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The plot had me intrigued and invested the whole time. I loved the setting of the school, from classes to the assignments given to through the eyes of our main characters. Witty dialogue and banter helped the book to maintain a consistent flow instead of feeling stunted. A story with humor that's not overdone, details and "twists" were logical and keeps you on your toes along with characters that aren't the ordinary papier-mâché stereotypes. Brilliant concept: a finishing school for would-be murderers teaching you how to do it and get away with it. I liked the start, in the form of a sort of handbook, and the depiction of the students at work. I was constantly blown away by the cleverness of the narrator and the depth of comedic knowledge they presented the murderous education in.
If sensible people can kill themselves because life no longer seems worth living, then I suppose a sensible person might kill someone who makes other people’s lives unlivable, or who risks the lives of others.”
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When Cliff Iverson finds himself wanting to kill his employer, he tries to execute what he feels is the perfect plan. He soon discovers that his thinking is anything but perfect and the police show up on his doorstep moments later. Thinking that he is headed to the slammer, Cliff prepares himself, only to find himself at the gates to the elusive McMasters Conservatory. This is where his life changes forever.
Full of twists, the emphasis is on comedy . . . but the extraordinary Holmes can pull the heartstrings too.' THE TIMES
An exclusive institution for aspiring murderers …oh sorry, I mean “deletists” situated in an undisclosed location, The McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts covers an expansive syllabus in the homicidal arts ranging from “Herbicide” to forgery to “Eroticide” and much more. Of course, the selection process for aspiring students is quite rigorous (the fate of rejected candidates is another matter, altogether!) and follows a procedure beginning with justifying one’s proposed “thesis” based upon certain principles, The Four Enquiries: Cliff Iverson, Gemma Lindley and Doria Maye all have one thing in common – they’re here to learn how to kill. Rupert Holmes, of "Piña Colada Song" fame, has given mystery lovers a real treat. Especially if you like mysteries that play with genre and format, which this very much does. Something I didn't know going in is that this is also historical fiction, taking place in the years just after the second world war, so it's more like Agatha Christie levels of technology here, which does affect the type of mysteries you get. We follow three characters as they make their way to the McMasters Conservatory, a school whose sole goal is to teach its students how to commit their perfect murder on an appropriate target. (I enjoyed that it is explained to us that certain types of murders are not allowed, only the killing of targets whos absence from the world would make it better is approved.) Rupert Holmes was born on February 24, 1947, in Northwich, Cheshire, England. Soon after, he ventured forth to America (New York) with his British mum and Air Force dad. After graduating from the Manhattan School of Music, Mr. Holmes delved into the art of melodious sound. A successful piano player for both the Cuff Links and the Buoys, with whom he had his first international hit, "Timothy," in 1971, Rupert also wrote and arranged songs for Gene Pitney, The Platters, The Drifters and the Partridge Family. It all went a bit downhill when the book moved on to following three students through three murders. The murders were hugely overplanned, in a way that sounds clever at first glance but entirely depended on a whole lot of people unknowingly doing things exactly as hoped, and detailed so lovingly that the book slowed to an absolute crawl. And also, they were three entirely unrelated murders! I wanted to see them woven together, or for something to bring the various characters and plots together (ideally in a way that would give them a bit more actual character work), but it was just three chopped up accounts of three unconvincingly elaborate plans to kill people, and by the end I will admit to skimming.
Three woman who join together to rent a large space along the beach in Los Angeles for their stores—a gift shop, a bakery, and a bookstore—become fast friends as they each experience the highs, and lows, of love. 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. As I finally sit down to start typing this review, I still haven't decided if I'm going to round up or down from my 4.5 star rating, so I guess we'll see what I talk myself into by the end of these several paragraphs.
Table of Contents
The two men apparently found this amusing, but then Dobson inquired in a more serious tone, “So tell me, Cliff: No regrets for what you did?” So… you’re not going to arrest me?” I asked, feeling a multitude of angel feathers brushing my face as I rose from an abyss into radiant light. “What about Fiedler?” The cast of characters is big, which I thought fit the setting very well. I had fun finding out everyone's motivations, and the side characters felt fleshed out as well as the main cast, with Doria definitely taking the number one spot in my heart (sorry Cliff). Dobson had not taken his eyes off my face, but it seemed safe to assume he didn’t have a schoolboy crush on me. “Were you planning to ask why I want to know where you were?” he asked with genuine curiosity. “See, usually when I ask someone for an alibi, they want to know why.”
The first half is a slow-burn with focus on campus life in an idyllic setting of unknown location. In fact, the school’s location is so secret, students arrive blindfolded after being taken on quite a circuitous journey. Upon arrival, they don’t even know what country they are in. I will be honest, the book lost me somewhere in the middle. As soon as they were out in the world, preparing to execute their assignment (pun intended), I got a little lost. Mostly because I wasn’t aware of their plans. And the other part is maybe because I prefered the school setting. We knew mostly about Cliff’s plans, but even he went off script. And I know that the surprise and mystery elements have a say in us going in blindly, but I didn’t enjoy it because everyone was scheming at the same time and it was difficult for me to follow all three storylines without a lot of clues. If this was done separately, I would not have faced character and plot exhaustion and would have enjoyed this book so much more. Oh, and when you wake,” added Dobson, “your head will be bandaged so you can’t see where you are. Don’t panic. When new students regain consciousness, they sometimes think they’ve gone blind, or worse.” 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.Those of a certain age ( ahem) may remember him for 1979’s earworm “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).” I showed him my shield and explained there’s been a rash of subway shovings,” said Dobson. “Told him we were hot on the heels of the perpetrator.” Kudos, Mr. Holmes, for a unique book and perspective on things. I will have to see if there are other books in the same vein to do some comparisons. If this were to become a duology or series then I'll definitely read it. I would consider this to be a dark academia novel that fits more along my tastes. I genuinely had a fun time from beginning to end.
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