The Art of Crime and Comedy: A Blend Like No Other
Imagine a book title so eye-catching it could sell popcorn—”Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone.” If only family reunions were that thrilling! This delightful concoction is the brainchild of Benjamin Stevenson, a Sydney-based author whose work reportedly makes people chuckle between gasps. He’s a crime fiction aficionado with a side-hustle as a comedian, and after reading his work, you may find it hard to tell if you’re at a mystery novel or a stand-up show.
At 34, Stevenson sets the rules, declaring mystery-solving as a team sport between the reader and the narrator, who boldly breaks the fourth wall to speak directly to us. You know, because obviously, we needed another layer of involvement in our literary lives. His book plays with familiar tropes, giving a nod to the past while simultaneously flipping it off in a friendly manner. No wonder HBO is jumping at the chance to adapt it; they must have seen the bidding war and thought, “Why not? Who doesn’t love watching other people’s families crumble?”
Sydney based author Benjamin Stevenson.Credit: James Brickwood
His next title, “Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect,” might not be winning any literary awards for creativity, but hey, it’s riding the coattails of its predecessor like an overzealous child at a fair. With Ernest, our charmingly honest narrator, making a return, Stevenson admits he loves him. And here we thought he was easing into a lifelong commitment. “He’s not just a character; he’s my inner monologue at brunch!” he jokes—who knew relationship goals could come from a fictional character?
The genre? A puzzling enigma! It’s not classic crime, but it’s in high demand. “Is this a cozy blanket mystery or an Etsy shop’s best-seller? Who knows?” he muses, fully aware of the genre’s popularity, thanks to modern-day crime dramas and podcasts making murder sound like a light weekend activity. Netflix is clearly happy about it; they need more ways to kill time!
Stevenson and his identical twin brother James appear in The Stevenson Project, a musical comedy act.Credit: Monica Pronk
Having devoured the works of Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle in his teens, Stevenson realized that “murder and comedy go together like peanut butter and jelly.” And let’s not forget the films—“Scream owes a lot to Christie!” he notes, probably much to the chagrin of murder mystery purists everywhere. If you’re not having a bit of fun while pastiche-ing a genre, what’s even the point?
‘I wanted to be published by the time I was 30, which I achieved. I scraped it in, and I realize now how ludicrous that goal was.’
Stevenson has been juggling comedy and writing like flaming swords, and for a while, he worried the two wouldn’t mesh well. “I thought I had to choose, but then I realized why not just become a talented circus act instead?” The result? A glorious blend of humor and murder that has everyone from literary critics to casual beach readers raising an eyebrow and a glass.
