awesome!!! I actually needed that to reinforce this broad cast in my mind. I am absolutely loving that the narrator is addressing the Reader directly as he tells the tale. Such a fun twist on a classic murder mystery set-up! (hide spoiler)]

Finally parked and can do some update posts before bed.
I got to 85% so I’ll try to break these up in order but no promises.

I liked the prologue and definitely intend to look up if those commandments are real.

(view spoiler)[ I appreciated the recap at chapter 14.5 especially since I was driving. It helped with the characters a lot more, since the voices on the audio really aren’t all that distinct.

This serial killer’s signature is so obscure I’m loving it. I knew it was semi mentioned in the beginning but it really does get entwined with the family. This cop is pretty terrible and I know there’s supposedly backup on the way but there’s at least basics from tv shows that the guy should know.

I was thrown by the fertility part. I liked how the author sprinkled it through a couple chapters for the slow reveal. It puts his and Erin’s relationship in perspective.

Can’t wait to hear how this ends tomorrow! (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

To Chapter 20, or 42%: We've had some interesting developments and the plot is progressing nicely. (view spoiler)[I am interested to learn more about their Dad and how he is connected to Alan, the man Michael killed. Also, very interested to find out where their Step-Dad went the night he canceled the dinner plans! (hide spoiler)]

Mid-Chapter 25, or 54%: (view spoiler)[What the heck!? Michael had dug up a coffin? With a mummified corpse in it!? 😄😂 Also, do sad about how Jeremy died, right? That's so traumatizing! (hide spoiler)]

To Chapter 35, or 72%: (view spoiler)[OMG, I can't believe Michael has been killed. That is so sad the way he was found. Also, the last chapter with Ernie and Erin actually talking, and her telling him about her Mum and why she wasn't ready to have kids. My heart seriously breaks for them. (hide spoiler)]

Finished!!! This was so fun! It wasn't perfect for me. I did find some things towards the end a bit convoluted or difficult to track, but still had a blast with it. It's just so clever! I am looking forward to starting the second book soon!

I agree (view spoiler)[ after Erin and Ernie talked, I was so sad for the relationship they lost because they couldn’t talk through things that meant so much to them both. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Kim wrote: "I agree [spoilers removed]"
I know, that was really sad. I felt like the author handled that topic/reveal of what happened quite well. It surprised me the emotion it brought, as the rest of the story is just sort of OTT-fun.

Finished! I agree that it wasn’t my favorite ending but still quite good. I’m glad you mentioned a second book because I didn’t know to keep an eye out for it. Totally going to!

Kim wrote: "Finished! I agree that it wasn’t my favorite ending but still quite good. I’m glad you mentioned a second book because I didn’t know to keep an eye out for it. Totally going to!"I started the audio yesterday -- I couldn't wait! Already invested! :)

Thanks for reading this with me, Kim!!

megs_bookrack wrote: "Kim wrote: "Finished! I agree that it wasn’t my favorite ending but still quite good. I’m glad you mentioned a second book because I didn’t know to keep an eye out for it. Totally going to!"I start..."

thanks for suggesting it!