Reviews tagging 'Violence'

How to murder your Boss – McMasters Handbuch zum Morden by Rupert Holmes

69 reviews

honeyenbee's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Murder, Sexual harassment

Moderate: Racism, Pregnancy, Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief

mrscav's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This book isn’t as dark and menacing as I thought it would be! It actually turned out to be quite an insightful, sometimes comical and sometimes sad, commentary on humans and our institutions. Yes, the apparent commentary is provided through a darker narrative, but I ended up having so many philosophical and moral conversations as I moved through each characters’ stories. I think the use of a darker and over-the-top narrative worked so perfectly! In no way does this book justify such violence (nor should it), but I do think it starts great conversations and it was a fun read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

jenlikesbigbooks's review against another edition

3.5

funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, Murder

mrsbishopreads's review against another edition

4.0

dark funny tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder

bebidocrimes's review against another edition

4.75

funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This book is labeled as Volume 1, and while the author wrote himself a loophole in case he really doesn't want to continue, I need more! I'm doing mental math based on when this was published vs. when it is set and I think Harrow may have been like 100 years old, unless the Guide was published in-universe at a different time than this physical copy has been published. This kind of mental knotting up is precisely what this book feels like all the way through in the most fun way possible. I was watching minor characters with a side-eye waiting for them to become more relevant, so I expect sequels so I can read [REDACTED] get deleted. Also, I swear the janitorial and waitstaff have something up their sleeves. Maybe with Gemma's fate, we can get a bigger glimpse at it. There are so many plays on words and puns, I can't believe it never overstepped from charming and cheeky to straight-up annoying. I think this series could really play on the idea of 'who deserves to die' vs. 'who deserves to kill', which McMasters seems to try and uphold a moral standard for...mostly... I think I would like to explore the campus a bit deeper, especially the Poison Garden and the Menagerie. ALSO THE AUTHOR WROTE AND SANG "ESCAPE (THE PIÑA COLADA SONG)"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Gun violence, Suicide, Transphobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Sexual harassment

Blackmailing

niliii's review against another edition

4.75

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I actually really enjoyed this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Sexual harassment

Minor: Death, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Suicide attempt

tea_at_mole_end's review against another edition

4.75

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Pregnancy, Alcohol

purplepenning's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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Wryly humorous, darkly satisfying, and only a bit too clever for it's own good, MURDER YOUR EMPLOYER is an ambitious and entertaining murder mystery turned inside out. Readers of this case study guide to homicide follow three would-be student assassins in the 1950s as they study, train, and enact their final murderous theses to successfully matriculate from McMasters Conservatory of the Applied [Homicidal] Arts. McMasters is a [poison] Ivy League-calibre "finishing school for finishing people off." The course work is high stakes but each student has such a deserving thesis subject that we can't help but root for high marks.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment

Minor: Racism, Pregnancy

Blackmail, assisted suicide, organized crime, vigilante justice, and a scene that plays too dangerously close to homophobic/transphobic for Reasons (those being context, motivation, and era)

savvylit's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark funny slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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This clever and immersive book takes readers deep within the clandestine world of McMasters, a university that trains students in the fine arts of homicide. The curriculum includes classes on disguises, seduction, stalking, poisons, and just about every other potentially lethal topic under the sun. Cliff, Gemma, and Doria are each enrolled at McMasters to achieve one purpose: the murder of their employers. Murder Your Employer recounts their academic journeys and the execution of their final thesis.

Though at first, it took some time to adjust to the world of McMasters, I ultimately found myself thoroughly entertained by this novel. Rupert Holmes is an immensely talented and clever author. McMasters Conservatory is a fully-realized setting peopled by a delightful cast of characters and home to humorous, deadly escapades. Holmes has populated this book with exaggerations and caricatures but that's what ultimately makes it work so well. All in all, Murder Your Employer is both a dark academia romp and a fun deconstruction of classic murder mystery tropes.

Thank you to @avidreaderpress for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Murder

Moderate: Suicide, Stalking

Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia