Review copy was received from Library. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Everyone in This Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson Narrator: Barton Welch
Series: Ernest Cunningham #4
Published by HarperAudio on March 17, 2026
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Length: 9 hours, 51 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
I’ve spent the last few years solving murders. But a bank heist is a new one, even for me. I’ve never been a hostage before.
The doors are chained shut. No one in or out. Which means that when someone in the bank is murdered, everyone is a suspect.
The Bank Robber
The Manager
The Security Guard
The Kid
The Film Producer
The Priest
The Receptionist
The Patient
The Caregiver
Me
Turns out, more than one person planned to rob the bank today. You can steal more from a bank than just money.
Who is stealing what? Are they willing to kill for it? And can I solve the crime before the police kick down the door and rescue us?
I am still a little giddy about discovering the first book in the The Ernest Cunningham Series. I think that this is a series I could re-read regularly and still find it hilarious. I never stop rooting for Ern to solve the mysteries (and survive) and I was thrilled to learn that HBO is making the series into a television show. I wonder what Ern thinks about the actor they’ve cast to play him? I admit that I tend to think of the author and the narrator as the same person, but isn’t that the point of meta-fiction?
In Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief, Benjamin Stevenson manages to turn a standard bank heist into a masterfully meta-theatrical puzzle. This fourth installment in the The Ernest Cunningham Series finds our self-aware (and reliable) narrator trapped in a vault, solving a murder in the hours before his imminent death by asphyxiation.
The story begins with Ern and his fiancée, Juliette, and their dream of starting a private detective agency. Despite having already solved three high profile murders, they’ve been unable to secure funding, until they are contacted by Winston Huxley, co-director of Huxley’s Bank. They are given a chance to prove their mettle when Huxley hires them investigate the mysterious disappearance of his brother, Edward, the bank’s co-director, the only person with the code to unlocking the bank’s vault.  Before they can begin, a masked robber seizes the building. Something doesn’t seem entirely right about this heist, and it is up to Ern and Juliette to get to the bottom of the mystery.
True to Stevenson‘s style, Everyone in This Bank is a Thief is structured around a central concept: everyone inside the bank is a thief of some kind. There are 10 suspects; the Robber, the Manager, the Security Guard, a Kid, a Priest, a Film Producer, a Caregiver, the Receptionist, Huxley, and Edward. Stevenson cleverly builds suspense by disclosing the items each person has stolen early on, forcing the reader to weigh these minor “thefts” against the larger, looming murder.
Benjamin Stevenson continues to honor (and satirize) the “Golden Age” rules of mystery writing, with Ern directly addressing the reader about red herrings and tropes. The story is both straight-forward and complex, with very obvious direction from the narrator as to what is happening (down to the page number); but at the same time full of details and bizarre tangents, like a genuine investigation into whether pistachios can spontaneously combust, that left me scratching my head at times. There are so many little tidbits dropped throughout the story, I almost believed the author was trying to trick me. However, fair play is very important in this series and I should have known that Benjamin Stevenson would not have abused a reader in such a way. Stevenson’s background in stand-up comedy shines through with sarcastic, razor-sharp wit. I don’t think this installment was quite as funny as the first or second books in the series.  I found the humor to be a little more biting and subtle; perhaps Ern is too weary with his many near-death experiences to be able to laugh about them in the same way.
While Everyone in This Bank is a Thief can be read as a standalone, the character development for Ern and Juliette is best appreciated if you’ve followed the series from the start. The middle section might appear to be a little slow, but the chaotic and twisty finale rewards those who pay close attention to the clues hidden in plain sight. I can’t help but wonder where Benjamin Stevenson can take Ern and Juliette next?
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Narration:
As I’ve said in the past, the best compliment I can give Barton Welch, is that I actually believed he was Ern as I listened to his performance. His delivery was just as perfect and I still thoroughly enjoyed the narration. I must acknowledge how difficult it is to have a single narrator make 10 important characters all sound distinct without making the difference comical. I love the Aussie accent and I believe this book was enhanced by the narration and hope that other readers give it a try.
Listen to a clip:Â HERE
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I've developed a preference for audiobooks over the last few years, which allow me to complete chores, run carpool, or work on my many building and craft projects while 'reading.
My all time favorite selections include Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, Karen Marie Moning's Fever series, and all of Robin Hobb's books set in the Farseer world. Â Honorable mentions to Elle Kennedy, Penny Reid, Meljean Brook, Ann Aguirre, Krista and Becca Ritchie, Jeaniene Frost, and Kristen Callihan.
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Oooo this is right up my alley!!
That sounds like really good murder mystery.
Thank you for a fabulous review! I will have to track down the first book in this series as I’m yearning for humour along with my murder mysteries – so many are downright bleak.
I love the title of this, and I’ve only seen good reviews so far. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it!