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

Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

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

23 reviews

flower_mail's review

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adventurous 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

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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.

msmalicious's review

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

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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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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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gingerfoot's review

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funny fast-paced

3.75

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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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vagrantheather's review against another edition

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dark funny medium-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? No

3.75

A fun, easy read. I wouldn't call it gripping, thrilling, or adventurous, but it was enjoyable. The intro isn't well suited to audiobooks format and kept losing me; I had to pull up an ebook sample and reread it (I think it's much more suited to reading anyway but I was already reading 2, beggars/choosers etc). The narration is great - Neil Patrick Harris and Simon Vance - and the rest of the book was fine.

I don't love that one of the murders relied on implicit transphobia / staging the murderer as a crossdresser sex crime.

Rolled my eyes at the totally unnecessary instalove.

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emilywemily6's review

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dark funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.5

The dry, witty sense of humor in this book is my cup of tea. Listening on audio was hilarious! So many death puns. The concept was original and I loved the first half of the book. I did feel like we knew Cliff better than the other two characters highlighted in the book, and I wish we had learned more. I honestly was not a fan of Gemma as a person or her storyline, so when her storyline was a more prominent part of the book, I enjoyed reading this book a bit less. I found her a bit pathetic and uncreative in her deletion thesis, whereas I was totally on board with both Cliff and Doria’s plans, executions, and contingencies. The only other gripe I have is that the setting in the 1950s was pretty subtle for most of the book, so I had to remind myself what the culture was at that time to understand the book. Overall, this book was so fun to read, witty and smart.

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sprossa's review

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1.0

I genuinely enjoyed this book VERY much! My critique, and what knocks it down half a star, is that I found a couple things a bit problematic. I didn’t love the way

Doria killed her targeted and the use of drag in her story, I get it but I think in todays climate it felt off to demonize queer gender expression. I also felt that Gemma being immediately failed had she not saved Adele’s life (even not knowing she was pregnant) felt a bit off. It makes sense for the time period of the book, but I’m just not sure I like either inclusion.

I don’t think either of these ruined my experience and they’re not blatantly problematic, I do think the book is funny and a genuinely enjoyable thriller (from someone who doesn’t read thrillers) but it did dampen my enjoyment just a little!

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