Everyone in This Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson

June 26, 2026

Everyone in This Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson

After the publication of his third book, Ernest Cunningham and his fiancee Juliette are seeking a bank loan to open a detective agency. But when they arrive at the bank for their appointment, they learn that rather than discuss a bank loan, the bank manager wants Ernest to take on a new case.

Another locked-room mystery in the Ernest Cunningham series, this time set in a bank. All of the mysteries follow the rules of the Golden Age mysteries, such as not introducing a new character who turns out to be the villain late in the story, and a parlor-type reveal at the end. This one was really twisty, with ten suspects and ten thefts. The characters are quirky, there is a lot of dry humor, and the ending is unexpected, although it took a long time to get there. I did think the center of the book dragged. Will appeal to fans of Knives Out or Glass Onion.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

 July 23, 2020

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

On the day before New Year's Eve, eight people attend a viewing of an apartment that is for sale.  Each person has their own reasons for being there, ranging from the mundane to the bizarre (including a guy wearing a rabbit head).  They are eight strangers, until a bank robber bursts into the apartment waving a gun, and suddenly they become eight hostages.  As they begin to talk to each other, they realize that they have more in common than it first appears.  But as the situation progresses and the police surround the building, the eight anxious people are forced to decide how they will move forward (in more ways than one).

Although not as good as Backman's A Man Called Ove (but seriously, what could be?), this is a novel filled with the author's signature wit and exploration of complex human relationships.  It's also a sort of "locked-room" mystery that keeps twisting and turning on itself, and just about when you think you have the story figured out, you find out that you're wrong.  The characters are ALL unreliable witnesses (except maybe the young policeman Jack) and probably the worst hostages ever.  Although there are themes of depression and suicide that run through the book, don't let that stop you from reading it, because Backman ultimately delivers a story that is heartwarming and life-affirming.  Probably one of the best books of 2020.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in return for a review.