Murder Your Employer: The McMaster’s Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes
Read by Simon Vance and Neil Patrick Harris
Publication Date: February 21, 2023
Summary from Goodreads:
A devilish thriller with a killer concept: The McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts, a luxurious, clandestine college dedicated to the fine art of murder where earnest students study how best to “delete” their most deserving victim.
Who hasn’t wondered for a split second what the world would be like if a person who is the object of your affliction ceased to exist? But then you’ve probably never heard of The McMasters Conservatory, dedicated to the consummate execution of the homicidal arts. To gain admission, a student must have an ethical reason for erasing someone who deeply deserves a fate no worse (nor better) than death. The campus of this “Poison Ivy League” college—its location unknown to even those who study there—is where you might find yourself the practice target of a classmate…and where one’s mandatory graduation thesis is getting away with the perfect murder of someone whose death will make the world a much better place to live.
Prepare for an education you’ll never forget. A delightful mix of witty wordplay, breathtaking twists and genuine intrigue, Murder Your Employer will gain you admission into a wholly original world, cocooned within the most entertaining book about well-intentioned would-be murderers you’ll ever read.
Confession:
“So you’ve decided to commit a murder.
Congratulations. Simply by purchasing this volume, you’ve already taken the all-important first step toward a successful homicide of which you can be proud, one that would gain you the admiration of your peers, were they ever to learn of it.
This book will see to it that they don’t.”
The above quote is the opening line to this book, and it really gives you an idea of what you are in for. I just loved the dry humor, the witty dialogue and all of the characters, even the bad ones. I was so invested in whether or not they completed their murders by the end that I was totally blown away by how they went about doing it. This is a very unique take on a murder academy that was simply fun and so entertaining.
The two narrators also did a superb job. Simon Vance carries the majority of the narration with Neil Patrick Harris narrating the journal entries of Cliff Iverson. They both do an excellent job of narrating this story with some great voices and emotions when needed. I did think it was interesting that the producers only chose two men to narrate as there were chapters from the two women’s points of view as well. It would have been nice to hear a woman portray these parts, but Simon Vance does an excellent job with their voices, so it was all good.
“When a man dies from a bullet entering his chest, it’s a homicide. When a man dies from a meteorite landing on his head, it’s a tragedy. Don’t use bullets. Use meteorites. Don’t commit a homicide. Commit a tragedy.”
The first half of the book mostly follows Cliff Iverson as he attempts and fails to murder his awful boss. He is then whisked away to McMaster’s for his education in murder. And what an education it was. We don’t get a whole lot of detail about all of his classes, but I loved the bits we do learn. We are then introduced to the other two case studies, Gemma Lindley, an english hospital worker who is being blackmailed by her employer and a woman who goes by the name of Dulce Moan but is really the famous actress Doria Maye. Doria wants to ‘delete’ the head of her studio who is a very despicable man, so I don’t blame her a bit. I came to really like and enjoy these three characters and found myself rooting for them to finish their murders and then get on with their lives.
“And that, to me, embraces the very soul of the most important commandment you’ll find anywhere in your Principles of Successful Termination: ‘Do in others as you would have others do you in.”
The writing was great. The story is set in the 1950’s and you really feel like you are there. The first half of the book is a little on the slow side, mostly due to the complex backstories each of the characters need and all of the explanations of what life is like at McMasters. Once they all graduate and go back to work on their final thesis, things really start to pick up. I won’t go into specifics, but the plans that each of them came up with to murder their employers were so elaborate and perfect that I just had to admire their ingenuity and the author’s imagination. There is lots of witty banter and one liners as well. It sounded very much like an old 50’s movie.
if you are looking for a fun take on murder than this is a book you should consider. It is a lot of fun, has characters you will find yourself rooting for, and not just one complex murder scheme but three, all of which will amaze you with their ingenuity. I understand that there are also illustrations in the book, which I unfortunately was not able to see. I will certainly look for this book the next time I’m in the bookstore, as I understand they really add to the book. Highly recommend that you give this one a chance.
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