[Self-Indulgent Book Review Club] The Real Killer is on This Train: Benjamin Stevenson / Translator: Kazuko Tominaga

[Book Introduction]

The 'Ghan' is a long-distance train that travels straight through the heart of Australia.
Novice mystery writer Ernest Cunningham attends a 50th-anniversary event hosted by the Mystery Writers Association held on board this train, accompanied by his girlfriend, Juliet.

Although Ernest was invited to this event because his mystery novel detailing his own experiences, 'Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone,' became a hit, he feels quite out of place among the illustrious lineup of popular writers.
On top of that, world-renowned bestselling author Henry McTavish had given his work a humiliating one-star review.

Amidst a somewhat uneasy atmosphere, the train runs, the event is held, and a murder occurs.

[Review]

The story is told in a style where the protagonist, Ernest, acts as the narrator, writing down what he actually experienced.
'The culprit appears from the beginning of the work, and clues leading to the culprit are described properly without concealment.'
'No supernatural phenomena or ghosts appear.'
'The culprit's name appears 135 times in the work.'
...This kind of fair play, providing information to the reader in advance.
I didn't reach the core at all, though. Haha.
I don't think I've ever clearly reached the conclusion of this kind of challenging mystery novel that talks to the reader before the resolution chapter.
I'm always reading while thinking, 'maybe this, maybe that,' though.
This time, even though they gave me so many hints, I fell right into the misdirection.

The passengers on this train, both the writers and the readers, were quite unique and everyone was a little bit of a jerk (haha), but that was interesting in its own way.
The beginning was a bit long, and I was thinking, 'Ah, I wish a murder would happen soon (how inappropriate),' but as I read on, the truth had depth, or perhaps it was dark, with most of the characters faking their backgrounds or having other faces...
How do those facts intersect with this case?
Once I started reading, it was literally non-stop, just like a long-distance train.
I couldn't let my guard down until the very end, and it was truly interesting.

However, I really should have noticed before reading, but it touches a lot on the content of the previous work, 'Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone'.
There are no spoilers for the previous work, but since the world lines are connected, I definitely should have read the previous work first... I have a slight regret. Haha.
The title 'The Real Killer is on This Train' really tickled my mystery-loving heart, and I just picked it up and started reading without thinking about anything.