Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide

Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes

59 reviews

a_little_teacup's review

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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bzliz's review

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dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

This is everything I love in a campy mystery- it’s quirky, laugh out loud funny, and perfectly convoluted. And after finishing it I’ve learned that the author is the same Rupert Holmes who is a 2 time Tony winner and wrote the Piña Colada song. If I believed in such things I’d say it’s proof that god really does have favorites because this man is supremely talented.

The manner is which the story is told could be confusing for anyone not in the right headspace. Primarily it is a manuscript written by the Dean of a university for would-be murderers (aka deletists)- telling the story of three students of the school, all angling to kill their employers, and we learn that one of them will not be successful. Cliff Iverson’s story is told primarily through journal entries as he must document his studies for his sponsor, whereas Gemma Lindley’s and Doria Maye’s (aka Dulcie Mown) stories are told primarily through a third person omniscient narrator. It is implied that these omniscient sections are retellings of their events from undercover agents and former graduates of McMasters. Additionally, the book is split in two clear parts. The first takes place at the school where our student heroes are learning all the skills they need to become well-rounded deletists; the second is their return to the real world where they must complete their thesis (murder) in order to graduate and failure will result in their own deletion.

The only reason I cannot give this a full five stars is the tendency to use underlines to ensure a pun, double entendre, joke, etc lands correctly. It was distracting for me. I will still readily recommend this to anyone looking for a mystery book that takes an unconventional approach to the subject.

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia, Suicide, Alcohol, and Racism

Death, murder:

I hope if these trigger you that you haven’t picked this book up. Multiple people will be murdered in this book, with specific details as to how it was done included.

Sexual harassment:

Doria’s target Leonid Kosta exploits women looking to break into the film industry to lure them to his home. He also uses refusal of his advances against her, thus resulting in her desire to kill him. Gemma’s target Adele Underton essentially pimps her out (using blackmail) to a big wig coming to the hospital to secure them more funding. Gemma does not go through with it.

Sexual assault:

Cliff’s target Merrill Fiedler regularly uses his station to entice women to his bed (or office). He also drugs them so they’re unaware as he takes photos of them in a compromised state that he can later use as blackmail when he wants them to go away so he can victimize someone else, but also as a threat to keep them under his thumb.

Injury:

Gemma is nearly strangled at the school. Later she is hit with cinder blocks from 3-4 stories off the ground. Other injuries occur including a few poisonings, plus the murders themselves.

Alcohol:

They drink occasionally. Alcohol is mainly used as a method of concealing poison.

Homophobia:

There is clearly shame given to same sex partners that would be period appropriate. They are minor mentions.

Racism:

Gemma notes that it’s acceptable that her white father married a woman of color but that it would not have been so if their races had been reversed. Some microaggressions about her mixed race in her real life.

Suicide:

Cliff’s crush Cora overdosed on pills due to his murder target’s blackmail.

Transphobia:

Police make some comments about the “evidence” left at one of the crime scenes showing how the murderer must be a man masquerading as a woman. They toe the line between homophobia and transphobia depending on if they believe the target knew about the guise, which is all manufactured evidence anyway.

tabookish's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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sirquedusoleil's review

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This book had so much potential at the start of it but as time went on, things just started to drag out. It is written by a man after all so how much development were we expecting with the characters. There were some great moments sprinkled throughout but most of it was talking in circles or just sharing information that really just didn’t matter.

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acidicorchid's review

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funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

More than anything, I think this book shines when it comes to how the author built up his characters. They're vibrant and alive, and you get this sense that even the minor ones have some measure of fleshed out life guiding them. Each one's a character unto themself and carried the story where I found it starting to drag. Kudos also to its dedication to staying in its general time periods (1950s.... somewhere), though whether the slang and sentiments are wholly accurate I'll leave to someone else's judgement. The author certainly did a good job making it feel plausible though.

It opened in a way I found both funny and novel, but I was more than a little sad when the humor didn't really carry through to the second half of the novel. It just took itself too seriously imo

post graduation from McMasters

.

While I found it a neat (if not always perclfectly executed) aspect, if you're not a fan of changing POVs in books, be aware that it happens a lot here, not just chapter to chapter, but even several times within one chapter as focus switches between both the different characters' live and actions as well as the one writing

(Harrow's omniscient perspectives and the excerpts from Cliff's journals)

.

All in all, it's a fun time, but kind of see-sawed between a fun jaunt and taking itself a but too seriously in its second half.

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chemistry_goodness's review

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adventurous challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Don't go in with preconceptions. I did and I think that's why it took me some time to really start to enjoy the book. From the blurb I initially read which prompted me to buy the book (from an ad, go figure!), I had a Pratchett/Adams vibe which led me astray a bit until I shook it.

I like the style chosen by the author as if they were "simply" an editor of a piece of work submitted by another. I don't want to say much more about that since I don't want to spoil it for anyone.

It was a different and delightful read and a change from space opera and science-related books.

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dyer's review

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medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

Someone who’s looking for a more casual read with a dark academia setting might enjoy this book with a unique premise.

The structure needed more work (from author/editors but also the whole idea that a super secret school with super secret alumni is writing a tell-all book didn’t really make sense) and there was a lot of “telling rather than showing” type of writing (hence why I consider it a casual read).

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chezler24's review

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

"Don't commit homicide. Commit a tragedy."

A fantastic read to kick off the new year! (I technically started this at the tail end of December, but I read most of it in January so I'll count it.) Holmes embraces what could be a dark topic with engaging wit and whimsy. Throughout the novel, you follow three main characters (Cliff Iverson, Gemma Lindley, and Dulcie Mown) in their separate quests to "take care of" their individual problems. What seems to be a straightforward assassination plan is handled with care, stealth, and cautiously laid out plans that tie up every loose end imaginable. The act of killing isn't just thrown about willy-nilly, and it's interesting to see the different moral/ethical guidelines put in place by McMasters. Holmes successfully immerses the readers in the ideology of the McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts by introducing them to the different classes, techniques, and professors that help create well-rounded deletionists (not murderers, obviously). Such an engaging book with a fitting while somewhat unexpected end!

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shinypurplepants's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Incredibly thrilling overall. I would clarify this as a dark comedy thriller more than a mystery. Gives me the same fun vibes as a well done heist.

Ending was almost too sweet in contrast with the serious subject matter.

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autumnpak's review

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adventurous challenging dark funny informative mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

It was super engaging and a fantastic and a fun idea I just wanted more they could have done so much more but if this is vol 1 I’m excited to read what comes next! Definitely a fun read especially if you love school/tests and that type of trope definitely a fun time

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