Cliff wants to kill his former boss, who mentally pushed two of Cliff's friends to their deaths and made Cliff's name mud in his industry. Doria wants to kill the head of her studio who is planning to kill Doria's acting career because she rejected him romantically. Gemma eased the suffering of her father's terminal illness by sending him to a painless death; now she is being blackmailed by a co-worker who gets the promotion Gemma deserved and makes Gemma do all of her work. Gemma doesn't see any way out except to kill her.

All three, along with many others with similar tales, end up at the McMasters School of Homicide. Geographically remote and secretive, the purpose of the school is to train those who can afford it to be able to kill without detection. Will Cliff, Doria and Gemma make the grade?

This book is an amusing take on the subject of deserved murders. The characters are easy to cheer for and the wit and attention to detail is spot on. Holmes is a playwright along with being an author and his writing shows this as it quickly gets to the point and moves quickly as a play must do. He has had success with his music, his plays and his books. This novel is recommended for mystery fans looking for a lighter read.

This book was a completely unexpected marvel. And of course, I made sure I read it at work in front of my boss. I seriously hope this turns into a long, and frequently published series!

Murder your Employer was one of my anticipated releases for ehh whenever this came out. Unfortunately, I have way too many of those, on top of my already huge TBR. So it has taken me quite a long time to finally get around to this book.

I am really glad I read this though because it was such a fun ride. I don't think I could really call this a thriller, because it felt more like a satirical humour, but it was executed very well. I liked the different perspectives, I liked that the book did not take itself too serious, everything about it worked for me.

A unique mystery suspense told with a great voice throughout. the story was an original and filled with fun characters. I will be looking for more from this author.

I was SO excited for this one but it was just too dense. I realise it was trying to mimic an academic prospectus of sorts, but reading so academic/densely was just off-putting and by the time I got through the introduction and on to the first student's diary, I didn't care.

Immersive and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide is presented as an instruction manual, written by Dean Harbinger Harrow of the McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts -- an exclusive, clandestine college that schools its students in one very specific skill: murder. (Essentially, McMasters is like Hogwarts, but instead of teaching magic, it teaches murder.) For the first time, Dean Harrow is sharing McMasters tips and tricks for performing a successful "deletion" in a guidebook that features case studies from three former students.

Murder Your Employer is a clever, inventive, and entertaining high concept novel that's unlike anything I've read before. Part thriller, part dark academia, part satire, and part historical fiction (it's set in the 1950s), it's a book that doesn't fit solidly into one genre, and that somehow makes it even better. And honestly, this concept is just everything; the idea of a school that teaches its students how to successfully and ethically commit murder is bananas in the best way. Rupert Holmes utilizes this concept fully, richly detailing the life of a McMasters student and meticulously plotting every element. This sometimes means the book is a bit dense and slow-paced, but I was mostly too impressed and entertained by its cleverness and dry, dark humor to care all that much.

The conclusion is totally satisfying, but much like Hogwarts before it, I found myself not quite ready to leave McMasters. I have no idea if this is the first in a planned series, but I hope it is. I'd love to read about more McMasters students' zany murderous adventures.

This one took me awhile to get into, but after about 30 percent done I started to enjoy it. The concept is a murderers finishing school so to speak, It reads like a handbook and describes the students at work...I liked how it followed 3 different murders with all the details, complications etc. It did seem to overjustify murder a bit..but it's complicated lol. Overall a fun mystery/thriller.

QUICK TAKE: a little too clever for its own good, but ultimately extremely enjoyable, especially for fans of the genre.

This is a brilliant and unique concept for a mystery, but I found the pacing a little uneven.

It took me a little while to get into the story with the combination of an anonymous narrator and a lot of information about McMasters up front, but once the story got properly underway and we meet Cliff, Gemma and Daria then I was hooked.

Following a group of sympathetic murderers, rather than the more usual investigator or victim perspectives, made for a fascinating and memorable story hook and the author did a great job with it. I was definitely hoping for the students to succeed in their various deletions!

I found the ending a bit too convenient – HEA all round! – but it was satisfying to see all the loose ends tied up so I turned a blind eye to the unlikeliness of the outcome.

With plenty of dark humour and some quirky characters, this is an enjoyably fun read for mystery fans looking for something a little different.

There's a lot of novelty to this book, but it did feel like it dragged on quite a bit. It's quite clever in both design and execution.

This was such a unique and fun read! Cleverly written with great characters and some laugh out loud moments I really enjoyed this book. There were a few twist and turns throughout the book that kept me fully engaged, Such a fun read!

Such a strange, odd, funny read. The premise of the book: If you want to murder your employer, you can enroll in The McMaster's Conservatory to learn the art of homocide. The story follows three students on thier journey to murder thier employer--each with a valid reason. The story had twists and turns and surprises, and you root for each of the three main characters to be able to right being wronged. I really enjoyed it. Highly recommended.

What a twisting, exciting, engaging journey!!
I had high hopes for this one - despite knowing very little about the actual point - and heck, let me tell you I was not disappointed in the slightest.

In this book, the narrator is Dean Harrow, the current headmaster of The McMasters Conservatory, an exclusive, secretive and very expensive academy where... well, you are basically taught how to kill and get away with it.
It starts with a proper introduction that resembles the one of a textbook, where the headmaster goes over some terminology and explains the McMaster method: they are not training ruthless killers, oh no; they help the "executor" figure out how to "delete" the executive (aka they help the murderer plan the best way to kill their target) and get away with it but only if your deletion is determined by how you answer the following questions:

1. Is this murder necessary?
2. Have you given your target every last chance to redeem themselves?
3. What innocent people will suffer because of your actions?
4. Will this deletion improve the life of others?

If your answers satisfy these questions - and if you have a lot of money or a generous sponsor funding your studies, you get to go to The McMasters Conservatory, where you'll write a thesis (your murder plan) and attend the courses that will help you carry out such plan. And if you were to fail in the execution of this plan... well, you won't be alive to tell the tale.

After introducing such principles, Dean Harrow states that this volume will be focused on how to murder your employer, who is arguably one of the most likely victims of someone's murder. To show us how things are done at the academy, and the principles it stands for, he gives us the chance to glimpse into this seclusive school by telling us about the thesis of three McMasters students: Cliff Iverson, whose life was ruined by his boss who changed the designs of an airplane craft, in doing so risking the lives of people using that company's planes; Gemma Lindley, who is being blackmailed by her ex-colleague now supervisor; and finally Doria Mae, an actress whose career is being ruined by a film manager whom she won't sleep with.
We listen to Cliff's story in the form of diary entries, since his studies were funded by an anonymous benefactor and the school's requirements dictated Cliff had to write a journal to give to his sponsor, to keep them updated of his progress in the school and outside of it. Gemma and Doria's accounts are related by the Dean, based on what he observed and was told by the students themselves.


I loved every single page of this book. As I said, the beginning had the tone of a textbook, is author going through the table of contents and explaining why you'll find what you'll find in his book. And he did so in an elegant, posh, proper way with lovely hints of wordplays and British sense of humor and I was already in. But then, not only we get to see a few moments inside the academy, how these students are trained, how they play practical jokes on each other that border on actually trying to kill each other, but in the second part of the book we also see the three students chosen as they try to implement their plan, how they go about it, if they're successful in their deletion and what the consequences are as well as the final report of the students' counsellors/tutors on the execution of their thesis... you know, like an actual private academy.

It was so engrossing, I was never bored and was always wishing I was reading to see what would be the next step in their thesis, how they could get away with it and revelling in how intricate their plans were.

Yes, I think the physical book has maps and nice headings and a format that gives it that feel of a fancy old secret society manual, but the audiobook was undeniably close to perfection.
Simon Lance narrated Dean Harrow and he was absolutely perfect, with his deep, old, savvy British voice; and Cliff Iverson was narrated by the one and only Neil Patrick Harris and they couldn't have chosen a better actor (even personality wise) to bring this character to life. I just wish they had cast two more narrators to also voice Gemma and Doria's PoVs, instead of having the Dean doing it but for how it was written it made sense.

I don't think there's any word out yet about a companion novel, but it does say "Volume 1" on the cover and I'm badly hoping there will be a "Volume 2"!

I can’t believe this, but I’m DNFing this book at 66%. I almost never DNF books this late in the game so it’s a clear sign that there are major problems. Way too many characters. Hella boring plot line (honestly, more like no plot line). Even the amazing audiobook narrators can’t save this one!!! I am bored out of my mind.

Thanks anyway for the arc.

Murder Your Employer is a wickedly clever thriller that takes you on a wild ride. The concept of a school for murderers is brilliantly unique, and the writing is superb. Although it had some pacing issues, it's a must-read for crime fiction fans. I can't wait to see what Holmes has in store next!

I liked the premise behind this book, but the execution fell flat. Many times I found myself drifting off in thought and having to go back and reread past sections. I realize that this is because the book just didn't hold my attention well. It also seemed much longer than it needed to be, but perhaps it just felt that way. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes is a devilish thriller that introduces readers to The McMasters Conservatory, a luxurious and clandestine college dedicated to the fine art of murder...

The cover on this book is outstanding, and the writing itself is fantastic. It’s like Hogwarts for murderers! 😂 The plot was humorous, engaging, and highly entertaining, and the characters were well developed. However, at times, it felt like it could have been a bit shorter as it dragged through the middle.

Overall, Murder Your Employer is a cracking good read that is so close to being a 5-star book. Fans of crime fiction will enjoy this book’s original concept and witty execution. This reviewer hopes that there will be more from these intriguing characters in future works from Holmes.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

This is just not a book for me. I tried to get into it several times, tried skimming chapters, all to no avail. I just could not connect with the odd style of writing and the characters.

DNF @ 37%

I’ve been trying to read this book for months, and at some point I just need to learn when to put it away. The premise and title sucked me in and I was looking forward to a thrilling and mysterious read. The disconnect I have is with how it’s written. This novel is structured in multiple ways. Some parts are written like a textbook, which is incredibly boring and something no one wants to read. Most of the novel is written as letters being sent to the mysterious donor who sponsored our protagonist’s trip to this murder academy. It’s a unique spin, but I don’t like seeing everything as a passive bystander. Put me in, coach! I want to see everything through the character’s perspectives.

I didn’t want to put the book down because the story is strong and I’d love to know how it turns out. However, I can’t get into the writing style and it isn’t worth forcing myself to finish.